Glancing at his script, Aiken saw that Fiona was noted to be the daughter of a sponsor. That explained the group name—it was to boost her own exposure.He said, “Let’s ask the mentors. Do you guys like her name?” Letting out embarrassed yet courteous smiles, the mentors nodded stiffly. “Great, the mentors love your name. You may begin your performance now.”The music then played, and the girls started to dance and sing. “I love to shower… my skin is so soft… ah oh oh…”Despite being at the forefront from start to finish, Fiona was only responsible for singing “ah oh oh.” Her dance moves were unbearably stiff. All she did was wink, turn, wink, take a few steps, and wink again before repeating the routine. When the song finished, the mentors removed their headphones. Smiling awkwardly, Aiken asked, “Whose feedback would you like to hear? You guys get to choose.” Fiona took a step forward and said smilingly, “Here’s the thing. We’re big fans of Cedric Larkin. Since only M
“Well, she’ll always be my wife, and I enjoy following her around.” Cedric’s reply made the crowd go wild again. “But based on what I know, Ms. Maia is very close to a famous attorney. She doesn’t even care about you, okay?” Fiona said, acting like a spoiled girl. “What matters is that I care about her.” The commotion grew so loud that it was impossible to continue record the show. Maia had the urge to leave immediately, but she knew she had to wait until the show was over. Fiona was stumped by what Cedric said. The crew didn’t dare to offend the daughter of a sponsor, but they couldn’t afford to have her upset Cedric and their boss, Maia, either. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Fiona could hardly take the humiliation and sobbed pitifully after they managed to persuade her to leave the stage. Someone then uploaded a video of Fiona crying online, entitled “Maia Burgess humiliated a participant for having bad teeth and problematic eyes.” It was a viral hit.As
“What about Aiken’s room?” he asked. Baz quickly replied, “I’ve arranged for him to stay at least 10 minutes away from Ms. Maia.” “Good job.” Baz chuckled proudly. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Checking a message sent by an employee, he quickly said, “Sir, you and Ms. Maia are trending online again.”Cedric glanced at the phone and saw a trending video with a title that read, “Cedric Larkin Has His Ex-wife’s Back.’Retweeted by countless netizens, the tweet read, “Ms. Maia mocked Fiona because of her bad behavior. What surprised everyone was when Cedric came and taught Fiona a lesson on behalf of his ex-wife! Check out the video now!”The edited video included the whole incident, starting with Fiona’s rude behavior. Although it wasn’t clear, one could hear what Cedric said. “If you must know, I think you belong to the nightclub instead of the stage.”“Well, she’ll always be my wife, and I enjoy following her around.” “What matters is that I care about her.” The netizens raved ab
Feeling his breath on her cheek, Maia looked away and said, “If you think you can force me into remarrying you, you can dream on. I’d rather kill myself!” When she said the last sentence, Maia met his gaze. This time, Cedric let her go. Maia then opened the door and walked out of the room without saying anything. Broadcast live, the dinner was held buffet-style in the central square. The equipment was set up, and the audience could watch what was going on from four different angles. Not long after the live broadcast started, the number of viewers exceeded five million, with countless comments. “Where’s Cedric? I want to see him, please!”“Where’s Maia? I want to see her and Cedric!” “I want to see them get back together!” The moment Maia entered the central square, all eyes were on her. Her beauty was captivating. “Ms. Maia.” A mentor named Jackie Tenny handed her a soda. “Have some iced soda. It’s perfect for this weather.” Although it was not scorching hot, they
He started jogging along and asked Maia, “I realized that you were a little distracted during the night segment, Maia. What’s the matter?”“Was I?”“Definitely,” Aiken said.“Perhaps I was too worn out.” Maia yawned. “That’s possible. You are always under a lot of stress as CEO of Starlight Entertainment. You might feel a little tired now that you’ve let your hair down. I think my dad will love this place."“Jordan?”“Yeah. He’s hot-headed. He should spend some time in Stonebrooke and relax! The world is so huge. Is it appropriate for someone as old as him to be this temperamental?”Maia laughed at what Aiken said, “You better watch out. Jordan’s going to kick your ass if he knows what you said!”“Hehe. We’re so far from him. He can’t do anything to me! Hahaha!” Aiken looked free as a bird. He might be acting all cocky now, but he’d chicken out the moment he was in front of Jordan.The sky was completely dark when they reached Maia’s homestay. Stonebrooke looked uniquely be
Maia was a little fearful of how frightening Cedric looked. He seemed like a vicious beast, about to pounce at any moment. He could strike fear into people's hearts with the slightest movement. It was even worse when he was drunk. She couldn’t afford to cross a drunken man.Surprisingly, he laughed. She wasn’t sure why, but she was reminded of when he was sixteen years old. Images of when he protected her in the fire flashed through her mind. She remembered his promise from back then. It was the most wonderful promise that sadly turned into an outrageous joke.All of a sudden, Cedric said lovingly, “You tried to kill your husband, Maia.”She frowned and said immediately, “Can you knock it off? I’m going to call Baz and ask him to take you away right now!”He didn’t answer her.“Forget it. Why am I talking to a drunk guy? It’s pointless.”Then, Maia took her phone out and dialed Baz’s number. A woman’s voice greeted her. “Hello. The number you have dialed is not reachable…”
