Charles had a helpless expression on his face. "Ria, you didn't say that just now."Maria was so embarrassed. Knowing that there was no escape now, she could only tell the truth, "No, Charles, you really scared me. You know my situation. I would wake up laughing if you gave me a hundred thousand a month, let alone one billion. Your love is just too much, and I'm not sure if I can handle it...""It's not enough."Charles cupped her face, his eyes becoming determined. "I like you. I've only liked one woman my whole life, and it's you. Even if you can't handle it, you have to."After saying that, he thought for a moment, pursed his thin lips, and said firmly, "I still have my social life, and I have a group of people working under me. The expenses may be small, but they still need money. So, Ria, from now on, I'll give you 9 billion every month.""If you think it's not enough, I can give you more. When I get the annual dividends from the company at the end of the year, I'll give you 90%
"Clap clap clap..."Charles' eyes showed an appreciative look as he applauded Maria’s analysis."Ria, you claimed you were intelligent before, but I didn't believe it then because you always seemed controlled by Mia in front of me. Now I finally understand that your weakness is your father, which allows Mia to bully you freely."He paused for a moment, the smile on the corner of his mouth widening, "But today when I heard your analysis of Samuel and Daniel, I have to admit that you are indeed intelligent. Ordinary people wouldn't think on such a deep level.""Hmph!"Maria let out a proud snort, "I told you I'm smart. Now you believe me, huh?""Of course."Charles tapped his index finger lightly on his leg, "With your intelligence, going into the entertainment industry would be a waste. Why not join the Glory Group...""I don't want to!"Before he could finish his sentence, Maria firmly rejected his suggestion, "You know the purpose of me entering the entertainment industry better than
Almost instantly after the transfer, her phone started ringing.Seeing the caller ID, Maria smiled. She put the phone to her ear, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Henry, did you see it?"Henry blurted out, "Maria! Did you rob a bank? Why did you transfer five hundred thousand to me all of a sudden?""Hey, watch your language!"Maria pouted, sighed, and patiently explained, "No, I just got five million from Lily. I thought you needed a new computer and it's about time for you to start dating. With money, you don't have to be so thrifty anymore, and you can do the things you want to do.""Wait, Maria!"Henry suddenly raised his voice, "Lily gave you money? Why? And what did Charles mean with that tweet? I've been calling you for days and you didn't answer. You have to explain everything to me right now, or I'll go back and ask you face-to-face."After that incident, Maria did receive several calls from Henry, but she hadn't answered. She only sent a message, "Henry, my mind is a mess ri
A week later.Just as Luna arrived at the company, she was stopped by Mia rushing out from the side. "Luna, Luna..."Mia urgently grabbed Luna's hand, her eyes gleaming with eagerness. "Please help me. I know you have a way. Even though my reputation isn't great right now, I can still turn things around as long as you're willing to help."Luna looked at her for a few seconds before recognizing her.In the past, Mia would wear clothes worth at least tens of thousands, but now Luna could tell at a glance that she was wearing cheap items.And she wasn't wearing any makeup. Her natural face didn't make her look beautiful at all.When comparing Mia to Maria, the contrast became apparent.Maria used to be poor and also wore cheap clothes and no makeup.But Maria's natural face was more pleasing to the eye. With a delicate face smaller than Mia’s, bright and clear eyes, and fair skin with a natural rosy glow, she was a natural beauty.Although Maria and Mia were twins who looked very simil
"What?"Mia’s eyes widened in disbelief and she pointed at her own nose, "You want to compete with me?"Maria raised an eyebrow, her rosy lips curling lightly, "Are you scared?""Haha..."Mia laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. "I'm scared? How dare you say I'm scared?!"She suddenly pointed at Maria, her face distorted with laughter, "How ridiculous! I am the youngest pianist in the country. And what are you? You're just a countryside bumpkin who grew up in the slums. Just because your family has a piano, do you think you can play it? With your skills, do you even have the face to compete with me?"In the end, because of anger, she even trembled, "Maria, you are not even qualified to shine my shoes!"Mia had never taken Maria seriously before.In her heart, Maria should always be someone she could trample on.Luna furrowed her brows and was about to speak up for Maria when She raised her hand to stop her."Hmph... Mia, you're just scared...""Who said I was sc
Maria handed her bag to Luna and then turned to face Mia.Even at this moment, she still had a bright smile on her face. "Mia, you seem distracted?""Mind your own business!"Mia angrily pointed to the piano. "Go on. Stop wasting my time!"Maria furrowed her brows slightly and was about to say something when Mia’s loud voice interrupted her."Are you scared? If so, you don't have to go. Just give me the money."Seeing Mia's arrogant expression, Maria gave her a silent glare and calmly walked towards the piano.After sitting down, she didn't immediately place her hands on the keys. Instead, she turned to look at Mia. Just like Mia did earlier, she mouthed something to her.But Mia’s face turned pale!Because Maria said, "If you're distracted, I won't bully you. I can do it with one hand."Maria smiled at Mia, whose face was gloomy, before turning her head and placing her right hand on the keys.Just then, the onlookers were all amazed, "What is she doing?""Maybe she wants to feel the
