Nicholas stepped forward. "I was the one by Mia's side when she was having a hard time trying to keep Ginger that year. She had to stay in bed in the hospital for a whole month to prevent miscarriage. "You don't know how much she has suffered, so what gives you the right to make decisions when it comes to the child?"Timothy didn't back off. "I didn't know anything about it that year. If I knew what was happening then, I would've stayed by her side to protect them.""Enough. You had your first love with you back then. We won't buy that, we're not fools. I'm not going to let you come close to Mia or hurt her," Nicholas asserted.Nicholas witnessed how Mia overcame her struggles all these years. She suffered a lot in delivering the twins. There was no way he would let Timothy intrude into Mia's life now.Timothy gazed at Mia. "I was wrong that year, so I want to—""But I don't need you to make up for it," Mia interrupted him. "Mr. Barrett, I have everything I need now. I don't n
Noticing Timothy reaching out his hand too, Mia was baffled. She didn't expect him to do the same.Why did he do that? Was he trying to make her choose between him and Nicholas?How naive of him. Just what gave him the right to ask that she stay by his side?She was different from how she was four years ago.Mia merely spared Timothy's hand a glance before walking toward Nicholas. "Nick, you're done with your work already? That's quick."He nodded. "I just went over to hand over a document. It's nothing big."In actuality, he came to the hospital on purpose. He was worried after learning from Connor that Mia was beaten up and hospitalized due to a concussion, so he made an excuse to come over.To his surprise, he found out that Timothy was at the hospital with Mia.As a man himself, Nicholas could tell that Timothy had feelings for her. Otherwise, Timothy wouldn't have become a mere bodyguard for Mia. He would have returned to his position as the president of Barrett Group.
"It's me," Timothy said calmly. Realizing that it was Timothy's voice, Heath's body stiffened. "It is you, Mr. Barrett! Where are you?""Where else can I be? Nord City, of course," Timothy responded."We've been looking all over for you for a long time. I have to lay low in Nord City because the Lanes will send me back again if they catch me," Heath explained.Heath had been hiding himself lately. This was a stark contrast from how he was treated in Bern City. He was treated with respect wherever he went as Timothy's assistant.However, in order to help Timothy win Mia's heart back, Heath had stumbled upon a rough patch recently. He almost broke into tears of joy when he received the call from Timothy.Timothy ordered, "Go to the subsidiary. Find out who's going to collaborate with the Bowens.""Mr. Barrett, I think we should pick you up first. Where are you? The Lanes are looking for us everywhere. If they discover you, they might kill you!""I've met them," Timothy said nonc
Mia's mind buffered for a moment when she heard the voice. "Caleb?"Although she had lost her memories, she had met Caleb on Xavier Island before. She also mistook him for her ex-husband, which turned out to be a huge misunderstanding in the end."Yeah, it's me. I heard that Tim went missing in action after going to Nord City with you. I contacted Heath. According to him, your brothers had taught him a lesson and so they were hiding in Nord City. Then, they lost track of Tim's whereabouts." His tone was anxious. He was so worried these days.Hearing that, Mia asked dubiously, "Timothy's assistant is still in Nord City?"If her memories served her right, she had sent Timothy's men back to Bern City.Before she sent them back, Jason had locked them all up. She then secretly sent them back because she didn't want anything dangerous to happen.Jason didn't question her actions either.Caleb continued, "Then, a few days ago, I read a scandal about you. The bodyguard with sunglasses
Nicholas stole a glimpse of Mia. "Dominic doesn't know that Timothy's with you, does he?"She nodded. "No, but Eva knows. I told her not to tell him. You know his temper. If he finds out that Timothy's with me, things will be way worse."She was aware that Dominic cared for her, but he had a vile temper and impulsive character. She didn't want to see bloodshed happening because of this.Nicholas noded. "I know."Mia reminded him, "Don't let your tongue slip later. Please help me keep this a secret."He promised, "Sure thing."She breathed a sigh of relief. They arrived at the Lane residence. As soon as she showed up, the maids reported, "Ms. Mia is back."She walked into the posh living room, and soon, Eva breezed out of the kitchen. "Mia, you're back. I made your favorite soup. You should have more later."Mia pulled Eva's hand. "Definitely! It's been years since I last tasted your cooking."Eva grinned. "Nicholas, you're here too? Come, come. Let's eat together. It's been
"Dominic, everyone's busy with work nowadays. We leave things like love to fate. That's old-fashioned of you," Mia voiced out, trying to smoothen the conversation over for Nicholas.Dominic was rendered speechless. Everyone could tell that Nicholas had feelings for her, but she was too dense to catch it. Otherwise, why did he stay single all these years?Hearing that, Nicholas felt relieved although he couldn't help the indescribable emotions churning in him.He was aware that Mia didn't feel the same for him. That was why he had been staying by her side to protect her. Did he confess? No.Dominic prompted, "Nicholas, come with me."Although he didn't wish for Mia to marry those bastards out there, Nicholas had been staying by her side for four years. Nicholas was a decent man; he always carried himself properly and was never involved in scandals. On the other hand, Mia was worried when Nicholas was called out by Dominic alone. Did Dominic find out about Timothy's situ
Only then did Mia comprehend the situation. Eva was attempting to match her with Nicholas!Ginger put her spoon down and scurried out of the dining room, leaving the trio behind."Eva, why did you ask that?" Mia wanted to confirm with Eva."Since you're asking, I might as well go straight to the point with you. You've been single for years and you recovered your memories. "You're perfectly fine, so you can think about your love life now. We know Nicholas well enough. He has been staying by your side and looking after Sage for four years. Dominic and I think that he's a good candidate.""Wait, wait, wait. Hold it." Mia quickly poured herself a glass of fruit juice, taking a few sips of it to calm herself down.This entire time, she had never once thought about her love life, let alone about the man who had been by her side.Eva questioned, "Mia, do you not like him?""Eva, Nicholas and I do get along well, but I only see him as my brother. I don't have special feelings for him.
Mia immediately sensed that something was off. Raking her fingers through her hair, she said, "Nick, ignore whatever Dominic told you in the study. They were just kidding."It slipped her mind that Dominic must've summoned Nicholas to the study because of what Eva said to her earlier. She was awash in embarrassment. Clearly, Nicholas hadn't wanted to develop a romantic relationship with her—their relationship was strictly platonic. Dominic's meddling was only making things awkward for them. Nicholas lowered his head and said meekly, "Actually, I don't think I should ignore it."Mia was baffled. "To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with what Dominic told me earlier."Mia was stunned. Spiraling in bewilderment, she was at a loss for words. As she studied Nicholas closely, she seemed to notice a distinctive glint in his eyes. It finally struck her that he might have feelings for her. Still, she'd failed to spot anything different regarding his attitude toward her. In fac
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,