Maia nodded and went back to sleep. The doorbell rang again. Cedric looked at her lovingly, put the towel on the table, and went out to open the door. Buck was shocked by what he saw. “M-Mr. Cedric.” Buck took a few steps back and checked the unit number again to make sure he was at the right place. “She’s still sleeping.”Buck cleared his throat and nodded. It was pretty clear what happened here. He said, “I-I’ll just wait for Ms. Maia in the living room.”“Help yourself.”Buck nodded and headed meekly to the living room. He sat on the couch that was furthest from the bedroom. Then, he heard a commotion in there. Maia came out, looking unkempt, and tried to stop Cedric from opening the door. Alas, it was too late.“Good morning, Ms. Maia.” Buck smiled and greeted her. She nodded and said stiffly, “Morning.”Gritting her teeth, Maia was so mad at herself. If she had not let Cedric open the door just now, then it would not have been this awkward. “The Horizon Awards’ orga
Buck was a burly guy who towered over everyone. He continued to grin cheerfully as he half dragged Nigel aside to maintain some distance between him and Cedric. “You have a smart PA,” Cedric commented coldly. If it were not for Buck separating them, Cedric would have given Nigel a black eye. “Of course, we have to be smart in the light of someone as powerful as you,” Maia replied. “You don’t have to be wary of me.” Cedric would always welcome all her tantrums. “We’re even now, so there’s no need for us to see each other anymore.”“I’ve told you, we’re not.” “What do you mean? I’ve instructed Baz to look for a doctor for you and took you in for the night. Whether or not you were there, I’d have eventually been saved by my building’s management and rescue team. “If you’re referring to the information that Victor had, when I’ve settled the issue with Mykonos Studios. I’ll hand them over to you along with part of the company’s shares. I’ll make sure to give you what you rightf
“Ms. Maia, how did I do just now? Mr. Nigel would’ve end up being punched by Mr. Cedric if I hadn’t acted fast! However, Mr. Nigel sure is noisy. He isn’t even your boyfriend yet, he keeps trying to interfere with your relationships. “Mr. Cedric was intimidating as well. He had completely ignored Mr. Nigel’s presence.”Buck paused, gave a thumbs up to Maia and continued, “But you were actually the best! You made Mr. Cedric leave obediently. The man, so feared by many, did not even dare put up a fight! The power of love is amazing!“However, are you sure it’s a good idea to just throw Mr. Cedric out? I don’t think he’s fully recovered. Isn’t it a bit heartless to do that to him?”Maia could feel her temples throbbing from Buck’s incessant nagging. She took a seat on the sofa and glanced at him. Finally, she yelled at him to stop as she could take it no more. “Buck Harvey!”“At your service!”“Why are you here, this early in the morning?” Maia asked.“Right. I’m here to confirm t
They were in such an aggressive fight that Maia did not give a second thought as she rushed toward them, trying to break them up!When Cedric noticed her dashing headfirst into their fight, he immediately cradled her in his arms and turned, shielding her from Nigel’s attack.The force of Nigel’s attack hit Cedric fully as he frowned and hugged Maia tighter. The only thing in Cedric’s mind was Maia’s safety as he asked, “Are you okay?” Maia was momentarily stunned before she heard him ask. She lifted her gaze to meet his and shook her head in response. When Nigel was finally able to notice what was going on, she was already in Cedric’s arms. He quickly asked apologetically, “Are you hurt? By the time I saw you, it was already too late for me to stop my attack.”Maia pushed herself away from Cedric’s embrace and replied, “I’m fine.” That attack did not reach her at all as she was instantly protected by Cedric. She did not even see what exactly had happened. Maia drew her lips together
Baz blocked Maia’s path as he explained himself eagerly, “Ms. Maia, it was my fault for not answering your calls last night. I admit that I had my own agenda, but Mr. Cedric was not part of it at all. He was in so much pain, how could he possibly tell me not to answer his call?” “Okay, I got it. I’m not upset, so don’t worry,” Maia replied.“I bought breakfast for you after Mr. Cedric told me to. He gave me a list of your favorites and told me to get them as soon as possible. When I got here, I saw Mr. Nigel provoking Mr. Cedric. It was he who started the fight! “Mr. Cedric wasn’t planning to wait for Mr. Nigel at all! He just wanted to delivery breakfast to you. Please, don’t be mad at him.” Maia tightened her grip on the bag of food as she heard Baz’s words. “I understand.” Baz could not tell if Maia truly believed him or not, so he continued, “Ms. Maia, I can assure you that the food wasn’t drugged. It had taken me about an hour to buy them, and Mr. Cedric would never do th
“At first, I thought that they were just being ridiculous, but now that I think about it, it made sense, in a weird way. Anyway, I’m used to being a nominee. This time I was nominated because of The Eternal Dance, right?”Maia nodded.“Right, then I’m pretty sure I’ll just be a nominee. According to those anti-fans, fantasy movies are illogical and boring. Furthermore, The Horizon Awards usually prefers movies based on real events.” Spending a long time in the industry had not only made Hope an excellent actress, she had also developed an easy-going mindset. She could even make jokes about herself without feeling bad about it. Maia smiled at Hope’s silly comments, “I’m sure many artists would be willing to do anything just to be able to attend this award ceremony.”“You’re right! I should stay positive! Even if I was just a nominee, I should be the best out of all of them!” Hope smiled and added with determination. Maia’s smile deepened as she continued to stare at Hope. Sho
Hope went along with it and said with a smile, “Birds of a feather flock together, Maia. I got my bad temper from watching you and Victoria. I used to be very patient.”Maia was amused by the way she said it and teased her, “I know your temperament very well, but I have to say I didn’t know how thick-skinned you are until now.”“You’re teasing me again, Maia!” Hope didn’t know what else to say. Maia chuckled at that. “Let’s check this out!” Hope took her into the nameless boutique and pushed open the glass door. The staff saw Hope and greeted her at once. “You’re here, Ms. Hope. I’ll call Victoria over! She’s working upstairs!”“That won’t be necessary, Ava. Let her focus on her work. She’ll skip meals when she’s immersed in her work. If you disrupt her, she might not be so happy about it.”Ava nodded. “I guess you’re right, but don’t you think she’ll be happy to see you?”“Of course! However, I want her to focus on her work.” Wasn’t that what friends are supposed to do? Ava
Maia kept her faint smile, but her expression grew cold. She was in Victoria’s boutique, after all. She did not want to do anything drastic at first, but it seemed she had no choice. She had to teach Fiona a lesson and show her just how pathetic she was!Maia turned around, walked toward Fiona, and slapped her before she could react! Silence descended over the entire boutique. The two ladies behind Fiona were gobsmacked. Hope, too, was shocked and covered her mouth. “She did it…”At this instant, Ava knew Victoria had to come down. So, she turned and climbed the stairs. Fiona yelled after a few seconds of silence. “How dare you slap me, Maia?”“I’m older than you. An older person must educate the young. You just got schooled. What choice do I have when your parents didn’t teach any manners?” Maia was calm. She should have been seething with rage, but she was very calm. Too calm. “Why, you…” Fiona was about to return the favor, but Maia was too quick for her. She caught Fiona