Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Feeling absolutely irrational, Mia pondered on the possibility of leaving their company right now.
Janice was waving at her.
“Mia, what are you doing at the entrance? Hurry up and join us!”
Mia froze. She really didn’t want to. Janice came over, linking arms with her as she coaxed, “Mia, don’t be shy. We’re all good, aren’t we? It’s fine, really. He’s Felix’s friend, and we’re just having a meal together because we bumped into each other. It’ll be alright.”
As a result, Janice dragged Mia along. She was awash in dread.
Felix tried to lift her spirits, exclaiming, “Yeah, Mia, don’t you know Mr. Barrett as well? You don’t need to feel shy.”
Janice glanced over at her quickly, asking, “Mia, you knew Mr. Barrett? How is he related to you?”
This was a tough question for Mia. She questioned herself again, contemplating whether she should say they were a couple who were about to be divorced.
She glanced up at him, only to hear him reply. “We have an unusual relationship.”
Her breath hitched. She took over the conversation hastily as she continued, “Right, it is quite unusual. In fact, we’re relatives.”
Janice’s eyes gleamed at her response as she chimed in, “Oh, he’s your relative! So he’s your…?”
After some thought, Mia answered, “Mr. Barrett’s my cousin¨Ca distant cousin of mine!”
She felt him gazing suggestively at her, but she didn’t spare him a glance. She had no idea what he was up to.
Felix gladly accepted her explanation. Them being cousins made sense to him, since he was aware that Mia was also related to the Lane family in Nord City. After all, it wasn’t uncommon for the upper crust to be closely related to each other. Thus, it didn’t arouse his suspicion. Instead, he was quite pleased with Mia’s background.
If Mia got together with him in the future, he’d be closely acquainted with both the Lane and Barrett families.
Overwhelmed with excitement, he chattered. “Let’s stop crowding at the entrance. Mr. Barrett, this way please.”
Timothy narrowed his eyes before casting Mia a look. Then, he spun around and followed them to the private room.
Mia went along with heavy steps. She had lost her appetite.
After they all took their seats, Felix handed the menu to Timothy quickly, saying. “Mr. Barrett, you can order first.”
Timothy took the menu, but he passed it to Mia instead.
“Mia, you go ahead.”
His unexpected move almost made Mia choke on her own spit. Looking at the menu before her. she knew he did that on purpose.
Janice, who sat beside her, urged, “Mia, hurry up! Mr. Barrett’s being polite, and you don’t want to be rude.”
Mia swallowed and took the menu from Timothy. She wasn’t really paying attention to it, so she merely ordered two dishes.
Just then, Janice grabbed the menu.
“Mia, this isn’t it! Mr. Barrett’s our VIP guest, we should order something more extravagant for him. For example, escargots! You don’t have to worry about the bill. Felix can definitely afford it.
Mia felt extremely awkward. She desperately wanted to escape the situation.
Janice ordered a lot of food, but most of them were spicy. Mia knew Timothy didn’t particularly enjoy spicy food, so instinctively she said, “Mrs. Quilter, can you order something mild? Mr. Barrett doesn’t really prefer spicy food, light food is more to his liking.”
The room fell into silence.
Only then did Mia realize what she had just said. She’d blurted that out because she realized none of the dishes Janice ordered complied with Timothy’s preference.
Both Timothy and Felix looked at her. Her heart stalled before she explained, “Mr. Barrett’s my cousin, of course I know his preferences for food.”
Timothy shot her a suggestive glance, playing along. “How considerate of you, Mia. I didn’t know you knew about my food preference that well.”
Mia’s smile stiffened as she replied, “How funny, Timothy. Because I always remember my family’s food preference.”
That prick. She was well aware that he was being sarcastic.
Without skipping a beat, Janice linked arms with her, commenting. “Mia, I didn’t expect you to be this attentive. That’s great! Felix’s usually busy, and he doesn’t really know his way around relatives. I’ll be relieved if you’re with him in the future.”
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room. Mia could sense Timothy glaring at her.
It was tough for Mia to handle Janice’s overwhelming passion in matchmaking her and Felix.
She wasn’t divorced yet, and she was pregnant with Timothy’s child. It would be impossible for Janice to accept her, given how much she cherished Felix.
Nonetheless, she hadn’t had the chance to break it to Janice yet, especially when Timothy was with them.
