That was the only way to explain the situation.Maya's heart sank to her stomach. She turned back, glancing at Mia before returning her focus to Sharon. "What do you mean they're Mia's family?""Didn't you keep asking who bought Mia the dress? It was your sister-in-law!" Sharon's words were like cold water pouring over Maya's head.Maya's legs were shaking. "No way. How could this be?"Since when did the Lanes find Mia? Why didn't Maya know anything?She didn't even know that Eva took Mia shopping!Eva walked toward Mia with a smile. "Mrs. Barrett, there's no two Ms. Lanes. There's only one this entire time.""Wasn't it Maya?" Sharon couldn't get it."She's adopted. She's not the true Ms. Lane. Everyone in Nord City knows that, but I don't think the people in Bern City do."There was too much information for Sharon to take in at the moment. "So, it's Mia?"She covered her mouth as soon as she said that. Her eyes on Mia betrayed guilt. Maya was the adopted child while Mia wa
Mia looked at Maya upon Liam's words, puzzled.Maya was the fake princess?The term exasperated Maya so much that she screamed, "So what if I do? I am part of the family and I have the right to voice out my opinion. How could you keep me in the dark? I'm not a fake princess!"Maya couldn't accept reality. If only she had found Mia sooner, she would've been able to deal with Mia instead of becoming the passive party.Dominic said coldly, "You're not one of us. You're aware of this from the day you left the orphanage. You grew greedier, coveting things that aren't rightfully yours.""Things that aren't rightfully mine? I am Ms. Lane too! What part do I lack compared to Mia? I've contributed so much to the family for so many years. But you want to drive me away as soon as Mia returns? Not a chance!"Maya was losing it, feeling that the whole world was treating her unfairly.Dominic frowned. "What do you want?"She sneered and turned back, pointing at Timothy. "I want to marry into
It was great news that Mia turned out to be the true Ms. Lane.Shelly added, "Yeah, we're a family, Mia."For the first time in forever, Mia felt the difference in treatment she received solely because of the change in her family background.In fact, Sharon and Shelly's supercilious attitudes at the mall were still vivid in her head.Mia hung her head low and smiled meaningfully. "Sorry, but we're no longer a family. Timothy and I have divorced." She wasn't as shameless as they were.Timothy's gaze became piercing right after she said that.Still, she straightened her back, fearless. Her family had her back and she had nothing to be afraid of.Sharon became anxious. "Tim, when did that happen? Haven't you been putting the procedure off?""A few days ago." Timothy pursed his lips.Sharon exclaimed, "What a fool! Why did you bring it forward?" Sharon couldn't regret it more. "Why didn't you delay it?"Dominic spoke up in a steely tone, "Delaying it a few days wouldn't have made
Mia raised her head to meet Timothy's eyes and she realized something.All this time, he had been misunderstanding her relationship with Connor and assumed the baby belonged to Connor.In order to divorce Timothy, Mia didn't deny the notion back then.However, he found out that Connor was her brother now. He knew that those were lies! Questions were filling his head—who was the baby's father?A jumble of thoughts filled her head. She didn't want to reveal her pregnancy right now because Timothy was the father.A few days ago, she made Laura believe that the pregnancy was fake so that she could divorce him.Imagine how upset Laura would be after finding out that it was a lie.Mia began racking her brain for an excuse to cover things up."Go to hell, Mia Bowen!" Maya appeared out of nowhere, charging toward Mia with a sharp knife.Due to the proximity, Maya was already right in front of Mia by the time she screamed.The knife in hand was flung so swiftly!Mia protected her b
"It's alright. The college hospital will do. I have to attend the ceremony," Timothy stressed.Most importantly, Mia would be going onstage today. He didn't want to miss it. Something in him was telling him that it wouldn't be easy for him to meet Mia in the future if he left the place right now.The revelation that she was the true Ms. Lane actually surprised him.She was getting farther and farther from his reach.Mia noticed the heavy feelings from his gaze, but she brushed it off by convincing herself that she must be seeing things.Why would Timothy feel that way for her? She could never imagine it.She dropped her gaze to the floor. "I think it's better to go to the hospital.""Tim, she's right. Look, she's concerned about you. You should go to the hospital. What am I going to do if something happens to you?"Dominic looked at Timothy. "They're right. You should go to the hospital, Mr. Barrett. Thank you for saving Mia."Sensing something was off, Claude quickly said,
At this point, Mia sort of understood what happened at the orphanage back then. Maya probably knew Dominic was looking for Mia, but she chose to deceive him and replaced Mia as the daughter of the Lanes. Dominic regretted it badly. He glared at Maya. "The Lanes will hold you responsible for this. You'll end up in prison."Infuriated, Sharon chimed in, "I'll also hold you responsible for my son's injury!" Little did she expect Maya to attack someone with a knife, almost hurting Timothy in the process. She was convinced that Maya was a lunatic, and she even felt quite relieved that it was Mia who married Timothy instead of Maya. As Maya began to scream frantically, a few shrill cackles escaped her lips occasionally. She seemed to have lost her sanity. Dominic frowned. "Keep an eye on her.""Enough, let's leave. The event's about to start, so let's go." Mia glanced up at Timothy. "It's better for you to go to the hospital." After saying that, she left with the Lanes promptly.C
Mia looked at her brothers. "However, I'm no longer bothered by them. Let the past stay in the past. At least I know I wasn't abandoned, and my family has never given up on searching for me. This is more than enough."She wasn't alone—she had family. Thus, she really didn't mind. Dominic's eyes turned red as he choked, "Mia, you're too kind and sensible." He knew she was the kindest, cutest, and most sensible soul on this planet. Mia smiled. "We have to leave for the graduation dinner. No one's ever been to my parent-teacher meetings, but I'm glad my family made it to my graduation."All the Lane brothers teared up. They didn't deserve her. Seeing how overwhelmed they were, Eva sighed. "Mia, let's go. The elevator's here."They strode out of the elevator, and the Lane brothers immediately attracted all the ladies' attention. It caused quite a ruckus. Mia had expected her brothers' arrival would cause a scene. Who doesn't like eye candy, after all? And it was six eye candies, n
"Mia, what's wrong?" Dominic's question snapped Mia back to her senses. "Nothing," she replied with a smile. Gazing at her, Dominic added, "There's a charity auction later. You can bid whatever you have your eyes on. Money's not an issue."Visibly amused, Mia glanced at him and quipped, "Oh, I remember you told me you're a real estate agent?"Dominic cleared his throat and said, "I only mentioned real estate. You assumed I was an agent."Her gaze drifted to her other brothers. "Nathan, the software programmer?"Nathan said solemnly, "Let me reintroduce myself formally. Nice to meet you, Mia. I own Techsphere.""Oh my god, it's your company who developed the famous online game!" Mia's hands flew to her mouth as she spiraled in absolute shock.Connor took the initiative to defend himself hastily. "Dominic came up with the nonsense of me being a vet. I never admitted that I was one."Mia narrowed her eyes. "So, you're that renowned doctor in Nord City? You're actually the one who
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,