"Rest assured, I won't let Luna have her way. She's merely a woman who is still serving a prison sentence, so she has no right to dally around in Nord City. She should be back at Bern City, serving her time."Jasmine rose and left swiftly, leaving Mia alone on the couch. She glanced at the latest edition bag and said to Luke, "Wrap it up and send it to the Shelbert family."Luna would be infuriated if she saw the bag. The bag suited Jasmine, though. Mia was intrigued to find out how Luna would act if Jasmine convinced her family to accept Asher into the family, but not Luna. After all, Luna was only acting the way she was now because Raymond agreed to adopt Asher, which granted her grandeur in return. If the Shelberts agreed to adopt Asher only, Luna would lose her leverage. Raymond desired a boy as his successor, and it'd be best for him if the Shelbert family was willing to accept the child. It would be a breeze for him to take a child away in Nord City. Mia felt a little s
Dominic returned home on time for dinner. Eva turned toward him and quipped, "I can't believe my eyes. You actually came back for dinner despite being so busy."Dominic took her hand after removing his coat. "Yeah, right. You wouldn't have texted me and said that Mia came back for dinner if you didn't want me to come back." As he spoke, he glanced at Mia. "Mia, come. I've got something to discuss with you."Mia knew Dominic wanted to talk to her, so she came back home for dinner today. She went outside with him and stared at him. "Dominic, did I cause you any trouble because of the Yellow Islanders?""Mia, I've told you that nothing you do will ever cause me any trouble. Yellow Island has indeed sent someone over, but don't worry. It's only right of you to kick them out when they made a scene at the research institute. If I were there that day, it wouldn't have been as simple as sending them to the district."Dominic was aware that the research institute was responsible for Sag
Sensing the malice in Dominic's eyes, Mia tugged on his hand in a haste. She urged him not to act impulsively. She knew he adored her, always standing by her side whenever something happened. "Dominic, you don't have to intervene. I can settle such trivial matters on my own. As for issues related to Yellow Island, I'll have to ask for your help."Seeing how unyielding she was, Dominic sighed. "Mia, I could've just gotten rid of these annoying people for you.""I know you mean well, but you don't have to be directly involved in dealing with such trifles."Dominic scoffed. "Fine. But tell me if Luna goes overboard. It's a piece of cake for me to have someone like her dealt with in Nord City.""Sure, but letting her disappear so easily is too light of a punishment for her."Mia didn't want to trouble Dominic. He was already swamped with work to begin with, and he had even more on his plate now after the Yellow Island incident. Raymond would likely seize the chance to pressure him b
It was already too late when Yellow Island realized that things were spiraling out of control. With the public opinion against Louisa now, everyone was attacking her from all sides. "It's been centuries since the royal family has existed, yet she's still acting so high and mighty.""Yeah, the Yellow Islanders think they're better than everyone. I've worked with people from Yellow Island before, and even a minor administrative staff member is so arrogant. Let alone this woman here, who is clearly of high status.""Exactly. They're finally being exposed. Claiming themselves as the descendants of the royal family, they've always looked down on others. They think that we commoners aren't even worthy of talking to them.""In ancient times, even kings bear the same punishment as commoners if they committed a crime. In this modern day and age, it's only right to punish the Yellow Islanders according to the law if they violated the law in Nord City.""Hurry up and tag the mayor. Let him
It seemed that Raymond's family had been going through a lot lately.Jasmine said, "I planned to follow your advice and have my family accept Asher as my brother. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. "I can't believe how much my dad has changed because of him. When I finally talked to my dad, I realized I never really understood him."Her voice choked with emotion as she spoke, and Mia handed her a tissue. Jasmine's vibrant confidence had waned since she had first returned to the country.Mia empathized with Jasmine. How could Jasmine accept her respected father to bring Luna's son into the family just to have a male heir because he favored sons over daughters?Jasmine wiped away her tears and asked, "Mia, are you disappointed in me? I thought I could do it, but in the end, I just couldn't."Mia responded, "No. You've done well considering the circumstances. Many would have crumbled by now. "It's just a matter of time before you come to terms with everything. And there's
