Mia's mind felt foggy, and she could only vaguely recall the car ride back to Meadowview Estate.However, she couldn't quite remember how she had ended up back in her bedroom and had managed to remove her makeup and change her clothes; it was a blur in her memory.It was evident that alcohol had its consequences.As Timothy glanced toward the dressing room, a slight smirk tugged at his lips. It seemed Mia was much more well-behaved when she was asleep.A short while later, Mia emerged from the dressing room dressed in fresh attire.She couldn't help but notice Timothy lounging on the sofa, still wearing yesterday's security uniform. His sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms.Even in simple work attire, Timothy exuded an undeniable charm. His refined demeanor radiated through, even without the embellishment of a high-end tailored suit.Glancing over, Timothy spoke up, "Do I cut a fine figure?"Mia quickly snapped back to reality. "Mr. Barrett, you cert
Timothy's expression grew serious. "I wasn't there for you two years ago, so now that Ginger is sick, I absolutely cannot leave her side for even a moment."Mia glanced at Timothy, unsure of how to respond.Her expression shifted uncomfortably as she stood up. Out of nowhere, everything around her blurred, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her head as if tiny needles were piercing her brain."What's wrong?" Timothy swiftly rushed to Mia's side, noticing her pale complexion.He immediately turned to Gertrude. "Get the family doctor here!"Gertrude nodded and went to make the arrangements. Observing the scene, Peyton's expression grew complex. It seemed Timothy didn't consider himself an outsider at all.Mia awkwardly pushed Timothy away. "I'm okay, I just feel a bit dizzy. I probably had too much to drink last night.""As the young lady of the Lane family, you don't need to resort to alcohol to entertain guests."Seated on the sofa, Mia opened her eyes and met Timothy's ga
Upon hearing this, a hint of wariness flashed in Mia's eyes. Could it be that Timothy had already sensed something?Their gazes locked for a brief moment. Unable to contain her curiosity, Mia spoke up, "What do you think I'm hiding?""It sure seems like you're withholding something from me about Ginger's condition," Timothy remarked."You're reading too much into it," Mia replied. "At first, I was reluctant to share this with you, but who could have anticipated that Ginger would need your bone marrow? That's why I intentionally reached out to you.""Is that all there is to it?" Timothy narrowed his eyes."What else could there possibly be?" Mia countered. "If it weren't for Ginger's illness, you would have gone on completely unaware of her existence for the rest of your life."As Mia's words trailed off, Timothy suddenly grasped her wrist, his gaze piercing. "Mia, since I played a part in saving Ginger's life, I believe I have the right to visit her.""No, you don't!""You're s
"So, if I decide to stop the hypnosis now, will all my memories come back?"Ryan affirmed with a nod. "Yes, that's correct."After a moment of contemplation, Mia made up her mind. "Alright, let's end the hypnosis now."Her determination to uncover her past fueled her decision.However, just as Mia was on the verge of commencing the treatment, Peyton burst into the room urgently."Ms. Mia, the hospital is on the line. They've reported an issue with Mr. Sage's treatment and require your immediate presence!""Alright. I'll head there right away."Mia's expression shifted to concern. The primary focus now was to reach the hospital promptly; lifting the hypnosis became a secondary concern.Throughout the journey, Mia's hands trembled with anxiety.Upon arriving at the hospital, she found Nicholas and inquired, "What's the matter with Sage's treatment?"Nicholas met Mia's gaze with a somber expression. "I'm sorry, Mia. I promised you that once the bone marrow matching treatment con
Taking a deep breath, Mia made the decision not to answer Liam's call.She couldn't think of a good explanation at that moment.Shortly after Liam's call was disconnected, he sent Mia a WhatsApp message, saying, "Mia, if you don't pick up, I'll call Dominic."Seeing this message, Mia immediately dialed Liam's number back. She couldn't afford for him to involve Dominic, as that would only complicate matters.Before long, Mia heard Liam's voice through the phone. "Mia, you finally picked up. Tell me, who's the bodyguard the media captured?"Mia knew that Liam had called to inquire about this matter.She cleared her throat and responded, "Who else could it possibly be? He's the new bodyguard. I'm clueless as to why the media is spreading these rumors.""He looks quite similar to Timothy, doesn't he?""Really? I didn't notice."At that moment, Mia felt extremely anxious. With Liam now aware, it wouldn't be long before her other brothers found out as well.Liam couldn't help but s
Mia responded bluntly, "Whether it's a deal or not, that's for the police to determine. Coming to me won't change anything.""Mia, stop skirting around the issue. If you hadn't dispatched your bodyguards and lawyers, do you think Harper would have dared to involve the police and threaten Chuck with a lawsuit? "You'd better withdraw your personnel now, or don't blame me for being impolite!"Mia chuckled mockingly. "Well then, I'm curious to see how you plan to be 'impolite' with me."Lately, the Bowens had been pushing boundaries, even speaking disrespectfully to Mia!It seemed they had completely lost their minds!Lewis softened his tone as he stepped forward, fixing his gaze on Mia. "It's been quite some time. Are you still upset? Is that why you're intentionally causing these issues to catch my attention?"Mia's expression twisted in a mix of shock and disbelief upon hearing Lewis' accusations. "Who gave you the audacity to say such things?"How could she possibly be angry w
Upon hearing Lewis' offensive remarks, Mia glanced incredulously at Timothy beside her. She then turned her attention back to Lewis and inquired, "Aren't you familiar with him?"In theory, Lewis should be acquainted with Timothy, considering the Bowen family had been publicly proclaiming their collaboration with the Barrett family.After all, their goal was to establish themselves as the top powerhouse in Nord City.However, just moments ago, Lewis had been pointing fingers and hurling insults at Timothy, clearly unaware of his identity!The situation was undeniably peculiar.With an air of defiance, Lewis retorted, "Of course, I know him. Isn't he the 'pretty boy' bodyguard who made it to the gossip headlines with you?"At the mention of "pretty boy bodyguard", Mia immediately sensed that Timothy's expression darkened.It seemed that Timothy, accustomed to being pampered as the heir of his family, had never faced such insults before.Oddly, Mia felt a certain satisfaction in t
After enduring Lewis' nonsensical remarks, Mia concluded that either Lewis was genuinely clueless, or perhaps the Bowen family had fallen victim to deception.Losing interest, Mia stated, "Forget it. If you're not going to tell me, then just leave. Don't block the entrance to my villa."Seething with anger and embarrassment, Lewis retorted, "Mia, your arrogance knows no bounds. But mark my words, there may come a time when you'll regret your attitude and come crawling back to me!"You're only bold because of the Lane family's support. Strip that away, and you'll be insignificant. I doubt you'd even be fit to polish my shoes."Mia's expression shifted upon hearing Lewis' belittling remarks about her family. "With your pathetic appearance, do you really think you can threaten the Lane family? It's probably impossible for you. Get lost and never show up in front of me again!"Timothy, too, had no interest in engaging with someone as foolish as Lewis. As soon as he could reach his sub
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,