“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’
“If you think my watch will probably be fine, then why did you charge into the fire to retrieve the flash drive, Ms. Maia? It might be fine, too, since it’s in my safe.”“I can’t afford to take a risk with it.” She said firmly, “Better to be safe than sorry.” More to the point, anything Cedric left behind was priceless to her. Paine felt the urge to wipe his tears again when he heard her, “Well. I’m worried about my eighty-million-dollar watch as well.”Baz patted his shoulders. “I’m surprised that your house was governed by smart devices, Mr. Paine. Also, don’t you think your password is a little narcissistic?”“What’s so narcissistic about it? It’s the truth! Don’t you think I’m good-looking?”“Well. You can't use the same password anymore because of how loud you yelled earlier. I think the onlookers heard it.”“Given the state my villa’s in, I’ll have to change everything. My poor, poor sweetheart…” Paine was more upset at the mention of his sweetheart.Baz was confused, “Sw
Maia was not in a hurry to go to HL Corporation. Instead, she arrived early and parked in the underground parking lot. As per her orders, Baz installed hidden cameras and listening devices in the conference room. She could see and hear everything that was happening in there now.Wearing a black suit, she sat calmly in the rear seats. Cedric’s two uncles were already there with their sons, fighting for the property until their faces turned red.“If we want to do this right, then we should divide up the property equally and let my son be the CEO!” One of Cedric’s uncles, Virgil Larkin, spoke matter-of-factly as if his son was sure to get the position.Then, he kept going, “In consideration of both their academic achievements and ages, my son is the perfect candidate for the position! On top of it, the shareholders have known him since he was a boy. How can you think your incompetent son can compete with him?”“Who are you calling incompetent?” Another one of Cedric’s uncles, Ralph La
The voice recorder was the saving grace for the Larkins. Everyone looked at it except for Maia. She did not even look at him. Instead, she was still smiling and it grew deeper and colder.“I have the voice recorder with me, Maia. Let’s see how you’re going to backpedal now! The position of CEO is not yours to take!” Nobel said triumphantly as he played the recording. His voice could be heard clearly in the conference room."Maia Burgess, don't go too far! Even if this money has nothing to do with us, even if we didn't earn it, it's still the Larkin family's money. Don't forget, Cedric has so much wealth because he is a Larkin! Also, we may not have made money for the corporation, but about you? You have no relationship with Cedric. You shouldn't even be sitting here!""Yeah, even if I didn't earn it, I wouldn't take a penny. Can you say the same?"Everyone in the room heard the recording and unanimously turned their heads at Maia as if waiting for an explanation from her. Nobel t
“Maia, my girl. You’re pregnant. You can’t just stand there. Here, have a seat. How many times did Cedric tell you the same? You can’t stand for too long. You have to take it easy. Listen to him, will you?”Hans continued before Maia could say anything. “Here you go. Have a seat.” Then, he glared at Freddy, who was still trembling from fear. He had no clue why Hans would glare at him that way.“Why aren’t you giving that chair of yours to Maia?” Hans looked at Freddy disdainfully and said with an authoritative tone.Freddy jumped with fear and pushed the chair over to Hans, trembling. Then, Hans looked at Maia with a smile and said, “Here you go, my girl. Take a seat.”“Grandpa…” She looked at him and smiled slightly. How kind. She knew Hans really had her best interests at heart. He might have looked calm, but she could still see the sorrow in his eyes. She knew he fought through it and got here as soon as he learned about what happened. All news concerning Cedric’s demise was
“I just wanted to talk. As the new CEO, can’t I even talk to my fellow shareholders?” Maia smiled and asked. “Don’t be too cocky. Just because you’re the CEO now, doesn’t mean you’ll remain the CEO forever! No one knows what the future holds,” Virgil refuted angrily. “Yeah, you’re right. However, one thing’s for sure.” Maia paused and turned to the others in the room. “In my hands, you’ll probably have to live smartly. If you make me unhappy, you know clearly what the consequences are.” She smirked at them coldly.Virgil could only look at her and grit his teeth furiously. Maia stared back at him with equally as much aggression. She then instructed Baz to send them out. “Of course, Ms. Maia.” Baz nodded and directed the shareholders toward the exit. “One more thing.” Maia suddenly said as the shareholders were leaving, “I’m a vengeful person. I promised that I will bring hell to those who had tried anything against me.” The rest of the Larkins paled at Maia’s threat. Women c
This was major news to the city of Prismara! Everyone wanted to know who the new CEO of HL Corporations was. Maia continued to prepare herself for the public. Even with her sunglasses on, she must not allow the reporters to capture a glimpse of her being sad. The new CEO of HL Corporations was not afraid of anything. As the doors to the elevator opened, Maia walked toward the entrance of the lobby. Most of the staff members immediately nodded their heads as a form of respect toward her. Maia took every step with confidence. This was the path Cedric had prepared for her and she will make sure to walk it courageously. However, this path seemed endless. ‘How long do I have to do this alone? Are you waiting for me at the end, Cedric?I don’t need anything else but you.’The bright lights and sounds of camera clicking drew Maia back into reality. Reporters flocked up to her like hungry hyenas the moment they saw her walk out of the building. “Ms. Maia, why are you here at HL Corpo
“How does it feel to watch your meticulous plan fail?” Cedric commented coldly. Judging from his estimation and Lauren’s angry behavior, he was sure that Maia had succeeded in taking over HL Corporation. Lauren’s angry face darkened at what he had just said. She gritted her teeth and looked at him with more hatred in her eyes.Cedric remained unbothered as he tightened his grip on the recording pen that was given to him by Maia. He smirked. “Since Maia is the new CEO, your plans of taking over HL Corporation had fall apart entirely.” He lifted his head and eyed her treacherously. Cedric’s aura was so intimidating that it would make anyone shiver in fear. Lauren just laughed hysterically in response. The anger inside her made her laughter distorted and ugly. “Cedric, I didn’t expect you to use the time I gave you to plan all of this. I’m impressed that you were willing to transfer all your assets to Maia. That’s a huge amount of money that could last you a lifetime!” Cedric jus