Mia's jaw tightened. "Waiting for me? It seems like you're competing for this project on purpose, huh?"Timothy nodded without hesitation. "That's right."She didn't expect him to admit it so confidently. She stepped forward and pulled his necktie. "You're one daring thief, huh? I was being nice and let you go and yet this is how you repay my kindness?"Placing his hands by the doorframe, he stopped the elevator door from closing in case it hurt him.She huffed, "Why are you doing this?"His Adam's apple bobbed and his voice sounded hoarse. "So that you'll remember me.""Jerk!"She released him. "You're only making me hate you more."There was no way she would remember this bastard.Stretching out her arm, she wanted to press the close button. But he stopped the elevator door from closing and entered the elevator. Mia looked at him. "What are you doing?""I'm going to do whatever you do." Timothy primped his necktie while looking into his reflection"Timothy Barrett, are
Mia couldn't believe her eyes. Wasn't Luna supposed to be in prison??Mia clearly remembered that she had sued Luna for stealing the bone marrow, to which Luna was charged with a one-year imprisonment. There was no way Mia would let Luna get away with that after she persuaded Sharon to steal the bone marrow, almost killing Sage. That was why she personally handled the issue.Never in her wildest dream had she expected to see Luna here.Was Mia seeing things? Or was this another woman who looked like Luna?However, that was really Luna's voice. Even the way they spoke was the same.It was really Luna!As an afterthought, Mia turned her head to face Timothy. She pinned him with an interrogating look. "Mind explaining? Why is this woman here?"Did he do something behind the scenes and let Luna out of prison?In fact, Timothy was equally surprised to find Luna here.After all, he was aware that Luna was sued and imprisoned for a year. She should be in jail, not Raymond's r
Raymond frowned. "I can't talk about this. This is my personal matter.""Well, it is your personal matter, but you're joining the election again next year. Here's a piece of advice from me—be careful. Any scandals might pull your votes down. Don't you think so? "Besides, my family has been working with you for so many years. We hope you can continue being the mayor without any problem." Mia worded that way on purpose.Luna obviously looked flustered.Raymond's expression turned solemn too. He nodded. "I will settle the issue as soon as possible. It won't be a problem. And I hope you won't tell this to Mr. Dominic. I can take care of this trivial matter without a problem."She nodded. "Of course, I have faith in you, Mr. Shelbert. If you can't even take care of such a trivial matter, you wouldn't have been able to come this far."A furious Luna looked at Raymond. "What do you mean by that? Are you going to abandon me again?"He sighed, "You do know that I can't be involved in an
Luna continued, "I didn't even know that my biological father was the mayor of Nord City the entire time! My mother only told me the truth on the day she passed on!"Resentment rooted deeply in her. If Raymond had raised her since she was young, she would've had a different identity by now. She wouldn't have needed to suffer so much.Meanwhile, Mia didn't expect Luna to be Raymond's daughter.Mia initially thought that they were having an affair and Asher was their son. Well, anyone would've thought the same.But Luna turned out to be Raymond's daughter! What a surprise!It was no wonder Mia could sense the inherent egoism in Luna. It wasn't common to feel that from an ordinary person; it was contradicting.Now, the reason was revealed.Luna was supposed to be the daughter of the mayor, but she was kept in the dark. After suffering so much, she felt so wronged when she found out the truth.According to Mia's guess, Luna must've gone to Raymond but was rejected, to which Luna
Although Raymond didn't want to acknowledge Luna as his daughter, he felt guilty toward Luna's mother because he didn't fulfill his duty as a parent to their only daughter.Well, he could treat Luna better but not at the expense of his career.However, he didn't expect Luna to lie to him!Despite the slight guilt, she bit the bullet. "It's not fault anyways. It was Mrs. Barrett who orchestrated everything. In the end, I had to take all the blame and go to prison. She was unscathed! "Shouldn't you take responsibility for me instead of doubting me? You're my father, but you haven't done your duty all these years!"Mia watched Luna's little show, which was so realistic that Raymond wavered. He shifted his gaze toward Mia. "Ms. Mia, I think I have to look into this matter first.""So, you're intending to protect your daughter.""I'm not protecting her. I'm trying to find out what happened. If she wasn't the only one to be blamed, she shouldn't take the blame all by herself. Don't
Raymond elaborated, "I've been working with your family for many years. Guess we can say that we're old friends. Ms. Mia, do you really think Dominic has a clean record?"A cold glint glowed in Mia's eyes. Of course, she knew that Dominic didn't have a clean record.After all, their family almost went bankrupt due to various blows after their parents passed on.Dominic was the person stabilizing the company's footing until today. He had it rough.She reckoned he had used many illicit methods in the beginning. After all, business would always be as fierce as war, a war free from blood.Mia had never expected Raymond to use this to threaten her, but she actually had it coming. She threatened him with his position as the mayor.It didn't take her long to regain her composure. Smiling, she responded, "But whatever he does has nothing to do with me.""Ms. Mia, do you really not care about your brothers' reputation? Actually, we can make a deal to make peace.""I refuse.""Think a
However, Mia would never give in.Her tone was cold. "You're underestimating me, Mr. Shelbert. Do you think that the life and death of the Barretts would bother me?""I dared not underestimate you, Ms. Mia. But there's no point for both our families—or even the three families—to be on bad terms because of such a trivial matter. It won't do anything good to us.""So how would you like to settle this?"Raymond suggested, "I know that my daughter is at fault, but I can hand over the project to you to make up for it. For future projects, I will consider your family first. How's that? You won't lose anything from this.""Do you think I need that?""Ms. Mia, if you have other conditions, tell me. I will do my best to fulfill them.""Simple. Let Luna pay for the price." Mia turned around, looking at the bodyguards by the door. "If you insist on not letting me leave the room, I will call Dominic right now. Since you have something over his head, he might as well talk to you personally.
Mia recalled the past of how Sharon misunderstood that Asher was Timothy's son and treated the boy well.It wasn't only Sharon. Mia also assumed that Asher was Timothy's son.After all, she had seen Luna's pictures on Timothy's laptop before. Back then, she thought that Luna was the woman he liked.The truth was completely beyond her imagination.Timothy said, "No, she doesn't know about this. I don't want her to know either.""I understand." She nodded.If Sharon found out the truth, she would be devastated. No woman could tolerate having the child of their husband's illegitimate child staying under the same roof.It was abhorrent.Mia blurted, "Why did you have Luna's picture on your laptop back then? Did you already know that your half-brother was seeing Luna at that time?""When did you use my laptop?" questioned Timothy seriously."Let me explain. I wasn't sneaking or peeking. I had to sketch a design urgently, so I had no choice but to use your laptop in the study. And
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,