“Mr. Cedric, Ms. Maia left the Cloud Nine Residences shortly after you arrived at the Central Tower,” Baz replied. “Where’d she go?” “She went to Mr. Linden’s residence for about an hour.” Baz explained in a single breath as he slowly moved away from his boss, "She was also with a well-built male who looks to be about 2 meters tall.” He could already feel Cedric’s aura darken. “I’d love to see who dares steal my woman!” Zera was inside the ward when she overheard Cedric’s comment. Her expression turned sour as she gripped the hem of her blouse. Her eyes were filled with hatred.“Maia, you slut! Why didn’t the fire kill you? How dare you come back and try to steal Cedric away from me? Just you wait!” Zera’s lips trembled in anger. …Maia created a stir when she showed up at Starlight Entertainment. Most of the staff members could not stop talking about her. “Ms. Maia looks better in person. She just smiled at me, and she looks so pretty.”“She is not only pretty but ver
Maia still could not believe it. She saw her mother's psychiatric report herself. "Yes, I have your mother's health reports for the last five years at least," Phil admitted. “Her psychiatric reports were included. I kept them to use them as leverage if I found something wrong. But she was totally healthy! She was never diagnosed with depression." Phil’s final words echoed in Maia’s head. Her mother was a healthy woman! Maia was taken aback by the news about her mother two years after her death.If what Phil said was true, why would the hospital release a false report? What were they trying to hide? If her mother did not commit suicide, what exactly caused her death?What was going on here? As Maia remained silent, Phil's concerns grew. "The financial manager who handles our company's annual health checks is a close friend," he insisted. “I guarantee these reports! The files are still on my computer. I can forward them to you right away!” Phil fumbled for his cell phone, e
As someone started to clap, thundering applause gradually sounded throughout the room. The meeting continued for another two hours before adjourning. Maia called out to Robert before he was about to exit the room. “Uncle Flint.”Robert turned to Maia, puzzled. “How can I help you, Maia?”“Uncle Flint, the person you were referring to is Jordan Cantrell, right?”“Of course. He was one of the best in the business. Countless companies tried to hire him. It was such a shame he was fired!" Robert sighed. “Do you know what happened to him?” Maia asked. "Your mother's passing had a significant impact on him. After your uncle became the new chairman, Jordan was fired,” Robert lamented. “It was a known fact that the reason he stayed with us was because of your mother, after all! It was such a shame.”“My mother,” Maia murmured. “Are you planning to get him back at Starlight Entertainment?” Maia nodded without hesitation. “It won’t be an easy task. After being fired, numerous c
“Tell her I’m busy.”“Yes, Ms. Maia.” Maia hung up and continued to focus on her work. …“Did she receive the flowers?” Cedric asked as he set aside his files.“Yes, they were delivered. Ms. Maia has received them.” Baz replied.“How did she react?” Baz chose his words carefully. “Ms. Maia gave the roses to her employees. Everyone in the company got one. She also transferred 27 thousand dollars into our corporate account.” How dare she give her staff the roses and then send him the money? She was making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. Baz could feel his boss getting angrier. He could only lower his head and try to disappear, thinking, ‘Ms. Maia is bold. This was the first time his boss had ever given anyone flowers. Yet, she gave them all to someone else!’ Suddenly, he heard the sound of a pen snapping in half. Baz felt a shiver down his spine.For the next few hours, HL Corporation was shrouded in a cloud of gloom, which did not lift until the end of
Buck’s thrilled voice said, “Ms. Maia, I found Jordan Cantrell!” This was good news, especially for Starlight Entertainment.“Where is he?”“He’s living in Eldertown now, working as a math teacher at a high school.” “Get me the fastest ticket to Eldertown tonight!” Maia needed to leave this instant! “Yes, of course.” “Maia, are you going somewhere? I heard you asking someone to book tickets for you?” Tess asked as she placed a dish on the dining table. “Aunt Tess, I’m sorry but I need to leave for Eldertown tonight.” Maia told Tess truthfully. “Eldertown? That’s quite a distance from here. Why do you need to go there?” “Jordan Cantrell lives there. He used to be the chief financial officer of Starlight Entertainment.” Maia clarified. “Are you looking for him to get him to come back?” Errol interjected. “Yes, I think he is most suitable for this position." Maia nodded. The position of chief financial officer was one of the most important in the company. Maia need
”Shit!” Cedric cursed as he thought of the possibilities. He lit a cigarette as he got into the car, slamming the door hard. Baz cowered in fear. He knew very well that Cedric was not a smoker. The only time Cedric had allowed himself to succumb to alcoholism and cigarettes was when he thought Maia had died. Yet here he was, smoking again because of her. “Find out where she is at once!” He would not allow himself to lose her again. “Yes, sir.” Ten minutes later, Cedric got Maia’s exact location. “Mr. Larkin, Ms. Maia left for Eldertown 20 minutes ago.”“Eldertown?” Cedric asked slowly.Baz nodded. “Get me tickets for Eldertown immediately,” Cedric demanded. “I’m sorry, but the last train has already left.” “Are there any other train stations nearby?” “There’s one, but we’ll have to drive another 290 kilometers to Eldertown. Perhaps we could get tickets for the first train the next morning?” Baz asked.“Get me those tickets tonight,” Cedric replied firmly. “Yes,
As her back hit the floor, her legs collided against the edge of the bed. One of her arms had a huge cut from the shattered glass and was bleeding badly. The pain from her throbbing arm kept her conscious. She bit her lips hard as she tried to stand, grabbing hold of a table for support. Another loud thud echoed through the building. At that moment, the alarms in the hotel rang, and she could hear a staff member speaking urgently through the PA system. “All guests please evacuate the building through the emergency stairway on the sixth floor. Leave all valuables behind! This is an emergency!”Seconds later, the announcement ceased as the hotel was again thrown into darkness. The backup power was gone.Maia endured the throbbing pain as she stood up slowly. She dragged herself towards the door and hurled it open with all her strength.Moments later, the door slammed shut behind her with a bang as the strong wind continued to blow. The corridor she was in was covered in shattere
“What is it?” Aiken turned back to Maia.“Please be careful.”“Don’t worry about me! Make sure you take care of my sunglasses, I’ll come get them when I’m back. You should take a break while you can!” Aiken said, flashing an OK sign to reassure her.“Of course,” Maia promised.Aiken then left with the others to help the locals.After what seemed like hours, the winds began to clear up. However, the rain still showed no signs of subsiding.The rapid water currents were strong and rushed toward the lower areas in the town. Most of the roads were flooded.Maia looked out through the windows. She saw that the tide was as high as a two-story building. Numerous residential areas around the hotels were completely destroyed.Maia’s fatigue started to set in and she slowly drifted off to sleep. Suddenly, a woman in the room screamed, “Look! A child! There’s a child in the water!”“Oh my God! It’s really a child! Is there anyone else who could swim here?”“All the good swimmers left to
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