“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
Rita looked at Polly, exclaiming, "What did you say? Baz retaliated against Josephine, and she was hit by eggs?"Polly nodded, truthfully recounting the events at the fashion show to Rita."Yes, we arranged for audience members to cooperate with Josephine to stir the public. They said she rushed onto the stage and threw eggs at Maia, and then Mr. Cedric arrived. “Not only did he publicly prove that Maia was innocent, but he also defended her in front of everyone! Now, the videos are all over the internet, and based on the footage, everything they said is true. Mr. Cedric is still holding Ms. Taylor, and we don't know the exact situation...""What a dumb thing! How could we have such a stupid relative in the Larkin family?” Rita said, "I told her to go after Maia, get everyone to attack her, kick her out of the fashion show, and make it go viral! But she actually went and threw eggs at Maia?"Rita clutched her chest and sat on the nearby sofa. "This is the 1s11 Fashion Show. What an ig
"Did everything really come to light?" He settled down with his teacup and looked at Maia. "I actually feel like this whole thing has become even more confusing."Maia paused as she was sipping her tea."What do you mean, Jordan? Yvette had a motive, and she admitted to her crime in her suicide note...""Maia, have you seen the surveillance footage that the tech department restored?"Maia thought about the surveillance footage, which was currently in her office drawer."I have not watched that footage since confirming Yvette as the culprit.""The tech department knows about my relationship with you, so they made a copy for me. I watched the restored footage in detail, comparing it with Yvette's figure... “I was planning to talk to you about this even if you didn’t come over today. I don’t think the person who entered the company was Yvette. The figure doesn't match hers. The real culprit might be someone else."The teacup in Maia's hand suddenly fell onto the carpet, staining
Hope listened to Maia's voice and immediately turned in the direction of the door. Upon seeing Maia, she teared up."Sis, you're here. I'm really glad that you came."Hope didn't expect Maia to come. After all, this was where she and her mother used to live. Her mother took over as mistress of the Burgess family, stealing a father’s love from Maia.Hope knew Maia did not resent her, but she had not expected her to come here. Hope was trying hard to hold back her tears.Sorting through parents' belongings is a torturous task for any child. Each item represents their parents' past, and memories flood back, making it unbearable.Later, she always used a line from the poem "To Hope" to console herself."Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed, and wave thy silver pinions o’er my head ..."It's because of this line that she endured pain time and time again, and now she has finally gone from bitterness to sweetness.Hope and her past self shared some similarities at this point. Maia s
"Mom..." She cried out for Yvette, completely unable to stand."Hope!" Buck reached out to support Hope, helping her to stay on her feet.Maia frowned, looking at the time displayed on the video. She muttered, "It's not her... It's not her..."Jordan's speculation was correct. The woman in the surveillance footage is not Yvette. She couldn't be an accomplice to the murderer because this recording was enough to prove she was not a suspect!Hope sobbed and asked, "Sis, what are you saying?""She is not the murderer," Maia affirmed. "Yvette is not the killer. She did not push my mom!"Hope was completely bewildered. Then Maia continued, "She had no time to commit the crime."As she spoke, Maia pointed to the time displayed in the upper right corner of the video and reiterated, "The incident happened at 11 p.m. I received the message at 11.20. However, the time shown here is 1L40. “It would take at least fifty minutes by car to reach the scene of the crime!"With that, Maia concl
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