Chapter 67"Oh, yeah?" Maya looked at Mia. "Sure. Go ahead."Mia continued in a calm yet assertive voice, "You asked the butler to get rid of the previous décor, didn't you? Timothy doesn't like the new décor, which means you don't know Timothy that well yet. A side chick who doesn't know the way to her man's heart can never be a main chick."Maya stood up quickly. "Did you just call me a side chick?""Well, the law says so. Timothy and I haven't gotten the divorce yet. So, who do you think you are now?" Mia left as soon as she said that. But suddenly, a searing pain spread from her scalp. Someone was grabbing her hair.Maya was mad. "And who do you think you are? You're a tramp who used to live in slums. Know your place. Who gives you the permission to bark at others with your stinky breath?"Mia retaliated and grabbed Maya's head before pinching the latter's waist hard. "And even if you were born rich, you're still a side chick. Pathetic." Maya's whole body trembled in fury f
Maya's eyes flickered when she met Timothy's gaze. "It's true. If you don't believe me, ask Holly then. She was there all the time."Timothy glanced over at Holly, who noticed the warning look in Maya's eyes. She lowered her head immediately as she stammered, "Mr. Barrett, I-I was in the kitchen. I didn't really see what happened."Maya's gaze turned cold. She didn't expect Holly to disobey her. She hurriedly explained, "Tim, I didn't know Ms. Bowen was the new designer. After all, you haven't been satisfied with all the designers I've found. Ms. Bowen was responsible for our home renovation back then, so I thought you'd like her design. That's why I didn't ask for your permission."With a stoic expression, Timothy strode toward the couch and picked up the design. It seemed so much better to him as he flipped through it. When he saw the design of a photo wall on the first page, he frowned. "What's this?""Tim, I thought it'd be nice for us to have a photo wall here. What
Mia was stunned. She almost forgot that she had gotten into a fight with Maya, and the latter's nails had scratched her lips in the scuffle. "Mia, who hit you? Tell me. I'll come right away!"Dominic was infuriated. Who had the nerve to beat Mia?In a haste, Mia explained, "Chill, Dominic. No one beat me up. It was an accident. When I was supervising the site today, my lips were accidentally smacked by a folder.""Really?""Yeah. I'm fine."Mia wasn't planning to break it to her brothers. The last thing she wanted was to get them involved in this matter. After all, Maya was from Nord City. It was a piece of cake for her if she wanted to do something to Mia's brothers. She didn't want her brothers to end up in trouble. Dominic no longer pestered her. Instead, he said, "Mia, if someone's bullying you, don't hesitate to tell us, okay?""I know.""Mia, don't worry about the house. I'll send the information to you by tomorrow. Are you short on money?"Mia was amused. "I ha
When Mia had just arrived home, she got a call from Timothy. On the other end of the phone, he said in an indifferent tone, "Are you not doing anything after getting the deposit? When are you going to start on the furnishing?"Mia was flabbergasted. "I thought you'd opt for another designer instead," she replied. After all, she got into a fight with Maya yesterday. Considering her personality, she was sure that Maya would definitely snitch on her. Moreover, she didn't take the deal seriously either, so she wasn't bothered at all. Yet, little did she expect to get a call from Timothy to ask her to continue the design. Or was he actually planning to humiliate her?"Why would I?" Timothy asked, sounding completely unfazed.Mia glanced over at the contract and immediately switched her tone. "Mr. Barrett, do you still have any requirements regarding the design? If you have none, I'll proceed with selecting the furnishing tomorrow. The renovation will be done quickly. Also, th
"Beats me. But I know she did buy a new house."Timothy glanced over at the furnishing pictures on his phone. Tightening his lips, he asked, "Who told you?"Even he was clueless about this. Sharon let out a cough and continued, "That's not the point. The house she bought was six million dollars! There's no way she could've bought that house with her salary. "Or she might have bought it with the money she made out of stealing stuff from our house. She might even use the illegal money she earned through us."Timothy instantly frowned as he retorted, "Mom, she won't do that.""Tim, why have you been siding with her lately? You weren't like this before."Setting his phone down on the table, Timothy stated impatiently, "Mom, I said I'll handle this on my own. Stay out of this.""I'm doing this for your sake as well, Tim. Ms. Lane was so initiative, and she even came over. Are you that dense? You both are more on a similar level. Unless you've really fallen in love with Mia, why
Mia hesitated when she stood before the door of the master bedroom. The last thing she would want before her eyes was the traces of Timothy living with another woman. She took a deep breath and opened the door. After all, she would have to face this eventually. To her surprise, she saw their wedding photo was still up above the bed. "It's still here!""Mrs. Barrett, of course it's still here. No one dares to take it down."Mia was bewildered. Was Maya unbothered by the wedding photo? Or did Timothy have a weird fetish?She glanced around the bedroom and went to the walk-in closet. She realized everything stayed more or less the same before she left. Nothing particularly stood out, and there weren't any women's belongings as well. It was as if Maya had never lived here. Yet, she vividly remembered how Maya had already lain in this bed that day when she was kicked out of the house. When Mia stepped out of the walk-in closet, she looked at Holly and asked in an awkward mann
A wave of awkwardness washed through Mia as she sat on the mattress. Even a slight movement from her would make her legs brush against Timothy's legs, looking as if she was trying to hook up with him. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Mr. Barrett, excuse me."However, Timothy didn't budge at all. He lowered his gaze and replied, "You picked this mattress. Shouldn't you try it out for me to see whether it's as good as you mentioned?""I have tried it. You'll know once you sleep on it at night, Mr. Barrett.""You've tried it already, huh? With whom?"Timothy narrowed his eyes as he continued to pester her. "I heard you bought a new house, right? Is it going through renovation already?"Mia frowned. It had to be Wilhelmina, the blabbermouth. She must've told Shelly about it. She kept her composure as she replied, "Yeah, I did. Is it against the law that I bought a house?""Do you need me to remind you that we're still a couple legally? You'd better watch out for the consequence
Heath glanced over at the placement of the picture frame. "Wouldn't it be too obvious here?""It's solely for Grandma to see."Heath was confused, feeling as if he was incapable of understanding Timothy's ways. …It had been hard for Mia to focus for the past few days. After all, she had yet to receive the payment despite completing the project. However, she felt so embarrassed whenever she recalled the kissing incident in the hall. Wilhelmina approached with a cup of coffee as she taunted, "It's been days after you've completed your million-dollar project, haven't you? Where's the remaining payment? Could it be that you've pissed him off, and now you've ended up with nothing?"Mia took her phone and went outside. She called Heath, "Erm … it's nothing much, but I just wanted to ask when are you going to make payment?""Mrs. Barrett, please hold on. I'll ask Mr. Barrett."When Heath informed Timothy about this, he said coldly in his chair, "Why did she ask you? Are you t
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,