Maia was startled, her face reddening. He saw it, and his smile widened, “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat later?”“G-Give me some space, Cedric.” He was just so imposing, especially when they were like that. She felt as if she had nowhere to hide. She even sensed he wanted to fuse with her if he could.“What’s the matter? Is your husband too charming?”“How have I never known you’re this narcissistic, Cedric?” Maia kept a distance from him. Then, she muttered, “I didn’t use to have a chance to get close to you. You didn’t have time for me. It’s only natural that I didn’t know this about you.”Cedric heard her mumblings. She was traumatized by what happened in the past. It was painful for him to see her like that, too. He frowned and said, “You’re the only one who could get close to me. From here on out, I’ll make time for you to know me on a deeper level.” Cedric gave her a sly smile. He emphasized the word ‘deeper.’ It was clear what he meant.“Eww! I don’t want to
“Honey, what would you like to do to the woman who tried to seduce your husband?” Cedric smiled and asked in a gentle tone.Maia was taken aback at his question and that he had called her ‘honey’ again. Baz and Hope, who were standing next to them, glanced at each other awkwardly. At first, Hope was curious at how Cedric would act in front of her sister. Now that she had seen it, Hope could not believe that Cedric was capable of being this gentle. Hope felt like he would even give Maia the world if she had asked for it. This made Hope slightly envious of Maia, but she was also excited to see how Maia would react to him. “She drugged you, so you should decide what to do. Why would HL’s CEO and the don of the business world ask me for my opinion?” “Because as powerful as I am, I'm still a henpecked husband!” Cedric teased.Others would try to hide the fact that they were a henpecked husband, yet Cedric was proud of it. Maia was surprised by his statement. When had she even trie
“I called her. She told me she’s already there and waiting for us.”Maia nodded as they got into the elevator to go to the restaurant.…At the restaurant, Victoria was already busy piling her plate with different kinds of delicious food. “Look, who’s this? I didn’t expect you to be here as well.” Victoria was slightly surprised by the annoying, high-pitched voice. She already knew who it was without turning around. It was her stepbrother’s wife, her sister-in-law. She was a well-known actress in the industry. Most netizens would describe her as someone who was a professional at acting as a bossy woman on screen. Victoria had already known that Yuna would be here when she saw the list of actresses appearing on The Horizon Awards. However, Victoria had not expected to bump into her at such a huge resort.Moreover, after the award show ended late yesterday, most of the actresses would choose to sleep in. “Why can’t I just have breakfast in peace.” Victoria was not a fan of
“I’m not sure what happened, but I’m certain that Yuna did not manage to take advantage of Vicky.” Maia shook her head too, but from the looks of it, they had probably caused a huge commotion. Just as Maia finished, she heard footsteps coming from behind her. The next thing she knew, she was already in his warm embrace. Before she could react, Cedric handed her a cell phone and told her to look at it.“Why are you here too?” Maia lifted her head and looked at him.“I’m here to have breakfast with my honey.” Maia lowered her head as her cheeks flushed red. She quickly took the phone from his hands and opened the video footage of the restaurant. Maia watched as Yuna provoked Victoria and kicked Victoria in the back of her knee when Victoria had turned to leave. Maia also watched how Victoria threw Yuna to the ground when Yuna suddenly bent over to help. “Yuna is so horrible! How could she kick Vicky with her deadly heels? Vicky must be in so much pain!” Hope commented angrily
Victoria was already feeling angry and embarrassed. After hearing what Aiken said, she exploded. She shoved Aiken away from her as she steadied herself with the help of the table next to her. “If I was like any of the other Smiths, I wouldn’t have left that family in the first place.” She turned around and walked away with difficulty. Aiken looked at her retreating back as his head was filled with mixed emotions. At that moment, Victoria’s frail frame had looked powerful to him. He immediately ran up to her and scooped her into his arms.“You should stop trying to act tough. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. Since I’m already involve in this incident, I might as well just send you to the hospital. You have a set of beautiful legs, it would be a shame if you ended up limping!” “How could you say something so mean? Put me down! Stopped trying to take advantage of me!”As Aiken and Victoria continued to bicker, Yuna left the restaurant as if nothing had happened. The minute she walk
Maia finished calmly as she looked at Yuna with sympathy. Maia’s intention of mentioning this was to deliberately manipulate Yuna into thinking that the Smiths did not trust her. This was her way of getting back at Yuna for what she had done to Victoria. Yuna was furious after what she heard. She had never thought that Cedric was the support behind Victoria and the reason behind the Smiths leaving Victoria alone. She had been s part of the family for some time now, yet she knew nothing about this!Yuna stood there clenching and unclenching her fists as she boiled over with rage. When Maia noticed her reaction, she knew that she had achieved her purpose. There was only one last thing left for her to do. Maia grabbed Yuna’s arm and beckoned Yuna to follow her.When they got to the end of the corridor, Maia stopped in her tracks. “Turn around and take a look.” Yuna turned and immediately met Cedric’s eyes. Yuna’s face paled as she was stunned to see him there. She instantly shifte
Victoria choked up, saying, "You guys don't know the whole story. Everyone thinks it's my fault, but deep down, I wanted to feel like I belonged. But that family didn't accept me!"Seeing her emotional state, Aiken realized his lectures were wrong. It wasn't her choice to leave the Smith family, it was them who forced her out. Aiken felt regret.Meanwhile, Maia and Hope stood at the doorway, overhearing the conversation. Hope whispered, "Sis, Aiken likes you..."Maia shook her head. "He doesn't like me, it's just admiration."After those words, Maia knocked on the door and, along with Hope, entered the room."Maia, Hope," Victoria wiped away her tears upon seeing them, smiling. "What brings you here?" Hope quickly approached her. "Vicky, I have good news for you.""What good news?""My sister has already dealt with Yuna for you. That woman got scared half to death and won't dare to trouble you again," Hope said with a cheerful smile.Victoria then turned to Maia. "Thank you,
But he laughed and relented. “You’re right.'Liking someone doesn't need a reason. Similarly, surrendering for the sake of one's beloved also lacks a logical explanation."Hope, what happened?" Aiken's voice came from inside, and he walked over to Hope.When he saw Cedric, Aiken's lips involuntarily twitched."Let's go back to the resort."After the hospital door closed, the group walked towards the elevator, and the atmosphere became extremely tense. It would take at least twenty minutes to walk from Maya Cove Hospital to the resort. Aiken would step in whenever Cedric wanted to speak to Maia.If Aiken tried to talk to Maia, Cedric would pull her to his side and then stare at him with his terrifying gaze.Hope pulled Aiken away and muttered softly, "Can you save some energy? It's so hot today, can't you walk properly?""Hope, aren't you helping me?" Aiken lowered his voice. "After all, we've cooperated on more than one drama. I like your sister. Can't you see it?""I can se
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