Cedric grinned and kissed her on the lips. His voice was deep. “Did you really think I was drunk and unconscious?”Maia was in a deep sleep. She didn’t know what was happening at all.“Hundreds of cases, you said? Those are rookie numbers.” He’d buy thousands of cases of liquor!She wore cotton pajamas. He frowned and said, “Out of my way!”It didn’t matter if his shoulder was injured. He stripped her naked!Maia was entirely out of it. She could sleep through a storm in her current state, much less in Cedric’s grubby hands! …The summer sunlight found its way into the room through the curtain and shone on Maia’s fair face the next day.She squinted and lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She opened her eyes drowsily. She was still exhausted. Maia turned over. She was about to go back to sleep when she smelled a familiar scent!She snapped wide awake and rose immediately. She was buck-naked! Maia held her blanket tightly and kicked the man next to her to t
’Damn him!’Did he think he could just kiss anyone he liked because he’s a CEO? Well, she was a CEO, too. Maia tried hard to keep a lid on her anger. She slid open the glass door and gestured for him to get out.Cedric leaped over the balcony to his room. He had hidden in a closet and leaped over a balcony for her. He would not do these things under normal circumstances, but he did them all for her. He touched the wound on his lips. “Ow…”Maia was a feisty lady, but she hid all of her aggressiveness because she loved him. Cedric could not control himself, and he giggled. She was now displaying her full rage at him because she had stopped loving him. In fact, she hurt him badly on several occasions. He did not conceal his disappointment. He stood by as the summer breeze tousled his hair. His heart was still aching, and it didn’t seem like it would go away.“You’ll always be mine,” Cedric said decisively.…Maia locked the balcony glass door and closed the curtain.Then
Amanda came to sit next to Maia as she said, “I’m glad you’ve noticed this as well. Lauren is usually quite into the drama that she’s watching on TV. Today’s episode was a sad one, so I was wondering why she was still so happy watching it.” Lauren smiled back at them and replied, “I’m just really happy. I’ve never thought that I’d be able to see my eldest son again and that he has such a kind and beautiful wife by his side. “Eddie was also able to find his loved one, and I was lucky enough to be a grandmother. I never thought that I’d be able to go on a family trip with all my sons.” She started to tear up.“Lauren, don’t cry,” Maia said as she handed Lauren a handkerchief to dry her tears. Lauren wiped her tears as she smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just being dramatic.” She looked around and asked, “Where’s Cedric? Is he with Eddie?”Maia nodded. “Yeah. This new project is a bit of a hassle, so he went over to try to help.” Lauren sighed, “Eddie’s father an
Cedric just smiled when he saw Maia’s worried reaction. “You sure you’ll keep your promise?” Maia tugged the blanket closer to herself and nodded. Maia would not dare to say no. If Cedric decided to do as he had said, she would just end up in bed the whole morning. “We can register our marriage anytime. You mean it?” She knew that Cedric was just baiting her, but she had no choice. She did not know what he would do next. When she glanced at his handsome face, her heart could not help but skip a beat. Just then, Cedric took out two pieces of paper from the bedside drawer. Maia was taken aback as she saw the document. They were marriage registration forms, and they were already filled in. “T-This was a setup! You’ve already had this all planned out from the beginning!” Maia scanned through the forms and was surprised to see that the only section left empty was the signature. Maia did not know when Cedric had started to prepare all this, but it looked like it had been a whil
Cedric glanced at Baz and asked, “How does it feel to miss someone so much?”Baz’s smile froze as he shook his head quickly. “Now, I can finally understand why you hate being separated from Ms. Maia.”Cedric just looked at Baz coldly. Baz quickly added when he noticed Cedric’s glare, “I’m just saying that you love your wife very much, and that man who’s like you would definitely understand.”“That’s a fact,” Cedric replied as he turned around and walked back into the bedroom. Baz immediately stopped him as he asked. “Mr. Cedric, why don’t you tell Ms. Maia the real reason why you’re so against calling Ms. Lauren your mother? Why didn’t you tell her the scars on your back were inflicted by Ms. Rita?” It was a horrible and unimaginable part of his childhood. “I don’t want to frighten her.”“But it’s difficult for you as well, Mr. Cedric. Calling Ms. Lauren your mother brings back horrible memories for you too.” “It doesn’t matter. I’ll do anything for her.” Cedric replied as he
