Maria stepped out from the villa. The Previously sunny day suddenly turned gloomy.She walked step by step towards the main road. Her heart was bleeding in pain. Whether it was Lily's threat today to make her promise to help Mia act, or Lily's final questioning about her and Charles, every word felt like a needle, piercing fiercely into her heart.Truly, the maternal love easily acquired by others was a luxury she could only dream of. It was something she never had.But she was a child too. Like other children, she yearned for her mother's love and care…Suddenly, a few flashes of lightning appeared in the sky, followed by the rumbling of thunder. Maria seemed oblivious, continuing to walk mechanically on the road.The next second, a heavy rain poured down. Maria walked on the sidewalk. The rain wet her entirely as it flowed down her hair.There weren't many people on the road, only the occasional cars racing by.With open eyes, Maria trudged along. She let the rain wash over her, l
"Maid Heather, come here!"The moment Charles went inside, carrying Maria in his arms, he called out loudly to the living room.Maid Heather quickly rushed over. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Charles holding the motionless Maria whose eyes were tightly shut. "Young Master Smith, what happened?" she asked urgently.Charles looked seriously mad. He didn't say anything. He carried Maria in his arms dashing upstairs.Maid Heather hurriedly followed and entered the room to find Charles placing Maria on the bed."Maid Heather, she got caught in the heavy rain. Help her change into a clean set of clothes and wipe her body dry.""Sure."However, as Maid Heather was helping Maria change, she suddenly screamed, "Ah! Young Master Smith..."Charles rushed over from the window, "What's wrong, Maid Heather?"Maid Heather pointed to the bruises on Maria’s shoulders and arms. She felt like crying, "Who's so evil and did this? How dare they beat Mrs. Smith this badly?"Seeing the wounds, Charl
Lily changed her shoes and entered the Miller family's mansion with a spring in her step.Before she could glance at the living room, an angry voice shouted at her from the front, "Lily, where have you been!?"Lily was startled by the voice. She looked up to see her husband, Samuel Miller. He was sitting on the sofa, glaring at her.Knowing that this man was jealous, she gave a slight laugh, flicked her long, curly hair seductively with her fingers, and sashayed over to him."Babe, you scared me! What could I possibly be doing? I went to see Mimi. Samuel, if you don’t believe me, you can call Mimi and ask her about it.”"Mimi?"Samuel sneered. He coldly looked at Lily, "I knew you went to see Mimi! Lily, however you put it, Mimi is your daughter, what have you done to her? How could you let Charles vent his anger on the Miller family!?""What did I do to Mimi?"Lily looked confused, "I didn't do anything to Mimi.""Hmm..."Sitting next to his father, Daniel Miller also sneered, "Ms.
In the Smith family's villa.In Charles' bedroom, Maria was lying in bed with her eyes closed. The private doctor had already visited and placed her on a drip.Charles sat at the bedside, gently holding Maria’s other hand. Looking at her feverish and flushed face, which was slowly getting back to normal, he felt greatly relieved.Fortunately, it was just a fever. As long as the fever subsided, Maria would be fine."Knock, knock, knock ..."The bedroom door was gently knocked on from the outside, followed by Maid Heather's voice, "Young Master Smith, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Miller came and wish to meet Mrs. Smith."Charles squinted a little and said in a cold tone, "Don't let them in."Maid Heather nodded. Without a word, she turned to leave.Maid Heather went to the front door and turned on the video call. Looking at the sycophantic face of Samuel on the screen, she sternly stated, "Mrs. Smith is running a high fever. She has no time to see you. You should go!"She was about to hang up, b
Samuel had no idea that Maria replaced Mia in the arranged marriage.Besides, Samuel wasn't a stranger. He had lived with Mia for more than a decade as her stepfather. Others might not be able to see that this Mia was a fake, but he surely could see it!Lily reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She jumped up in surprise, "What? That's not necessary, right? Didn't you say Mia has a fever? Just let her rest. There's no need to bother her."Samuel nodded in agreement, voicing his concern, "Yeah, Mr. Smith, Mia is unwell. It might be inconvenient. Let her rest. We're fine standing here."Lily quickly agreed, dropping her mother-in-law's intimidating demeanor. She smiled awkwardly, "Yes, we're fine standing here."Charles waved at Maid Heather. She quickly understood it and sat back down.Seeing Charles' reaction, Samuel knew that Charles didn't want this issue to become too ugly. In annoyance, he suddenly turned and threw a harsh slap on Lily's face.With a loud smack, Lily
Charles coldly stared at Lily, without a word.He figured out from Lily's fear that Noah was indeed here!"Is there anyone inside? I want to go in and check it out first.""Yes, there is."Samuel didn't pay any more attention to Lily. He replied at once, "There are usually maids cleaning the house. Mr. Smith, if you think it's okay, Mimi can take it tomorrow."After saying that, he walked forward, unlocked the door with his fingerprint and led Charles inside.Lily walked slowly behind them, losing strength...She watched as Samuel took Charles upstairs. She said nervously in horror,"Samuel, no one lives upstairs. We don't need to go up."Charles didn't look back and quickened his steps instead, "Let's take a look."Samuel had no doubts. Even though Lily indeed seemed a bit strange today, she was always so lazy. He still ignored her and went upstairs with Charles.Lily was so anxious that cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She thought for a moment and followed them upstairs.When t
In the morning, Maria woke up feeling weak all over.Suddenly, she felt something was wrong. She sat up abruptly and looked at Charles sleeping next to her. Her heart was in her throat.Why was he sleeping next to her!?Feeling her gaze, Charles leisurely opened his eyes. He casually pulled the quilt down a bit, revealing his enchanting chest, "You're up?"Maria’s amber eyes rounded in shock. She panicked, "W-What did you do to me last night?"Charles frowned and sat up, with his abs exposed.In an instant, Maria felt her cheeks heating up, yet she couldn't take her eyes off him. She had butterflies in her stomach."Look at you!"Charles feigned hurt and shook his head, "You looked at me just like this last night. Then you started to fondle me. You should ask yourself what did you did to me.""I..."Maria tried very hard to recall, but couldn't remember anything.All she could recall was that Charles had found her in the rain. She had cried in Charles arms for a long time. Then he ca
"No need."Charles clenched his teeth and slowly closed his eyes. His heart felt as if it was being cut by a blunt knife, back and forth. Though there was no bleeding, the pain made his heart shrivel up.No matter how well he treated Maria, she was still thinking about leaving him...His deep eyes slowly opened and he looked greatly disappointed. He gently curled his lips, laughing with irony, "Just like you said, we're both adults. If you're OK with that, I can also accept the result."After saying that, he stood up and turned to leave without giving Maria another glance.Sat there with the half-eaten sandwich in her plate now unappealing, Maria knew Charles was angry.It was understandable. Even she felt she was a bad girl by trying to get rid of him with a little money after sleeping with him.But Lily's words still echoed in her mind. She had lost her virginity. She couldn't lose her heart too.She simply didn't have a family background like Mia’s, let alone Mia’s status. From all
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