Sharon's expression flickered with a multitude of emotions. Seeing her expression, Mia remembered how Sharon wore the same expression she wore when she found out about Mia's identity as the Lane family's heiress years ago. Clearly, Sharon's condescending nature hadn't changed one bit over the years.Jasmine sneered. "We've never acknowledged Luna's status. She's just an illegitimate daughter who couldn't show her face in public."Sharon's expression softened upon hearing this. She nodded and said, "It's true that such scandals aren't uncommon in families like ours, but some things are better kept in the dark. That's just the way it is."The mere thought of Luna usurping her position was unbearable to Sharon. Fortunately, Luna was just an illegitimate daughter. She quickly turned to Timothy, "Don't be fooled by her. She's just an illegitimate child. She's unfit for our social standing."Luna was unwilling to back down and retorted, "I'm sorry. Even if I'm not on the high society
Mia was taken aback to see Jasmine accept Raymond's dinner invitation. After everything that had just happened, she thought Jasmine wouldn't be in the mood to have a meal with him. But to her surprise, Jasmine quickly pulled herself together and agreed.After all, the dinner was clearly a setup and a trap that Mia thought Jasmine would avoid. It was surprising that Jasmine agreed so readily.In contrast, Mia wasn't keen on attending the dinner, especially with Luna and Sharon. Their presence had a way of spoiling her appetite.However, since Jasmine agreed to go, Mia reluctantly decided to accompany her. She needed Jasmine on her side and couldn't let Luna get to her first.Mia had dealt with Luna before and knew her manipulative tactics well. By keeping an eye on things, she could prevent Jasmine from falling into Luna's trap. After all, Mia had a lot riding on Jasmine.When Jasmine agreed, Raymond smiled and patted her shoulder. "That's more like it. We're family, and we don't
Timothy's expression changed instantly. "Mom, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.""Tim, everything I'm doing is for your own good. There are so many great girls out there. Why can't you just pick one? Why do you have to be with Mia?""Because, Mom, she's the only one I'll ever marry," Timothy said firmly."But she has six brothers who are like guard dogs. Aren't you afraid they'll come after you? They'll never let you remarry her. Are you planning to stay single forever?"Timothy asserted, "Yes. If I can't marry her, then I'd rather be single for the rest of my life.""How can you do this to the Barrett family? You won't have any children to carry on the family name."He remained calm. "But I already have a child.""That sickly Ginger? She's not a boy, and she can't inherit the family business. You need a son. If our family doesn't have a boy to carry on the legacy, won't it just benefit those distant relatives of the Barretts?""When I die, I'll donate
When Mia heard Luna mention the child, she knew that Luna was about to start showing off. Instantly, she firmly grasped Jasmine's hand, signaling her to refrain from acting impulsively in the present circumstances. Luna tactfully brought up the issue concerning Asher to provoke Jasmine, ultimately leading her to make a mistake.At this critical moment, patience was crucial. Jasmine couldn't afford to make a mistake and fall into Luna's trap. Jasmine took a deep breath and finally abstained from speaking.When Raymond learned about Asher, a smile spread across his face. "Excellent. I've sent many people to guide his studies. You've got to supervise Asher. His intelligence has truly impressed me. Let him learn more about these. It'll benefit his future greatly.""Dad, don't worry. Asher has always been smart. I'll make sure he studies more."After speaking, Luna glanced at Jasmine. Then she said deliberately, "When the time comes, Asher should study abroad and aim to become an outs
Luna was unfazed by Timothy's words. "Why are you still keeping it a secret? What's the point of you continuing to hide it? Asher is undeniably a descendant of your Barrett family. I've not lied or been mistaken about this."Upon hearing Luna's words, Sharon promptly sat on the chair. "I didn't give birth to him. Could it be..."An illegitimate child? It was impossible. Her late husband had passed away several years ago. How could he possibly have fathered an illegitimate child?Luna said coldly, "That's right. Asher's father is Timothy's half-brother."Timothy had made it clear from the beginning that she could not disclose this fact, or else she would be expelled from the Barrett family. However, she was no longer part of the Barrett family. Hence, she was no longer bound by any agreement with Timothy."You're spouting absolute nonsense! My husband doesn't have any illegitimate children. How dare you claim he has such a grown child? Stop being so shameless!" Sharon still couldn'
Sharon angrily pointed at Luna and exclaimed, "Does that child, born of you and that scoundrel, deserve to carry the blood of our Barrett family? Absolutely not! I'll never acknowledge your existence for as long as I live. You can forget about ever being a part of our Barrett family!"At that moment, Sharon had completely lost the posture of a wealthy lady and appeared as disoriented as a street shrew.Luna responded with unwavering determination, "Haha, really? The lady outside seems to have a strong affection for him. She insists that Mr. Barrett Senior treated my late husband exceptionally well, even acknowledging him as if he were an heir. It's unfortunate that my husband's health was not good, and he passed away due to a minor accident. Otherwise, he would have been able to return to the Barrett family and claim the inheritance.""You're talking nonsense. After my husband died, all his inheritance went to my son. You don't have any right to claim it.""That's because you are u
Raymond's expression shifted. It would be truly remarkable if there were still shares within the Barrett family. If they had this connection, he wouldn't have to worry about lacking a family to collaborate with in the future. Even the Lane family paled in comparison to such a connection.Sharon was utterly devastated. As she stared at Luna's smug expression, she realized she had been deceived and left in ignorance like a fool for the past five years. No woman could endure her husband's infidelity, let alone witness the children of his mistress snatch away the Barrett family's rights!She snatched the kettle next to her and hurled it at Luna's face, screaming frantically, "Does that insignificant brat you brought into this world have any right to claim to be part of our Barrett family?"Luna was suddenly scalded by boiling water, causing her to scream in agony. The situation quickly turned chaotic for a moment.Mia watched the scene from the side and was stunned. A drop of water fro
At that moment, a palpable awkwardness filled the air. Mia arched her eyebrows and took in the scene before her, a sudden urge to burst into laughter welling up inside her.Obviously, Luna was the most seriously injured person present. However, instead of attending to her, Raymond grabbed the ice bucket and tended to himself first. The supposed deep love between father and daughter had ironically resulted in them abandoning each other when disaster struck.Raymond reacted instantly with a bright smile and said, "Luna, why don't you soak your hands in it as well and then go straight to the hospital to prevent any scarring?"Luna's face paled with anger, but she swiftly regained her composure and refrained from losing her temper at this crucial moment. She realized that Raymond was her sole supporter at the moment. Deep down, Luna had always been aware of Raymond's self-centered nature. It was evident when he abandoned her mother and herself.Luna cried and said aggrievedly, "Dad,
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,