CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - Unseen Bonds

Ava's heels clicked against the polished marble floor as she made her way to Max's office, a stack of reports clutched to her chest. She was about to knock when she heard voices from inside. Pausing, her hand hovering over the door, she recognized Max's deep baritone and an unfamiliar, elderly woman's voice. "Matilda, I appreciate your concern, but I've got everything under control," Max said, his tone unusually defensive. "Do you, Max? Do you really?" The woman's voice was stern but tinged with worry. "Your father would be rolling in his grave if he saw how you're running this company." Ava's eyes widened. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but curiosity got the better of her. Max's voice grew sharper. "Don't bring him into this. I'm not my father, and I never will be." "That's precisely the problem, dear," Matilda sighed. "You're so determined to be different that you're throwing away everything he built. The late nights, the women, the drinking – it's like you're trying t