After uttering those words, Jolene walked away, leaving Ramona standing alone in the pouring rain.Ramona's eyes brimmed with jealousy and disbelief as she exclaimed, "I refuse to believe it! I just can't!"To her, Mia had been nothing but an orphan, struggling financially during their school days. How could she have possibly become a wealthy heiress now, with a billionaire ex-husband?…Seated in the car, Mia couldn't hold back a sneeze, causing her to rub her nose as she imagined Ramona outside, likely cursing her.Despite the heavy rain outside, the luxurious confines of the car provided a tranquil sanctuary.Timothy offered her a tissue, and without hesitation, she accepted it, using it to wipe her nose. Just at that moment, her phone finally rang.It was Dominic on the line. She promptly answered, "Hello, Dominic, what's going on?""Where are you? It's pouring outside. I had to call the driver over for an urgent matter today. I didn't expect Claude to assign him to you.
Mia's suspicious gaze irritated Timothy.He turned to face her. "Is that how you see me?""Isn't it the truth, though?""When have I ever acted in such a way?"Mia slammed her hand on the leather seat. "Don't play innocent! Wasn't it you who had Mr. Shaw talk to me last time, suggesting that I take an additional course in the Music School to delay my graduation?"Timothy fell silent instantly, acknowledging that he did have that intention last time. But how could he possibly admit to it now?Mia stared at him intently. "Why aren't you responding? Say something."Timothy casually crossed his legs, resting his hand on the seat. "I suggested it to Mr. Shaw because I had noticed your talent for playing the piano before. But after you declined, did I ever pressure you?"Mia turned her head away in frustration, angered by Timothy's slickness.The car lapsed into silence again. Timothy stole a glance at Mia, admiring her fair complexion and the dimple that formed as she pursed her li
As Mia opened the car door and stepped out, she found shelter from the rain under the umbrella Timothy held.Facing him, she suggested, "Let me borrow your umbrella for now. I can handle it from here. You should head back."It dawned on Mia that she had forgotten to inform her brothers of her arrival.However, Timothy remained unmoved. "I'll walk you over."Just then, Dominic's voice reached them, "Mia!"Mia subtly turned her head and indeed spotted Dominic and Claude. They, too, had noticed Timothy standing beside her. The atmosphere tensed momentarily.Dominic approached swiftly, his expression cold as he confronted Timothy, "What are you doing here?"Claude's demeanor turned hostile. "Timothy, I made it clear last time to stay away from my sister. She's not someone you can toy with. Didn't you get the message?"Turning his gaze to Mia, Dominic urged, "Mia, come here."Emerging from beneath Timothy's umbrella, Mia approached Dominic. He handed her another umbrella. "Take thi
After being interrupted, Timothy glanced briefly at Claude before reluctantly shifting his gaze toward Mia.Mia met his gaze and stated, "I'm home now. You should go back."Timothy furrowed his brows, insisting, "I have a few things I'd like to tell you."Although his words were cut short by Claude's interruption, Timothy still wanted to clarify what he meant.Mia suggested, "We can discuss it later. There's no need to hurry at the moment."She then addressed Dominic and Claude, "Let's head back. It's pouring outside, and I'm already soaked."Mia didn't want to linger any longer, fearing another confrontation might arise.Noticing Mia's damp clothes from her earlier attempt to intervene, Dominic reluctantly agreed, "Alright, let's go. Make sure to change into dry clothes as soon as possible. We don't want you catching a cold."Timothy could only watch helplessly as Mia walked away, gradually fading from his view.Alone in the pouring rain, Timothy felt the cold drops beating a
From her vantage point, Mia could see the entrance gate, but the heavy rain severely limited visibility, making it impossible to discern any activity outside.Nonetheless, Timothy should have departed long ago.As Mia remembered Timothy enduring Dominic's assault without retaliating, her mood grew increasingly uneasy.She rubbed her face, reminding herself sternly, "Don't be swayed, don't falter!"Indeed, sympathizing with a man was often the beginning of trouble!Lying back on her bed, Mia retrieved her phone and opened Instagram.She noticed several follow requests, mostly from her former classmates, but she didn't accept them since they weren't particularly close.Messaging Gina, she inquired, "Are you back home?""Yeah.""You and Taylor seemed to hit it off today. Hoping for good news from you two.""Ahem, don't jinx it. Whether it works out or not depends on fate. By the way, have you checked the class group chat? It's blowing up. Who would've thought you're now a wealth
Upon spotting Timothy's car, Mia promptly responded to Jeremy over the phone, "Absolutely. I'm currently outside the study hall. Would you mind meeting me here?""Sure thing, I'll be right there."After ending the call, Mia remained standing alone outside the study hall. Though she noticed Timothy's car, she refrained from approaching it, pretending not to have seen it.Before long, Timothy emerged from the car, his eyes fixed on her. Feeling his gaze, Mia diverted her attention to the sky above."The rain last night was intense, but today's sky is remarkably clear and blue," she mused silently."What are you staring at? Is there a UFO up there?" Timothy's resonant voice disrupted her thoughts.Standing on the steps, he watched her, reminiscent of their encounter the previous night.Unable to ignore him, Mia turned to face Timothy. "There's a flying cow up there. Didn't you see it?" she remarked sarcastically.Timothy was taken aback by her retort. His eyes were tinged with red
Heath swallowed nervously. Timothy indeed had plans for the evening. However, given the current situation, Heath knew he couldn't acknowledge it.He quickly replied, "There aren't any plans tonight."Timothy nodded solemnly and he shifted his gaze to Jeremy, his dark eyes carrying an overwhelming intensity.Just as Jeremy was about to reply, Mia swiftly intervened, "Even though Mr. Barrett is available, it's unlikely he would join us for street food."Given his wealthy background, he tends to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants and has a palate for refined tastes."Jeremy felt a cold sweat forming on his forehead. He couldn't help but wonder why Mia seemed to hold such strong opinions about her ex-husband.It seemed as though Mia was subtly hinting that she wasn't keen on dining with Timothy.Timothy's gaze narrowed. "Well, I've grown weary of Michelin-starred restaurants. I'd like to experience street food for a change."Jeremy reluctantly nodded. "Since you have the time, le
Mia was taken aback by the slippery floor and exclaimed in alarm."Watch out!""Mia!"Both Timothy and Jeremy reacted swiftly, extending their arms to catch her.Instinctively, Mia reached out and grabbed onto them. She couldn't help but notice a muffled grunt from Timothy, a clear indication of pain.Looking down, she realized she had inadvertently grabbed Timothy's injured right hand from the night of the accident during the heavy rain.Timothy had shielded her during an abrupt stop in the car, injuring his arm in the process. It seemed his arm hadn't fully healed yet.Mia promptly released Timothy's arm and reached for Jeremy's arm to steady herself; she wanted to avoid any further injury to Timothy's hand.However, Timothy perceived this scene differently.Observing Mia let go of his hand and lean toward another man, Timothy's gaze hardened, and his mood turned sour.Timothy cast a displeased glance at Jeremy. Why did it consistently seem as though men were always appeari
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,