Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Mia nodded. “I’ve heard of it before. In fact, this incident is quite renowned in the hacker circle. A lot of people deemed it as a legendary act, and they even refer to the initiator, doomBringer, as the hero.” “Mommy, what do you think about it then?”
Mia thought Sage’s sudden question was quite strange. Still, she replied patiently, “It’s quite impressive. I personally respect doomBringer a lot as well. I heard that he still managed to crush the terrorists despite receiving death threats on his end.”
Sage continued, “What kind of person do you think doomBringer is, Mommy?”
Eyeing him curiously, Mia asked, “Why do you ask? Do you know who doomBringer is? Members of that organization communicate using codes, and they never reveal their real identities. They don’t want terrorists to find out who they are and endanger their families.”
“Mommy, answer my question first.” Sage looked uneasy.
Mia thought for a while and replied, “I suppose doomBringer is a hero, all right. His actions have also proven to those who looked down on hackers. Many hackers idolize him, and the hackers’ reputation has also improved a lot since then.”
“Do you think a hero is actually a hero in real life? Or is it just an act?”
Mia found Sage’s remarks to be quite odd. “It’s hard to say. But I suppose he isn’t a bad guy after gathering so many people to accomplish a huge task.”
Noting his thoughtful expression, she continued immediately, “In fact, there’s another secret regarding this incident. Do you want to hear it?”
Sage glanced up at her. “Sure.” Was she also aware that doomBringer was actually his scumbag father?
Mia chuckled, “Your Uncle Nathan also joined this organization back then, crushing the terrorists alongside doomBringer. But Nathan never mentioned this in public because he was worried that he might be targeted. Only we know about it. After all, this incident had such a great impact and those terrorists were very formidable.”
Sage was unfazed because he already knew about this. Although Nathan had never mentioned it to him, he had deduced that Natham was the one who fought alongside Timothy through Timothy’s words. However, neither of them knew who the other was.
Nodding his head, Sage remarked, “Uncle Nathan is remarkable.”
“Of course But Sage, why are you suddenly interested in doomBringer? You’re even asking whether he’s a good person in real life. Do you actually know who he is?” S
Sage turned away. “I have no idea. I’m just asking.”
Sensing his peculiar demeanor, Mia wondered whether Timothy had told him something.
She grabbed the headset and turned on the mic again. “Timothy, what did you tell Sage? Spill it!”
“I just told him a story. Nothing else.”
“Then stay away from my son in the future.”
Mia shut down the computer promptly. Gazing at Sage, she cooed, “Don’t worry. You’ll be discharged in a few days and you can live with us by then.”
A faint smile spread across Sage’s face. He suddenly remembered something and said, “Mommy, does he already know who I am?”
Sage thought he had hidden it well. But now that he thought of it, it really did seem strange.
It turned out that Timothy had been trying to approach him all this while, yet he still believed his attempt to conceal his identity had been successful.
How infuriating!
Chapter 1060
Ruffling Sage’s hair, Mia said, “It’s a piece of cake for him to investigate your identity. But it doesn’t matter. Even if he knows who you are, he will still try to coax you.” Sage scoffed, “I’m not as easily fooled as Ginger.”
His expression grew stoic. He wouldn’t be swayed by Timothy’s measly gestures.
Mia pulled him into her arms and patted his cheeks. “Alright, I know you have adequate self-control. Let’s not talk about him anymore. Check out the snacks I’ve brought you.” Noting the resemblance of Sage’s features to Timothy’s, she sighed. His personality was very similar to Timothy’s, and she had no idea who would win if both of them got into a fight. Meanwhile, Timothy finally removed his headset after staring at the computer for quite some time.
Caleb turned toward him. “It’s over?”
“Yeah. She must’ve logged off.”
Misled by Caleb, Timothy had always thought his other child was a girl. He hadn’t expected it to be a boy instead.
Caleb raised his brows. “I was wondering why the other child was so ill-tempered when Ginger was so easygoing and well-behaved. So this is the truth.”
“He’s been stuck in the research center ever since he was young. He isn’t quite the extrovert.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I think the kid’s personality is identical to someone I know.”
Sensing Timothy’s glare, Caleb asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t say anything wrong. Tim, it’s like how they always say, what goes around comes around.” “Shut up if you can’t speak properly,” Timothy gritted out.
Caleb clicked his tongue. “Already upset after a simple remark? You better figure out ways to coax your son. With that personality identical to yours, I bet he’s a handful.” Timothy suddenly felt like he was suffocating.
Just then, Heath approached him.
and said, “Mr. Barrett, we’ve received a reply from Aide Castle Hotel. They are willing to work with us, but vel.n they’ve also organized an investment banquet. Potential partners are invited to attend.”
Caleb chimed in, “The owner is quite arrogant, isn’t he? He’s still welcoming other investments when he’s already in the middle of a discussion with you.” “Are we going?” Heath asked tentatively.
Timothy narrowed his eyes. “Yes.”
Mia had arrived early at Aide Castle Hotel. The investment banquet was today, after all. She had to make sure everything looked magnificent. Having taken care of the design herself, everything here was the outcome of her blood, sweat, and tears.
