Timothy glared at the man. "Did you not hear me? I told you to apologize to my ex-wife."Surprised, Mia looked at Timothy, whose anger seemed to come from nowhere. Mia looked baffled, the situation hasn't fully registered in her yet.After all, it had been years since they last met. No longer the supercilious man he was five years ago, he now became careful around her.He never felt angry too, even when he faced her mockery.She was so used to his change that she had almost forgotten that he was never a guy with a mild temper.At that moment, the man who had always been gentle and attentive to her became a merciless businessman.Mia pulled her senses back and walked over to them. She instructed Timothy, "Let him go first."He frowned, looking at the man who was still kneeling on the floor. "Apologize to her and I'll let you go."Despite the pain, the man was reluctant to admit his defeat. He raised his voice daringly. "Over my dead body!""You have a death wish."Mia pulled
Mia raised an eyebrow. "So, do you think the Lanes need one whole month to get rid of a useless piece of junk like you?"Before the man could say a word, the security guard covered his mouth and dragged him out mercilessly.Mia glanced at the surrounding guests calmly and said, "So sorry for the chaos. But I believe today's business banquet is not a waste of time for all of you. "After all, other than the conflict just now, the earlier fight between Luna and Shelly must have provided everyone with much entertainment." Her straightforward words lightened the atmosphere.Mia was the daughter of the Lane family. She had six protective brothers who doted on her.If any of her brothers were present today, the rude man would have faced a consequence a hundred times worse than what he had faced earlier.The overprotective brothers of the Lane family would do anything to defend their dear sister, Mia.Mia said again, "Today's banquet ends here. Feel free to contact me if anyone has
Raymond thought that if he did Mia a favor, she would help him with the hotel reservation.However, even without Raymond's help, Mia could solve the issue on her own. After all, the Lanes were no pushovers in Nord City.Raymond felt embarrassed when Mia rejected him. "Ms. Lane, the Lanes have always been close to our family. Why wouldn't you do us this small favor?""Mr. Shelbert, why can't you organize the birthday party using the previous reservation you made here? Or is there something else more important than your wife's birthday?" Mia retorted. Jasmine remained silent while listening to the conversation. She knew what her father was trying to do.When Raymond wanted to say more, Timothy stepped in and said, "Mr. Shelbert, please don't make things difficult for her."Displeasure was written all over Timothy's face. He did not know what was wrong with Raymond.Mia had made it clear that she wouldn't adjust the hotel reservations because of personal relationships.How could
Mia paused for a moment after hearing Timothy's voice. Why was he still around?She turned to look at him. "Everything's fine. It's just that there are quite a few company affairs to be handled today.""Is there anything I can do to help?""No, thanks. It's getting late. Mr. Barrett, if there's nothing else, you may leave," Mia said.Timothy grasped the meaning of her words. "I'm waiting for you to get off work," he said bluntly.Mia raised her brows. Didn't Timothy know that she was chasing him away?However, Timothy stood rooted to the spot, as though he did not understand what she just said.Mia knew he was pretending."As you can see, a lot of things happened today. I have to work overtime and might get off work very late. You don't have to wait for me."Timothy let out a faint sigh. "I don't mind waiting for you no matter how late it will be."Mia was at her wits' end.She turned to Peyton and said, "Let's go."Peyton was confused. "Where are we going? Haven't you alre
"Yes, he's gone.""Didn't he say anything?"Mia felt a little strange that Timothy left just like that.Not long after, Peyton walked in with an exquisite meal box. "Ms. Lane, supper is here. Grab a bite.""How did you know that I'm hungry?"Mia took the meal box from him. Upon opening it, she noticed that it contained her favorite dishes.She paused for a second and looked at Peyton. "Did you order this?""Yes, I did. I bought supper for all the overtime staff."Peyton was surprised that Timothy actually sent them food. But Peyton said he bought it to avoid the risk of a bonus deduction.When Mia saw her employees outside holding the same meal box, the doubt in her mind vanished.She glanced out the window casually, and there was no sign of Timothy.After finishing her food, she looked at Peyton. "Ask everyone to go home. They'll get double pay for today."Mia grabbed her handbag and left her office.Right after she left, a black car emerged from the dark.Timothy look
Ginger was not sure how to address him, so she stuttered every time she spoke to him. She was so excited when she heard that her brother would be discharged from the hospital and come home, so she was eager to share her happiness with others. All her uncles and aunts already got the news. Timothy was the only one she could share the news with. When Timothy heard Ginger's crisp voice on the other side of the phone, surprise flashed across his eyes. "Your brother has recovered?""Yes, Mommy said Sage can go to school like me from now on." Ginger's birthday wish was the same every year—she hoped her brother would be discharged from the hospital soon. Her wish finally came true this year, so she was on cloud nine. Timothy's heart melted when he heard his daughter's soft and adorable voice. He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and said, "I'm happy to know that."Shaking her legs, Ginger paused for a while before she added, "I'm happy about that too! Sage has finally re
In Ginger's eyes, Sage was very intelligent. Even adults could not understand the things he liked. Timothy roughly knew Sage's area of interest from Ginger's description. He thought his son was interested in nothing other than hacking techniques. The father-and-daughter duo chatted for a while. Timothy glanced at the clock and said gently, "It's getting late. You should go to bed early. Children can't stay up late, or you won't grow taller." Ginger ended the call on her smartwatch and fell asleep in a good mood. Meanwhile, Timothy's expression became worried as he looked at the call history. Caleb was humming a song while walking out of the bathroom. "Didn't you talk to your daughter over the phone just now? Why are you unhappy now? Did she say anything to you? Oh! Does Mia have a new boyfriend or something?""No, Ginger told me that Sage will be discharged from the hospital the day after tomorrow," Timothy said."Oh, that cool little boy. But according to our previous i
The next day, Mia initially wanted to sleep in, but a call from Peyton woke her up.Mia said languidly, "You'd better have something urgent to tell me.""Ms. Mia, Luna's identity as an illegitimate daughter has been exposed."What?Mia was completely awake after hearing the news.How was Luna's identity as an illegitimate daughter exposed? Who did this?She furrowed her brows while saying, "Didn't I ask you to prevent the media from simply reporting what happened yesterday? How could this still happen?""I just got to know this news as well, and I've sent someone to investigate this matter. We're still trying to find out the identity of the mastermind behind it. I've sent the headline to your WhatsApp. Please take a look at it."After ending the call, Mia scrolled on her phone and saw the headline which read, "The Mayor's Illegitimate Daughter Exposed."The headline alone was eye-catching enough.After all, Raymond had always had a good reputation. He was a virtuous and uprig
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,