Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Mia rolled her eyes. “Privilege my ass.”
Time was of the essence. If Dominic arrived at the parking lot before Maya did, he would definitely leave without waiting for her.
Sensing the urgency, Maya left with a hurry.
Ten minutes later, Mia saw Dominic and Eva approaching the waiting area. Waving her hands, she called out,” Dominic, Eva, I’m over here!”
He trod over with a smile before patting her head. “Sorry for keeping you waiting. Are your legs numb yet?”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t that long.”
Discreetly, Eva scanned the area for Maya’s presence and sighed in relief when she wasn’t there.
“Let’s go. I’m kinda tired,” Eva said before feigning a yawn.
Dominic, understanding Eva’s unspoken concern, quickly led Mia out of the airport so they wouldn’t run into Maya.
The trio hopped into a cab, and Dominic’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing.
He stole a quick glance, and just as he had expected, it was Maya calling non¨Cstop.
However, knowing he couldn’t pick up the call, he put his phone on silent.
Mia glanced over her shoulder, concern evident in her expression, “Not going to pick up the call, Dominic? What if it’s something urgent?”
“It’s nothing urgent. I’m on leave. It’s not like the company can’t survive without me,” he calmly brushed her off, crafting a plausible excuse.
Seated next to him, Eva shot him a look.
She feels that they have greatly underestimated the sly fox Maya. How did she find out about their schedule?
Mia, oblivious to the hidden drama, pulled out her phone to shoot a message in the group chat. ¡®Heading home now. We’ll be having a feast tonight. Don’t be fashionably late, Connor.¡®
Connor replied with an emoji.
He put his phone down, already contemplating skipping work for the feast. However, his peace was short¨Clived as his phone continued to ring persistently.
It was Maya.
Connor glanced at his phone before answering the call, “Yes?”
“Connor, did you know that Dominic and Eva flew back today?” Maya questioned.
“Really? I had no clue.” He sensed Maya’s attempt to pry information, but he remained tight¨Clipped.
Eva had discreetly updated the others that Mia picked the couple up from the airport without anyone’s knowledge, narrowly avoiding Maya.
Connor had no intention of letting Maya in on the secret.
Meanwhile, Maya was still waiting in the parking lot. Time ticked by but there was no sight of Dominic and
Eva.
Maya sensed that something was off. Still on the phone with Connor, she asked him, her voice tinged with suspicion, “You seriously didn’t know?”
“I’ve been swamped with work. How would I know?”
“Dominic and Eva are really here! I was a bit late to the airport, so I didn’t manage to pick them up. Call them and ask where they are so we can have a meal together. They’re going to attend my engagement ceremony. I need to thank them properly.”
Connor fabricated an excuse. “I’m busy now. I’ll check with them when I have time.”
Maya felt defeated. Asking about Dominic and Eva’s whereabouts was definitely off the table now.
However, Maya pressed on because she could sense that he was trying to evade her questions. “Connor, do you know why Dominic wanted to acquire a small factory? It’s strange of him to suddenly invest in a small company that has nothing to do with our family business.”
Most importantly, the owner of that small company had spread damaging rumors about Mia.
Without Dominic’s sudden acquisition that made the company go bankrupt, Mia would not have escaped unscathed.
In the end, that company was announced bankrupt and Mia successfully cleared her name.
The sheer thought of it displeased Maya. She wanted to get to the bottom of it, but Dominic remained tight- lipped, leaving her in the dark.
No one told her the reason behind his decision.
Needless to say, Connor knew about it but he wouldn’t tell Maya, keeping Mia’s secret safe.
“Beats me. Dominic’s business is none of my concern anyways,” Connor replied nonchalantly.
Maya’s expression darkened as the call ended, but she quickly composed herself.
She turned towards Shelly and quickly made something up. “My brother has to deal with something urgent, so
T
“I see. Work comes first. Your brother seems like a busy man indeed,” Shelly replied.
Maya mustered a strained smile. “Yeah, he’s here in Bern City for my engagement ceremony, but work summoned him anyway. I bet he squeezed in some time just to come to the ceremony.”
Yet, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her chest.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t reveal any vulnerability to Shelly. Being the unloved Ms. Lane was her secret, and she intended to keep it that way.
No one in Bern City knew about that.
That was precisely why she was determined to settle down there and marry Timothy.
Shelly looked envious. “Your brother may be busy, but he treats you well. He gives you loads of pocket money, unlike my cousin. He froze my card, and nobody in the family dared to say a word about it.”
The freezing of her cards weighed heavily on Shelly.
Maya’s expression briefly stiffened at the mention of pocket money.
In actuality, it was her hard¨Cearned money and savings.
Maya wasn’t an extravagant spendthrift like Shelly.
If Maya was the true daughter of the Lane family, she wouldn’t have had to endure such hardships.
Her life could have been as carefree as Shelly’s.
Mia, Dominic and Eva arrived home, finding Patricia hard at work in the kitchen.
Eva sniffed the air. “It smells amazing. I wonder what Aunt Patricia is making.”
“She’s whipping up some local delicacies. Remember how you said you love them? She snagged the freshest ingredients from the morning market just to perfect the dishes,” Mia grinned.
“Awesome! I’ll go help her out in the kitchen.” Eva set down the presents before dashing towards the alluring aroma of delicious foods.
Meanwhile, Dominic settled on the living room couch.
Mia offered him a plate of fruits. “You must be exhausted from the long flight. Come, have some fruit. You need to replenish those vitamins.”
Dominic wasn’t a fan of fruits because of their sweetness. Taking vitamin pills was normally his way of replenishing his nutrients.
Despite this, he took small bites of the fruits Mia offered.
He reassured Mia between bites, “Mia, don’t worry about the rumors. Jason will hold those people responsible for what they did. Wilhelmina has received a lawsuit letter.
“Now, that company is on the brink of bankruptcy and someone might swoop in to buy it. That family will lose their home and drown in debts soon. None of them can get away with what they did.”
Holding the plate of fruits, Mia stared at him in bewilderment. “Dominic.”
“If something’s bothering you, just say it, Mia.” He met her gaze with anticipation.
The reason behind him putting off his work to rush over here was to deal with this issue.
After all, as the eldest brother, it was his duty to protect his sister from such baseless accusations.
Taking a bite of fruit, Mia questioned, “Dominic, how did you know that that family would lose their home and carry a burden of debts soon?”
Mia could understand Jason’s pursuit of justice, given his role at a law firm.
However, the impending bankruptcy seemed like insider information.
It was almost as if Dominic was gearing up to acquire that company.
His eyelids fluttered as the realization hit that he might’ve revealed too much information.
Swiftly regaining composure, he said, “Vista Properties is set to acquire that company, and I happen to work there. That’s why I’m privy to the information.”
“I see. What a coincidence,” Mia remarked calmly, although a sense that something was amiss lingered at the back of her mind.
In Mia’s understanding, Maya’s brother ran that company.