Mia recounted what happened during the signing ceremony.There was a pause in between before she continued, "Timothy has taken the flight back to Bern City. As for the reporters, I've approached them so that they won't say anything further. I don't wish for them to reveal my relationship with him. It was already in the past."Liam nodded. "I agree to that. In short, we've settled the reporters. They will only go as far as the fact that they know who your ex-husband is, not revealing his name.""Yes, that will do. Liam, can I count on you about the headlines?""Leave it to me. I've returned home to discuss this anyway. But what's going on between you and Timothy? He actually became a poor bodyguard and worked for you? Were you touched because of this?""No way. Why would I be touched because of such a small gesture? This is nothing compared to what I suffered to deliver my babies.""I'm glad that you didn't forget about that, Mia. I was worried that you'd forget about how awful hi
"I won't. Dispatch a team to negotiate with them," answered Mia.At the moment, Timothy was still unaware that she was the actual boss. If he found out about her identity, who knew what kind of tricks he would pull?Therefore, it was best to keep her identity a secret until the deal was made.Peyton nodded. Right when he was about to clear his stuff and leave, his phone rang.There was a significant shift in his expression as he rejected the call. He looked at Mia. "Ms. Mia, there's news about the project we discussed with Mr. Shelbert. A potential competitor is trying to steal it from us.""I thought we were close to making a deal? Who else is there in Nord City to compete with me?""According to Mr. Shelbert's assistant, it's a huge corporation from Bern City."A huge corporation from Bern City?Hearing that, Mia had a bad feeling about it.If it was a huge corporation from Bern City, could it be Barrett Group?However, Timothy shouldn't be having the leisure to cause her
"But what if—""If I can only clinch the deal by sacrificing Nathan's happiness, I'd rather give up on this project," said Mia firmly. No commercial projects came before her family.Furthermore, it wasn't like she needed money right now. Nothing bad would happen just because she failed to land the deal.When the night dawned, Mia changed into an evening gown and headed to the charity banquet organized by Raymond's daughter.As soon as she got out of the car, reporters began surrounding her, bombarding her with questions. "Ms. Mia, we heard that your ex-husband is a rich person in Bern City. Who is he?""Ms. Mia, how were you able to marry into a wealthy family in Bern City when you were still an orphan? Was there a story behind this?""Which family did you marry into, Ms. Mia? Could you tell us?"The corner of her lips twitched. She knew that these privy reporters would surely ask her who her ex-husband was. Even if the incident about Lewis and Connie was the talk of the t
Mia strode toward the banquet hall without looking back, not wanting to waste time with the reporters. She didn't have the luxury of time to reveal her personal information to feed the reporters some juicy headlines.She barely took a few steps when she suddenly felt a scorching gaze on her. Turning her head to look outside the hall, she didn't notice anything out of particular. Frowning, she wondered if she was overthinking it.Slowly, she turned back and shrugged it off as being oversensitive. After walking into the hall, she noticed that many were looking in her direction.They obviously knew that Timothy was her ex-husband.After all, Timothy was on that list enumerating possible names that could be her ex-husband. People would only buy it when there was a mixture of truth and lies.Although Mia could do something to the headlines published out there, she couldn't stop words from spreading among the insiders.Now, a lot of people were aware that she had married the pr
Mia watched Jasmine leave. There was a spark of curiosity in her.Just who from the Barrett family was invited to the charity banquet? Could it be Timothy?If Raymond had invited Timothy, he would've told Mia the name specifically.That was why Mia was very curious about the person from the Barrett family who was invited to the banquet. Was it someone of the indirect family line?Her eyes of scrutiny scanned the area but there were no familiar faces. "Mia," someone called her from the side.Mia turned her head only to spot a young lady approaching her. A smile played across her lips. "Blair, what brings you here as well?"Blair grinned. "Aubrey's having a concert in Nord City, so I came along to have fun.""Aubrey's having a concert? I should come with you. Connor's so mean for not telling me about Aubrey's concert in Nord City. He's doing such a great job of keeping his relationship a secret. No one in my family knows. Thanks for helping me deal with the Barretts last time,"
Hearing the familiar voice, Mia spun around. A poshly dressed middle-aged woman was making her way into the hall.Mia could never forget that face.It was Sharon.Mia didn't expect Jasmine to invite Timothy's mother to the charity banquet, so she was taken aback.That explained why Jasmine carefully asked Mia's opinion of the Barrett family—because Sharon was invited!It hadn't been long since Timothy revealed his relationship with Mia.Everyone had been speculating how Mia was able to marry into the Barrett family as an orphan behind her back.Not only that, they were also nosy about how the reason behind the divorce and why she took the child away.Most importantly, Timothy didn't try to fight for custody rights!Sharon breezed through the hall with confident strides.The sight of Mia standing there irked her so much. After all, Mia had locked Sharon up as a threat back in Bern City!As the wife of the richest family in Bern City, never once had Sharon suffered such humili
The mention of Asher brought Sharon mixed feelings, evident from her deep frown.In the beginning, she assumed that Asher was Timothy's illegitimate son he had with Luna. That was why Sharon had been treating Asher like her biological grandson. At the end of the day, Timothy revealed to her that Asher wasn't his son!Hence, Sharon held grudges against Luna for keeping misleading her until today. Sharon felt like a fool for letting herself be wrapped around Luna's fingers.Fortunately, she now knew that Mia had given birth to a daughter with Timothy.Timothy didn't have plans to get married and have kids, so it was best to have Ginger back at the Barrett residence. That was why Sharon wanted to speak to Mia.Sharon offered, "Name your conditions, Mia. I can't have my grandchild wandering outside the Barrett residence."Mia smirked, wondering where Sharon got her confidence from to fight for custody rights. Not even Timothy dared to demand that from her.Mia flashed an ambig
Sharon's body was trembling due to fury, as she didn't expect Mia to disrespect her.Sharon was Ginger's grandmother! If Sharon wanted Ginger's custody right, it would only be a good thing for Ginger's upbringing.Veronica added fuel to the fire. "Sharon, we have to figure out something to get the custody right over the kid. Tim has been single and he doesn't have kids. If Shelly gives birth to a baby, she and her mother hog away the family's assets."Sharon nodded in agreement. "You're right. But Mia's family is rich. It won't be easy for us to get it from them.""They're rich, but the assets will be inherited by her brothers, not her. She's just the youngest anyway. How much can she gain after getting married? "If she gives us Ginger, Ginger will be able to inherit all of our family's assets. Mia has nothing to lose.""You have a point. I'll talk to her later." Sharon was determined to get Ginger's custody right. Having a granddaughter was better than having none. "No, I'l
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,