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CXL: Not Like a Stranger
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Mrs. Simons flinched as she saw Maya’s eyes. There was a certain sense of familiarity that struck her heart. She could not say anything for a while, but after, Mrs. Simons stopped Maya from leaving as she grabbed her arm and said, “You’re not a bother, Maya. I insist you get checked.”
When Maya heard the sincerity and care in Mrs. Simons’ voice, she could not help but feel warm inside. It was like the woman was not a stranger to her and was really hoping for Maya to get well.
Despite that, Maya was still hesitant, and she was also fearful that Pedro and Stephanie would come rushing to the hospital to take her away.
That was her biggest concerns, and she was avoiding that, so she wanted to grab her things at Oli’s then just flee for everyone’s safety.
Maya was well aware that Stephanie came from a rich and powerful family, whereas she has nothing.
People like Stephanie could destroy Maya’s whole life w
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The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLI: Offer that is hard to resist
“If you’d like, I could offer you a job there back in France. You could work for me and go back to France,” Mrs. Smith informed, while a hopeful look in her eyes. She really liked Maya.As if she remembered something, Mrs. Simons added hurriedly, “But do you have anything important right now? I don’t want to impose or pressure you at all.”Maya shook her head. In fact, even though she liked working in Oli’s restaurant, with Stephanie and Pedro around, she knew it was impossible to feel at peace.“As much as I’d love to, I’m banned from leaving Russia,” Maya said before she scoffed. She then reluctantly refused, “It’s impossible at least until Stephanie hates me less, I suppose.”“That’s no big deal,” Mrs. Simon said, assured with an understanding smile.Maya looked at Mrs. Simons, and she was confused, so she asked, “What do you mean? Stephan
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLII: Intended
“I just figured the house could use a little enthusiasm, don’t you think so, Cath?” Mrs. Simons stated with a bitter smile.She was silent for a moment as if thinking about something. Her eyes were glinting with sadness and confusion as she continued, “Maya… how do I say this? She’s… genuine, and I felt at ease with her, but I don’t know why and I hate not knowing why.”Cath, the helper, smiled at Mrs. Simons’ reaction. For the longest time that Cath has known Mrs. Simons, she never saw her make such a genuine smile, at least not after that incident.Naturally, Cath felt happy, and she was hoping as well that Maya would think about the offer and accept it.But then, she was worried because Cath knew what Mrs. Simons was planning on doing. Having Maya working with them was a risk to take against a certain crazy old man.“That girl, Maya, actually looked like your niece who
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLIII: The Duke
“Then I might consider you were keeping your job. After all, you’re the old Duke’s favorite, and I’ll need to keep you to get on his good side at least until Maya comes into the mansion,” Mrs. Simons continued coldly.Cath could only clench her fist, and she needed the job, too, so she had to bear with Mrs. Simons’s crazy outbursts. She nodded stiffly.Mrs. Simons smiled at her. Her face looked like she was her usual kind self. She was looking at Cath as if she was not injured at all. She then said, “Excellent choice. I’ll see you back at the house tomorrow, Cath.”Then, the chauffeur arrived to fetch Mrs. Simons. She left the car and headed to the new one and said, “Drive me back home safely and have someone tend to Cath’s wounds.”The driver was surprised at Mrs. Simons’s calm behavior, but he dared not ask anything more. He simply nodded and did as he was told.
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLIV: Huddled Up
Meanwhile, as Mrs. Simons was busy plotting how she would manipulate Maya to her advantage, Maya’s friends- Oli, Ryan, and Sally, who had just arrived at the restaurant, huddled up to construct some kind of plan and theories where Maya was.If Maya was there, she would be really amused as well as happy to the point that she might end up crying. Because what they were doing now was just a proof that they value Maya so much.Each came up with a theory of their own, and each one was surprisingly more absurd than the previous one. Everyone was worried and at their wit’s end as Sally entered the restaurant.Sally chuckled nervously, before she asked, “Yo… how’s it going?”Everyone looked at her with dead-set eyes. Oli made a face that said, seriously? And then she scoffed, “Are you being serious right now?” She questioned with a raised brow. Then added, “Okay, we need the old Sally- logical and al
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLV: Really unmatched?
Oli has been, but she was afraid that Ryan was just messing around.Both of them had it engraved in their minds that they were the impossible match. But why would she thing that?It was simply because they were friends for the longest time and harboring feelings for one another and being in a relationship would make or break everything for them, it was impossible to love without such great risks.It was scary dangerous even for someone spontaneous and daredevil like Oli or for someone as calm and collected as Ryan.So, they could not really acknowledge each other’s feelings.Oli stayed out for a little while longer. She hugged Ryan until his musky scent and aftershave lingered in Oli’s nose, and the corner of her lips twitched into a smile.She then muttered softly, “Thank you for always being there for me, Ryan.”“Always.” Ryan replied with as wide smile.Maya was just around the co
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLVI: Blessing in Disguise?
