“I don’t care what happens to her.” Sally grinned sweetly, not the least bit worried, “You took my daughter so you can threaten me. What a joke! You can’t. I never cared about her!”Then, she cackled again. She looked so crazy that even her eyes went red with madness.“You can’t threaten me with my daughter, but that doesn’t mean I can’t threaten you with Maia!” At the next moment, she yanked Maia’s hair and dragged her back.It was painful, but Maia bit her lips and tried not to wince. She didn’t make any sound even when her lips started to bleed. She knew better than anyone that it was extremely tormenting for Cedric to see her in pain. After all, she mattered most to him.He frowned and strained his eyes so hard it looked like they were about to pop. His fists were clenched so tightly that the veins popped out. It was hard for him to contain his anger!He counted on using Greta to threaten her, but it looked like she wasn’t Sally’s weakness after all. She couldn’t care less abo
The two bodyguards, who were standing nearby, were shocked by what they saw. Even Sally was having trouble believing what she saw.What was incredible was that he stabbed both of his thighs in a sharp and decisive manner. It takes the most courage to inflict harm on oneself!However, he did so without any hesitation. His imposing bearing wasn’t even diminished in the face of the injuries in his thighs. On the contrary, it made him look like someone who was bloodthirsty and induced fear.Maia’s voice was hoarse and she couldn’t utter a single word. All she could do was weep and sob.‘Why…? Why couldn’t you learn to love yourself? You’d readily give up anything for my sake, even your life. You’d kill yourself if that was what it took to save me, but you didn’t know how painful it was for me to watch you. I didn’t want you to hurt and sacrifice yourself like this!‘Think about all the sacrifices you made and the reckless actions you took. How many times could you survive before you r
Pablo nodded. What she said was true. As a father, he knew very well that kids shouldn’t shoulder their parent’s burden.“Thank you. I think Greta should live under your care more than mine. If it’s possible, I hope she doesn’t know the kind of parents she had. I’m leaving her in your hands, Ms. Maia.”Nodding, she said, “Leave it to me.”“Thank you… Truly…” He thanked her again as blood spilled out of his mouth. Straining to look at Sally, he exclaimed, “Let’s hope I’ll never see you again in the afterlife!”Directing his gaze at the blue sky, he chortled. A few seconds later, he trailed off into silence and stopped breathing for good.She turned her head away as Cedric pulled her into his arms. Feeling the warmth from his body, she said, “He did one wrong thing after another because he loved Sally. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. “Although he had it coming, I just can’t stop myself from feeling sorry for him. I know for a fact that he lov
Although Cedric sustained some injuries, they were just flesh wounds. The fact that he didn’t drive the daggers in too deep meant that he didn’t damage his bones. All it took was some stitches and some time to recover and he would be right as rain.Everyone made it back safe and sound. That was the best thing they could ask for in such a perilous endeavor.“I’ll ask the chefs to prepare a feast tonight. All of us can have a proper meal! Best of all, everyone’s here this time!” Lauren laughed a lot. Then, she left with the servants’ help and watched over the preparation of the dinner.“Don’t push yourself, Mom!” Eddie said worryingly. Nodding, she said, “Alright. I know that. I’m just so happy!”The doctor finished up with the stitching and gave him some advice before getting ready to leave their bedroom. Maia was letting the gynecologist run some tests on her to make sure her baby was fine. She was just done with the examination when she heard a series of hurried footsteps.
Lauren might’ve hated Sally, but she was a mother to two sons. She knew very well that the little girl was innocent. No matter what happened, she shouldn’t take it out on a kid who was barely three years old. On top of that, while Greta was an active little girl, she was never naughty. She even called her ‘Grandma’ in an affectionate way. Lauren was the happiest when she asked for a hug from her.“Going by your logic, that makes me a grandmother too.”“What do you mean, Grandma?”Lauren responded with a smile, “It means I’m very happy to have you as my granddaughter, Greta.”“Well. I’m also very happy to have you as my grandma!” That brought a smile to Lauren’s face. She was happy from the bottom of her heart.Amanda passed a bottle of warm milk to Greta and corrected her, “You should’ve said that you’re happy to be her granddaughter, Greta.”The little girl nodded and said again in her cute voice, “I’m happy to be your granddaughter!” Then, she hugged Lauren and kissed her.L
When Maia heard Greta call her aunt, she took off the bracelet and put it on Greta. “This is a gift for you.” “Wow! It’s really pretty! Thank you, Aunt Maia.” Greta looked at the butterfly bracelet on her wrist fondly and thanked Maia by placing a kiss on her cheek. “Aunt Maia is also really pretty! I think you’re my favorite aunt!” “How about your uncle? He’s your favourite too?” Amanda asked Greta. Greta turned to look at Cedric and immediately retreated into Amanda’s arms. Amanda was confused as she asked, “What’s wrong?”Greta whispered as she buried her face in Amanda’s neck, “Uncle Cedric is too handsome. I’m too shy to look at him.” “How about your daddy? Am I not handsome as well?” Eddie teased. Greta turned to Eddie and said, “I think Uncle Cedric is the most handsome!” Lauren laughed when she saw Eddie’s facial expression. “Serves you right for teasing your brother just a while ago.” The family was able to enjoy dinner as the room was constantly filled with l
“Cedric! Stop being such a rascal!” Maia tried to stare at Cedric angrily but her red cheeks had exposed how shy she felt toward his comments.“What do you mean?” He smiled at her innocently. Maia extended her legs and tried to give him a gentle kick, but he had managed to grab her ankles. “Be careful, I might just make this longer.” His comment made Maia blush a darker shade of red. Maia’s shyness was also attractive to him. As he looked at her rosy cheeks, he felt his self-control slowly slipping away. However, Cedric also remembered that Maia was pregnant. He did not want to tire her out. The next thing Maia knew, he had wrapped her in their blanket and lifted her.Maia’s eyes widened in surprise as she yelped, “Cedric, put me down. Your legs are still injured!” “Honestly, your weight is nothing to me.”Maia was worried as she demanded, “No, put me down this instance!” “Don’t move, we’re almost in the bathroom.” Maia’s burrows furrowed in anger. By the time they entered
Baz called Shelly back. When Shelly answered the call, Baz explained and told her not to worry. “Mr. Cedric had specifically permitted me to do this. So, there’s nothing to worry about.”“What?”“He said that it was acceptable as long as I didn’t kill him. I broke a few of Andrew’s rib bones and threw him on his doorstep. “Even though it wasn’t even half of what you had suffered from, he won’t be able to recover anytime soon.” Baz informed Shelly as he smiled in relief.“Does Andrew know that you’re responsible for this? I’m worried that he will seek revenge.” “He was blindfolded throughout the process. He’ll just assume that this was also Sally’s doing. After all, she was the one who had stripped him naked and locked him in the basement.”Shelly took in a sharp breath when she heard him.“Don’t be afraid.”“I’m not afraid. I’m just surprised that someone as gentle as you could be so vicious.”“Then, you’d be surprised to see how Mr. Cedric behaves in front of Ms. Maia. He h
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