"Oh my god." Another person shook his head in disbelief and said, "She can even go international. Her family is so poor. How did she manage to do it?"Seeing everyone clapping excitedly for her, Maria stood up, politely bowed to the crowd, and asked again, "Who won the competition, me or Mia?" Even if these people had bet on Mia winning before, now they couldn't deny the truth in their hearts.If Maria’s performance was similar to Mia’s, they could still dishonestly claim that Mia won because they placed a bet on her, but Maria’s performance was way much better than Mia’s."You won!"Someone suddenly shouted, and the rest of them followed, "You won!"Maria nodded slightly again and then turned and walked towards Mia step by step.At this moment, her confidence erupted, her eyes filled with self-assurance. Her slightly raised chin made her appear like a queen, radiating an overwhelming presence.Mia had never seen Maria with such a presence before.In the past, Maria had always been s
"Bullshit!"Although Maria had a tight grip on Mia’s hand, the anger and fear in Mia’s heart erupted like a volcano. "Who do you think you are?! I am the highest-earning artist in this company. Without me, they would all lose their jobs."She was right. In fact, this company was only considered average in the country with primarily music artists and very few aiming for the entertainment industry. Most of them were insignificant roles.Half of the money Mia earned went towards supporting everyone in this company. If she were to disappear, it would be a huge loss for the company.Maria tilted her head and blinked her brown eyes softly, "That was in the past. From now on, I will be the highest-earning artist in this company. They will rely on me. Just disappear!"Only now did Mia remember that Luna mentioned wanting to sign with Maria when she arrived.It seemed that Luna had known all along that Maria’s piano skills surpassed hers. Luna didn't try to stop the bet earlier because she w
After leaving the banquet courtyard, Maria and Charles got into a sightseeing car and headed towards the Lesser family gate.Along the way, Charles remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his face looked terrifyingly solemn.Maria also didn't say anything. She held his hand tightly as if she wanted to give him her strength.Even when they got into their own car, Charles didn't say a word. He just gently rested his head on Maria’s shoulder, like an injured child.**********Back at the villa, Maria fetched a bottle of red wine, opened it, and took out two glasses. She tilted her head at Charles."Let's go and drink in the room."She smiled and raised the wine bottle in her hand. Charles noticed and finally relaxed the corners of his tightly pressed lips.He stood up and laughed softly, "How is one bottle enough? You are never drunk after a thousand cups."Maria looked at him speechlessly, seeing him take out two more bottles of red wine. She felt like things wer
Eva had been with Eric for more than twenty years, and she had no doubt about his feelings for her. Moreover, Eric always took good care of her and loved her deeply. If there was any rift between them, it was Charles.For the past twenty years, she had always been cautious in protecting their relationship, never inquiring about any news about Charles. That's why they had been living in harmony, until Mia came to Beijing. She had started investigating Charles' affairs under the old lady's orders.And since then, she felt that Eric had become more and more distant from her, a distance that she couldn't close no matter what she did.Now that Charles had come to Beijing, she had to make a choice between Eric and Charles. She didn't want to, but she had to…"Eric…"Her voice trembled as she pleaded, looking at him. "Can't you…?""No!"Those two resolute words instantly crushed the only hope in Eva heart.On one side was her husband, and on the other was her biological son, and she owed C
David and Hamya exchanged glances as they heard this. It was as if they had made a decision. They immediately said in unison, "We want to go too!""Huh?"Charles looked at them with confusion.David patted his stomach and smiled at Charles, "Young Master Smith, I wonder if your company is in need of pianists? What do you think of me?"Hamya chuckled and nodded, "I think I can do it too. Young Master Smith, please consider signing both of us. We don't ask for much, just a chance to perform in top music halls."David was worried that Charles would disagree, so he put on an even more sincere smile. "Ah yeah, haha... We just feel that Patrick is not enough on his own. With Hamya and I joining, after all, we have better qualifications than him. When the three great piano masters embark on anglobal tour together, and with Maria and Linda, it will be twice as successful.""Exactly!"Hamya laughed happily, "Young Master Smith, a single concert takes too long, Patrick won't be able to handle i
