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
Cedric stood in the center of the stage. He had a playful smile on his lips that would make anyone swoon over him. His voice continued to echo through the hall as he explained. “I’m sure all of you have seen and heard the messages from my girl.” Cedric looked at Maia as he emphasized the phrase ‘my girl’.His gaze was so passionate and intense that Maia felt like there was no escape as she was lured to him like a sailor to a siren. Maia frowned as she stood rooted to the spot. The words she had prepared to address the crowd were no longer needed. “Regardless of her behavior and the way she acts, she belongs to me. I will give in to her anytime.” Cedric announced with pride in front of a crowd of several millions.The crowd started chattering after Cedric’s confession.“I’m amazed by how bravely Mr. Cedric is confessing his love!” “Ms. Maia should just get back with him! After doing so much, even if she was a puppet, she would be touched too, right? Anyway, do you think this
The finale came to an end as the audience’s thundering applause echoed throughout the venue. When the camera moved toward Maia and Cedric, he immediately pulled her in for a kiss before she could react!Maia widened her eyes in shock. The crowd instantly went wild.Maia shoved Cedric hard in the chest. Her face was as red as a tomato. Noticing her reaction, he ended the kiss shortly after. He smiled lovingly in front of the camera as Maia struggled to hold her anger in. Her hands tightened into fists by her sides. She knew very well that she had to put up with him. If she had hit him instinctively, the finale tonight would just end up in disaster. She kept telling herself to wait till the end of the show.As she bit her lower lip to vent some of her anger, she heard him say, “It hurts. That’s why I needed something sweet. And you’re the sweetest thing.”Maia could not help but release her fists and looked at him in surprise. She frowned as she noticed the hurt lingering in his
Buck burst into laughter and changed the topic, saying, "Hey Ms. Maia, the show's team wants you to post a Tweet for the finale of 'The Quest.'"Baz also came running to Cedric, panting heavily, and said, "Mr. Cedric, the team talked to us. They want to use the corporate Twitter to post about the 'The Quest' finale. Since Sunny Videos is under HL Corporation, they said it’s all cool if you don't agree. They just suggested it."Cedric listened, looked at Maia, and asked, "Should we do it?"Baz and Buck exchanged glances and widened their eyes in surprise. Cedric, as if seeking his wife's opinion, spoke with such a gentle tone, as if whether to post or not, he would follow Maia's decision."If Mr. Cedric wants to post, then go ahead. There’s no need to ask for my opinion. Sunny Videos isn't mine, it belongs to HL Corporation's," Maia immediately responded, taking out her phone from her pocket.As she was about to post the Twitter, Cedric's deep voice sounded behind her, "I'll give y
After arriving at the campus city, Maia received a location from Errol, and both Errol and Elena had already reached the cafe in the campus city. Maia forwarded the address to Buck and he immediately searched for the cafe in the campus city."Ms. Maia, the cafe should be right up ahead.""Mm." Maia nodded, then looked out of the car window. Suddenly, she saw a streamlined sports car parked at the entrance of a restaurant."Buck, stop the car!"Upon hearing Maia, Buck quickly stepped on the gas, pulling over to the side."What's wrong, Ms. Maia?""Isn't that Nigel?" Maia looked towards a deserted restaurant. Following Maia's gaze, Buck indeed saw Nigel."Yeah, that's Nigel!""Weird, it's so late. Why would Nigel be in the campus city?" Maia, watching Nigel come out of the restaurant, curiously asked.It was far from his law firm, and he didn't need to come all the way here for supper. Moreover, he was dressed in formal attire and carried a briefcase. The more Maia looked, the s
"Okay," Buck sent the WhatsApp message and put away his phone, watching Maia and Nigel walk side by side. Buck rubbed his head, muttering to himself, "If Mr. Cedric sees this, it would be catastrophic... I cannot let Mr. Cedric find out."Once Buck confirmed that Maia didn't need him, he headed towards the ground parking lot and drove away.Meanwhile, Maia successfully found the open-air cafe where Errol and Elena were."Alright, my guardian duties are done. Go ahead and join them," Nigel said.Errol and Elena inside the stall noticed him.Errol walked out, smiling and gesturing, "Nigel, are you with Maia?"Nigel couldn't understand Errol's gestures and looked a bit confused. Realizing this, Errol quickly took out his phone, typed a message, and handed it to Nigel."I happened to have something to deal with at the university town, and I ran into Maia. So, I brought her here," Nigel replied to Errol's inquiry."Are you done with your business?" Errol asked.Nigel nodded, "Just finished.
Maia didn't say much from start to finish, mostly silently eating. By the time the late-night meal ended, they said their goodbyes at the food stall and went their separate ways."Maia, I'll drive you home. It's almost midnight, and I'm not at ease with you taking a cab alone," Nigel said.At this point, it was hard for Maia to refuse, so she nodded and followed Nigel towards where his car was parked. It was a bit of a distance from the cafe to Nigel's car."Maia, if I remember correctly, Elena is the daughter of the head of the shipping group, right?" Nigel asked.Maia replied, "Yes, Nigel, do you know about the shipping group?"Nigel smiled, "I've received their commission before, and I've met her father."Maia nodded. She should have thought of it earlier. Lawyers like Nigel, even if they didn't directly involve themselves in the business world, would still have close connections with people in those circles."I just didn't expect Errol to be with Elena. After all, he loved C
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