Mia paused, collecting her thoughts before replying, "Well, the truth is, Ginger doesn't have a father. And there are always gossiping individuals around."But Ginger is not deprived of love, and she doesn't let these things affect her. She couldn't care less whether she has a dad or not."Timothy was deeply stung by Mia's words. Having experienced the loss of his own father many years ago, he could empathize with the potential for hurtful situations surrounding Ginger.With a hint of guilt, he replied, "No one will dare to speak ill of Ginger in the future."Mia couldn't help but smirk. "Even your mother?"Timothy frowned in response. "Once she wakes up, I'll arrange for someone to escort her out of this hospital."Upon hearing Timothy's reassuring words, Mia felt relieved. As long as Sharon didn't cause any trouble during the bone marrow donation tomorrow, everything would proceed smoothly.After a moment of silence, Mia suggested, "Perhaps you should go and get some rest. I w
Panic flashed across Mia's face as her eyes darted toward the door, only to find Caleb standing there with a nosy expression. "Sorry for barging in," he spoke up.Mia figured that Caleb must have misunderstood the situation.Timothy's demeanor turned cold. "Get lost!""Fine then!"Caleb swiftly closed the door behind him and explained himself outside the restroom, "Please don't get the wrong idea, guys. I don't have any weird fetishes!"I heard a noise from the restroom and thought Tim might have fallen, so I pushed the door to check. Oh, wait, I just remembered that I left my clothes drying outside at home. I'll head back now."With that, Caleb left quickly. He certainly didn't want to be the target of Timothy's piercing stare.The restroom remained uncomfortably silent, as a blend of awkwardness and embarrassment hung in the air.Mia couldn't bear it any longer. She pushed past Timothy and hurried out of the restroom, feeling deeply embarrassed by what had just happened.Not
Mia's mind went blank. She never expected that she would kiss Timothy, let alone be the one to initiate it.She swiftly averted her gaze, her ears flushing bright red. At that moment, she found herself at a loss for words.All she wanted was to vanish into thin air.Noticing her embarrassment, Timothy's mood lifted unexpectedly. "Are you feeling shy?"Mia immediately became displeased. "It was completely accidental. Why would I feel shy? I just find the situation a bit awkward!""Given our relationship, there's no need for awkwardness."Upon hearing Timothy's audacious remark, Mia wanted to push him away. "Hey Mr. Barrett, how about you get up first? Your current behavior might come off as a tad inappropriate, don't you think?"Timothy didn't budge. Instead, he looked at her sternly. "You were the one who stepped on my foot, causing us to fall. Let's approach this rationally, shall we?""Then please get off me first!""My leg is numb!" Timothy retorted.Mia doubted his leg wa
Mia woke up groggily, her gaze instinctively falling on the sleeping Ginger. She signaled to Peyton and quietly slipped outside.Yawning, she asked, "What's going on?""Mrs. Barrett woke up this morning and insisted on jumping off the building to commit suicide!"Suicide?Mia's drowsiness vanished instantly, her brows furrowing. "I knew that old woman wouldn't give up easily.""Ms. Mia, Mrs. Barrett also insists on seeing you. The doctors and nurses are all over there trying to talk her out of it."You don't need to rush over. Mrs. Barrett is likely just putting on a show, pretending to want to jump off the building for everyone to see.""Take me there," Mia instructed.She knew she had to go see Sharon. Despite the severe side effects Timothy endured from his injection yesterday, Timothy had not mentioned anything about it.Considering it a favor to him, Mia decided to confront Sharon and find out what tricks she might be up to this time.Following Peyton, Mia made her way
Ginger held onto Mia's hand. "Mommy, will Tim be in pain? He gave a lot of blood!"With her eyes closed, Mia delicately stroked Ginger's head, keeping her lips sealed.She knew that everything would be over soon.After the extraction procedure, Timothy lay on the hospital bed, appearing visibly weakened in his loose patient attire.Mia entered the room with Ginger, taking a deep breath before asking, "How are you feeling?""I'm okay," Timothy replied.He glanced at Ginger and reassured her, "Ginger, look, it's not too bad, right? You don't need to worry."Ginger approached and held Timothy's hand, blowing on it gently several times. "Blow, blow, let the pain fade away."Timothy's lips curved into a smile as he reached out to pat Ginger's head, feeling his heart melt.Glancing at Mia, he suggested, "Ginger has been waiting outside for so long. You should take her back to rest."Mia nodded reassuringly. "Okay, you take good care of yourself." She gently clasped Ginger's hand,
Mia's heart skipped a beat as she hastily said, "She didn't come. Sometimes, it's not appropriate for children to be present."Frowning, Timothy turned to Sharon. "Mom, weren't you discharged from the hospital this morning? Why are you back here again?""Tim, I've returned to see you. Take a good look at yourself. This dire situation you're in—it's all a consequence of your bone marrow donation. And forcing Luna out of the Barrett family over this, she didn't deserve it, did she?""Mom, I've made my decision about Luna. Either Asher stays, or she leaves with him.""But you can't do that. Asher must stay! He's your son, for goodness' sake."As Sharon brought up Asher, she purposely glanced at Mia before continuing, "Now it's your turn."It seemed as though Sharon was signaling to Mia to break up with Timothy at that moment.Mia pursed her lips, realizing that several minutes had passed. Peyton should have left with Ginger by now.Observing Mia's silence, Sharon presumed she migh
After ending the call, Mia skipped packing and decided to head straight to the rooftop for the helicopter.However, remembering her encounter with Sharon in the elevator earlier, she chose to be cautious and took the stairs to the rooftop this time.Panting heavily, Mia reached the rooftop and pushed open the door.Her smile faltered as soon as she spotted Timothy standing outside. "What are...?"Turning to face her, Timothy interjected, "You're wondering what I'm doing here, right?"Mia leaned against the door, catching her breath. She realized she had been caught.Fortunately, Timothy's bone marrow sample had already been transported out of Bern City with Ginger. Thus, even if he had discovered the truth, it would have been too late.With deliberate steps, Timothy moved closer to her. "After all the trust I placed in you, is this how you repay me? Using me and then walking away like it's no big deal?"He had hoped not to find Mia here, but unfortunately, his hopes were crushe
Mia couldn't deny Timothy's astuteness. She countered, "Do you really think I'd allow Ginger to accompany me?""Mia, do you seriously not trust me? Despite knowing your true identity for a while now, I've still kept my promise about donating my bone marrow to Ginger."But what about you? Are you planning to take Ginger and run as soon as you get what you need from me?"Timothy had never been manipulated by a woman before, but it appeared that Mia was testing his boundaries.Mia's lips curved into a smirk. "Mr. Barrett, since you're already aware, could you please step aside," she demanded.With a swift motion, Timothy reached out and firmly grabbed her wrist. "Do you think you can simply walk away now?""Timothy, why aren't you letting me go? Could it be that you've actually developed feelings for me?" Mia retorted, her demeanor composed as she regarded him as though he were a stranger.An eerie silence filled the air.Timothy maintained his firm grip on her hand, a subtle warm
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,