Timothy stiffened his lips. He took out his phone and called Mia. Meanwhile, Mia had just entered the research institute. Glancing at the caller ID, she was surprised to see that it was Timothy calling. Still, she couldn't fathom why he called her. Things didn't end well between them at the banquet earlier after all. Mia tossed her phone into her bag. She didn't intend to answer any calls. Peyton knew not to disturb her with any work-related matters whenever she bonded with her children unless they were urgent. She changed into sterile clothing before she entered Sage's ward. He was busying himself in front of the computer. A series of codes appeared on the monitor, and he looked solemn. "Handle the left wing, and let them come through in the middle. I'll deal with them."The codes on the screen shifted promptly, indicating Sage's victory. Having learned about coding from Nathan, Mia could also decipher the codes on Sage's screen. She clapped, exclaiming, "Good work!"Sa
Mia spun around, realizing several security guards filing out from behind her. What happened?Sage got off his chair and stared at a nurse dashing by. "What happened?""It seems that someone is trying to break in. The security guards have all gone over to the scene. No one is going to get in. Don't worry, Mr. Sage," Josie said. She hurried toward the entrance. Being informed of the commotion, the other staff members from the labs eventually set aside their work and went outside. They wanted to see who was so bold to invade the research institute. Plenty of weirdos roamed around these days, indeed. Little did Mia expect that someone had the gall to break in. By the looks of how people were swarming toward the commotion, it was evident that people were always drawn to gossip. Mia dropped her gaze and glanced at Sage. "Why don't we go and have a look?"Sage's expression remained shuttered. He shook his head. "What's the point? It's a waste of time."Holding his hand, Mia chide
Sage chanced a glance at Mia. "Mommy, do you know this vile woman?"Mia shook her head. "I don't, but I'm curious about why she claims to be Nicholas' fiancée. I haven't heard about any updates regarding his love life though."Josie chimed in, "Mr. Mendes is just so attractive and capable, after all. In fact, some of my colleagues fancied him. But he wasn't interested in dating. He even turned down one of his suitors who bombarded him with a fervent confession."Mr. Mendes has already fallen for another woman. He won't be fazed no matter which bitch flocked to him."Mia sensed her implication, and her expression grew awkward. Not long ago, she had just found out that Nicholas fancied her. She didn't see him as a potential suitor; he was like a brother to her. There wasn't even a single spark of romance between them from the beginning. Despite the amount of time they'd spent together, she could only see him as family.Things began to escalate quickly outside. The woman in red g
Mia gave no heed to Louisa. Helping Josie up, she said, "Are you okay?""I'm fine." Josie shook her head, seemingly unbothered. Still, Mia noticed that Josie's cheeks swelled up quickly. Louisa was ruthless! How could she treat others this way?Mia glanced at another staff member and said, "Bring her to the infirmary and apply a cold compress on her cheek. It's a shame if her pretty face becomes scarred." Josie took the damage for the sake of the research institute, after all. However, Louisa snapped in the next instant, "Hey, I'm talking to you! Why are you ignoring me? Are you deaf? Also, why are you so concerned about this bitch? It doesn't matter if her face is ruined. She's just going to seduce men with her looks anyway."Mia turned toward her. "Actually, I have been wondering.""I know you have a lot of questions regarding my identity. Go on," Louisa said smugly. "Did you forget to brush your teeth before leaving this morning? Why does your mouth stink?"Louisa's exp
Mia's gaze on Louisa grew heavy with scrutiny. She didn't expect her to come from Yellow Island. Nord City and Bern City used to be one in the past. The city was split into two after the feudal government was overthrown. The royal family at the time moved to an island and called it the Yellow Island, where all the residents on the island changed their last name to "Yarrow".Yellow Island's status remained ambiguous. It wasn't really a country though it seemed like one, and it belonged to the territory of neither Nord City nor Bern City. Its existence was truly one of a kind. Louisa raised her brows. "Why? Did my identity scare you out of your wits?"Mia nodded. "I was slightly taken aback. That explains why you're so spoiled.""What? Are you nuts? I know you're jealous that I'm from Yellow Island. With noble blood, I'm just far more superior than you peasants! That's why you're deliberately mocking me. I know what you're thinking."Mia was flabbergasted. She'd seen people wit
Mia straightened out her clothes before turning to Louisa. "You should be saying that to yourself, not to me.""What's that supposed to mean?""We're in Nord City, not your tiny Yellow Island."Louisa rebuked, "How dare you belittle Yellow Island! By the way, your knowledge is just plain ridiculous." She added arrogantly, "Do you even know anything about that island? If you're clueless about the history, I recommend hitting the books before trying to chat with me again." Mia responded calmly, "I know about Yellow Island. But seriously, it's been centuries since the monarchy was abolished. How much longer are the royal descendants like you going to hold onto this feudal-era fantasy?"Over the years, she had engaged in business dealings with people from Yellow Island. But they consistently exhibited an air of superiority and a disdainful attitude toward others.Hence, she never cared much for people from the island. Seeing Louisa flaunt her arrogance only strengthened Mia's disl
Mia smirked and said, "Anyway, it's not like Yellow Island women are desired by men these days."While Yellow Island women were regarded as noble, the island's long history had resulted in a tangled web of family branches. Only a handful of lineages actually held significant status and influence. The rest were merely lesser-known branches and had little to no standing within Yellow Island society. These individuals often flaunt their status and bask in their perceived noble status. But in reality, few men would consider marrying women from Yellow Island if not for some ulterior motive to gain benefits from their status.Louisa looked at Timothy. "You're refusing my offer because of her, right? Fine. I'll handle her personally.What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and grab her!"When Mia saw the bodyguards charging toward her, Timothy stepped forward to protect her. Despite being outnumbered, he fought bravely against the bodyguards.However, even with his impressive s
Mia said icily, "Are you sober now?"Louisa covered her stinging face and stared at Mia in disbelief. "You dared to hit me. Don't you know who I am?" As a Yellow Islander, she had never experienced such humiliation before.Mia rubbed her wrist. "I know who you are. But regardless of your identity, anyone causing trouble at the research institute will face the same consequences."Louisa's voice sharpened. "You're finished. I won't let you off the hook. I'll have you captured, tortured, and flayed alive. You won't beg for life, but you'll beg for death."Despite her threats, it was all in vain. Every bodyguard she had brought with her had been defeated and rendered immobile.Mia turned to Peyton and instructed, "Take her and her bodyguards to the police station. Also, make copies of the building's surveillance footage. "Inform the authorities that these individuals from Yellow Island have instigated a disturbance at the research institute, perpetrated assault, and intentionally in
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,