“Is that true?” Gigi asked her grandmother.Lauren nodded and said, “Of course it is. Has grandma ever lied to you?”“Wow! Grandma, what was Daddy like when he was a kid?” Gigi was excited. She was not sleepy anymore as she pestered Lauren to tell her more. “Whenever I brought him to attend events, he would always cry. I still remember he had wet his pants once in kindergarten.” Gigi covered her mouth and giggled happily. Amanda laughed and looked at Eddie. “Did you really wet your pants?”Eddie palmed his forehead and told his mother, “Stop embarrassing me in front of my daughter, Mom.” Lauren just smiled happily back at her son. At the same time, Maia tugged on the hem of Cedric’s shirt and questioned cheekily, “Did you wet your pants when you were a kid?” Cedric drew her into his arms in response and threatened, “Maia, it seems like you won’t be able to go to bed tonight.” “I’m not afraid of your empty threats,” Maia replied. “Are you sure about that?”Maia nod
It was hard to believe he’d change his mind out of nowhere. She blinked and gawked at him. She almost forgot to breathe because of the sheer shock. Her face turned red from it, too. “Hey, breathe.” Cedric frowned. He realized her eyes were widening and her cheeks were completely reddened. Then, her lungs worked, and she started drawing breath again. She gripped the hem of his shirt instinctively. “Hmm?” Cocking his brow, he looked at her casually while taking her hands in his. “Do you want to know why I changed my mind?”She nodded immediately. Needless to say, she wanted to spring that question on him, but she wondered if she should. On the other hand, he merely chuckled and didn’t say anything. All he did was fix a deep, passionate stare at her. His eyes were filled with love and affection when he did it. Realizing that he wasn’t going to talk, she was bewildered. “W-Why aren’t you saying anything?”His grin widened at what she said. Reaching out, he pinched her fair ch
Taking his hands, she rested her fair cheeks on his palm.“Is there another reason you did it?” She asked. “I had someone plant something in the painting.”“What do you mean?” She pressed.“A wire.”Then, it hit her. “D-Does this mean you knew Fidelia would buy the painting at all costs?”“Mm-hmm.” He nodded.Pursing her lips, she said, “I guess it tracks. After all, Fidelia will surely buy anything you donate to Nordic College. She loves you so much that she peeled an entire bowl of prawns for you.”“Do peeling prawns mean she loves me?” He cocked his brow.She nodded instinctively.“Well, then. Do you know how much I love you now?”Maia was initially pondering something, but she was scattered the moment she heard what he said!Her face turned red. She couldn’t decide if she should nod or shake her head now. The only thing she could do now was change the topic. “Wait a minute. I just asked Gigi to bid on it. Did I almost mess up your plan?” Her brows were furrowed. She
“Maia!” Amanda called out to her and hastened over. “D-Did you just say I was already on trending search?”“Mm-hmm.” Nodding, she handed her phone to Amanda. Amanda saw the search topic ‘Amanda Tate Burst Out Laughing.’ and was rooted to the spot.“H-How’s this already up there?”Maia chuckled. “There are so many people in the dining hall. There’s no way you can keep it from spreading on the internet for long. Even Gigi and Eddie got on the trending search. They were right behind you. “Valentines Group has also started working on the public relations angle. I browsed the internet and didn’t find any overly vicious remarks either. None of the marketing accounts were trying to stir up trouble either. All of Gigi’s pictures were censored as well. So, there’s nothing to be worried about here.”Amanda let out a sigh of relief at what she said. “It’s a good thing that no one attacked Gigi on the internet. Otherwise, I’m going to start chasing them with a machete that’s one foot long!
“Why, you!” Fidelia took the glass of fruit juice from the table and spilled it all over him!The sticky juices clung to his cheeks for a second before rolling down them.“Listen up, plastic face! It doesn’t matter if I can’t lay a finger on Maia because Cedric loves and protects her. It isn’t your place to make fun of me! Who do you think you are, Neilson? “You’re nothing more than my family’s lap dog. Look at how stiff your face is. You’ve wasted a perfectly good glass of fruit juice!”Staring at him angrily, Fidelia warned him nastily. She was so gripped with rage that her chest was rising and falling hastily. Then, she gritted her teeth and threw the empty glass at him.Catching the glass midair, he lowered his head. “You make a fine point, Ms. Fidelia.” Wiping the fruit juice from his cheeks, he apologized again. “Please calm down, Ms. Fidelia. You have to look at where we are now. It’d be wise not to make Mr. Thomas mad again.”“Are you seriously warning me again? Who do
Maia made up a reason so Amanda could take Gigi away. Amanda nodded, carried her daughter, and left the scene. All Gigi did was speak the truth, but Fidelia’s face grew grim and shot the three-year-old girl a terrible look. It was clear that Fidelia might do something outrageous to Gigi again if she didn’t divert her attention from the little girl. After all, Fidelia didn’t care about the consequences of her actions at all!So, she looked at Fidelia and said, “I’m not sure why you kept trying to win my husband’s heart, but I’ve been sitting here the whole time. Are you ignoring me on purpose? Or, are you so arrogant that you care only about Cedric and nobody else?”Fidelia immediately shifted her gaze to Maia. Glaring at her, she directed all of her anger and frustration at Maia. “What are you trying to say, Maia? My dad saved Cedric’s life. So, is there anything wrong with me peeling the shrimp for him? What’s the problem if I try to win his heart? What does it have to do with