“Just doing my duty.” That was all Cedric said. Everyone knew just how much meaning those four words carried.Then, Elena covered her mouth and pointed at Maia’s feet.“There’s blood on Maia’s feet!”Cedric grabbed Maia’s arm, looked at her feet, and frowned. There certainly was blood tracing down her feet.“It’s okay. I must’ve been cut by the pieces of glass when the bottle shattered,” Maia said casually. She tried hard to break free, but he held on to her firmly. “Please carry on, everyone. I’m going to take care of her.” Cedric put his suit jacket around her legs and swept her off her feet in front of everyone.“Cedric!” She hissed. “I’m taking you to the hospital,” he said firmly. He cared more about her injury than she did. Maia was a little pissed off, but she could not raise her voice in public. “Put me down. It’s just a scratch. I can take care of it myself!”“What if it leaves a scar? Don’t you hate those?” He asked.Maia was startled. She was surprised that he r
It was a brief text, but Maia felt tears in her eyes after she read it. She had longed for him to care about her this way in the past. The fact that he had shown up whenever she needed him was something she had not even dared to dream of.However, all of his actions today were pure irony to what happened in the past. She dared not go to the balcony because she was worried that she would be found out like what happened last time. She was not sure if he had left. Did he leave? Was he still standing down there?Some time had passed when her phone rang suddenly. Maia snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her phone. She was both disappointed and relieved that it was not Cedric.Buck was on the other end when she answered the call. “I investigated Victor according to the lead Hope gave us. Aside from some erotic pictures, I came up empty-handed. “I had to work another angle. I looked into the female celebrities who had fallen victim to him. My findings confirm that Victor used to
Barney called out to her, “Is it true that my father’s company is collaborating with your company, Ms. Maia? He talks about you all the time. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again at The Horizon Awards next month. Please say a good word or two about me to my father.”Maia glanced at the man before her. She thought he was tough at first. Little did she know that he was just another boy desperate for his father’s validation.“I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything tonight as long as you treat the ladies nicely, Barney. I was never here and we never met.”He nodded and thanked her. “Splendid, Ms. Maia. I like how you cut to the chase.” Then, Maia went further in to look for Penelope. He stared at her as she left. The smile on his face had all but vanished.“I would’ve taught you a lesson in the private room if it weren’t for the collaboration.” He wiped the wine from his face. “How dare you pour wine on me, bitch?”…Buck followed Maia and asked, “Do you truly believe he’ll treat
“Um…” Penelope lowered her head. Then, she looked into her daughter’s room and saw Jasmine playing with a doll that had been stitched back several times. Her eyes reddened and silence draped over the entire place. Maia said nothing. Instead, she followed Penelope’s gaze.“Your daughter is everything to you,” Maia said confidently. Penelope nodded, “That’s right. I wouldn’t have been able to keep going if it wasn’t for her.”“Do you want to give her a better life?” Maia said. Penelope stared at her, unnerved. “Are you offering me a helping hand?” There was longing in her eyes.Maia nodded, “You were the leader of Victorious Secret. You were both the lead singer and dancer. You’re experienced. I can put you back on stage if that’s what you want. Otherwise, you can work as a mentor in my company. “Your salary will be more than what you earn selling alcohol and you’ll have a fixed working schedule. Both you and your daughter can stay in our dormitory. It’ll be safer than this pl
“Ms. Maia.” Penelope looked at her and went down on her knees. Maia was shocked and moved to help her up.“What do you think you’re doing? Get up now.”Penelope shook her head and said, “I’ll always be grateful to you for giving me a job and a safe place to stay, but I have to beg you for a favor. “Please. Please tear Victor down and make sure he can’t come back from it! I know I’m powerless and this is all I can do, but you have what it takes to make it happen. Ms. Maia!”Maia helped her up. She had not expected Penelope to be this passionate. “I give you my word. I’ll make sure he can’t come back from this. Everyone will despise him. He’ll pay dearly for everything he’s done!”Penelope wiped tears from her face and nodded repeatedly. The battered door swung open as Buck came in. “The food is here, Ms. Maia.” Penelope opened the door swiftly. Buck was standing outside with bagels and pizzas in his hands, smiling. Maia shouted, “Jasmine. Your bagels are here.”Jasmine was pl
Buck was shocked to see the bag Maia handed to him. “I didn’t know they had collected all the proof they could behind his back. I thought Victor had made sure not to leave any traces behind! With this evidence, it would be much easier for us!” “Make sure that The Horizon Awards proceed as planned. I want this evidence to be exposed in front of all those famous personnel from the entertainment industry.” “Don’t worry, leave them to me!” Buck promised. Maia nodded and got in the car. As she was inside, she could not help but glance toward the other direction that led to the parking lot. Was he still there?Buck was parked next to her. By the time he started pulling out, Maia’s car was still parked. He drove over and gave her a honk. He lowered his window and yelled at her, “Ms. Maia, are you alright?” When Maia heard him, she collected herself and drove out of the parking lot. Whether Cedric was still there or not had nothing to do with her. By the time she was driving on
Buck glanced at Maia after he finished and added playfully, “Do you want Mr. Cedric to be there? If you do, he’s just one phone call away. No wait, just a text is enough! I’m sure he’ll appear if you text him!” Maia noticed that the lights were green, so she said, “You should go back to driving and shut up.” Buck remained silent throughout the drive to the venue. They were already broadcasting the show live when Maia got there. She hurried to her seat and noticed that there was an empty seat beside her. He was not there.Seconds later, The Quest main theme song played, and Aiken appeared on the stage. He gave the audience a charming smile when the spotlights shone on him. Maia was distracted through half of the show until a staff member jolted her back to reality by informing her that Aiken had invited her on stage.Maia quickly composed herself and gracefully strolled on stage. “Let us welcome Starlight Entertainment’s CEO, Ms. Maia Burgess!” A round of applause erupted as s
The hall immediately fell into complete darkness. To better ensure that the finale of The Quest would not be interrupted by unnecessary noise, the organizers had requested that the audience and special guests leave their cell phones outside of the venue.Due to the sudden situation, the crowd present had started to speculate what was going on.“What’s this?”“Is the power out?”“How could they allow something like this to happen on The Quest’s finale?” In the midst of the chaos, the screen on the stage lit up suddenly. Everyone immediately shifted their focus to what was on it.Maia was surprised to see that it was her wedding video!“Do you, Maia Burgess, take Cedric Larkin to be your husband? To promise to love him and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and be faithful only to him, for as long as you both shall live?”Maia looked at Cedric shyly as she could not hide the love in her eyes. “I do.”“Do you, Cedric Larkin, take Maia Bur