Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Timothy watched as Mia stood up from her seat in the second row. Her champagne¨Ccolored dress accentuated her smooth skin, and her face was alight with happiness. Even her eyes were shining.
In this instant, she looked like she was glowing. She was nothing like the timid, lowly woman in his memories.
But what surprised Timothy the most was the fact that Mia was Zoe. Did this mean that Mia had deliberately rejected his olive branches?
Timothy stared hard at her. It was almost as if he wanted to burn holes in her with his gaze.
Suddenly, he found he couldn’t really understand Mia despite being married to her for three years.
Mia walked out of the second row with her head held high. There was a faint smile playing on her lips. As she walked toward the stage, she saw Maya remaining rooted to the spot. She stopped and smiled meaningfully. “Did you mean to surprise me with this, Ms. Lane?”
Maya clenched her fists and forced out a smile. “Congratulations on your victory.
“Instead of congratulating me, I think it’s only right for you to apologize, Ms. Lane. After all, the Fleur International Design Competition is such an important competition. If mistakes like this were to happen all the time, would anyone have faith in its authenticity and fairness?”
Maya’s eyes darkened. The bitch was mocking her! Still, she knew this wasn’t the right place for her to throw a tantrum. She suppressed her anger. “Indeed, this is a mistake on our part. We’ll do our best to make it up to you.”
“If that’s the case, how about you present the award to me, Ms. Lane?” Mia didn’t budge. She stared right into Maya’s eyes and calmly waited for an answer.
Maya noticed people staring at them. There was no way in hell she would willingly present the award to Mia. She turned to look at Timothy, hoping that he would speak up for her. Mia would definitely go along with him.
To her dismay, Timothy sat there, looking emotionless. But his eyes were fixed on Mia, and his gaze was unfathomable.
Mia noticed his gaze on her. She met it, refusing to back down.
Timothy narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “As the organizer’s representative, it’s only right for you to present the award, Ms. Lane.”
Hearing this, Maya had no choice but to nod in agreement despite her extreme reluctance. She was incredibly pissed.
Mia smiled. She turned away from Timothy and lifted her gown as she walked on stage. It had been three years. Finally, she could stand on this stage again.
Mia accepted the trophy from Maya. At this moment, one of the judges, who was seated off¨Cstage, said, “Ms. Bowen, your designs are almost identical to the renowned designer, Zoe’s style and flair. Are you two one and the same?”
Mia smiled faintly and answered, “I don’t think I’m worthy of being known as a renowned designer. After all, I’ve been away from the industry for a long time now.”
“Then why did you choose to suddenly disappear three years ago?”
Mia felt a piercing gaze land on her at this question. She looked off¨Cstage to meet Timothy’s gaze.
A trace of mockery flashed in Mia’s eyes. “Some personal matters delayed me for three years, that’s all.”
Three years ago, she’d married Timothy. Off stage, Timothy frowned. Was she saying that he’d held her back for three years?
He leaned back, feeling annoyed as he glared at Mia. How dare she imply that! She was the one who’d married him for money!
Maya subconsciously glanced at Timothy. When she noticed how he only had eyes for Mia, she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her gaze darkened.
At this moment, the chief coordinator said, “Feel free to say a few more words, Ms. Bowen. Quite a number of people here are curious to know more about Zoe’s -or perhaps I should say, your¨C participation in this competition.”
Mia accepted the microphone with a glance at Maya. “Firstly, I have to thank Ms. Lane for allowing me to experience going from being eliminated to winning first place.”
Maya could barely keep her smile in place. Still, she had to force herself to put on an awkward smile.
Mia looked at the audience off¨Cstage and continued, “Secondly, I want to thank someone else for my victory today. If not for him, I wouldn’t be where I am now, nor would I have won this award.”1
The chief coordinator asked excitedly, “And who would that be?”
Mia smiled without answering. She walked off stage with the trophy in hand and headed in a specific direction.
Maya watched as Mia headed in Timothy’s direction. Her expression shifted. What was Mia trying to do?
Timothy watched as Mia came in his direction. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes flashed. He slowly sat up straight as his heart inexplicably started racing. He tried to figure out what Mia was up to as she approached. Was she playing hard to get again?
Mia stopped before him. His breathing hitched; he even straightened his legs as he watched her with a dark gaze.
Everyone’s gazes landed on them. At this moment, Mia looked down at him with
Timothy stiffened and watched as Mia breezed past him. Her champagne¨Ccolored dress brushed against the back of his hand; the scented material was as smooth as her skin.
Timothy’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. His fingers twitched, but he didn’t manage to catch anything. He turned to see Mia moving past two rows of seats to throw herself into a man’s arms. Timothy pursed his lips tightly as his expression became frostier than ever.
The crowd started cheering when they saw Mia throw her arms around a man. Some of the men even whistled.