So with that, Maya decided to fix her room and little and then, she headed out to begin her search for her parents.Doing so gave her a conflicting feeling. How many years had it been, when she decided to give up on her search? Yet, here she was, leaving the people who cared about her, despite not having any trails or led to follow. It might not be a good idea. It was so risky as it might be, but she knew she had to follow Pedro.It was hard to accept it, but Pedro might be the only person who knows. There was a part of her that still wanted to believe that he might be just fooling her, but what else could Maya do?He was basically her only hope. It if she put it that way, would that not a blessing in disguise since Pedro was the reason she was in Russia in the first place?In Russia, she met Oli and Sally again, then there was the possibility to see her parent too because of him.With that in mind, Maya headed to a café near Pedro’s a
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLVI: Bargain
Maya unconsciously found herself staring at Pedro from behind.She thought to herself, maybe if things were a little different… just maybe.Just as soon as the idea appeared, Maya immediately denied it. She snapped out of it immediately and continued to observe Pedro for a couple of minutes, hoping she’d get something out of him. But then it hit her; Stephanie… also knew what Pedro knew about her parents, so her best bet was to strike a bargain with Stephanie.Maya felt compromised with Pedro, and she felt as if the longer she knew him, she would end up liking him. On the other hand, with Stephanie- her enemy to the core, Maya would always be alert and suspicious to trust her.Most of all, Stephanie wanted to make sure Maya stayed as far away as possible from Alexander, and that was something Maya would certainly agree to in a heartbeat. She had no interest in their issues, and she wanted to stay as far away as possible
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXLVIII: Mrs. Simons Once More
Then Maya continued further, “Thank god. You’ve been saving my ass twice in a row now. I’m really grateful for you, Mrs. Simons.”“Don’t mention it.” Mrs. Simons said“You were talking to him earlier. Did you already expose me?”Mrs. Simons chuckled, “Pedro and Stephanie are one of the powerhouses, so I know them, but to answer you, no, I didn’t even know what to say about you. Anyways, how about you? How do you happen to know those kids and get into their mess?”“It’s really… a long and complicated story.”“Tell me about it.” Mrs. Simons kindly reached out her hand and said to Maya, “You look like you could use a friend too.”Maya was hesitant, but she took a deep breath and explained everything to the old lady. Maya told her how she was stuck in France because of Alexander and Stephanie. She told her troubles and doubts,
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The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXCIII: END
In the United States...Maya was standing in the house that she thought she would not see again.Sicilia was at the door waiting for them to come. When she got out of the car, she immediately went to Sicilia, who embraced her in a long hug.“God, I thought I would never see you again. I was so devastated.”“I thought I would never see you either,” Maya responded after breaking the hug.“So he managed to convince you ?” Sicilia looked back at Alexander.“No, it wasn’t him, it was someone else,” if Pete didn’t come and say those words to Maya, she would still be determined to turn down Alexander, or she would’ve left already. It was all because of Pete, who reminded her to look for her happiness. She thought if she ever forgives Alexander, she would be less of a woman, but that wasn’t the case. She felt even stronger, having the power to reunite them or never be with him a
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXCII
In France airport, Pete stood between Maya and Alexander, and he looked mad.“What are you doing here?” Alexander asked.
