The Ashcroft estate’s drawing room—late afternoon. Sunlight filters through tall windows, catching on polished oak furniture. Maxwell sits in a straight-backed chair, posture relaxed but attentive, a cup of tea untouched before him. His mother, elegant and poised, holds an envelope in her hands.

Mother: (sliding the photo across the table) “Maxwell, dear… I want you to look at her. She’s the daughter of the Victorias. Just graduated last spring. Economics major. Her family is respectable, her manners are proper, and she has a gentle heart.”

Maxwell: (glances at the photo, his expression unreadable) “She looks… ordinary.”

Mother: (arches a brow, smiling lightly) “Not every jewel sparkles at first glance. Sometimes, it is the setting that brings out the brilliance. You know I’ve always admired simplicity. She may not turn heads like the women you meet at your conferences, but she will never embarrass you, Maxwell.”

Maxwell: (leans back, folding his hands together neatly) “Mother, I have not planned for marriage—not yet. My companies require me whole, and I would not dishonor any woman by giving her only what remains of my time.”

Mother: (sighs, her voice softening) “You’re twenty-nine. I do not want to see you alone when you have built so much. Wealth, success, respect—what are they, if you cannot share them with someone at your side?”

Maxwell: (quiet for a moment, then in his smooth, deliberate tone) “I understand your concern. But marriage, for me, is not a matter of convenience. I do not seek alliances, nor an ornament to my achievements. If I am to marry, it must be a woman whose presence I would choose even if we had nothing.”

Mother: (gently pushing the photo closer) “And yet, perhaps she could be that woman. At least… meet her once. For my sake.”

Maxwell: (his eyes lower briefly to the photograph, then return to his mother’s earnest gaze) “…For you, I will consider it. But only if she wishes the meeting as well. I will not force her hand any more than my own.”

The mother smiles faintly, relieved, while Maxwell sits in thoughtful silence, the untouched tea growing cold between them.