The two of them walked onto the stage and sat down at the piano. Maria raised her head and exchanged a glance with Linda, who placed her hands on the keys.The young pianists were curious about what music Maria and Linda would play. This was the second round of the training camp's open competition, and they usually wouldn't get to hear it.Suddenly, the piano played a melancholic melody, carrying a touch of elegance in the air, instantly striking at people's hearts!"This is..."Some couldn't remain calm instantly. "Butterfly Lovers?!""Is that possible? Butterfly Lovers arranged as a piano piece?""Yes, everyone knows that Butterfly Lovers is best played on the guqin, or the zheng would also work. It's my first time hearing it played on the piano.""Hey, no, this version of Butterfly Lovers has been adapted for piano. It suits the instrument perfectly while still preserving the essence of the original piece. It's absolutely refreshing!"After a few seconds of discussion, an unexpect
Two days later, Maria and Linda arrive at the venue of the exchange conference in their finest attire.They hand over their invitation cards and wait for the security guard to check them.Suddenly, a mocking voice comes from beside them, "Oh oh, who is this? Linda!? Am I mistaken?"The one speaking is Linda manager, and standing next to her is the pianist signed by Linda economic company."Aria, you're not mistaken, isn't that Linda herself?"Hearing their voices, Linda's face darkens. She turns her head and glares at them, "Aria, your eyesight is really not good, you can't even recognize me. You should go to the hospital to have your eyes checked."Aria originally wanted to embarrass Linda, but she didn't expect her to retort so sharply. She immediately gets furious."Linda, the company didn't give you an invitation card. Tell me, where did you steal it from?""Hehe..."Linda raises her chin triumphantly, holding Maria's arm. "Do I need the company to give me one? Just look at who's
After arriving in Beijing, the feeling of uneasiness never appeared again, and Maria felt an indescribable relief.Charles had sent someone to take Andrew back to the Lesser family, while Patrick and Linda followed Charles and Maria back to their villa.Originally, Andrew had strongly invited Patrick to come back to the Lesser family with him, but Patrick knew that the Lesser family was big and complicated, so he used the excuse of being with Linda and followed Charles.***********On the third day, when Luna returned from Brussels, she went directly to Maria’s place and looked at Linda, her expression becoming more flattering."Linda, I heard that your contract with your previous agency is about to expire, right?"Maria sat next to Linda, holding a big doll in her hands, feeling very angry."Yes, they told me before that if I could achieve good results in the training camp this time, they would sign me for another ten years and give me all the resources. But just when I announced my
At this moment, Maria had already packed up and left the hotel with Charles, Linda, Andrew, and others.On the way to the airport, Linda still couldn't understand and turned back to Maria, "Ria, as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, we can still stay in the training camp, right?"Of course, Maria knew that if she returned to the training camp now, everyone would treat her like a deity.Just kidding, being able to decide the life and death of their teacher, they would definitely flatter and serve Maria obediently.Maria shook her head, "Actually, I have already achieved my goal. Linda, if you want to go back, you can go back, no need to accompany me.""Hey!"Linda casually waved her hand, "Without you here, why should I go back? Besides, I have hugged your thigh, and you have hugged Master Smith's thigh. Am I still afraid of not being able to reach the pinnacle of the international piano world?"She said it so casually, as if she was joking. But Maria could tell that she still f
Maria, so smart, why couldn't she understand what they meant?She smiled and turned to shout inside the house, "Honey, it turns out they are looking for you." Charles was inside, and he had heard everything at the door clearly. The girls had looked down on him before and said he was weak, but now they all came to beg him with a straight face. It was really funny.He remained silent for a while before saying, "Ria, in our home, I make the major decisions and you make the minor ones. But in my eyes, besides you, nothing else is a major matter. So, you make the decisions."The girls outside, "..."Didn't that mean that Maria would be in charge of everything in the house?They felt a toothache and couldn't believe they were caught off guard by this unexpected situation.Maria shrugged and looked at them again.Originally, they came to apologize to Maria as a pretense, hoping that she would persuade Charles, but now, the initiative was completely in her hands, and they had to lower their
Maria was not foolish. Why did her reputation stink so much? Was it only because of the ambiguous relationship between her and Charles at that banquet?Just that one time was not enough to make everyone dislike and envy her.Lucy's face was extremely embarrassed, but at this moment, she had already lost all confidence in front of Maria and could only cry helplessly."Maria, I really know I was wrong. Can you forgive me? Please...""Lucy, your intentions were truly wicked. You even used Rivata as a weapon. Honestly, I admire you for that."Even while saying this, Maria's expression remained calm, her tone as if chatting with a close friend."You, alone, have bewitched the hearts of all the girls in the training camp. You treated others as pawns to sacrifice for your own gain. Wasn't your goal to drive me out of the camp? Congratulations, you achieved your goal. You should be happy, so why are you crying?"When Maria said this, the other girls immediately began pondering.After thinkin