“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
Baz was too afraid to say anything now.“You don’t think Maia is beautiful? Choose your words carefully.” Cedric continued to question him with an intimidating glance. Baz could only swallow nervously as he thought of what to say. He was beginning to feel bad for himself for being stuck in such a difficult situation. Back at the main hall, the 1S11 fashion show had already started as models appeared on the runway to show off the new season’s pieces. The socialites seated around the stage started a round of heated discussions as they fought to bid on the limited fashion pieces shown. When Maia appeared at the scene in her expensive aqua blue gown, people around her started talking again. “Wow, look! Isn’t that the most expensive piece in this year’s 1S11 show? She looks so beautiful in it!”“I knew it looked familiar! This gown was just displayed in the middle of the hall moments ago. It costs a few million dollars. I would never be able to afford it!” “I’m pretty sure it’
“Do you think I’d let some random man to touch you?”Maia wanted to remove her foot from his knee as she could feel the glances coming from around her. She could not help but curl her toes in embarrassment.Cedric smiled at her reflex as he removed the heels from the dust bag. “Relax.” If it was not for the fact that they were in public, she would have kicked him already! When he finally finished putting the heels on her feet, he looked straight into her eyes and smiled lovingly. His eyes sparkled as though they had a galaxy of stars in them. Maia stood up with a frown as people around them started to clap. Her dress and her shoes made her the exact fit for tonight’s theme. All that was missing was just an embrace from a lover.Before their fantasy became a reality, Maia quickly moved away from Cedric and this reaction disappointed everyone in the room.It was obvious now that Cedric had an unrequited love for his ex-wife. It was also fascinating to see someone of his status
Maia lifted her eyes and looked at her. She didn't say anything. She just nodded and quietly entered the apartment."May I use the bathroom?" Maia's voice sounded teary. Even though she tried to control it, emotions are difficult to control."Sure thing." Hope quickly nodded in response.Maia walked to the bathroom. Buck and Hope looked at her back, completely clueless."What happened?" Hope nudged Buck lightly with her elbow.Buck shook his head. "I don't know. I rarely see Miss Maia cry. She's so strong that she didn't even show fear when facing those old shareholders. “But today, after getting in the car, she suddenly cried so much. Did someone bully her? Impossible... Miss Maia would have fought back had anyone bullied her."Buck could not figure out what happened."It must be something at the fashion show."Hope quickly took out her phone from her pajama pocket, logged into Twitter, and checked all the news related to the 1s11 Fashion Show.Suddenly, several headlines