"What is it?" Mia asked."Well, I’ve always liked Nathan. When I returned to the country, my dad tried to set us up, but Nathan didn't seem keen on the idea. So, I was wondering if you could help me out."Jasmine's request caught Mia off guard.After a pause, Mia responded, "I'm sorry. I can assist with other matters, but not this one."Jasmine smiled bitterly. "I understand if it's too much to ask. Given my family's circumstances, I realize I might not meet Nathan's standards.""It's not about your family background. My brothers have never judged anyone based on that. They just have different standards when it comes to relationships. "They might not be as easygoing as you assume. Despite being good brothers, they might not necessarily make good partners."Jasmine shook her head. "You're underestimating your brothers. With the exception of a few, they're all virtuous. The majority of them are truly remarkable."Mia knew she was referring to Liam and Jason. She added, "Plus, I'
Mia was surprised to see Sharon. After all, the last time they had met was at Jasmine's charity dinner, and they hadn't kept in touch since. Mia hadn't paid any attention to what had happened with Ralph and that family since it didn't concern her. But she didn’t expect Sharon to storm toward her.Jasmine felt awkward when she saw Sharon. She knew Sharon was Mia's former mother-in-law and that she had invited Sharon to the charity dinner in Nord City, as her father had suggested. Raymond wanted to build rapport with the Barrett family. However, Jasmine didn’t know about her father's connection with Luna or his plan to use Asher to win over the Barretts at that time. If she had known, she wouldn't have gone along with it so easily and wouldn’t have let the Barretts come near Mia to cause trouble.Mia looked at Sharon and said, "I don’t think there's anything left to discuss. We settled everything a long time ago, right?"Seeing that Sharon hadn’t left Nord City and appeared pois
At that moment, Mia and Sharon finally saw that Luna was no longer the broke girl they once knew.Mia turned and spotted Luna. She couldn't believe how small the world was. After all, she had just randomly picked a restaurant for dinner and ran into her here. Suddenly, she lost her appetite.When Sharon saw Luna, her expression changed drastically. She snarled, "How dare you show your face here! Shouldn't you be rotting in jail?"Luna shot back with a hint of contempt, "Why are you even allowed out of Bern City? If you can be here, why can't I?"She scoffed at the thought that anyone still saw her as the same old, helpless Luna.Sharon sneered. "Luna, I'm not blind to how you've risen through the ranks by attaching yourself to an older man. Your shady past isn't something you can sweep under the rug, no matter how hard you try."And let's not pretend I've forgotten your attempt to marry my son by claiming that child was his. The only reason you were ever accepted into our famil
None of the major shareholders was a fool.After that, Mia was busy handling Barrett Group affairs and barely had time to rest.With an exhausted look, she returned to the hospital.Mia looked at Timothy and said, "I'll run away if you don't wake up soon.""No… Please don't go…" Timothy grabbed her hand. His gaze was deep.Mia's eyes reddened as she gazed at the man who had just regained consciousness. Timothy finally came out of his coma.After that, everything was back to normal. Those who caused trouble quieted down.Sharon visited Timothy and told him that she was going to settle down overseas and would not come back anymore.Timothy bought her a property and gave her a huge sum of money before sending her away from Bern City.As for Maya, it was discovered that she was not the granddaughter of the Prime Minister of Yellow Island but merely his caregiver. Yet, she had been deceiving people outside.After Maya was exposed, she ran away dejectedly. Nobody knew where she was
Sage stood beside Timothy in silence.Soon, news that Timothy was hospitalized spread, and Barrett Group's stock plunged.The relatives of the Barrett family requested to hold a board meeting to elect another CEO.On the day of the board meeting, Mia brought her two children to Barrett Group.They managed to keep everyone on a leash as Sage bore a striking resemblance to Timothy.Mia marched into the meeting room, sat in Timothy's chair, and glanced at everyone present. "Let's begin. Didn't you all want to have a meeting?"One of the middle-aged men said, "Ms. Lane, this is the Barrett Group board meeting. It's not appropriate for you to be here.""That's right. Though the kids are Mr. Barrett's children, they're still young and do not have any shares. You all shouldn't be here."Mia flung a document onto the table. "This is an agreement signed by Grandma Laura to authorize me to manage Timothy's shares.""Anyway, we still need to elect a CEO to handle our company affairs.""
