Fernando gazed at Maia and spoke hesitantly."To spare his feelings, I've instructed the staff at the Beverley Manor not to mention it. Let's consider it as weaving a beautiful dream for Mr. Hans... “Don't let it weigh on your mind. I know it's unfair to you, but... Mr. Hans is getting on in years, and that attempted murder a year and a half ago has left his body nowhere near as resilient as it used to be."Hans was genuinely kind to her, and Maia could understand Fernando's words. However, there was one phrase that caught her attention."Fernando, did you say attempted murder? What happened?"Fernando looked at her, somewhat surprised. "Maia, don’t you know?"Maia shook her head. She honestly had no idea. She had always thought that Grandpa fell ill due to old age, but she never imagined it was an attempted murder!"Mr. Hans was poisoned with a slow-acting toxin by one of the chefs in the kitchen. It accumulated in his body over time, causing damage. Fortunately, it was discovered no
Tess looked at the packed food in Maia’s arms. “My friend made smoked fish. I got it from her early this morning,” Maia said, making an excuse.“Smoked fish, eh? I can make that too. There’s no need to trouble your friend. Leave it to me.”“Sure thing. I can’t wait to taste your smoked fish!” Eventually, they made their way into the elevator.“I came to ask you something, Maia.” “Go ahead, Aunt Tess.”“I read from the internet that you bought over Nebula Entertainment for Hope’s sake. Is that true? I told you to stay away from her. By buying over her company, you freed her from her unfavorable contract.”Tess was a little upset. She thought Maia tricked her. “People were already spreading rumors that you wanted to help her with it. Do you think the general public won’t realize that now that you've bought over her company?” “I did it for the good of Starlight Entertainment, Aunt Tess.” Tess was having none of that, “That's bullshit! Starlight Entertainment was one of the
“It doesn’t matter what kind of a person she is, Errol. If I let her go, then my company is going to lose a valuable asset. You know what it takes to be a businessman.”Errol nodded, “I do. I’ll try to persuade Aunt Tess, but you can’t afford to go soft if there’s anything suspicious about Hope. Otherwise, you’ll end up getting hurt again.”“Okay.” The video call ended at that. Maia’s mind was in a mess. She could not be sure if it was due to the crazy incident last night or her episode with Aunt Tess today.Why did everything have to come at her all at once? Maia had a headache. She recalled what Errol said as she laid on the couch.Did Hope sign a lifetime contract with Sunny Videos? What was going on? Was this why Nebula Entertainment refused to give in this whole time?Maia was confused. She picked up her phone and called Buck immediately.“You called me on a weekend, Ms. Maia! Are you coming to my house for dinner?”“I can’t say no to that. I guess I’ll have dinner there.”
Baz said pitifully, “I paid the price for saying the truth…”Then, Oswald said to an angry Cedric, “Baz has something to tell you, Mr. Cedric. I’ll start preparing dinner now.” He took off immediately after that.Baz rubbed his head and said, “Starlight Entertainment has successfully acquired Nebula Entertainment, Mr. Cedric. Sunny Videos has signed a contract with them.”“Noted.”“To celebrate the occasion, I had Sunny Videos sponsor and organize a party. It’s a team-building event for both companies’ core personnel.”Cedric raised his brow and turned to glance at Baz, who gave him a wide grin, “You can see Ms. Maia again, Mr. Cedric! I think you’ll agree when I say I did a good job!” He gave himself a thumbs up.Cedric sneered. “You made up for your mistake.”Baz had absolutely nothing to say. He very much wanted to kick himself. This was what he got for speaking out of place! Otherwise, he could have gotten a pretty handsome bonus at the end of the year!He nodded and went a
Maia had no time to say anything when Buck gave Hope another piece of chicken.“Ms. Maia is your boss during working hours, but she’s your older sister when we’re off work. As your sister, I’m sure she wants you to be fed well. Weight management isn’t as important.” Buck looked at Maia and grinned widely. “Am I right, Ms. Maia?”“Aren’t you a little too obvious, Buck? You didn’t want her to care about her weight because you care about her?” Maia teased him.Buck hesitated. His face turned red. Then, he continued eating and avoided both of their gazes.“Hope is your younger sister, Ms. Maia. And I’m your assistant. It’s my duty to express concern on your behalf.” “So that’s how it works!” Maia was not done teasing him. Buck was even more embarrassed now. Hope noticed nothing amiss and proceeded to give Buck some mashed potatoes.“Thank you, Buck. Here, you should eat more! Next time, dinner’s on me!”“That won’t be necessary. I can’t let a lady treat me to a meal. I’ll take ca
“I was in a relationship when I was attending an acting class. It only lasted a few months. We broke up after that. I haven’t dated since I got into in the industry. I maintain a strictly professional relationship with all my male co-stars.”Hope went on. “The marketing account and my fans like to speculate about certain actors, but I only hang out with them during work. I never keep in touch with them privately.”Hope was so focused on her career that she thought nothing of the male actors.“Are you saying that there’s nothing going on between you and Patrick? Not even Harris?” Buck had such a wide grin on his face that it was as though he had gotten the best gift of his life.Hope nodded. “That’s right. I have a purely professional relationship with both of them. Patrick thinks of me as his younger sister. He looks after me. That said, some actors and actresses do fall in love with each other while working together.”“What about you…?” Buck looked at Hope somewhat nervously. Mai
“Buck, what should we do now? Why did they kidnap Maia? What do they want?” Hope asked as her voice trembled with fear. Buck assured her. “Don’t worry. He can save Ms. Maia.” Hope widened her eyes in confusion. She did not understand who Buck was referring to. Buck turned back and gave the place one last look before leaving the Cloud Nine Residence with Hope toward Prismara Hill.Since it was late, Prismara Hill was awfully quiet. When Buck pulled up in his car near the gates, a security guard approached them and asked, “Hello, how can I help you?”“I’m Ms. Maia’s PA from Starlight Entertainment. I didn’t schedule an appointment beforehand, but I’m looking for Mr. Cedric about something urgent.” Buck finished in a hurry and gave his name card to the guard. After verifying his identity, the guard opened the gates and allowed them access. The guard brought them all the way to the main house and informed Cedric.“Mr. Cedric, Ms. Maia’s PA is here to see you,” Oswald said.“Let h
Maia could feel a steady rocking motion as she slowly regained her consciousness. There was a faint scent of blood in the air. Her head and limbs also felt heavy. The room was dark as her eyes slowly adjusted to the faint light that was shining in through the wooden gaps. She could finally make out where she was trapped. The rocking motion solidified her speculations. They were out at sea!Maia recalled that she was hit on the head when she got home to see Tess lying unconscious on the floor. She quickly tried to look around for Tess, but all she could see was just some storage junk. She was confined in this room alone. Maia knew she needed to look for something sharp to cut the ropes that were bounding her hands and feet. She searched desperately until she finally came across a sharp iron piece. She inched toward it with difficulty. Just as she reached it, she heard sounds coming from outside the room.Maia immediately closed her eyes and lay motionless on the floor. Seconds
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