His kiss was assertive, as if trying to declare to the world that she belongs to him. He looked at Maia with hungry eyes and it made Maia’s cheeks flushed a crimson red. “M-my back is fine now. You should go back to your meeting. We can’t have them think that the company is not as important to you.”“Since when have I placed the company above you? You’re all that I need.” Maia felt weak in her knees as her cheeks grew warmer. She was not sure if this was from his kiss or having to sit in the same position for 5 hours. “It’s my fault for making you sit in the meeting for such a long time.” Cedric apologized as he placed his chin on her head taking in the scent of her shampoo.Maia shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I’ve had long meetings like this too. I'm just tired because of the baby.” Maia stroked her tummy gently. Cedric placed his hands on her tummy too. “It’s still my fault.” Maia moved away from him as she was ticklish. “How is this also your fault?”He smirked a
In the footage, Paine was gentle while he comforted Priscilla. It was a wise choice that Maia had decided to get Paine to join this program as Priscilla’s partner. Just then, Maia’s phone rang. It was Priscilla. “Hello, Maia. I saw the headline on the hot search list. Will this cause problems to the company? I didn’t mean to cry. I just couldn’t control myself when I saw him.” “It’s fine. This would in fact attract more attention. However, there’s something else I have to clarify with you.”“What is it?”“It’s about Paine being your boyfriend on the program.”“He had already told me all about it. He said that he’s working for your company and that you had wanted him to join this reality show.” Priscilla paused before admitting, “In fact, I’d like to thank you.” “Thank me? Why?” “I was actually quite worried at first. Even though I had already known that this is a scripted reality show, I’d still feel bad if I had to capitalize on someone else’s feelings. Now, I could feel a
She could not just sit and watch while the Giles family took advantage of Marcus! She needed to do something to stop this! How could she let Marcus know that Christine already has a child and a boyfriend?What if Marcus asked why Maia was digging into the Tate and the Giles’s businesses? How could she answer that? After all, the reason she did this was to force Christine to give her the rights to The Gorgeous Detective. This matter was too complicated, and she did not know how to even start to explain it all to Marcus. It seemed like she had to think of another way to expose Christine’s secret. Just as she was plotting her next step, Maia’s cell phone rang. It was Marcus! “Hello, Marcus.” Cedric walked into the room the moment Maia answered the call. Her hand on her phone went stiff as she cursed the timing of the call.Cedric came toward her with a stoic face and lifted her from the sofa. Maia yelped in surprise as she immediately put her free hand around his neck. She mout
Before Maia could react, a force grabbed her phone, ending the call abruptly."Cedric Larkin!" Maia called his full name, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "Stop messing around!""Messing around?" He scoffed, but there was sadness in his deep gaze, and his expression was gloomy. "I paused the meeting to come and be with you. You call that messing around?"Then he stood up and walked towards the lounge."Baz.""Yes, Mr. Cedric?" Baz stood at the door, looking like an eager puppy waiting for his instructions.However, the next moment, he realized something was wrong, and his smile quickly faded. Cedric's thin lips slightly curled as he instructed, "Let's get on with the meeting, there's no need to pause again midway."Baz was taken aback, glanced into the lounge, and quickly responded, "Of course, sir."Maia wanted to call out to him, but the words got stuck in her throat.She watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit guilty. Her tone just now was indeed a bit harsh.The
Priscilla nodded, "Yes, my Class Prince.""After so long, you still remember me as your Class Prince?""Of course, back then in the school forum, you missed the title of School Prince by one vote to the Class Prince from the next class. You didn't become the Class Prince, but you kept sending girls love letters and gifts. No one can forget you as the Class Prince.""What a throwback! That's all in the past, let's not talk about it. I'm already happily married now. You've done well for yourself. Even though the Raven family fell, you've risen under Maia's leadership." The Class Prince looked at Maia with a smile.In fact, ever since Maia entered the Westwillow Hall, all eyes had been on her. This Class Prince's gaze was especially greedy, as if wanting to devour Maia.Beautiful women were common, but those who were both pure and tempting, delicate and charming, were rare, and Maia was undoubtedly the best among them. Maia didn't even spare him a glance and said, "Thanks to his ma
When Maia uttered those words, the woman pinned down shivered slightly. It wasn't clear whether the chill came from the icy water or the frighteningly cold aura emanating from Maia herself.Maia sneered and released her grip. The woman looked disheveled, with water droplets cascading down her hair, smearing her makeup all over her face. Her clothes were also damp.The onlooking women were frightened. One of them nervously spoke up, "We're all ex-classmates here. Let's not be so antagonistic.""Yeah, we might gossip a bit, but we're not bad people.""That's right, we're all ex-classmates! Class reunions are supposed to be happy occasions."They started emphasizing their supposed "classmate camaraderie."Finding it amusing, Priscilla muttered, "Where was this camaraderie when they were spreading rumors behind others' backs? Now they're all smiles, each happier than the next. What kind of people are they?""Scram," Maia lightly said to the women.The women were frightened, and the
Christine tightly bit her lower lip, fear and anxiety causing her body to tremble. After a while, she gave in."Alright, I'll tell you everything I know. Just don't harm my child and don't go after my boyfriend either. They've already faced a lot of criticism because of me. I'm not a good girlfriend and certainly not a good mother," sighed Christine heavily, her expression full of melancholy.Then, Christine sent a video to Maia. "The incident with 'The Gorgeous Detective' is indeed related to The Egoist. After my failed attempt at running a homestay, I returned to The Egoist. Just as you said, I'm just a figurehead executive, following my father around. On the third day of my return, Sally from Valentines Entertainment approached my father. You remember her, right? She's the one who secured the Zirconia District plot at the auction."Maia smiled. Sally had fallen into her trap during the auction, so she definitely remembered.Christine continued, "This woman is quite powerful. Aft
"Indeed, she is beautiful, and she has truly captured my heart."With these words, he had already stepped towards Maia."Is the gathering over?" He reached out and grabbed Maia's small hand, pulling her gently into his arms.Priscilla smiled and nodded at Cedric, sensibly stepping aside. Maia felt the strength around her waist, and her ears turned slightly red."It's not over yet. Let go, people are watching. You even scared Priscilla off."Cedric chuckled. "Did I really? Are you sure, Maia?"Maia was puzzled and looked up at Cedric.Suddenly, another man entered the Westwillow Hall, walking quickly towards Priscilla. Maia focused her eyes and realized it was Paine!"Paine?"Next, Paine quickly walked up to Priscilla, lifted her onto his shoulder in a fireman carry in one swift motion, as if he had done it a thousand times before.Priscilla exclaimed, "Paine, what are you doing? Put me down!""Paine is here, where can Little Priscilla go?""We're not on the show right now!
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