Maia knew that he was crucial to the company. That was why she had gone all the way to Eldertown.“Do I have anything planned after 4 p.m.?” Maia asked. “Nope, nothing.” Maia nodded. She was planning to leave early today. “Buck, I want you to look into the news about Zera oppressing the careers of other female actresses.” “Are you going to sue that bitch?” “I know what she’s like. How dare she try to rob my sister of a job opportunity? Someone like her doesn’t deserve to be idolized.”Buck nodded in agreement as he added, “Did she really steal one of Ms. Hope’s jobs?” “You seem quite concerned about about my sister,” Maia teased.“No, I was just curious. I think she’s a good actress!”“Well then, you should investigate this thoroughly. Don’t you want to teach Zera a lesson too?”“Of course, I do! I’ll make sure to find out everything I can!” Buck vowed.After Buck had left Maia’s office, she could not help but notice that he was being rather emotional. Maia smiled kno
“I’m sorry, Maia. I can only apologize for everything that has happened. Please, let Yvette go. I promise that we’ll never do anything to hurt you or Errol again!” Homer pleaded pathetically.A sad smile crept onto Maia’s beautiful face. This man was her father, but all he ever did was hurt them. Now, he was even begging for forgiveness on behalf of the woman who had hurt her and her brother.“It pains me to know that mother had chosen to spend most of her life with you. You're just a piece of shit that would use her memory in exchange for another woman’s freedom!” Maia found this situation so ridiculous that it made her laugh. Maia’s outburst caused Homer to lift his head. His eyes were red and moist with tears. However, Maia did not know who they were for, and it did not matter anymore.She took a deep breath and studied the wooden chest before walking towards it. She questioned solemnly, “Did you have anything to do with my mother’s death?”“W-what do you mean? She died by s
Cedric took out his handkerchief, wanting to dry her tears. As Maia kept avoiding his touch, he decided to pull her into his embrace and restrained her movements.“If you keep squirming, I can’t promise that I won’t do anything more to you,” he whispered into her ear.“You asshole!”“You’re making it very hard for me to restrain myself.”Maia immediately stopped moving. She could still remember how he had treated her the last time they were in the car together.Maia started to cry again as she felt a sense of helplessness. She started yelling, “Why does everyone keep trying to take advantage of me? Do you all enjoy it?”Cedric felt his fingers burn as her tears touched them. He hugged her tighter as he repeated, “Never again. No one will ever be able to take advantage of you.”Cedric continued to calm her down gently. His usual cold and demanding character had disappeared without a trace.“What am I to you? Why should Hope be given a family when my mother isn’t here anymore?
Cedric was taking a while as he refused to leave Maia’s side. ‘How could she be so cute even as she sleeps?’ …Back in the living room, Baz and Dr. Moore kept looking at the stairway. The moment they saw Oswald, Baz rushed forward and asked, “How did it go? Did Mr. Cedric agree?”Oswald nodded and both of them sigh with relief. “You had me worried a second there. Mr. Cedric’s back suffered second-degree burns a year ago. He was lucky that it was in winter or else his wounds would’ve been worse. This time, he happened to have injured his back in summer. I’m worried that his new wound would cause inflammation!”Dr. Moore has been the Larkin family’s doctor for many years and knew Cedric well. He could be as stubborn as a mule.“How did Mr. Cedric hurt himself?” Oswald asked.“It was to save Ms. Maia,” Baz answered truthfully.“It was because of Ms. Maia again? Those burns were because of her too!”Baz nodded. When he was about to continue, the sound of footsteps echoed in the
As Maia was walking towards the door, her cell phone rang. She fumbled for her phone and answered the call.Buck’s worried voice came from the other side, “Ms. Maia, you have to see this!”“What’s wrong?”“You should check your Twitter. I just got a call from the PR department. They’re trying to do damage control,” Buck reported to her nervously.Maia quickly got on Twitter to see what was going on.‘Actor Bruno Fletcher Caught Cheating’‘Bruno Fletcher Seen with 3 Escorts’Two out of the top 10 trending posts were about Bruno. There were short clips, photographs, and even screenshots of his chat messages posted all over Twitter.Starlight Entertainment’s official Twitter account was in chaos as the public flocked to drop their two cents about the incident.“His wife just had a baby and he’s out having fun!”“Wow, I didn’t expect to come across such news at a time like this! Bruno is so disgusting! His public image is ruined! Judging from those clips, this was probably not hi
"Where’s the oatmeal?" "Be right back." Cedric ruffled her hair and smiled lovingly before heading toward the kitchen. He then returned carrying a steaming bowl of oatmeal. "Eat slowly. It's hot."When he placed it before her, Maia noticed his fingers were red and swollen. "What happened to your hand?""I got burned," he said casually.A rich man like him must have never cooked anything in his whole life before. "Shouldn't you apply some cream?" she asked stiffly, trying not to sound concerned.He smiled. "It's no big deal."Maia then started to eat slowly. His gesture would have been very moving if it were the past. However, it was different now.Suddenly, Maia's phone rang again. When she answered the call, Buck's voice said, "Check out the trending topic on Twitter! Someone released videos, chat records, and voice messages that show Zera has been fooling around overseas and in the set! This has diverted public attention away from us!" Instead of checking Twitter, M
Breaking down in tears, Zera clutched Cedric's clothes as she hurried into the house. "I'm done this time, Cedric. Only you can save me now!" Seeing this, Rita said, "Cedric, I know we could’ve been kinder to Maia, but what she did in the past was too much! Besides, I bet she's somehow behind the scandals." "You're damn right I am," Maia said as she leaned against the wall nearby. Cocking her head, she waved at Rita and Zera. "Good evening, guys." Rita and Larkin were stupefied to see her show up in a nightgown. "Y-you… " Rita looked at Maia and then at Cedric in disbelief. "What the hell is going on?"Maia smiled at her. "What do you think?"Rita palmed her heart and stumbled backward a few steps. Pointing at Maia, Zera screamed, "You fucking whore!"She turned to Cedric while sobbing. "See? She admitted it herself! You can't let her do this to me, Cedric! I know I was in the wrong, and I apologize, okay? Please don't do this to me, or I'm going to kill myself!"Maia smi
Hearing this, Cedric stopped dead in his tracks. There was a slight shift in his gaze. "You wouldn't dare."Maia smiled. "Try me.""Okay, you win." Letting out a bitter smile, he put her down gently.As she found her footing, she noticed the change in his expression. It was a look of loneliness. Maia could not help but feel bad for him. Looking away, she turned and said coldly, "Just stay out of my face forever."That was what she wished for most. Her eyes turned red. Perhaps it was due to the strong wind on Prismara Hill?She headed toward Nigel. When the guards saw Maia, they looked at Cedric and only backed away after he gave them a slight nod."Let's get the hell out of here." Nigel opened the front passenger door for Maia, and she got in.Soon, the car moved away. Staring after it, Cedric took out his phone and sent Maia a text. Maia's phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw Cedric's message. It read, "I'll die to protect you from now on."Tears welled up in her eye
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