The stains on Mia's dress were obvious despite the server's meticulous effort to wipe them off. The Lane brothers dashed toward her and fussed. "Mia, are you okay?"Liam fretted the most out of the six brothers. He dragged her wrist, asking, "Do you feel any discomfort?""No, I was just shocked. I lost focus when I was walking earlier, and I accidentally crashed into her tray." Mia was distracted because of Timothy's unwavering gaze on her.Dominic scowled at the server, who was crouching on the ground. "What's the matter with you?""I'm sorry. It's all my fault, but I didn't do it on purpose! I'm really sorry! I'm new here, and I can't afford to lose this job.""Never mind. I'm fine, after all. Only the dress is stained." Her gaze dipped, and she sighed when she saw the wine stains on the hem of her dress. "Is it very difficult to get rid of these?"Eva took her hand. "It doesn't matter if the dress is dirtied. You can just wear it once. Wear something new at the next banquet
Feeling helpless, Timothy croaked, "Grandma, you're making it worse.""Fine. As your grandma, I've already done what I can to help you out."Timothy was perplexed. "Grandma, why doesn't she let me court her?""Why does she have to? Did you tell her that you're going to court her because you've fallen in love with her, or did you offer her an apology and swore that she's your only love, and you simply can't give up on her?"His expression grew awkward. He cleared his throat and spluttered, "D-Do I have to say that?" He couldn't bring himself to say that out loud with a crowd watching them. "What else did you expect? Are you assuming she's going to go back to you after giving her a gift? Is she your pet?"Laura stared at Timothy, utterly exasperated at how dense he was. She knew how daunting it was for him to make a heartfelt confession to Mia. She sighed. "I'm a bit tired. I need to rest.""Go ahead." Timothy watched Laura enter the elevator as he remained rooted on the same s
This was the dress Timothy bought for Mia. She was constantly occupied with other tasks during the banquets hosted by the Barrett family, so she hardly had any chance to wear the dress. This was her first time wearing a dress he bought. She wondered whether he had the maid bring it on purpose.Still, Mia changed into the dress. It resembled a ball gown, and its neckline revealed her delicate collarbone. It wasn't tight around her lower belly since the skirt was loose. All her brothers gaped at her when she strode out in her new outfit. Slightly embarrassed, she asked, "What is it? Is there something wrong with the dress?"Eva exclaimed gleefully, "No! It suits you perfectly. You look like a princess."Mia was fairly surprised. She thought Timothy's purchase was merely meant to fulfill Laura's orders.Just then, the maid rapped on the door. "Ms. Bowen, Mrs. Barrett Senior is asking for you.""Now?""Yes. She's waiting for you in her bedroom on the second floor."Mia nodded. "
"There's a murder! Help!"Amidst her grogginess, Mia heard a clamor of noises around her. She struggled to open her eyes, but her vision swam. She couldn't see anything clearly. Pain hummed in her head as she was overwhelmed by dizziness. She sat up and leaned against the railing behind her. Her hand paused midair. What was she doing outside?She vividly remembered she was in Laura's bedroom when she was attacked. She fainted after the attacker hit her head. Why was she outside after she regained consciousness?Locating the noises around her, she chanced a glance at the weathered figure lying in the puddle of blood at the end of the staircase. The color drained from her face as she shrieked, "Grandma Laura!"What happened? How did Laura fall from the stairs?Mia clenched her jaw as she hauled herself up, but her effort was in vain. She crawled her way toward the staircase. She glanced over at Laura, who was drenched in blood, and screamed, "Somebody! Please help!" Soon, a grou
In fact, Jason was capable of proving Mia's innocence even if she was guilty. Dominic said grimly, "Mia, let Jason handle this. I'll take you to the hospital!"Connor was equally petrified. She was pregnant, and her condition might be lethal after the attack. Yet, some members from the Barrett family interrupted, "Are you just going to let her leave?""Yeah, aren't we supposed to stay here until the culprit is identified? Others will surely be unhappy about it if Mia gets to leave."Dominic glared at them. "I dare you to stop me."Palpable tension hung in the air as the Lane Brothers leered at the Barretts from the stairs.Connor glanced over at Timothy. "You should be aware of Mia's condition. She's having a concussion now. This is serious!"Timothy, of course, noticed Mia's pale complexion and the blood seeping out from the wound at the back of her head, staining her white dress. He swallowed hard, and he finally spoke, "You guys can go to the hospital, but I hope you won't
As Mia fell, she desperately wished it was all just a nightmare.She longed to wake up to find Laura safe and unharmed.Now, she regretted not being more vigilant when she first noticed the elevator malfunction.If only she had been more cautious, perhaps Laura wouldn't have been injured.Despite her efforts, Mia struggled to recall much after that.All she could remember were faint voices in the distance, unmistakably her brothers calling out her name.But by then, exhaustion had overtaken her completely.Mia was swiftly brought to the public hospital, where Connor, in a state of panic, was sweating profusely, his eyes filling with tears.Liam quickly came to Claude's aid, asking, "Claude, how's your arm holding up? Thankfully, Jason was able to catch Mia before she fell too far."Cradling his injured arm, Claude reassured him, "I'm alright. Connor, you should hurry and get Mia checked. Why are you lingering here?"Connor hesitated before responding, "We need to wait for Nic
After a while, Timothy finally regained his composure and turned to Caleb. "Can you help me find out how Mia is doing?"As Caleb dialed the number, his complexion turned pale, his hand trembling so violently that he could barely hold the phone properly.Casting a horrified glance at Timothy, he found himself unable to utter a single word.Timothy fixed him with a piercing gaze, a sense of dread gnawing at him. "What's wrong? Speak up," he urged.Sweating profusely, Caleb managed to respond, "The hospital informed us that Mrs. Barrett underwent premature labor and suffered severe bleeding. Unfortunately, she succumbed to complications from an amniotic fluid embolism... "Timothy abruptly rose to his feet, his vision darkening. He clutched his head, his eyes brimming with profound despair. "Say that again," he demanded.Caleb was too frightened to utter another word, having never witnessed Timothy's reaction like this before.Without a moment's hesitation, Timothy rushed to the pu
After Timothy uttered those words, Heath, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was taken aback.Timothy had never been fond of children, yet here he was, voluntarily showing concern for the little girl on the roadside!Ginger's eyes sparkled as she approached the car door, her small hand reaching out to open it.She effortlessly climbed into the car, saying, "Thank you, sir, you're so kind."She obediently folded her small umbrella, even reaching down with her chubby hand to pat the rainwater off her shoes, making an effort to keep the car interior clean.Timothy observed Ginger with a stern expression. "Don't get too comfortable; I'm not a kind person," he warned.After all, he wasn't particularly fond of children.Ginger looked up and inquired in a sweet voice, "Hey mister, do you eat kids?"Timothy found her question rather odd. Typically, he wouldn't pay attention to such troublesome children.However, those sincere almond eyes gazing at him made it difficult for hi
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,