Her heart skipped a beat when Janice tried to set her up with Felix in front of Timothy, who was about to become her ex¨Chusband. She let out an awkward laugh.
“Mrs. Quilter, the food’s here. Let’s eat first.”
“Mia, why are you shy and embarrassed? It’s not like we don’t know each other. And what a coincidence that your cousin’s here, and he finally met Felix. There’s nothing wrong, is there? Why are you being evasive? Isn’t it just a matter of time before you and Felix meet both your families?”
How Mia wished she could turn invisible right now. What on earth was Janice going on about?
She only went out with Felix for a meal to thank him for helping her out. That was it.
Janice made it sound like she’d been dating Felix, and they were about to meet each other’s parents.
Timothy smirked, asking, “Really? Mia, I didn’t know you were dating someone.”
Timothy’s words sent a shiver down Mia’s spine, but Janice was quick to answer, “Mr. Barrett, you have no idea. Last time when Mia was abducted, it was Felix who saved her. He was event hospitalized because he was injured by the criminals. Isn’t it obvious that he has feelings for her?”
Felix flashed a smile, interrupting, “Mom, let’s eat first. Stop talking about that. I didn’t really help much last time.”
“Felix, why are you so humble? You’re literally her savior! It’s only right for her to return the favor by marrying you.”
Mia was was dumbfounded. What the hell was she talking about now?
“Saved her life?”
Timothy’s deep voice resonated across the table. Meeting his scrutinizing gaze, Mia suddenly found herself at a loss for words. An awkward smile spread across her face.
He pressed his lips together before continuing, “Mia, according to my knowledge, I came with at instead?”
Mia tried hard to resist her urge to dart out the door. How was she going to defend herself now?
As expected, Janice gasped, “A helicopter? This This sounds like what happens in movies.”
Mia forced a smile, replying.”A helicopter’s more efficient.”
“It must be expensive then. A single ride will cost an arm and a leg, I bet.”
Timothy answered nonchalantly. “Paying 10,000 dollars for a single ride is alright.”
“10,000 dollars!” Janice squealed, her voice going up an octave.
The look in her eyes changed slightly when she set eyes on Timothy again. She didn’t expect him to be this wealthy.
Meanwhile, Felix was unfazed. After all, he knew Timothy was the CEO of Barrett Group, and hel didn’t seem to be bothered by the fare of a single helicopter ride at all.
Nonetheless, he was surprised that Timothy went to save Mia personally. She’d never brought this up in front of him. Could it be that she still didn’t completely trust him?
Felix was determined to coax her into trusting him completely.
Since Timothy was willing to rescue Mia, it seemed like she was on good terms with her Barrett relatives. If Felix really managed to marry Mia, his status would be elevated.
Immediately, Felix chided, “Mia, why didn’t you tell me Mr. Barrett saved you? I almost missed the chance to express my gratitude properly. Mr. Barrett, this toast is for you.”
Timothy glanced at the glass in Felix’s hand and smiled halfheartedly.
“I don’t drink.”
A wave of awkwardness washed over Felix. He quickly replaced his glass with a cup of tea. saying. “Is tea okay for you?”
Still, Timothy didn’t accept his invitation. Instead, he looked over at Mia, asking, “Mia, shouldn’t you also offer me a toast?”
Mia took a deep breath. What was up with him? It was her strategy to mention they were cousins. so their relationship wouldn’t be exposed.
Wasn’t he the one who came up with this rule after they got married? Why was he acting up now?
Janice nudged her arm, chiming in, “Mia, what are you waiting for? Offer Mr. Barrett a toast! You should at least do that since he saved you. It’s only right when he had spent so much money and effort on your rescue.”
A glass of wine was shoved into Mia’s hands. After a brief moment of hesitation, she muttered, “
Mrs. Quilter, I don’t drink either.”
“Just one glass is fine. It’s not that heavy as well. If you happen to have too much to drink, Felix can bring you back. Rest assured, he’s a gentleman, and he won’t do anything to you.”
Mia grimaced. She didn’t mean it that way.
In the end, she could only force herself to go up to Timothy with her glass. She caught the sarcasm in his eyes when she met his gaze.
Just then, Felix stood up and took the glass from her, saying, “Mia, I’ll drink in your stead. After all, you haven’t fully recovered.”