3“Maia.” Cedric kept whispering her name over and over. He was getting more and more nervous as time went by. Cedric held her tightly as he felt like she would slip away from him at any moment. This time, he would protect her. He would make sure that she can live well. “Don’t worry, I’m here.” He comforted her and gave her a kiss on the lips. Moments later, Baz came running into the room. “Mr. Cedric, Dr. Rebecca is here.” “Cedric, lay her down. I’ll take a look.” Rebecca instructed briskly as she walked in. He nodded and moved Maia gently. He placed her down on the bed and held her hand tightly in his. Nothing else mattered to him except Maia. While Rebecca was checking Maia, the sound of a helicopter landing sounded throughout the place. Baz reported to Cedric in a solemn voice, “Mr. Cedric, Lauren is here.”Cedric sneered coldly, she sure came fast. It seemed like she could not wait to invite him over for their meeting. Before Cedric left to meet with Lauren, he whisper
She shook her head as tears continued to stream down her face. Maia turned toward Baz and instructed, “Baz, give the antidote back to them! This deal is over!” Baz could not help but tear up at the scene. He glanced at Cedric. Baz knew that Cedric would not allow him to do this. The next moment, Jimmy’s voice came through the helicopter’s intercom, “Mr. Cedric, Ms. Lauren’s patience is wearing thin. We’ve given you the antidote, yet you’re just trying to stall for time.”Cedric hugged Maia tightly as he looked at Rebecca, who had followed Maia and was standing nearby. “I haven’t checked if the antidote is genuine or not.” Rebecca took the suitcase and opened it to show him. She took one of the vials inside and did a simple test. After that, Rebecca nodded at Cedric, “They’re genuine.”Just as Rebecca finished, the helicopter was starting to take off. With determination, Cedric ordered, “Take her away!” “No! No!” Maia’s grip on Cedric tightened as a few housekeepers came towar
Maia curled up, tightly hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees."Maia, the poison in your body has been neutralized, but your body is still very weak. You must take good care of yourself."She nodded, but her movements were stiff. Rebecca suddenly grasped her wrist, wanting to give her some strength, but her pulse made her expression change slightly.At that moment, they heard a conversation outside."Mr. Baz, what are you holding in your hand?""This is... Ms. Maia's medical examination report.""Medical examination report?" Buck was puzzled."It's the one you arranged for Ms. Maia. Mr. Cedric was worried that Ms. Maia would find out, so he sent me to intercept the report as soon as possible. The report is in hand, but it doesn't mean anything anymore."As a doctor, when Rebecca heard the words "medical examination report," she immediately got up and walked towards the door."Let me see this medical examination report."Baz quickly handed the report to Rebecca.
With these words from Baz, Maia's dim eyes seemed to brighten slightly."What did you say? He... told you to give these to me?""Yes." Baz nodded and placed the stack of documents in front of Maia. "Mr. Cedric specifically instructed that these documents should be given to you as soon as he boarded the helicopter."Maia picked up a document and began to read. When she saw the contents, her complexion instantly changed. She could hear Baz's voice. "These are all Mr. Cedric's, and it's the dowry he bequeathed to you."Everything he owned. He gave her everything. As a dowry. He gave it all to her...Maia's hand holding the document started to tremble. When she lowered her gaze, tears fell onto the paper. The dining room fell silent. Baz placed a handkerchief in front of Maia. "Ms. Maia, Mr. Cedric had this all prepared in advance. He knew you would cry."Maia picked up the black handkerchief, exactly like the one he used, made of silk. She tightly held it, clutching the black ha
Maia's sleep was far from restful, perhaps because he was not by her side.That night, Maia had a dream. In the dream, she excitedly told him that she was pregnant, carrying their child in her womb. He was overjoyed, his strong arms tightly embracing her, and he kissed her countless times. He said he was going to be a father and that their child would undoubtedly be the most beautiful child ever. He thanked her for her hard work and expressed joy about having a child together. It was a blissful.Maia woke up to the sound of her cellphone ringing. Her waking irritation lingered, but the man who used to soothe her was not there anymore. Maia lowered her gaze, realizing that as happy as the dream was, reality was a cruel beast. She reached out to cover her chest, feeling an intense pain.The cellphone kept ringing.Maia looked at the phone on the bedside table, pressed the answer button, and said, "Hello? Baz, just as you expected, Cedric's uncles have already arrived at HL Corporatio
Later, Nobel, the younger cousin, chimed in, "Freddy is right. Now that Cedric has... passed away, we, as his relatives, feel regret and sorrow. But that doesn't mean you can take over here. His last name is Larkin, and all this is Larkin family property. Even if Cedric is gone, it's not your turn to take over! Be sensible and move out quickly. Otherwise, we'll come in with lawyers, throw you out, and it won't look good for you!""Yeah, Maia," Peonie continued. "By then, you might not have a single one of these slippers worth five figures!"More intelligent than Peonie, Nora just echoed, "Don't speak so harshly. Maia is now the president of Starlight Entertainment, and she must have a bright future."The implication was that a pair of slippers were nothing to her, and that what she wanted was Cedric's wealth! How could Maia not understand the meaning behind Nora's words? if she could trade all her wealth for Cedric's life, she would not even hesitate. She wanted Cedric, the person
At the moment when the words fell, Maia stood up from the chaise longue. Even wearing slippers, her nearly 1.7-meter stature was several centimeters taller than Peonie in high heels. Coupled with her chilly demeanor, she resembled an ice queen, stunning yet cold enough to make people shiver."Peonie, you really need to be more careful. You rolling your eyes doesn't look good at all."Peonie was almost scared off her feet by Maia's remark. Her face turned slightly pale, only recovering when Freddy's urging voice came from outside."Your dear husband is calling for you," Maia reminded.Peonie, already disoriented, grabbed her bag and hurried towards the door.Watching her flee in panic, Maia sneered and uttered two words. "Incompetent fool."Throughout the incident, Fischer observed everything. If they were to lay a hand on Maia, he would be the first to step up. In the end, none of them gained anything good. Once they left, the villa's doors were quickly closed by the servants, an
“You’re his buddy and confidant. It’s only right that I show you the same trust he did.” Maia sounded calm, but there was an indescribable sorrow behind her words.She could not let Cedric down. She had to protect all of this for him. For the sake of their baby.I’m going to watch over all of this, Cedric. So, please return to me in one piece. I’ve got the wedding presents you left for me. So, how could you, the groom, not show up?Lowering her gaze, Maia tried hard to suppress her grief. She knew feeling sorry for herself would not help the situation. There were simply too many things she needed to do. What she needed to do now was to keep the Larkins under her thumb.It was just like when she first survived the fire, Maia thought. If there were no options left, then she’d forge her own path.“What did you need help with, Ms. Maia?”“I want to give up the entirety of Cedric’s wealth and properties.”“What?” Paine was taken aback and thought he misheard.“You heard it right. I’
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