Maya's expression soured. "Mia, I'm a wealthy heiress. You can't possibly compare yourself to me."Mia replied nonchalantly, "You're right, I can't match your shamelessness."With that, Mia entered the elevator and left.Frustrated, Maya stomped her foot. She had intended to visit Laura in the hospital, but the security guards intercepted her, preventing her from getting close.On the other hand, Mia was able to effortlessly enter the hospital room.Maya couldn't help but boil with frustration.Nonetheless, she found solace in the anticipation of Mia's upcoming embarrassment at the college's music show.Maya couldn't wait to watch Mia stumble awkwardly through playing the piano on stage.After leaving the hospital, Mia hailed a taxi and headed back to campus.As Mia was on her way, her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Jason."Mia, there have been some significant developments in Felix's case. The fraud charges against him have been substantiated."It looks like he'll
Connor furrowed his brows upon hearing Jason's words. "You should talk to Mia about this before jumping to any conclusions. What if Mia isn't on board with your plans?""I'm capable of handling this situation myself; Mia doesn't need to concern herself with it."After everything she's been through, being alone and mistreated by the Barrett family, I refuse to stand by and do nothing. I can't let her accept that fate," Jason asserted firmly.If Mia were to walk away from the marriage with nothing, then what was the purpose of Jason being a lawyer?"What I'm trying to say is, our family is financially secure, and Mia will soon be returning to live with us in Nord City. There's no need to create unnecessary complications."Besides, Mia has made it clear she wants to distance herself from the Barrett family," Connor reasoned."This isn't about getting caught up in anything; it's about advocating for what Mia rightfully deserves."Otherwise, Timothy might assume that he can treat Mia
After all, Claude had a reputation as a bit of a playboy.It now made sense why he suddenly organized a music show at the university and even endorsed such a juvenile design plan.However, Claude had never gone to such great lengths for a woman in the past, nor had he ever used his professional endeavors to impress women. Yet, Mia seemed to be an exception.Anthony couldn't shake the feeling that he had been too harsh on Mia. What if Mia became Claude's wife in the future?Later that afternoon, Mia was taken aback to discover that her design draft had been approved without requiring any modifications.Feeling incredulous, Mia double-checked with Riley several times. Riley's response remained consistent: "Mia, you should have confidence in your abilities."After all, you were the first-place winner in the Fleur International Design Competition. The university has high hopes for you.""I understand. I'll work hard," Mia replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by Riley's praise.Mia ar
As Mia made the emergency call, she kept her gaze fixed on Maya and Shelly.With a smug expression, Shelly remarked, "What's the point of calling the police? Do you want to expose your shady dealings with Mr. Jenkin to everyone?"Maya's expression grew uneasy. She hadn't expected Mia to actually call the police!Mia smirked. "You both witnessed it, right? You need to provide evidence to the police. Otherwise, how do we expect to apprehend Anthony?"Maya quickly caught on and exclaimed, "Must you involve the police in every minor issue? Will this cycle ever end?""Why would I refrain from contacting the authorities? Especially since I have no recollection of the events you're accusing me of.""If Shelly indeed has a friend who claims to have witnessed me entering the hotel, then it's apparent I was drugged and transported there involuntarily."Whoever is responsible for this will undoubtedly face consequences."Upon hearing this, even Shelly, despite her usual obliviousness, gra
Upon hearing this, Shelly was furious.She couldn't let Mia jeopardize her chances of marrying into the esteemed Lane family.Shelly approached Mia and said through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It was just nonsensical talk. Please don't take it to heart."Mia scrutinized Shelly for a moment before speaking, "You're fully aware that this is all baseless, yet you speak with such conviction. As a woman, how can you be so malicious?"Shelly suppressed her frustration, recognizing the need to control her emotions for the time being. She couldn't afford to let Mia escalate the situation.Maya quickly interjected, "Mia, Shelly has apologized. You should call the police and explain that it was all just a misunderstanding."Mia remained unfazed. "I'll speak with the police when they arrive. But before that, Shelly, I need your help with something."Please arrange the setup in the hall. Otherwise, your apology won't come across as sincere."Shelly couldn't hold back
After her reveal, Mia couldn't help but notice that Maya and Shelly's expressions had darkened.Shelly, barely containing her anger, exclaimed hoarsely, "You mean you didn't call the police?"Mia responded casually, "Yeah, it was just a bluff to scare you guys."Upon hearing this, Shelly was so enraged that she sprang up from her chair, exclaiming angrily, "Mia, I've had enough of your antics!"Do you know how much effort I put into moving all these lights upstairs? And now you're telling me you didn't even call the police?"Taking a few steps back, Mia remarked, "You should be thankful I didn't call them. Would you have managed to move all this stuff in time otherwise?"Considering today's outcome, does it really matter whether I contacted the police or not?"Shelly was taken aback, realizing she had been manipulated by Mia.Maya was equally furious, but she was too worn out to confront Mia any further.Clutching her high heels, she stood up and told Shelly, "Let's go. My bac
Timothy sat back in his chair, calmly observing Jason standing before him.After a moment of scrutiny, Jason handed over his business card."I'm a lawyer with Beacon Attorneys in Nord City. I'm here to represent Ms. Bowen in discussing the divorce proceedings between you two."Timothy glanced at the business card on the table before returning his gaze to Jason. "What does she want to discuss?"Jason swiftly retrieved a stack of documents and laid them out on the table."Here is the draft of the property settlement agreement for your divorce, detailing the division of assets. Mr. Barrett, please take a moment to review it."Without glancing at the documents, Timothy remarked, "Wasn't she previously set on taking nothing? What led to this change of heart?"Mia had not only changed her stance but had also sent the top lawyer from the Lane family to negotiate with Timothy!It seemed like Mia had truly outdone herself this time.Upon hearing this, Jason realized that Connor had hit
After a brief pause, Mia spoke up, "Jason, are you serious?""I don't joke about these things," Jason replied.Mia couldn't help but feel uneasy. "So... you probably haven't gone to see Timothy yet, have you?""I just did. I came to pick you up right after," Jason replied.Mia felt a sense of dread wash over her.If only she had clarified everything with Jason earlier, none of this would have happened.Turning to Jason, Mia asked, "Jason, why didn't you inform me about something this important?""Mia, I should be the one handling these matters for you. You don't need to worry about it at all."Leaving a marriage with nothing is simply unacceptable. Asking for money doesn't make you materialistic."These are all toxic beliefs that men try to instill in women, manipulating them into thinking they shouldn't value money. But in the end, it's these men who benefit," Jason explained.Upon hearing this, Mia couldn't help but sigh. "I understand that you're looking out for me, but my
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,