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
Everyone shouted in unison, “Warring couple! Warring couple!”Maia kept a blank face and maintained her composure. Then she took a microphone from a crew. “I get to choose my partner, you troublemakers. Nowhere in the rules does it say a mentor can volunteer himself for the role.”Maia spoke lovingly, as if the participants were her family.She scanned everyone sitting in the mentor area. However, a single stare from Cedric was enough to scare the others away. They all wanted to act with her, but none dared.Maia saw fear in the mentors’ eyes and decided she wouldn’t put them in a difficult position. She looked past Cedric and rested her gaze on Aiken. “It’s a scripted performance. I believe this calls for the Best Actor!”Maia grinned widely. She was spectacularly beautiful, and her smile made the audience infatuated with her.Aiken responded quickly, “Did you have your eyes on me, Ms. Maia?”There was a double entendre to what Aiken said. He made it sound like Maia had a c
“Of course she does! Zera wouldn’t be in this situation if Maia hadn’t revealed her secrets. Zera said she’s going to spend some downtime in Stonebrook. Maia was producing a show in the very same place! What are the odds of that?”Rita analyzed the situation, thinking she couldn’t be mistaken.“Zera can’t hope to be as cunning as Maia. It’s highly possible that she set Zera up. I’m sure she wants to take revenge on our family. That’s why she did what she did to Zera!”Cedric asked calmly, “Did you take your medicine?”“Huh?” Rita was stunned. She never thought her son would show concern for her. She beamed, “Are you talking about my heart medication, Cedric?”Her heart wasn’t doing too well. She was being medicated for it.“I’m talking about the mental health medication.”Before she could reply, he hung up the phone and set it to silent mode immediately.Baz came in shortly and said, “I received news from Ms. Rita too, Mr. Cedric. She said Ms. Zera went missing. Should we inter
Cedric agreed with her, “I’ll have someone handle this.”“You have to. She’s your fiancee as well as your younger sister.” Maia took her phone back and walked toward the balcony.“I’m only handling it because of you. I don’t care about what happens to her.”“Don’t concern yourself with me, Cedric. After all, I almost died because of you. It’s bad luck to have you caring about me,” Maia said with a callous irony.Cedric spoke again when she was at the balcony. “You promised me that you wouldn’t leap over balconies.”“You also promised me we would watch the Aurora Borealis together.” Maia sneered, “It’s like they say. Promises are meant to be broken.”Maia stepped onto the balcony and leaped without any hesitation.“I guess I deserved that.” Cedric said to himself, smiling bitterly. Then, he made a phone call.“When did Zera go missing?” he asked Rita as soon as the call connected.“Just a few days ago! I kept her at home, but she insisted on going somewhere. I sent the maid wit
“What are you going to do? We’ll still be shooting in Stonebrook for a few more days.”“The exhaustion will take care of it for me.” Maia yawned several times, “I’m going to get some shut-eye.”“I’ll walk you back.”“It’s fine. Dinner’s about to start. They’re going to need you here for the live broadcast.”Aiken looked at the time and nodded at Maia, “Rest well, then. I’ll send you some dinner when the broadcast is done!”“Sure.”Maia was alone when she heard footsteps behind her. She thought it was one of Stonebrook’s staff and turned around. A cat came out of the side of the road and looked at her.There was a collar around its neck. It sauntered to Maia’s feet, completely unafraid. It rubbed itself against her.Maia smiled and petted it. “There’s a whiff of osmanthus about you! It smells good!”Suddenly, she heard a loud thud and watched as the lights around her went off. Stonebrook was plunged into darkness.What happened? Did the power go out?Maia was about to use t
Cedric gave Baz an order. “Search for the cat, Baz.”“The cat?” Baz’s face was blank for a while before he caught on to what Cedric meant.It wasn’t human, so it couldn’t talk. However, he had to track it down. It might prove useful!“Roger. I’ll send some men to look for it.”The air of hostility about Cedric was unmistakable. “I’ll kill anyone who touches her!”…It was pitch dark. A revolting smell of blood and osmanthus lingered in the air.Maia’s head felt heavy. She pulled herself up and the memory of what happened came flooding into her mind.She had been on her way back to her homestay when someone covered her mouth with a rag. Then, she passed out.Maia couldn’t make out her surroundings. She caught a whiff of the revolting scent and nearly threw up. She wasn’t sure if it was day or night. She started exploring once her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A barely visible figure caught her attention. Maia stopped in her tracks and crept closer.She wasn’t sure what it
The kiss of life?To hell with that! This jerk was just full of excuses!“Who do you think you are? Prince Charming? Did you think you could swoop in like a hero and give the kiss of life?”He smiled and whispered in her ear seductively, “There’s more where that came from.”Maia’s eyes widened as she looked at Cedric. She had never expected him to act so boldly.“You jerk! How dare you!”“You look cute when you’re mad, honey.”“Asshole!” Maia was upset.“I may be an asshole, but I’m yours and yours alone.”“Huh?”Maia couldn’t be bothered to talk to him any further. She looked away and waited for the police.“Aren’t you curious to know how I found you?” He knew she was upset and that he couldn’t keep teasing her. So, he decided to say something to pique her interest.Maia was indeed curious. However, she frowned and remained quiet when she recalled that he had taken advantage of her earlier. The police started questioning her shortly. “Can you please tell us what happened
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