This was a human life they were talking about here. ‘Why…? Why would he do it?’She couldn’t figure out why, either, when Rita pushed her off the stairs. How could people be this cruel? After all, Rita loved Zera like her own. Maia inhaled deeply and felt as though she was at her breaking point. It was probably because she went through too much recently. It was stifling.The summer breeze was warm, but Maia felt cold. Cedric approached and embraced her without saying anything.Maia was startled. It felt so familiar. She would’ve felt safe in his embrace back then, but she simply pushed him away.“Could they trace the guy who called the owner?” She asked.“It was a dead end.”Maia frowned. Another dead end.“He was probably the same guy who sent me the video.” Maia called the number, but it didn’t get through. The person probably used a fake number.“Probably.”Maia nodded and said, “Thank you, Cedric.”He raised his brow and asked, “Is that how you’re thanking me?” Maia t
Maia was startled by what he did. She backed off, frightened, until her back pressed against the couch. She frowned and said, “That’s too close. Do you want me to slap you again, Cedric?”He laughed. She was just adorable, even when she was trying to be mean.All of a sudden, someone ran to his room. They could hear him before he went into the room, “These are the gifts I bought for my dad, Maia!”Aiken pushed open the door and was stunned when he saw them in this state. Luckily, he was fast to react. He set the gifts on the floor and dashed at them. “Don’t worry, Maia! I’ll protect you!”Cedric frowned, infuriated over Aiken’s entrance. Maia seized the opportunity and pushed him away. She kept a distance from him after she stood up. Then, Aiken stood in front of her and protected her the way a mother bear would its cub. “Just come at me, Cedric. Why do you have to pick on Maia over and over again?”Maia was a little worried about Aiken. Cedric was professionally trained,
“You’re here at last, Cedric! Would you listen to what she’s saying?” Rita started whining.“I merely suspected that she’s behind Zera’s murder, but look at how unapologetic she is. Does she think she’s some big shot just because she’s the CEO of Starlight Entertainment?”Cedric grinned and said, “She is a big shot. What about you?”Rita was startled. “I’ve got you, Cedric. You’re my son! What need do I have for a company?” All of the staff lowered their heads and started grinning. Even the participants who were rushing to the shoot stopped in their tracks.After all, no one expected the famous man to have a mother who could not take a hint!Baz realized more people were gathered around them. So, he moved to clear them away. Rita started bawling after the crowd dispersed. She whined, “I saw Zera, Cedric. I-It was horrible. She is part of our family. Her fate is tragic, but the perpetrator is free. “I’m heartbroken! Maia came out of her kidnapping in one piece. My baby, on th
“One of my friends who works at Stonebrook told me that Maia was kidnapped and the production team kept a lid over this piece of news. What makes them think they could pull it off? “My friend also said that they found Maia in the same place Zera died. It looks like there’s more to this than meets the eye!”“So, that’s what went down. It’s normal for Ms. Rita to suspect Maia, then. I think she’s also responsible for the leaked video about Zera! “After all, she’s the CEO of Starlight Entertainment. Don’t you guys think it’d be easy for her to turn up with unfavorable news about celebrities?”“If Maia really was responsible for it, then why would Cedric not do anything? After all, he grew up with Zera. Is he going to let his younger sister’s reputation stay ruined because he’s taking Maia’s side?”As their plane took off from the airport, Cedric and Maia turned off their phones. The news of their return to Prismara spread quickly, and a large number of reporters camped out at the a
The reporters searched for Cedric when they heard her. All of them rushed at him when they saw him. Maia ran to Buck. The pain from wearing the high heels and her ankle wound were acting up again. “You threw Cedric under the bus, Ms. Maia.”Buck opened the backseat door before anyone noticed her. She slipped into the car swiftly, but she didn’t count on seeing Hope in there. “Are you alright, Maia?” Hope looked at Maia with worry in her eyes. She quickly gave her a warm drink, saying, “I bought it a moment ago. Drink it while it’s still warm!”Maia took a few sips, steadied her breathing, and asked, “What are you doing here?”“Well…”Buck spoke on her behalf, “Hope was very worried about you, Ms. Maia. She was adamant about tagging along and picking you up.”Maia was surprised. She did not think Hope would be worried about her.“Thank you.” She smiled at Hope and raised her drink, thanking her.Hope shook her head immediately. “I didn’t do much exactly. Buck bought it, act
“Of course, I’d start feeling suspicious when you’re looking at Hope like that. It’s as if you’re trying to steal her away.” Maia smiled cheekily at Buck.“N-no, that’s not true.” Buck tried to deny it but he was not very convincing. “Stop trying to deny it. Just admit that you like her. I could tell right away just from the way you look at her.” “W-was I that obvious?”“See? You’ve admitted it.”Buck was rendered speechless. He did not expect Maia to be so cunning with her words. “Ms. Maia, how could you?” “Don’t make me out to be the bad guy. You were the one who had something to hide.” She turned to stare at Hope, who was standing at the balcony. “If you like her, you should do something about it. Hope clearly doesn’t hate you and since her mother is not here anymore, she needs someone else to look after her, right?” Buck nodded and added playfully, “I guess Hope’s sister is not against this relationship.” “My acknowledgment means nothing. You need Hope to agree.” “
A man walked toward the runaway. He had an intimidating aura as he walked toward Maia and took out a black handkerchief to clean the residue from her forehead. “It’s swelling.” He looked at her gently, but his tone was upset. Moments later, Baz came into the hall with a group of security guards and restrained the woman who threw the egg at Maia. “Unhand me! She was brave enough to commit murder, so why is she so scared of hearing what people are saying? We’re not allow to even ask for justice for Zera, just because Mr. Cedric is protecting Maia Burgess!” The woman continued to struggle against Baz as she yelled. The woman had managed to ignite a storm of anger in the once silence hall. The organizers had also rushed over to check on the situation. They were shocked as something this controversial had never happened in the history of the fashion show. The organizers immediately apologized to Cedric, but Cedric only turned to them and asked for a microphone. The person-in-cha
“Don’t look at me like that. You gave Ms. Maia a huge gift, so naturally we would have to give you something huge in return too. Mr. Cedric instructed us to take good care of you.” Baz explained patiently. ”It’s such a shame to let all these eggs you brought go to waste. Let’s put them to good use.” The woman started yelling, “How dare you touch me! You piece of trash! Do you know who I am?” “Of course, you’re one of Ms. Rita’s distant relatives!”“If you already knew who I am, you wouldn’t dare do this to me.” She glared daggers at him.Baz shook his head helplessly and asked, “Do you know who you just messed with?” The woman was momentarily taken aback. How could she not know Maia Burgess? “What do you mean?” Baz moved closer to her and elaborated helpfully, “Since you’re clearly not the brightest person, I’ll explain it to you. The lady you just offended is an important person to Mr. Cedric. He would do anything for her.” He went on. “Meanwhile, you’re just a distant
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