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXCI
“I uh…” Thomas could not help but feel emotional, but then he snapped. He realized that Mrs. Simons intended to do this! Thomas, enraged, shouted as he threatened Mrs. Simons, “How dare you bring someone like her? She’s my daughter, and she died; you brought that girl here to rub it in my face? Is that it? Huh! You wench!”Mrs. Simons smirked, and just then, Maya stopped the old Duke’s hand mid-air and said, “Please, don’t hurt Mrs. Simons. She was just trying to help me.”Thomas found it odd. Everything about Maya reminded him of his dead daughter- from her eyes, smile, and her kindness. It was too much for the old Duke. Kate passed away young but had she grown up to reach that certain age, Thomas was sure she’d look like Maya.The old Duke left after seeing such resemblance, and that left Mrs. Simons, who was devilishly grinning as everything was going according to plan.Meanwhi
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CXC
Upon arriving at France, Maya sighed heavily. She felt bad not having to say goodbye at everyone, but then again, she didn’t really think she could face any of them at the moment. The people Maya trusted the most ended up lying to her and manipulating her.But Maya was really bothered about what Alexander said about Mrs. Simons being her aunt. It was impossible, right? Maya knew almost for sure that it was impossible. Perhaps because of Mrs. Simons’s wealth and status, Maya never imagined herself to be anything related to her.Maya shook her head.“Are you okay?” Mrs. Simons asked, “How was the flight?”“Everything was super okay. I didn’t know airlines could fly at any time preferred without any prior notice on the schedule.”Mrs. Simons chuckled, “They didn’t. The plane we rode here is our family’s personal plane since the old Duke, and I love traveling.”“
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CLXXXIX
Stephanie said then before leaving, “I’ll leave it to you to decide what to believe in but here are the files you need. Nothing leads back to Russia, so I say nothing’s keeping you here anymore. The main branch of Greenwillow is at France, and you have a better shot there than here.”“Thank you, Stephanie, for helping me.”Stephanie flinched as she heard that. She did not know what to say because the truth was it was her and Mrs. Simons who was manipulating Maya right now. Mrs. Simons’ plan was to break off the connections holding Maya back from leaving for France- and those were her friends and Alexander.Stephanie gulped hard, kept her composure, and said, “Just remember our agreement. You’ll cut off connections with Alexander. I’ll let what happened last night when you dance with him go and everything else if you just stay away from him as soon as you leave for France.”Maya scoffed, &ld
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CLXXXVIII
“Maya’s not answering,” Stephanie said to Mrs. SimonsMrs. Simons was frustrated as she paced back and forth the room, “She must have been with Alexander right now. Damn it. I underestimated Alexander. He’s the perfect tool against me.”Stephanie raised an eyebrow, “Watch your tone. It’s Alexander you’re talking about. I suggest you be careful of what you say about him.”Mrs. Simons rolled her eyes, and then, she had an idea. Mrs. Simons smirked, “I’m betting Maya is back at Oli’s mansion as we speak.”“And? What are you planning?”“Since Pedro gathered them all up to delay Maya leaving for France, I’m just going to ‘undo’ what he did,” Mrs. Simon reasoned, “Once Maya knows about how Alexander, Oli, Sally- the people she trusted the most, are all trying to delay her form-finding her family, she would be so devastated a
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CLXXXVII
“Aren’t you going to give me a chance to explain?”“No. Now leave before I punch you in the face.”Alexander said, “I’m actually quite surprised you still haven’t done that already.” Alexander continued, “Anyway, I can’t leave. I just told you, you owed me for all the trouble last night, and it wasn’t cheap too.”“You’re making it up. I don’t remember anything like that.”Alexander smirked, “Oh, but you remembered what you said and did to me-“Maya immediately covered Alexander’s mouth and whispered to him, “If you say anything- even one word about it to Oli or Sally, I’ll kill you, okay?”Alexander nodded as he was continued teasing Maya.Sally raised an eyebrow, “What were you saying, Alexander?”“Nothing.” Alexander smirked at Maya and continued, “I probably r
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CLXXXVI
So, Maya walked her way towards Alexander. Her steps were light as to not distract Alexander, who was casually sitting, book in his hand, and the light was naturally hitting his black hair. Alexander looked like a scene from a movie.Whereas Maya was a mess, she barely brushed her hair, and her clothes were a mess because Oli chose the first set of clothes that would fit her for the night, and her face was not yet completely clean from all the make-up last night.Ugh, this sucks. Maya groaned as she thought to herself, this is not how I planned our meeting to happen. In fact, Maya never planned to cross paths with Alexander ever again. Maya awkwardly greeted, “Hello. Erm… uh, about last night-“She was worried that she most probably did something stupid, then her thought ran along the lines of what would Stephanie do to me now? The last conversation they had was when Stephanie texted Maya she would be late because sh
The Tycoon's Matchmaker CLXXXV
“I figured the silhouette was yours because of this.” Stephanie reluctantly broke the glass case near Kate’s old room and grabbed the Emerald green Greenwillow brand handbag there. Stephanie explained, “I saw this bag on the picture and coincidentally, at the video of the orphanage too when you left Maya. I figured only one would have this bag in possession since it was discontinued, and there was only one of this manufactured because it was Kate’s work. Kate made it as a gift for her aunt, and that is none other than you, Mrs. Karin Simons.”Mrs. Simons scoffed, “I’ve always loved the bag but thinking that Kate made it was disgusting, but still, I had to keep up the act and wear that bag every day.”“This green bag is the only physical evidence that would bring you down. If the video of you handing Maya over at the orphanage with this green bag, your alibi will fail, and they would know that you weren’t