Mia looked up at Liam as she hugged him. With a smile, she said, “Thanks, Liam.”
If not for him realizing that something was amiss with the competition and requesting for the judges to score the designs again, she probably would’ve missed her opportunity today.
Liam didn’t expect Mia to be so happy. He caressed her on the head. “It was nothing. You’re the one with the talent to back yourself up.”
He thought Dominic had pulled some strings to make this happen. Earlier, he’d been genuinely worried upon seeing how Mia had been picked on. It was a surprise to find out that Mia was actually Zoe.
Mia smiled a little shyly. “It’s been three years, so I wasn’t too confident in myself.”
When she’d first learned about being eliminated, she’d only felt upset. She’d even thought that things would’ve been different if she hadn’t given up three years ago to marry Timothy.
Fortunately, the heavens were still in favor of her.
As the people around them continued cheering, Mia glanced at the first row out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to see the look on Timothy’s face.
Mia had to admit that she’d done it on purpose. She held her trophy tightly when she noticed that Timothy’s back was to her. It seemed he hadn’t turned to look at her, nor was he bothered by her earlier actions.
Mia retracted her gaze and caught Maya approaching them. She didn’t seem to be looking at Mia, though. Her gaze was fixed on Liam. Did they know each other?
Maya greeted Liam with a smile. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Liam sounded cool and distant. “The world can be a small place.”
Maya wanted to say something else, but Liam didn’t give her the chance to.” Let’s go, Mia.”
Mia didn’t think there was any need for her to remain there. It would be good to head home earlier. She wasn’t too used to wearing heels and almost twisted her ankle as she walked. Liam held her up by the arm. “Slow down.¡®
“Okay.” She linked arms with him; it made her feel more secure. She didn’t want to embarrass herself by slipping and falling.
When they got to the entrance, the paparazzi swarmed them again. “Mr. Lane, are you and Zoe currently dating? How long have you two been together?”
“Mr. Lane, did Zoe drop out of the competition three years ago for your sake?”
Mia hadn’t expected the paparazzi to still be around. She’d never experienced something like this before and couldn’t help feeling scared.
Similarly, Liam hadn’t expected the paparazzi to be so persistent. He’d come alone tonight without his bodyguards or manager. He could only shield Mia behind him so that she wouldn’t get hurt.
Timothy didn’t look too pleased when he saw the paparazzi standing in Liam and Mia’s way. At this moment, Maya said, “It looks like Liam’s serious this time. It’s no wonder Dominic was willing to help.”
Timothy lowered his gaze. “She won first place with her skill, not some underhanded tricks.”
Maya realized she’d had a slip of the tongue. She hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. “This really was an accident, Tim. I didn’t expect there to be a mix¨Cup between the first and last places.”
Timothy had been watching the entrance this whole time. He said to Heath coldly,
*??
Honestly, he was mainly irritated by Liam and Mia. After giving the order, Timothy strode toward the entrance. Maya remained rooted to the spot. She wanted to chase after him but didn’t have the nerve. She’d really messed up this time.
Shelly hurried over to her, still looking like she was in disbelief. “Maya, is Mia really Zoe?”
Maya paused. “I’m not sure, really. Zoe’s never revealed what she looks like, and there’s nothing about her on her official website. Many people have tried to link themselves to her over the years.”
Shelly snorted. “That’s what I thought. Mia must be faking it. For all we know, she could’ve paid someone to get those designs done! I can’t believe how obnoxious she was earlier, demanding that you present the award to her and everything. God, I was furious.”
Maya smiled bitterly. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Don’t worry, Maya. I’ll get even with her on your behalf.”
Maya’s eyes flashed. She deliberately said, “Don’t do anything rash, Shelly. She’s found someone new to back her up now.”
“Ha! There’s nothing to fear about a woman who only knows how to depend on other men for survival!”
Maya didn’t say anything else at this. Shelly wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was quite useful at times.
She was about to run after Timothy when she received a call from Dominic. She answered it in trepidation. “Hi, Dominic.”
“Maya, I think you should steer clear of anything to do with the competition and the branch company for now. You should know what I think of the mistake you made today,” Dominic said.
Maya’s expression changed. “Dominic, I can explain this. I had nothing to do with this; someone else messed up somewhere.”
“But you’re the one running the show. It’s your responsibility to bear.”
When Dominic had learned about Mia going missing for a short while because she was so upset over being eliminated, he’d been so panicked that he’d almost rushed over to the ceremony to stand up for her. Fortunately, Eva had stopped him.
It was also fortunate that the truth had been revealed and that Mia had turned out to be Zoe. There was no doubt she’d won first place based on her skill.
Dominic didn’t want Mia to suffer any grievances, especially since this was such an important competition.
Maya wanted to continue explaining herself, but the call had already been disconnected. She knew how decisive and ruthless Dominic was, so she didn’t dare to call him to continue arguing with him.