Tess knew she could not keep the truth from Maia anymore. With a heavy sigh, she said, "Errol had been trapped in the winery for the past two days. I have no idea how he is now.”Maia's heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, she leaped out of bed and ran toward the door.A sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, causing her to stagger. Despite this, Maia was more worried about what her cruel father and stepmother would do to Errol. She ignored the pain as she ran. Shocked, Tess quickly went after her niece. "Maia, where are you going? It's raining outside!" …HL Corporation was in the midst of a high-level executive meeting.Baz Males, Cedric's assistant, had just learned the news. He glanced hesitantly at Cedric.Cedric, who was presiding over the meeting, noticed Baz from the corner of his eye. He asked flatly, “Yes?”Baz answered, "Sir, Mrs.—I mean, Ms. Maia has woken up, but she left the hospital without permission. It was something urgent, I think.”There wa
"How dare you hit me, Maia? I'm your stepmother, for heaven's sake!" Yvette shouted angrily. She addressed the bodyguards, "Get her! They won't be going anywhere, even if they hand over the Pinot Nuage formula, got it?"Knowing who the boss was at the winery now, the bodyguards followed her orders."Get your hands off me!" Maia struggled, but she was no match for these men. "Yvette, what the hell are you doing? Let Maia go!" Tess tried to run over, but two bodyguards grabbed her. "It was Hans Larkin who wanted Maia to marry his grandson. You can't afford to cross him!""Hans Larkin?" Yvette burst into laughter. "He's bedridden and can barely look after himself. What can he do to me? Maia's father doesn't want her, and neither does Cedric. No one will lift a finger to save her, you see? And there's nothing you can do about it!""You asshole!" Tess shouted, but the two bodyguards held her back."Beat her up!"A bodyguard marched over with a baton and struck Maia hard. She fell
Tess was excited as she exclaimed, "Mr. Cedric is Maia's ex-husband, you know? He's here to make you pay for your actions!"Maia wondered if he had come to rescue her. After all, they had been married for 11 years, and she had been utterly devoted to him.She gently held the cuff of Cedric's trousers and struggled to look up at him. After a moment, she managed to say, "Cedric..."Refusing to release her grip on his cuff, she gazed at him with tearful eyes, too weak to say anything more.Cedric's eyes narrowed beneath a stray lock of hair."Putting on an act again?" His gaze was unreadable, but his words were cold.A sense of hopelessness overcame Maia. Tears mixed with rainwater streamed down her face.‘He’s not here to save me. No.’ She let out a bitter smile and slowly let go of his cuff. Yvette was relieved and triumphant. It was surprising but also reasonable that Cedric cared so little about Maia. Everyone in Prismara knew how much he despised her.She let out a welcomin
He spoke coldly and walked away without hesitation. The Rolls-Royce soon sped off and vanished into the rain.Maia's smile grew even more bitter. 'I had it coming? Am I that evil to him? He only came to humiliate me, didn't he?'Pain radiated from her lower abdomen, and warm blood soaked her hospital gown. Unable to tell where she was hurting anymore, she felt blood was draining out from her. She was in so much pain that her whole body went numb.Experiencing a second significant bleeding, she was rushed to the hospital and wheeled into the operating room.Although Errol was beaten, he could recover sooner because he was young. Maia, however, just had a miscarriage and was weak to begin with.She had nearly lost her life due to excessive blood loss.When she woke up, her beautiful face was deathly pale. To make matters worse, the Larkins had officially announced her divorce from Cedric.She could feel nothing but despair. With the announcement, there could be no turning back
His voice sounded certain, and it was more of a statement than a question."Nigel..."He smiled. "Your aunt asked me to talk to you about it, but I doubt it’ll make much of a difference. You know better than anyone that you should move on, but you still love him, don’t you?"Maia said nothing. She stiffly picked up the cake and ate it, again tasting bitterness. "I'm sorry for making you all worry about me. I truly am." Maia looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘What else could I say other than sorry?’She didn't want to feel this way, but when she learned that the Larkins had publicly announced her divorce from Cedric, she was overwhelmed with despair."Silly girl, what are you apologizing for?" Nigel gently wiped the tears from her face. "You’ve done nothing wrong and don't owe anyone anything. Cedric is the one who has mistreated you. If only he knew you’ve secretly helped his business for years!" When HL Corporation struggled, she secretly secured an 83 million-dolla
When Maia saw her mother's name on the envelope, she opened it quickly with trembling hands. Rosa’s familiar handwriting filled her with warmth as she read the letter."Dear Maia, you've been through a lot. "It’s remarkable that you’ve stayed loyal to the hero who saved you from the fire all these years, even though he has forgotten about you."I saw how much you loved him and felt sorry for you. I wanted to yell at you sometimes. I couldn't understand why you had to choose Cedric when there were so many incredible men around. "But then, I noticed your eyes only lit up when you saw him. After some time, I realized you only did what made you the happiest. Although I felt bad for you, I could only support your decision as any mother would."Errol has a gift for winemaking, and the winery is perfect for him. As for the responsibilities at Starlight Entertainment, that's a burden you must carry."Now that I'm gone, your uncle will take charge of Starlight. The 30 percent ownership
The caller ID displayed her father's name. With pursed lips, Maia hesitated before answering."Yes?" She couldn't bring herself to call him "Dad" and spoke impassively. "What's the matter?""Maia, how did your mother's 20 percent stake in the winery end up in Errol's name?" Homer Burgess shouted, “What have you been doing behind my back? When did your mom make this will? Why didn’t I know about it?"Now that Cedric owned 55 percent of Burgess Winery, that 20 percent stake was of utmost importance to Homer. He would be left with no rights if he lost it. Maia gripped her phone. He was being ridiculous.She mocked, "You only cared about your mistress back then. How would you know about Mom making her will?""You must’ve worked with that fucking lawyer Nigel to steal my rightful shares! What did you give him in return? Now that you've got nothing after the divorce, you must be prostituting yourself, huh?" Maia was upset. Instead of a father she could rely on, Homer was nothing but
Cedric scoffed. "Don't you think it's ridiculous to celebrate the wedding anniversary now that we're divorced?" Maia pleaded softly, "We never got to celebrate our honeymoon or anniversary together. Just this once, Cedric. Can't we make it special?""Maia, what tricks are you up to now?""I'm not up to anything. I'll leave Prismara tomorrow and will never show up here again. I promise!" Maia quickly held up a hand to swear. Cedric frowned as his head started to hurt again. He tried to shake it off. He had been suffering from headaches lately, and a piece of memory tried to force its way back into his brain. He saw flashes of a little girl's face overlaying Maia's, and he recalled her sweet voice saying, "Cedric."Concerned, Maia asked, "Is something wrong?"Despite his reservations, Cedric couldn't bring himself to say no. In a deep voice, he asked, "Are you sure you can do that?"Despite her disappointment, Maia nodded firmly. "Yes, I give you my word.""Get in the car."
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