Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
On the outside, it seemed like she lived a glamorous life with the Lane family, but the truth was far from it. Aside from their crazy old grandmother, no one else truly cared about her. Dominic and his brothers had always treated her politely, but it was only because she was their sister’s replacement.
This was why she was so obsessed with marrying Timothy. It was the only way to guarantee she could live a good life in the future!
Outside the venue for the awards ceremony, the paparazzi had been pushed back by the security guards. Mia and Liam immediately hailed a cab to leave.
Inside the car, Mia saw Timothy leave the venue as well. He stood straight and tall, and his steps were confident. Shortly after, Maya ran after him and stopped him.
At the sight of this, Mia averted her gaze. She didn’t look outside anymore. The cab soon left the venue.
Liam had also noticed Timothy making his exit with Maya, but it had nothing to do with him. After all, he’d never acknowledged Maya as his cousin. She was nothing but a replacement.
Mia looked up. “Liam, do you and Maya know each other?”
“Nope. There’s a chance she knows Linden, but that’s none of my business. After all, I’m just a body double. Many people actually think we’re twins, you know. Look at how those paparazzi thought I was him!”
“If that’s the case, will this affect you? What if Linden hears about this and is upset with you?”
Liam scratched his head. “Nah, he won’t. We’re on pretty good terms.”
How could he possibly be upset with himself?
“Okay. That makes me feel a lot better.”
After returning home, Mia went out for a celebratory meal with Patricia, Dominic, and Eva. Liam’s manager called him away halfway through the meal. It probably had to do with what had happened at the awards ceremony.
After the meal, Mia returned home and placed the trophy on the table. Then, she took a photo of it and posted it on her Instagram. The caption read, “I got the trophy I missed out on three years ago.”
She got in bed after taking her folic acid. She placed a hand on her belly. Now that she’d won first place in the competition, she could probably get a higher¨Cpaying job.
Shortly after Mia posted the photo on her Instagram, Gina called her to congratulate her. They chatted for a while.
Later, Mia received a WhatsApp message from her senior in college, Felix Quilter. “Congratulations on winning the competition, Mia. I didn’t expect you to be Zoe. I heard that you plan on returning to college to complete your education. Would you be interested in working part¨Ctime at my studio?”
Mia was surprised by this. Back in their college days, Felix had been popular. Everyone knew who he was. It turned out he’d set up his own studio after graduation.
She replied, “I haven’t designed anything for three years, though.”
“The fact that you won first place in the competition is enough to show what you’re capable of. If you’re willing to work part¨Ctime here, you won’t even need to come in on a regular basis. We can negotiate your compensation and benefits,”
Mia thought about it. Working part¨Ctime wouldn’t be a bad idea. At least her hours would be relatively flexible. She replied, “Alright, then. I’ll take you up on your offer.”
The next day, she saw a message Gina had sent to her. “Be honest with me¨Cwhat
Mia saw one of the trending topics on Twitter. It was about the award¨Cwinning actor, Linden Lane’s new relationship.
Mia felt a headache coming on when she saw the trending topic. She really didn’t want to be known for this.
But after checking out the trend, she realized there was only a photo of her and Liam walking into the venue.
There weren’t any photos of her face.
She relaxed a little. It was fine as long as there weren’t any photos of her. Still, what was up with the content?
Why were people talking about how she and Liam had gotten together three years ago and were only just revealing their relationship?
She supposed it was only to be expected of entertainment news. Her and Liam’s names were the only real things in this whole mess-everything else had been made up.
Mia explained everything to Gina. She told Gina how Liam was only a body double for Linden and that the paparazzi had gotten the wrong man.
Then, she went out to buy a whole bunch of stuff. They were all gifts that she’d prepared for Dominic and Eva; they could bring the things back to Nord City.
Mia looked at Liam. “Will the rumors cause any trouble for you?”
“Nah. I’ve already spoken to the media-that photo of our backs is the only one that people will see. Don’t worry about having your face revealed.” Liam was actually a little sad about this. If only he could announce to the world that Mia was his precious cousin. It was too bad the timing wasn’t right.
Dominic said tentatively, “Mia, there must be many companies wanting to hire you now that you’ve won first place in the competition. Is there any company in particular that you’re interested in? Vista Properties is the organizer, so they must be offering the best conditions.”
He was trying his best to hint that Mia should join Vista Properties. That way, he could arrange for his people to watch over her.
Vista Properties? Wasn’t that one of the companies belonging to Maya’s family?
