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She could already feel discomfort when bending or squatting down.
Gently touching her abdomen, Mia realized she needed to start making arrangements to depart as soon as possible.
The following day, Mia headed to campus for her scheduled classes.
After her lectures, Riley approached Mia. “Mia, Mr. Shaw asked to see you in his office. He said he has something to discuss with you.”
Mia couldn’t shake off the embarrassment from the previous night’s unfinished dinner. She wondered why Kennedy wanted to see her.
Perhaps he wanted to caution her against spreading news of her divorce.
It dawned on Mia that Kennedy’s kindness toward her might be due to knowing about her relationship with Timothy.
Confused, Mia entered Kennedy’s office. As she pushed the door open, Mia was greeted by Kennedy’s enthusiastic voice, “Mia, you’re here! Please, take a seat.
“I’ve asked you to come because I have some exciting news. Following your plano performance yesterday, the professors at our Music School were deeply impressed.
“They’re suggesting that you consider adding another major. What do you think?”
“Are you proposing that I should add piano as another major?”
“Yes, that’s correct. You won’t need to worry about the logistics. The professors will handle everything for you.
“After all, the university is dedicated to nurturing talented students like yourself. How do you feel about this opportunity?”
Mia was surprised by the news. While she was genuinely interested in plano, she didn’t think her talent was substantial enough to merit such special treatment from the college.
The whole situation felt a bit strange to her.
For some reason, Mia’s thoughts drifted to Timothy.
After a moment of consideration, she replied, “Mr. Shaw, I appreciate the offer, but I’m close to finishing the credits for my current major, and I don’t plan to add another one at the moment.”
“Mia, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
“I’ve made up my mind.”
After Mia declined, Kennedy didn’t press the matter further. Mia stood up and walked out of the office.
However, as soon as she was out of sight, Kennedy promptly dialed Heath’s number.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I suggested to Mia that she consider pursuing a music major, but she declined because she wasn’t interested. Could you please pass this on to Mr. Barrett?”
Upon hearing this, Heath’s expression darkened.
Timothy’s early arrival at the office, coupled with his sour demeanor and harsh reprimands during the meeting, had already dampened the spirits of the entire senior management team.
Certainly, Mia’s refusal to enroll in the Music School would only amplify Timothy’s already fiery mood.
Heath glanced at his phone, then took a deep breath before knocking on Timothy’s office door. “Mr. Barrett, can I talk to you for a moment? There’s something I need to report,” he said cautiously.
Without lifting his gaze, Timothy responded in a subdued tone, “It better be important.”
“It’s about Mr. Shaw’s call just now. Maybe I should fill you in on it later.”
“Wait.” Timothy suddenly raised his head, meeting Heath’s gaze. “What did Mr. Shaw say?”
“Well, he said Ms. Bowen decided not to pick up another major because she’s just not interested,” Heath explained.
Upon hearing this, Timothy stopped spinning his pen. He unconsciously pressed his lips together, a hint of displeasure crossing his face. He hadn’t anticipated Mia’s refusal.
After all, Mia seerned quite engaged during her performance on stage yesterday!
“Why do you think she refused?” Timothy asked, sounding puzzled.
Suddenly, the office door swung open as a woman briskly walked in.
Timothy looked up, his brow creasing slightly. “What are you doing here?”
“Tim, I tried calling you last night, but you didn’t answer. I told you I had important matters to discuss. Why didn’t you call me back?” Sharon entered the office, visibly agitated.
Timothy remained composed. “I had some pressing matters to attend to.”
Sharon settled onto the sofa, her designer handbag clutched tightly in her hand. “Tim, I heard you’ve finalized the divorce and transferred all your shares to Mia. Is that true?”
Timothy realized that Sharon must have learned this information from Maya. He wasn’t comfortable with others knowing about his divorce; it was a blow to his pride.
Maintaining a stoic demeanor, Timothy confirmed, “Yes, that’s correct.”
However, Timothy couldn’t ignore the fact that he hadn’t thoroughly reviewed the property settlement agreement for the divorce and had merely signed it at the time.
