“My sincerest apologies on behalf of Mr. Hans. I’m sorry for the damage he caused.” Fernando bowed to Maia in remorse. “Please forgive him, Ms. Maia.”It was meaningless to point fingers now. If she looked at the whole thing from Hans’s perspective, he had done nothing wrong. Whatever happened went down because of bad luck and the fact that his memory was jumbled up. “I’ll be going home now, Fernando.” She nodded at him and walked toward her car. The wind blew past her and tousled her long hair. With the small leaf rosewood box in her hands, Maia’s brow furrowed. It turned out Cedric had not known that someone drugged her cup of tea. He actually tried to stop her, but she went ahead and blamed him instead. Maia cast her mind back to the morning when she poked at his chest with a knife and drove the knife in slightly. Cedric did not try to explain the situation. He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he leaned in closer and drove the knife deeper into his chest."Whatever you want, a
Hope smiled and greeted her fellow celebrities in first class after she got on the plane. Then, she swept her eyes across the cabin, searching for Maia. “Who are you looking for, Hope?” Wesley asked. “Hurry up and sit down. I’m going to business class with your assistant now.”“Wait a minute, Wesley.” Hope stopped him and asked, “Have you seen my sister?”He shook his head, “I didn’t see Ms. Maia.”“Isn’t this a private plane booked by The Horizon Awards organizers? Maia is a special guest. She should’ve been on the plane with us!” Hope was confused. Jennifer stood up and whispered, “Don’t you know what happened, Hope?”“What do you mean?” Hope looked at her puzzlingly. Jennifer said softly, “Mr. Cedric’s here too.”“Huh?” Hope said shockingly.“Don’t you think this plane has fewer first-class seats? In fact, it’s narrower.” That was when Hope realized she was right. Then, Jennifer pointed to a sliding door and said, “I saw Cedric carrying Maia inside earlier.”Hope followed
Maia gritted her teeth and asked, “Can’t you get up by yourself?”“I fell because of you.” That was true. Maia could not deny that. She pursed her lips and helped him up after a long pause. The next moment, he held her arm and got up swiftly. He pulled and yanked her into his chest, holding her in his embrace tightly. Maia caught the scent of cigarettes off of him. Her face reddened instantly.“Let me go, Cedric. What do you think you’re…”“I missed you dearly.” He cut her off with a seductive voice. There was no need to give her a long explanation. Maia blushed. “L-Let me go…”“Could you tell me a lie?” His voice was deep and he sounded lonely. Maia did not understand what he meant.“Tell me you miss me too.” Even a lie was better than nothing. She could feel his sorrow. Bereft of his usual arrogance and condescension, Cedric was looking at her with the eyes of a little boy who had been hurt.Her heart soared.Tried as she may have been, Maia could not deny the influence he
“Acting cute isn’t going to help you. I’m still going to teach you a lesson if you leave The Horizon Awards empty-handed!”Hope held her head and said playfully, “Please forgive me, Maia. I won’t tease you anymore. I swear!”Jennifer, who was sitting behind them, covered her mouth and smiled. Hope saw it and said, “Maia’s going to teach you a lesson too if you don’t bag the Best Supporting Actress award, Jennifer!” Hope and Jennifer had acted in the same television drama. They had been close to each other since then.Hope turned to Maia and asked, “Am I right, Maia?”“Not at all!” Maia poked at her head again, “Jennifer did well enough by getting nominated, regardless of the result.”“Absolutely true. You said it, Ms. Maia!” Jennifer nodded, “I’m greatly inspired by the fact that I’m nominated. I’ll keep pushing myself in the future!”“I can’t believe you’re taking her side, Maia… You should’ve stood up for me!”Maia smiled, “I have to remain impartial.”Hope put on a pitiful
“Those reporters are so annoying. No wonder Ms. Maia and Hope’s faces were so dour. How could they ask such disgusting questions?” “They just got off their flight. They must’ve been exhausted, yet they got bombarded with such brainless questions. If it were me, I would’ve already yelled at those reporters!” “We all agree that reporters are annoying, but I’d like to say something random. Ms. Maia looked so beautiful! She has such a fair complexion and such a slim waist! Her legs are so long too! If only she’d join the entertainment industry, she would definitely be Starlight Entertainment’s biggest star!”“I agree! As a fellow female, I couldn’t believe how good Ms. Maia could look in just a spaghetti strap top, I’m envious! Hope looks lovely too! They’re really a pair of beautiful sisters!” “Ms. Maia is the definition of a sophisticated lady-boss!” Maia, Hope and the rest of the guests were waiting at the parking lot. Hope took the opportunity to scroll through Twitter and she
The driver knew how terrifying Cedric could be, so he immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Cedric. The car in front stopped suddenly, so I had no choice but to hit the emergency brake!” Cedric nodded coldly. His warmth was only reserved for her. Cedric chose to hold his anger in as he did not want to frighten Maia. Hope continued to sit stiffly throughout the ride, and she even had to consciously steady her breathing. She had never felt this exhausted in her life as she had to put up with two intimidating presences, bear witnessed to that romantic gesture, and sit through Cedric’s sudden cold disposition.By the time they got to the island resort, Hope had immediately tweeted before she had gotten the chance to admire the beautiful scenery. She uploaded a selfie along with a caption, ‘I had a hard time!’ Three minutes after the Tweet, the internet went wild!“I know what happened to Hope! Have you all seen the photos taken by the paparazzi? Ms. Maia dragged Hope into the car
Bill only wanted to complain to Baz about how helpless he felt just a while ago. “How could she become the CEO of Starlight Entertainment if she wasn’t that capable? She's also very important to Mr. Cedric. Mr. Cedric could throw his life away just for her. You'd better keep that in mind, I’m counting on you!” Baz took his room key from the other staff before giving Bill a pat on his shoulder and walking off into the elevator. Bill wiped the sweat from his forehead, took out his cell phone and texted his staff. “Ms. Maia is our important guest, make sure to give her our best service!” After getting to their room, Hope immediately opened her suitcase and unpacked. She was also curious about her sister’s decision, so she asked, “Maia, why didn’t you just take that room? The view is something to die for!” “I’m sure it still wouldn’t be as good as sharing a room with you,” Maia said with a smile. “I don’t believe you! You didn’t take that room because you were worried about Mr.
Hope nodded. As they looked up at the sky, the fireworks started! The dark sky was lit up by colorful shapes. It was a spectacular view! Just as the audience’s sense of anticipation started to die down, the sky lit up with a firework in the shape of the island.“Maia, did you see that? It’s the shape of the island! This is the main show. It’s really beautiful!” Hope commented excitedly. She was in awe at how amazing the fireworks were as they continued to blossom in the sky. The fireworks were set off so rapidly that Hope’s eyes could not keep up with them. Various shapes and colors formed in the dark sky. Before she could see them all, they were already gone. Aside from the staff of Maya Cove, most people on the beach were famous people who had been to all kinds of events. Yet, they were still mesmerized by the island’s fireworks show. The fireworks continued when suddenly the phrase ’11 years’ appeared in the sky. Everyone was confused as to what it meant. As Maia was so foc
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