Mia didn’t want to have anything to do with Maya, so she shook her head. “I’ve already gotten a part- time job somewhere else. Dominic.”
Dominic was rather disappointed but didn’t say anything. Mia could work anywhere she wanted as long as she liked the place.
After sending Dominic and Eva off, Mia got ready to report for duty at Felix’s studio. On her way there, she received a call. “Hi, Ms. Bowen. I’m the manager of Barrett Group’s HR department.
“I’m actually calling to ask whether you’re interested in taking up a position with us. Your compensation and benefits are negotiable.”
Barrett Group? Mia asked hesitantly, “Why do you want me to work for you?”
Before this, Timothy had been trying to poach Zoe. He hadn’t known about Mia being Zoe. But after what had happened at the awards ceremony, Timothy had to know they were one and the same. Why was he still having
The HR manager was caught off guard by this question. After a pause, he said, “Well, you are Zoe, after all. We reached out to your friend twice before this, but you rejected us both times.
“We just wanted to make it clear that our boss genuinely admires your talent and wants to invite you to take up a position with us. It’ll be beneficial for your career development.”
Timothy admired her talent? Mia got goosebumps all over. She hurriedly said, “Sorry, but I’ve already agreed to take up a position at another studio. You can pass my thanks to your boss for his admiration, though.”
“Ms. Bowen, I’m sure anyone would know which is the better choice between us and a regular studio.”
“Yes, but there’s also something known as ¡®first come, first serve.’ You’re one step behind them, so I’m gonna have to say no. Sorry about this.” Mia hung up and stared at her phone dazedly.
She honestly couldn’t understand why Timothy was still offering her an olive branch. Could it be that his people still weren’t aware of what had happened? That had to be it.
Meanwhile, the HR manager put his phone down before giving Timothy a tentative look. “I’m sure you heard what she said, Mr. Barrett. Ms. Bowen truly isn’t interested.”
He had to admit that he found it weird, though. People wouldn’t normally turn down the opportunity to work at Barrett Group.
Timothy was poker-faced. “You can go now.”
He took his phone out and checked his Instagram. When he saw the photo Mia had posted last night, he couldn’t help having mixed feelings.
As he recalled how she’d acted last night, he wanted nothing more than to trap her in his arms so he could teach her a lesson. He wanted to pinch away her dimples.
Mia seemed to have become a completely different person after signing those divorce papers. Timothy was finding her harder to read as time passed.
At this moment, his phone pinged. He saw a push notification for a trending topic-it was about Linden’s new relationship.
His brows furrowed tightly. He clicked on it to see a photo of Mia’s and another man’s backs. She wore her champagne-colored dress, which swished with every step she took.
Timothy’s fingers twitched as he recalled how it felt when her dress had brushed against the back of his hand. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He sipped his water before summoning Heath. “Have someone take this trending topic down.”
“Yes, sir. Should I also look into which studio Mrs. Barrett has gone to?”
Timothy gave him a cold look. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Get out!”
Mia took a cab to Felix’s studio. It was located in a creative industry center that had been refurbished from an old steel plant. It exuded creative vibes.
Mia walked into the studio. The receptionist approached her and asked, “Are you here for an interview?”
“You could say that. Is Felix in?”
“Not at the moment. You can take a seat over there while waiting.”
Mia headed to the visitor’s waiting area. Then, someone called out to her. “Mia Bowen?”
She stopped and turned to see a familiar face. It was Wilhelmina. Mia was a little surprised. “What a coincidence.”
“Indeed. What are you doing here?” Wilhelmina asked.
The receptionist came over with a glass of water. “She’s here for an interview, Wilhelmina.”
Wilhelmina looked like she couldn’t believe her ears. “Would someone like you need to interview for a position at this tiny studio? Didn’t any of those established companies reach out to you?”
It didn’t make sense that the first-place winner of the Fleur International Design Competition, who was also
Zoe, the renowned designer, would show up at Felix’s studio. Besides, Mia was involved with Linden Lane!
Mia said calmly, “I have my considerations.”
A hint of wariness flashed in Wilhelmina’s eyes. “Do you and Felix know each other?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you two know each other?”
1/2:
Wilhelmina’s tone sounded a little odd. Mia was about to answer when Felix returned to the studio. He approached them and said, “You’re finally here, Mia.”
Wilhelmina asked doubtfully, “Do you two know each other, Felix?”
“Yeah. Mia was our junior in college; she’s a year below us. She had to drop out for personal reasons, though,” Felix said.