Peyton sidled up to Mia, saying, “Ms. Lane, the banquet’s about to begin. The guests are starting to arrive as well. Are you going to make an appearance later?” “No, let Mr. Labeouf attend on my behalf instead.”
Setting aside the documents, Mia changed into an evening gown and went downstairs to the lawn. Once she reached the lawn, she immediately checked the venue. They had to make changes if there were any issues.
“Mia,” Jasmine greeted. She was dressed in an evening gown as well, but she seemed weary.
Mia turned to her. “How is your mother’s recovery?”
“Not so well. The doctor said she’s emotionally unstable, and she had a big fight with my father.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Jasmine continued, “But rest assured. I’ve started convincing my grandparents. I definitely won’t let Luna have her way.”
“Great.”
Mia noticed the table setting seemed off. She immediately spun toward the server and said, “The table setting doesn’t seem quite right. Change it now.” “Wow, giving orders right off the bat, huh? Who do you think you are, Mia?”
Chapter 1061
Mia didn’t recognize the voice at first, but she caught a strong whiff of perfume. It was as if the person had emptied an entire bottle on themselves. She might not have registered the voice, but she knew who it was from the overwhelming fragrance.
She spun around. Indeed, it was Shelly, who just arrived at the banquet with Sharon. Shelly was fully dressed in designer brands, the pungent smell of her perfume lingering in the air. She was desperate to let everyone know what she was wearing.
Shelly had managed to stoop this low despite being part of the prestigious Barrett family.
Not wanting to meddle any further with her, Mia turned to the server and said, “Report this to the manager now. This has to be resolved right away. Such a basic mistake is unacceptable.” The server nodded respectfully and left.
Shelly sneered, “Look at how arrogant you are, Mia. People might think you’re actually the owner of Aide Castle Hotel.”
Jasmine could no longer bear it. “Who are you to make such comments here? Mia is an expert in landscape design. It’s perfectly normal for her to point out the arrangement issue to the hotel staff.”
“An expert? Mia’s nothing but a spoiled rich bitch. What does she know about landscape design? Aide Castle Hotel is designed by a renowned designer. What could she possibly know? What does she know about aesthetics when she’s deceiving people with fake goods?”
Clearly, Shelly was still bitter about the fake goods incident. She wasn’t aware that Mia Lane was actually Mia Bowen, and she’d been tricked.
Mia deliberately humiliated her with fake goods, causing her to become a laughingstock in the upper crust of Bern City, earning her the nickname “Princess of Fake Goods”. She simply couldn’t put the past behind her.
Mia used to grovel to her back then. How dare she deceive her with fake goods now she was suddenly a Lane?
Shelly felt indignant. Now that she was here, she thought she had to teach Mia a lesson.
However, Mia was amused. She wondered why Shelly attended the investment banquet despite her insolence.
Sharon forced a smile and said, “Shelly, Ms. Lane is no longer an orphan. You better watch your words in Nord City. Otherwise, you’ll be very sorry once she complains to her family.” Shelly faltered, but she steeled herself. “Only kids would complain to their family.”
Before Mia could respond, Jasmine retorted, “How dare you say that when you’ve been nothing but a parasite that leeches off the Barrett family for years? If I were you, I would’ve dug a hole and buried myself out of shame a long time ago.”
Infuriated, Shelly pointed at her and hollered, “Who are you? How dare you speak to me like that? Do you have any idea who I am? You’re going to be very sorry for offending me!”
Mia cleared her throat. “This is the mayor’s daughter, Ms. Shelbert.”
Shelly froze. The color drained from her face, and she swallowed her words in haste. She hadn’t expected Jasmine to be the mayor’s daughter, who was someone she couldn’t afford to offend as well.
Chapter 1062
Although Sharon recognized Jasmine, she merely stood by and watched Shelly make a fool of herself.
A hint of amusement flickered across her eyes. She resented Shelly for leeching off their family.
But Sharon couldn’t do anything as well. The Barrett family hadn’t split up, and Timothy was in charge of the family. Still, she couldn’t let Shelly embarrass herself any further. The Barrett family’s reputation would be tarnished if word got out.
She smoothly intervened, “Ms. Shelbert, Shelly rarely visits Nord City, so she isn’t familiar with the people here. If she offended you, please kindly forgive her.”
“It’s better for her to refrain from going out if she doesn’t know how to speak. Not everyone is as forgiving as I am. As an adult, she has to be responsible for her words and actions, right?” Jasmine snapped. Shelly was seething. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to argue with Jasmine before the public’s eyes. She had more important matters to handle in Nord City, after all.
She turned to Mia and sneered, “Mia, since you’re here for the investment banquet, are you thinking of working with Aide Castle Hotel as well?”
Amused, Mia said, “That’s none of your business.”
“Forget it, Mia. You’re just a spoiled rich bitch. If you actually partnered with Aide Castle Hotel, you’ll make them look bad.”
Mia smirked. “You can’t decide who Aide Castle Hotel wants to work with.”
“Indeed, but us Barretts are going to work with Aide Castle Hotel soon. Your family should stop daydreaming. No one can compete with us in Bern City.”