Luna and Sharon's expressions changed when they heard Timothy's words. They didn't want to go to jail.Luna glanced at Raymond instinctively and uttered, "My situation is different, though."Sharon snorted. "You're just an illegitimate daughter. What makes you so special?"Jasmine quickly took Raymond's arm and advised, "Dad, let's go. We need to head to the hospital first. If there are any scars, the rumors will start spreading again."Upon hearing this, Raymond remained silent. He understood that it was not appropriate to address the issue at that moment. With a determined stride, he left the private room.Luna's back was hurting so much. Moreover, she initially thought Raymond would stand up for her! Luna fixed her fierce gaze on Sharon and declared, "I'll remember what happened today, and I won't let it go. Just wait and see."Luna left right after that. She needed to accompany Raymond to the hospital for treatment. This was a chance for her to act pitifully and gain sympat
Mia said with a wry smile, "Because you prefer a daughter-in-law with a high social status, not an orphan like me.""That's not entirely true. Tim's father and I were also part of a marriage alliance then. Although he had feelings for another woman, his parents disapproved of her character. Ultimately, they arranged for him to marry me. I thought he would return to me once he was tired of his other pursuits outside. But I never expected him to continue his relationship with the other woman and even have an illegitimate child."What was even more unexpected was that her husband actually wanted to leave all the company's property to the illegitimate son. If the illegitimate son hadn't been in poor health and died, and if Timothy hadn't been so outstanding, everything could have been taken away by the illegitimate son! Upon hearing this, Mia remained silent.Sharon continued, "I hope Tim finds a truly compatible partner to cultivate a deep and meaningful connection with. I want him t
So, Sharon's husband had two illegitimate sons outside. These kinds of plot twists were always seen in TV series, but she never expected it to happen in real life."Does Grandma Laura know about this too?" Mia hesitated before asking. In her opinion, Laura was not that kind of person."Grandma only found out later, but she made my Dad swear that I would be considered my Mom's child for the rest of my life. He was forbidden from letting the mistress know that I was sent to the Barrett family." Timothy's expression was unpredictable, his eyes revealing a sense of vulnerability.Mia couldn't bear to look into his eyes, prompting her to turn away and attempt to leave. However, he pulled her into his arms. "Timothy, what are you doing?""Don't leave. Stay with me for a while.""Let me go.""Just a moment."Mia heard Timothy's pleading voice. Although she tried to break free, her efforts were in vain. She had no choice but to surrender herself to his embrace. Her face pressed agains
Could Timothy truly feel inferior? Mia gazed at Timothy in absolute astonishment. As the rightful heir of the Barrett family, he had always carried himself with an air of grandeur. So, to hear him utter such words of self-doubt before her was simply unfathomable. If anyone were to hear this proclamation, it would undoubtedly shatter their perception of him.At that moment, Mia couldn't help but question if the man standing before her was truly Timothy. While he appeared to be Timothy at first glance, it became clear that he was someone entirely different.His voice was hoarse. "Don't give me such pitiful looks."Mia's expression took on a hint of embarrassment, and her current mood was honestly quite complicated.After all, the proud and remarkable man standing before her was once the man she had a crush on and whom she truly admired from the depths of her being. As an orphan, she struggled with low self-esteem. Yet, she considered herself incredibly fortunate to have become his
"I won't let you go! If I do, you'll leave again, just like you did five years ago.""Timothy, please understand that it was you who handed me the divorce agreement five years ago and wanted to evict me from the house." As Mia reminisced about that fateful moment, she couldn't help but yearn to banish him to the depths of outer space.Timothy replied, "Actually, after I handed you the divorce agreement, I deeply regretted my decision shortly thereafter.""Really? Why couldn't I tell?" Mia gazed up and down at Timothy. She couldn't believe that he regretted their divorce back then.She sneered. "I remembered that back then, you were surrounded by a stunning woman. How could you possibly regret divorcing me?"Timothy pursed his lips. "At that time, I had never felt any affection for any woman. To me, they were just like the decorations in my home.""You mean, I'm also a decoration?" Mia's gaze was cold. She was filled with a burning desire to slap him."No, you're different.""Do
Cocking her brow, Mia looked at Timothy. She wondered if Timothy really thought that she was going to forgive him and reconcile with him.His gaze gave his thoughts away. That was exactly what he was thinking!Was she such an easy person to him?Timothy's eyes were still fixated on her. "Mia, you're indeed special to me, and I realized it too late. You're not a mere decoration. I was happier than anyone else after knowing you were still alive. Because this is the only chance I can make up for my mistakes."She drew in a deep breath. "But why couldn't I see that in the beginning?""I'm dense when it comes to relationships. Overconfident too. I've never treated a woman this special before, so I'm afraid to face the change," Timothy admitted.Her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't meet his eyes. "At that time, I did like you but it was none of your business. You don't have to think that you've let me down and feel guilty about it," she said.Timothy's hand rested on her shou
Mia followed Timothy out of the private lounge.They didn't utter a word as they waited for the elevator together.Mia received a message from Peyton, which recounted what happened in the hospital between Luna and Jasmine.Luna would do anything to achieve her goals.She tried to earn Raymond's pity by using the fact that Sharon had poured water on her.Mia frowned. Luna was clever. Raymond was her only savior and she would never let him go.Jasmine wasn't Luna's opponent for now.Putting her phone down, Mia realized that Timothy had been staring at her. But he averted his gaze when she looked in his direction, as though he wasn't watching her.She paused. "Luna's stepping up on her game. She's able to stay with Mr. Shelbert on one condition, which is to bring Asher to his family and use the last name Shelbert. What's your next plan?""What do you want me to do?" He gazed at her.She bit her lip. "I won't let her off the hook that easily. She almost killed my child. Judging
As soon as Mia finished, she noticed that Timothy's expression changed.What everyone now knew was that her classmate had pushed Laura down the stairs because she was jealous of her identity.After Mia regained her memories, she had been feeling that something was off about the matter.In her opinion, the real culprit was still out there.Timothy pursed his lips. "Who's the real culprit?""Do you also think that Dana wasn't the real culprit?"Mia thought that no one doubted it, but he had noticed that something was amiss as well.He reasoned, "There were many loopholes. The culprit was caught so suddenly. Everything seemed so smooth, but Grandma has yet to regain consciousness. Your brothers were hiding your identity at that time too. We couldn't pry anything out of Dana because she lost her sanity in prison.""Dana lost her sanity?" That was a surprise. "That can't be."Dana was also an orphan. They became friends because of their similar backgrounds.However, Mia didn't exp
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,