Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
But to her surprise, he remained unusually calm, merely gazing deeply at her and making her uneasy.
Finally, Timothy said coldly. “That’s a possibility.”
That caught Mia off guard and made her feel unsettled.
Timothy’s gaze darkened. Under the bright light, Mia couldn’t find any imperfection on his flawless
He continued, “You know Grandma Laura likes you. I even lied that you were pregnant to deceive her into having surgery. But I didn’t expect you to actually be pregnant. It’s a fortunate coincidence. If we don’t divorce, we can pretend that nothing happened, and everything will be the same as before.”
“Everything will be the same as before?” Mia was dumbfounded. Did that mean Timothy didn’t want a divorce?
She didn’t know what was going on inside Timothy’s head.
Timothy looked uneasy, but he quickly composed himself. “Of course, you can have all the fame and power you want as Mrs. Barrett. We can share the glory together.”
Mia’s eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. She blurted out. “But the child isn’t yours.”
“I know. But I never have any demands regarding marriage or children. However, you must cut ties with Connor and refrain from associating with anyone from the Lane family.” Timothy could tolerate Mia giving birth to the child, but he wouldn’t allow her to have any contact with the child’s father!
Mia’s mind was a mess. She couldn’t possibly cut ties with Connor for the sake of the child.
However, Timothy seemed to have misunderstood her relationship with Connor, thinking that her brother was the father of the child.
“Mia Bowen! That is my bottom line.” Timothy declared, his tone unwavering.
Just as he finished speaking, he received a call from an unknown number. “Hello, this is the police department. There is a case of kidnapping and assault that requires your presence at the police station…”
As the call went on, Timothy turned to Mia, his gaze turning dark and broody. Finally, he cleared his throat and replied in a hoarse voice, “Got it,”
Mia noticed Timothy’s change in demeanor and a sudden sense of unease washed over her.
Timothy suddenly growled, “So, you’re testifying for Felix and accusing me of kidnapping and assault?”
Hearing this. Mia recalled her recent trip to the police station with Felix. Her eyes flickered. She thought she needed leverage against Timothy.
But she never anticipated Laura waking up at such a crucial moment.
Though Mia knew it wasn’t right to use Laura as leverage, she couldn’t dwell on it now. But she had only brought Laura up as a shield, never intending to actually cause harm to the old woman.
She knew Timothy well. He’d surely compromise for Laura’s sake.
But she didn’t expect Timothy to suggest calling off their divorce, and even sparing her child. This caught her off guard.
Didn’t he say he wanted the child gone? What was with the sudden change of mind? Or was this a ploy by Timothy to buy time?
While Mia was lost in thought, Timothy approached her with a piercing gaze. “Answer me.”
He had sent someone to teach Felix a lesson in order to protect Mia from being deceived. Yet she was siding with Felix to sue him!
Timothy sneered. He had never felt like this before. He had never gone easy on his enemies. Except for Mia, time and again.
And now she had betrayed him!
Mia swallowed nervously. “As long as you don’t harm my child, I can convince Felix to drop the charges. And I’ll even avoid testifying.”
“Haha, do you think you can frame and threaten me? Since I had someone kidnap and beat Felix up, I’d made sure there were no loose ends. I didn’t lay a finger on him. Even if those responsible are found, they’ll take the fall for me. Mia Bowen, you’re too naive.”
Mia’s breath caught and she unconsciously stumbled back.
Timothy’s gaze was dark and piercing.
Soon, Mia felt a weight on her shoulders and heard Connor’s voice. “Mrs. Barrett Senior’s examination is done.”
When Mia turned around and saw Timothy, she sighed a breath of relief.
But when the two men locked eyes, tension spiked.
Timothy glared at Connor darkly. If it wasn’t because Connor was Laura’s doctor, he wouldn’t have tolerated him.
Connor gazed back at Timothy disdainfully. He never liked Timothy! Luckily, Mia would soon be divorcing him. Once Dominic sorted out the paperwork, they could leave Bern City for good.
The two men stared at each other before quickly looking away, both finding the other disagreeable.
Mia turned back to Connor. “Where’s Grandma Laura?”
