A heavy silence descended in an instant.Maya never expected to bump into Mia at the hospital. Maya quickly said, "Timothy, that woman in that man's arms looks so much like Mia. Am I seeing things?"Timothy pursed his lips. Maya could be right. It was Mia.Annoyed, he strode into the hospital grumpily. Maya was at his heels. "Timothy, why don't we go ask them? It could be Mia. We can check on her too. Although you've divorced, at least for old time's sake—""Shut up!" He halted in his tracks. He was so upset that a man was carrying Mia to the emergency room. "Where's your brother?""He's on the third floor. I can take you to him." Hints of his bad mood seemed to amuse Maya. Maya knew that framing it that way would put him in a bad mood. He wouldn't be bothered to care about Mia then, Maya believed.Judging from how the man carried Mia to the emergency room, Maya sensed that something was going on between them.As a man himself, how could Timothy possibly stomach it?The d
Mia hesitated for a moment. "Connor, I don't want anyone to know that I'm pregnant, at least not until I'm officially divorced from Timothy."Connor couldn't understand her reason for that decision. "Why? Will the baby's father threaten you?"She shook her head and pleaded, "Just keep it a secret for me, please."She gave him her puppy eyes.Connor gave in within three minutes in the face of those puppy eyes. He thought that as his big brother, he should grant his sister's wish. Years of remorse shackled him. It was rare for Mia to ask a favor of him, so what else could he do besides letting her have it her way?What about his pride as her guardian? Now, it seemed insignificant compared to Mia's interests.He rubbed her head. "Alright, I'll keep it a secret for you. But you have to promise me you'll take good care of yourself. You have to tell me if you're feeling sick.""I promise! I contacted you right away this time," Mia exclaimed. The only person she could trust was C
Connor tensed as soon as the nurse said that. He was on the verge of being exposed!Dubious, Mia looked at him. "Sister?"She wondered if he had another sister.He quickly explained, "Mia, you're my only sister. I swear!"Never once had he acknowledged Maya as his sister.Connor's nervous reaction tickled Mia's funny bones. "I didn't even say anything, Connor. Why so tense?"It was as though a girlfriend caught her boyfriend cheating on her.He let out a wry cough. "Anyway, I just wanted to straighten things out."He turned to face the nurse. "I got it. I'll leave in a while."The nurse was interrupted midway because he knew who the guest was.Today, Connor had an appointment with Timothy to discuss the surgical plan. Who would've expected Mia to be sent to the emergency room? Her well-being was of utmost importance at the moment."You should go ahead, Connor. I can manage here."Felix reassured him, "Don't worry. I'll look after her."Connor nodded. "Rest up, Mia. We'
Maya was anxiety-ridden as she faced Timothy. "Timothy, I'm thinking of the bigger picture. It's best for everyone to know more about the surgical plan.""What's the point of him knowing more about the surgery? He's not a doctor." Connor was literally driving her to the edge with his calculated words.The smile on her face was barely holding up.Suppressing his anger, Timothy stood up and glared at Maya. "Let's talk about it after Dr. Lane meets with the other doctors."With that, he left the office. She grabbed at his arm, but he flung her hands away. There was no warmth in his eyes.In the end, Maya stayed riveted at her spot awkwardly. She looked back at Connor. "Connor, did you have to say that?""I was simply telling the truth, wasn't I? I thought both of you were all lovey-dovey because you were so jittery about marrying him. But based on what I've seen, I don't think he has feelings for you.""Connor, Timothy and I are getting engaged. He has feelings for me. He was pul
Timothy's eyes narrowed slightly as he didn't expect the man to recognize him.He gave a casual response. "Yes."Felix was instantly overwhelmed with excitement. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Barrett. I'm the owner of Elite Studio. We met once at the Fleur International Design Competition. It was a pleasure to meet you."Timothy raised an eyebrow. Thanks to his rich experience with individuals like Felix, he could quickly decipher Felix's intentions.He glanced at the bill in Felix's hand. "What is your relationship with the patient?"Felix hurriedly answered, "She's my employee. She suddenly fainted, so I brought her to the hospital.""Do you overwork your employees?" Timothy disapproved."No, no! Hiring Mia was a stroke of luck. She's an ace. Mr. Barrett, you were there at the Fleur International Design Competition. She was the first-place winner."The glint in Timothy's gaze darkened. He continued his question, which was hanging in the air. "Oh, now I remember. What's going on betw
As long as these rich people gave Felix a chance, he would be able to rake in big money!Mia waited for a long time before Felix finally showed up. "Was it a long queue, Felix?""Kind of." He masked his excitement, not telling her about his encounter with Timothy.Taking a seat beside her, he asked, "So, you have three brothers. One of them is a doctor, what about the other two?""They live in Nord City. My eldest brother is a salesman at a property agency, and my other brother works at a law firm. He's just a low-ranking officer."Felix nodded. "No wonder that famous law firm in Nord City sued the rumormongers when Wilhelmina defamed you. I don't think your brother is a small officer there. You can just tell me the truth, Mia.""Nope. It's probably because he gets along well with the people in the law firm. His colleagues are willing to help him out."She still appeared humble to him. Not anyone could get into that law firm in Nord City. At least, the employees over there pos
Patricia and Eva checked in on Mia's well-being when she got home. After learning that Mia had fainted due to malnourishment, Patricia whipped up some chicken soup for her.Nourishing soups weren't exactly Mia's favorite, but she didn't mind having them for the sake of her baby.She took a break on the couch and glanced at Eva. "Where's Dominic?""He's at work. Vista Properties expanded a branch in Bern City. He went over to visit his old friend.""I see. That's great. I was able to buy this house thanks to his friend. Maybe I should treat his friend to a meal."Eva coughed. "It's fine. Dominic has repaid the favor. We don't have to do anything."When there were no follow-up questions from Mia, Eva breathed a sigh of relief. Where could Eva possibly find someone to put on a show for her?Dominic returned home in time for dinner. His brows furrowed when he first saw Mia. "Mia, you should put more care in what you eat. Look at you. You're all bones."The corner of her lips twit
Mia handed in her assignments at college, then went shopping with Gina. It had been a while since they last hung out together.Gina was all smiles. "Mia, I heard your house is going to be demolished. You're going to be rich! I'm so happy for you!""Thanks. I honestly didn't expect the demolition. But I doubt the compensation will be generous."They entered the mall when Mia received a phone call from Felix."Mia, where are you? I don't see you in the office.""I'm shopping with my best friend.""I see. How about we have dinner together? Bring your friend along too."She hesitated momentarily. "Felix, I have dinner plans with my family. My eldest brother and his wife just returned from Nord City."Only then did Felix drop the dinner invite. The call ended, and Gina chimed in. "Why didn't you say yes? It's Felix who asked you out for dinner. Don't worry about me. I won't be a third wheel.""Gina, you know I was married. Felix will never accept a divorced woman." Besides, she w
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,