"Because to me, you're my family too," Timothy said.When Sharon heard the word 'family', her eyes turned red. Then, she turned around and left the ward.Mia walked out and asked Peyton to send Sharon to the hospital for a checkup.Looking at Sharon's back, Mia said, "I hope you don't let him down since he regards you as his family. He's the only one you can depend on now."Sharon did not turn her head around. Mia did not know if Sharon would listen to her advice.Mia immediately called her brother. "Dominic, I met Maya."She then told him everything about Maya.Dominic frowned. "I never thought she would go to Yellow Island.""Do you think she's really the granddaughter of the Prime Minister of Yellow Island?""Don't you know how good she is at lying?" Dominic said.Mia nodded. "Yeah, you're right. But I still don't know whether she's related to Yellow Island.""Don't worry, I'll find out."When Mia returned to the ward after ending the call, she saw a doctor bustling arou
Mia went straight to the hospital to ask Timothy about the matter.But when she arrived, someone had reached there earlier than her."Timothy, what do you mean? All I did was pull a few strings, but you want to humiliate me publicly. How am I going to maintain my standing in the company?" Sharon said.Mia went in with a frown. "This is funny. It's not just about pulling a few strings, but it's aimed at me. Mrs. Barrett, your actions have leaked confidential commercial information.""Stop trying to scare me. It's my son who opened doors for you. It's the Yellow Islanders who wanted to collaborate with us, and they are much better than you," Sharon retorted. Mia said with a half-hearted smile, "At first, I didn't want to pursue this matter. But since you put it this way, wait for my lawyer's letter then.""Such big talk, huh?" A mysterious-looking woman wearing a hat and a mask walked in from outside.Mia felt that the woman looked somewhat familiar. "Are you the rumored granddau
Mia glanced at the person on the screen. Without answering the woman, she turned off the laptop.After all, there was no need for Mia to explain anything.After Mia turned off the laptop assertively, she turned around and looked at Timothy. He did not say a word but started eating.Soon, Heath received a call. He left the ward and said to the woman on the other side of the phone, "She's Mr. Barrett's ex-wife. You'd better not mess with her."While Timothy was eating, Mia finished reading the proposal in her hand.She had to admit that the document was very valuable.Mia was about to leave the ward when Timothy almost finished eating, but his voice sounded behind her. "What did you say when you met her at the cafe earlier?""Did you follow me?""I followed her, to be exact. After all, the Hopkins are not good people."Mia totally agreed with that.She paused briefly before she said, "Grandma Laura asked me to talk to her because she doesn't agree with you about giving her all
"You don't know anything," Sharon said.Mia retorted, "I might not know everything, but Timothy is innocent. Before he knew the truth, he always regarded you as his mother. Even after he found out the truth, he has never mistreated you."Besides, when you said you wanted the Barrett family's wealth, he agreed. Tell me, who else could do what he did?"Mia felt that Timothy might have been hurt by Sharon's words.He seemed impressive on the outside, but his identity was a dark secret.Therefore, his relationship with Sharon became awkward.Sharon's eyes reddened. "But I also treat him like my biological son.""You're also his foster mother. Now everyone related to him is dead, and you're the only one he has. What are you afraid of?"Sharon wiped off her tears. "I'm not afraid of anything. It's just that I felt that I can't trust anyone.""Timothy is a man of his word. However, Grandma Laura said that if you remain stubborn, making the will public is her only option," Mia said.
Mia noticed Sharon's expression changing slightly when she mentioned Laura.Sharon took her cup of coffee and said, "What? Does Mrs. Barrett Senior still want to lecture me even when she's on her deathbed? She must have known Timothy's identity all along, but she conspired with her son to keep the truth from me. "She and the Barretts are birds of a feather. What else does she have to say?"Mia was not surprised by her words. She had expected that Sharon would certainly think this way.Fortunately, she managed to stop Laura when she said she wanted to meet Sharon.Sharon was emotionally unstable now. What if Laura said something unpleasant and Sharon retorted? Her words might upset Laura.Mia took a kraft envelope out of her handbag and placed it in front of Sharon. "I hope you won't regret saying those words after reading this.""What's this?""This is the will that your husband left behind, as well as the divorce agreement."Hearing that, Sharon quickly took the document out
Mia hesitated to risk exposing Laura to Sharon's potential agitation.Due to Sharon's emotional vulnerability, she often spoke impulsively. With Laura's delicate health in mind, any disruption was simply out of the question.As Laura recounted past events, Mia remained silent, absorbing her words.Upon hearing Laura's story, Mia was taken aback. She hadn't expected there to be hidden aspects to Timothy's family history.Taking a moment, she asked, "Does Timothy have any knowledge of this?""He doesn't. Some things are best kept from him," Laura replied calmly.Mia harbored some lingering questions in her mind. Unable to suppress them any longer, she asked, "Considering your knowledge of Timothy's background, what is your opinion of him?""Tim is a commendable young man, and he has never let our family down. He has achieved remarkably well for himself. To be honest, I feel indebted to him as well."At first, I only kept him around for the sake of preserving the Barrett family li
Despite her initial reluctance, Mia eventually found herself making her way to Timothy's ward.As she entered, she couldn't help but notice Timothy's expressionless demeanor as he lay there.Carrying a tray of food, Mia approached him. "The doctor pointed out your extreme fatigue. It's crucial that you increase your food intake and prioritize proper rest to reduce the risk of sudden complications."Upon hearing Mia's voice, Timothy lifted his gaze to find her seated beside him. His lips moved slightly as he asked, "What did you tell Luna?""Not much," Mia responded. "Just a sprinkle of salt on the wound and a dash of psychological pressure to make sure Luna doesn't have it easy in prison."Placing the tray of food in front of him, Mia urged, "Please, just a few bites.""I'll eat later. By the way, the kids have been here at the hospital for quite a while. You should take them home," Timothy suggested.Frowning, Mia insisted, "You should eat something first."As her words faded,