“She’s been moved to a regular ward. But she needs plenty of rest. It’s best not to disturb her.”
Connor smiled.
“How did the examination go?” asked Mia.
“They went well. As long as she takes care of herself, there shouldn’t be any further issues. She needs to stay in good spirits and avoid any mishaps that could affect her recovery. I’ll be checking on her regularly while she’s still recovering.” Connor hummed.
Connor’s last words were aimed at Timothy specifically. If Timothy dared to harm Mia and the child, Connor wouldn’t hesitate to intervene.
Timothy also caught on. Just as he thought, both Connor and Mia were using Laura as leverage against him.
Timothy stumbled back and left the ICU, his retreating figure tinged with loneliness.
Mia observed Timothy’s departure. She thought he would have clashed with Connor. Thankfully, nothing happened.
“Don’t worry, Mia. He won’t lay a finger on you,” Connor assured her.
Mia turned to him. “Connor, what did you and Timothy discuss?”
“It’s nothing. I just told him to stay away from you,” Connor shrugged it off.
“I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me,” Mia expressed her concern.
Connor felt a pang of sadness at Mia’s sensibility. “Mia, this is nothing. All your brothers aren’t useless. Besides, I’m in charge of Mrs. Barrett Senior’s surgery. Would Timothy dare to harm me?”
“But you weren’t the one who operated on Grandma Laura,” Mia pointed out.
Connor swiftly clarified, “I’m overseeing the follow¨Cup since the lead surgeon had to return to Nord City.”
“I see.” Mia relaxed. She knew that Timothy wouldn’t do anything too extreme for Laura’s sake.
Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Claude.
Mia suddenly remembered that she had sneaked out. But she never thought she would receive news of Laura’s recovery at the police station. She had rushed over immediately, forgetting she had sent Claude away to fetch her clothes.
Handing the phone to Connor, Mia whispered, “Connor, I snuck out. Don’t let Claude find out.”
“He’ll figure it out eventually. Besides, you’ll be returning to Nord City with us soon.” Connor smiled.
“Let’s talk about it when the time comes.” Mia knew her brothers loved her and didn’t want to cause trouble. She merely wanted to leave discreetly and swiftly.
Once her documents were sorted, Laura’s health would likely have improved.
Unable to resist Mia’s pleading gaze, Connor picked up the call, “It’s me, Mia’s changing her dressing at the hospital. We’ll be back soon. Prepare some food she likes and plenty of snacks.”
Claude didn’t suspect a thing. “Okay, leave it to me.”
After the call ended, Mia took her phone back. “Thank you, Connor.”
“You have ten minutes to visit Mrs. Barrett Senior before we leave.” Connor knew Mia would be worried about Laura and Patricia.
Mia headed to the private ward upstairs. There were guards stationed outside and the place was very quiet.
She walked over, noticing the man beside the bed.
Mia hesitated, not knowing if she should wait for the others to leave before going in.
But Martha noticed her and hurried to open the door. “Mrs. Barrett, why are you standing outside? Mrs. Barrett Senior was looking for you.”
Mia mustered up her courage and entered. She approached the bed, where Laura lay with the ventilator. She looked pale but her gaze was fixed on Mia.
Mia held Laura’s hand. “Grandma Laura, I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll make sure to visit you often.” Laura nodded and placed her hand on Mia’s belly.
Mia’s heart was a mess as she fell Laura’s sincere gaze.
She said to Laura, “The baby is fine, don’t worry.”
Laura glanced at Timothy. Mia understood what she wanted to convey and continued, “Timothy has been good to me. He’s always looking out for me. I haven’t been to the studio lately. After all, I’m pregnant and attending classes, so I’m exhausted.”
Timothy shot Mia a complicated look but remained silent.
Laura nodded at Mia’s assurance.
Mia continued softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself and the baby. If you’re still concerned, then hurry up and get better so you can personally oversee me.”
Relief briefly softened Laura’s gaze, though her expression turned sour as she teared. Mia took a tissue and wiped away the tears for her. “Rest well, we’ll come visit you often.”
Laura blinked in agreement. Finally, she glanced at Timothy again, wanting to hear something from him.