Mia's stomach roiled at the thought of what would happen on that bed in a while. Still, she controlled herself and turned to head into the walk-in closet to pack her things. It didn't take long to put everything into her suitcase."Kaleb, that suitcase seems to be branded. Get her a recyclable bag for her to put her stuff," Maya said.Soon, Kaleb brought over a dirty recyclable bag. He flung it at Mia's feet and said, "Use this."Mia bent down to open up her suitcase. Behind her, Maya said, "Remember to check her things later. We don't want her to take anything that doesn't belong to her."At her words, Mia recalled what Timothy had said about getting rid of the baby. He was only in the bathroom; if he were to find out about the pregnancy test, there was no way she could keep the baby.Kaleb and Maya were standing guard outside the walk-in closet. Mia looked at the pregnancy test that she'd buried with her stuff, then came to a decision.She turned around and secretly ripped the
Timothy saw the things that were strewn over the ground. They were all regular clothing. Mia hadn't taken a single branded item with her.Hadn't she married him because she wanted those things? He couldn't believe she hadn't taken any of it.Timothy's gaze landed on the dirty recyclable bag, and he frowned. "Are you playing hard to get again? Whose pity are you trying to win again? It's not like Grandma's here!"He hadn't let her down in any way throughout their three-year marriage, aside from not having feelings for her. He'd never been stingy with her.Even with the divorce, he was going to compensate her a huge sum. It was more than enough for her to live a comfortable life.Did she really want to leave, or was she just putting on an act?Mia held her phone tightly, still processing the news of her family having found her. In the past, she'd dreamed of her family finding her one day so she wouldn't be alone anymore.She was distracted by these thoughts, but in Timothy's eyes,
Timothy had never thought about marrying Mia. But since he'd already had, he could've put her upbringing and poor background behind him as long as she knew her place. He had more than enough money to support her, anyway.Yet she'd caused trouble time and time again. Now, she couldn't even be bothered to put up an act anymore. She'd revealed her true colors!Timothy should've felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but when he saw the divorce agreement that she'd signed, he couldn't help feeling powerless.There was deep sorrow hidden in Mia's eyes. She pretended she didn't care because she didn't want Timothy to trample on her dignity even as she was leaving.When Maya saw that things were getting out of hand, she quickly said, "Mia, were you so quick to sign the divorce agreement because you already found someone new?"Timothy's expression turned cold. He watched Mia like a hawk, his gaze appraising.Mia took in the mistrust on his face and said, "Yeah, of course.
The bodyguards were there to pick Mia up?She looked at the helicopter and thought about how Patricia had told her that her family had sought Patricia out.Had these bodyguards really been sent by her family?Mia pinched her face, feeling like she was dreaming. There couldn't really be a helicopter here to take her home.She'd been dreaming for the past 20 years. Was it really coming true now?Maya looked at Mia mockingly. "You're a great actress, Mia. Where did you find these extras? They do a pretty good job. Look, once a peasant, always a peasant. No matter how hard you try to conceal it, you can't hide how poor you really are."I can't believe you even rented a helicopter for this! I bet this is your first time getting into one, you country bumpkin!"Before Mia could say anything, the bodyguard standing beside her gave Maya a hard slap. The force of it made her lose her balance and fall to the ground.Maya shrieked, "How dare you instruct this guy to slap me! Do you know wh
At this moment, Patricia tugged at Mia. "We're in no rush to do that. The rest of your brothers and cousins are on their way here, so you can head home after you've met them. Home is where your family is, right?"Dominic gave Patricia a grateful look. If not for her love and care for Mia, Mia's life would've been even tougher. He said respectfully, "I've already booked us rooms here. Let's have dinner at the restaurant."Mia walked together with Patricia as Dominic led the way. She noticed he wasn't much of a talker and seemed rather unapproachable. Still, he seemed to be quite rich!They headed downstairs from the hotel's rooftop. The place was lavishly decorated; Mia had never been somewhere like this before.Dominic's heart twisted painfully at the thought of the old, rundown apartment Mia was going to return to.She looked at him. "Are you okay?""Yeah. There's just something in my eye. Mia, do you want to move somewhere else?" Dominic had prepared several homes. He had to pi
The smile on Mia's face faded at the sight of Bob and Mary. "I can't believe you guys have the nerve to say you're my saviors. When I almost starved to death in your home, Aunt Patricia was the one who gave me a bite to eat. Ultimately, you even forced her to raise me."Patricia was surprised. "How did you guys find this place? I didn't tell anyone about this."Mary put her hands on her hips. "How can you say that, Patricia? We're Mia's adoptive parents, but you're trying to take the credit. Dream on if you think you're getting away with that!"Bob spat on the floor. "Exactly. Where is her family? They must be rich since they can afford to stay in such an expensive hotel. We have to make them compensate us."They hadn't expected a child they'd picked up randomly to come from such a wealthy family. They'd struck the jackpot!Mia shielded Patricia behind her as she looked at Bob and Mary coldly. "You're the ones who can dream on. I won't give you a dime. Uncle James got into a fight
This time, Mia didn't say anything. She led Patricia away.Dominic watched them leave, and then he turned back to face Bob and Mary. His expression immediately went from gentle to frosty. It'd been years since he'd personally dealt with these things, but he couldn't sit this one out.How dared Bob and Mary abuse Mia! They had death wishes!The bodyguards circled them, stopping the onlookers from seeing what was happening.Dominic looked at Bob and Mary with contempt, a hint of murderous intent evident in his eyes. "You threw her in the cellar and starved her?""T-That was because we didn't have enough room at home. The cellar was actually very warm.""Yes, yes! We were living poorly at the time. We didn't even have enough food to put on the table!"Dominic didn't buy their excuses. He didn't bat an eye as he made his move. Soon, Bob and Mary couldn't even say a word. They'd lost a few teeth, and their faces were covered in blood.They were now filled with regret. Dominic look
"Your second older brother, Nathan Lane, is a great programmer. He's led his company to win many awards and helped build many important firewalls," Dominic said."Your third older brother, Connor Lane, is a volunteer for a Red Cross Society abroad. He focuses on saving injured animals and helping people to understand the lives of these animals."Your oldest cousin, Claude Lane, is a piano teacher, while your second older cousin, Jason Lane, works at a law firm. Last but not least, your third older cousin, Liam Lane, is currently an extra at a film set."Dominic felt he'd done a pretty good job at explaining things. He hadn't lied to Mia at all.Nathan was an infamous hacker, so he was good at programming, right?Connor was a renowned surgeon—rather than saving people, he preferred saving animals.Claude was a famous pianist—when he wasn't busy with concerts, he would conduct piano lessons at an academy.Jason was a well-known lawyer—he did indeed work at a law firm. It was just
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,