Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
One of the replies wrote: “I heard Mr. Quilter got arrested for some financial crimes. Seems like he cooked up some names to cheat money from the school and funneled investor funds into his own pockets to buy houses for himself.”
Another texted: “Now that Mr. Quilter’s shady dealings are out, he’s been arrested. He might be looking at a few years if he can’t cough up the cash to cover the losses. It’s outrageous. Good thing you left when you did.” (1)
After reading her colleagues¡® gripes, Mia got a rough idea of why Felix got arrested. But she never expected Felix to be this shady behind the scenes. She never noticed it before.
Well, now she realized Felix wasn’t a good person.
Initially, she didn’t press Janice for charges. But Felix was now reaping what he sowed. Indeed, karma had caught up with him.
Beside her, Claude hesitated. “Mia, was that old lady Felix’s mother?”
“Yes. Felix was arrested, and it’s not looking good for him.” Mia sighed.
“Mia, are you worried about him?” Claude asked.
Mia raised an eyebrow. “Why would I worry about a lowlife like Felix? He brought this onto himself.
“
Claude breathed a sigh of relief.
He cautiously probed, “Mia, don’t overthink it. But I think I heard that old lady mention your divorce. I’m not sure if I misheard.”
Mia paused. “So you heard.”
“Maybe I misheard,” Claude reasoned.
“No, Claude, you heard right. I got a divorce.” Mia didn’t bother hiding it anymore. After all, her brothers would find out eventually.
Claude’s expression shifted at this, and he immediately parked the car on the side of the road. He turned to her. “Mia, are you serious? Who’s the guy?”
How dare he demand a divorce? It was a blessing to marry Mia! Yet that bastard didn’t cherish it!
Mia pursed her lips. “Claude, it doesn’t matter who he is. Anyway, I’m done with him.”
“Don’t worry, Mia. I got your back. You used to be on your own, but now you’ve got us. Who’s your ex¨C husband? How dare he divorce you!”
Mia fell silent for a moment. “I’m the one who wanted the divorce.”
Claude paused. “Well, that’s also your ex¨Chusband’s fault. You can’t even stand him despite your good temperament. It’s definitely his fault.”
Mia was kind, innocent, and adorable. How could there be a man so blind not to cherish her? Even making Mia file for divorce?
Anyway, it was definitely the other person’s fault.
Mia smiled helplessly. “Claude, I was in the wrong too.”
She shouldn’t have married Timothy on impulse back then.
Claude patted her head. “Mia, you are faultless to me! Divorce is no big deal. It’s normal these days. I know many talented young men in Nord City. When the time comes, I’ll introduce you to some.”
“Claude, I don’t have any plans to get into a relationship anytime soon.” Mia sighed.
“That’s right. Marriage is the grave of love. You should date around. Just switch to another guy when you get bored.”
Mia gave him a blank stare. Indeed, this was Claude’s view on love.
She fell silent for a moment. “Claude, please don’t tell the family about my divorce.”
“Mia, we won’t mind it at all. We’ll just feel sorry for you. If only we had found you earlier, you wouldn’t have had to suffer. If you’re worried about your ex¨Chusband causing trouble, we can talk to him for you.
Jason is a lawyer. He can squeeze some money out of your ex¨Chusband and teach him a lesson.”
“It’s not like that. I just don’t want you guys to go find him. After all, I’ll be leaving soon, and I hope to sever any connection with my ex¨Chusband.” Mia shook her head.
“If that’s what you want. Since you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t press further. But about Dominic…”
Claude trailed off.
Mia knew what Claude meant. “I’ll tell Dominic myself when I get back to Nord City.”
And there’s also the child in her belly. Once they reached Nord City, she would be safe and wouldn’t have to hide this from her brothers anymore.
Claude nodded. “By the way, Mia, there’s an upcoming music festival at your school, and they’re inviting a team from Nord City to perform.”
“I know, it’s a well¨Cknown piano performance team. Our school also has students from the music department who hope to have the chance to join that piano team. After all, it’s a rare opportunity.” Mia nodded.
TIE BUMUS
Claude turned to her. “Mia, do you want to go?”
“If I have the time, I’d like to go and enjoy the musical performance. It should be a sight to see, or hear in this matter.” Mia giggled.
“Mia, what I meant was, do you want to join that piano team? You’re quite talented. When you arrive at Nord City, you can pursue a music career.”
Claude truly believed in his sister’s talent. She was held back when she was young. If they didn’t lose her back then, she would definitely be an outstanding pianist now.
Mia was surprised. “Claude, I’m too old for that. I just started learning the piano and only know a few songs. I’m not even as good as an elementary school student. How could I have the chance to join that piano team? Don’t joke around.”
“Mia, just tell me, do you want to join the team?” Claude asked.
“I do want to. I used to enjoy playing piano when I was younger. But that team has high requirements.
I
Not everyone can get in.” Mia sighed.
She knew Claude was looking at her through rose¨Ctinted glasses. But she still had self¨Cawareness.
“Mia, it’s necessary to have dreams. What if it came true?” There was more to Claude’s words. As long as Mia agreed, he could easily arrange for it.
He had plenty of time to shape Mia into a talented pianist in the future.
The next day, Mia headed straight to school to review her lessons. But shortly after, her phone rang.
Hello, is this Mia Bowen? This is the police department. We’ve got some questions for you regarding the crimes of Felix Quilter, the owner of Elite Studio. Please come over when you’re free.”
After hanging up, Mia pondered over the call. What could the police possibly want from her?
She was merely a part¨Ctimer at Felix’s studio, without any perks like insurance or retirement benefits.
Was Felix and Janice trying to frame her?
After some thought, Mia called a cab and made her way there. Once she arrived, the police began their interrogation. “What’s your connection to Felix Quilter?”
“We were classmates, and later I worked part¨Ctime at his studio.”
“Part¨Ctime? According to Felix and some colleagues, you and Felix were romantically involved. And the studio used your name for financing. Any truth to that?” the police questioned.
Mia felt speechless. “I had no clue about any of this.”
“Mia, if we’ve called you in, it means we’ve got evidence. Denials won’t get you far,” warned the police.
Mia answered seriously, “I’ve already said that Felix acted without my knowledge, and I plan to report it.
His actions are against the law, right? Besides my salary, I didn’t receive any extra benefits. You can verify that.”
“However, our investigation shows you recently purchased a house and paid off millions in loans. Given your income, where did you get all that money? Felix confessed that he gave you the money unofficially.”
the police pressed on.
Mia felt a chill. Felix must have investigated her after their encounter at the bank. No wonder his attitude changed afterward. He probably knew about her mortgage repayment.
He must have already been in debt then which explained why he was pursuing her out of the blue. So he was in it for the money.
Claude was right. Felix was not a good man.
Mia recollected herself calmly. “My brother gave me that money.”
“You’re an orphan. Where did this brother come from?” asked the police.
Just then, a man’s cold voice came from behind her. “She also has a cousin.”
Mia tensed as she turned to see Timothy. Surprise flickered in her eyes. Why was he here?
With Timothy’s arrival, his lawyer stepped forward with documents to handle the situation.
Mia was led aside, and she whispered, “What are you doing here?”
Timothy’s gaze dropped. “Felix told the police I kidnapped and assaulted him. He also told my lawyer that if I didn’t want him pressing charges, I had to get him out.”
Mia gritted her teeth. “That ungrateful bastard.”
“Now you see the repercussions of getting involved with a wolf?” Timothy chided.