“Tim, how could you be so oblivious? Don’t you understand the significance of handing over all your shares to Mia?
“You’re essentially giving up your position as the CEO of the Barrett Group, effectively transferring control of the entire company! Don’t you have any regard for our family’s legacy?”
Sharon had planned to have a serious conversation with Timothy the previous night, but she was surprised to discover that he never returned home.
She struggled to comprehend how Mia could have misled Timothy to such an extent, resulting in such a glaring oversight.
The more Sharon pondered the situation, the more exasperated she became. “Tim, did Mia manipulate the divorce agreement to deceive you?”
Timothy rubbed his temples. “Mom, please don’t worry about it. I’ll handle this situation on my own.”
“But how can I just brush off something so important? Tim, trust me, no matter what tactics Mia employs.
she won’t succeed in the end.”
With those words, Sharon retrieved a document from her bag and placed it in front of Timothy.
“From the very beginning, I’ve been cautious of Mia, given our differing backgrounds. Who knows what she might have been plotting? I never imagined this document would be useful someday.”
Timothy glanced down and inquired, “What’s this?”
“It’s a prenuptial agreement. Given Mia’s humble background as a mald, her agreement to marry you for three years naturally kept me on guard.
“It explicitly states here that Mia willingly waives any rights to the Barrett family’s assets. In case of a divorce, she will depart with nothing, not even a penny!”
Frowning, Timothy took the prenuptial agreement and swiftly skimmed through its contents. Upon reaching the end, he indeed spotted Mia’s signature.
His mood darkened instantly. “Mom, who instructed you to do this?”
Timothy was completely unaware of any of these arrangements. He had always believed that Mia’s reasons for marrying him were solely driven by the wealth of the Barrett family.
Now, upon discovering the prenuptial agreement and realizing that Mia wouldn’t gain anything, Timothy couldn’t understand why Mia would agree to marry him in the first place.
Clutching the document firmly. Timothy felt as though he had been struck across the face. The revelation dawned on him heavily: he had misjudged Mia’s intentions all along.
It turned out she hadn’t married him for wealth at alll
Timothy’s emotions were in turmoil as he rubbed his nose.
Observing Timothy’s demeanor, Sharon grew anxious. “Tim, there’s no need to worry. With this document, even if there’s a legal dispute in the future, Mia’s claims won’t hold up.
“I mean, who would willingly agree to divorce and give up their assets? It seems suspicious right from the start!”
Timothy stood in silence, tightly holding the prenuptial agreement. “Mom, why didn’t you inform me about this earlier?”
“I¨CI thought I had mentioned it to you before, didn’t I?
“I had been prepared to confront Mia for a while. But upon hearing that you were already aware of the situation without needing more information, I decided not to delve further.”
“In the end, it seems that whether I bring it up or not doesn’t make any difference.”
Timothy’s frustration was evident as he tugged at his tie. Looking at the prenuptial agreement laid out before him, he felt as though he had just been dealt a harsh blow.
Nonetheless, what was even more exasperating was that every time he accused Mia of being materialistic, she never bothered to refute it.
With a heavy heart, Timothy closed his eyes, haunted by memories of Mia’s attempts to explain herself, knowing deep down he had never fully trusted her words.
Timothy had always prided himself on his ability to understand people and their motives, yet with Mia, he found himself faltering.
This left him feeling not just unsettled but also weighed down by a sense of guilt.
“Tim, what’s bothering you? I had a talk with Mia in the university hall yesterday. She wouldn’t dare to mention that property settlement agreement again.”
Releasing his grip, Timothy’s gaze darkened. “What exactly did you say to her?”
“Well, I handed Mia the divorce papers for her review, or more precisely, a photocopy of them, just to prevent any chance of her tearing up the original in case she became upset.
“Perhaps this will help her snap out of her fantasies.”
Timothy couldn’t help but remember the previous day when he saw Mia smiling warmly at Claude.
However, when she glanced at him, there was a sense of detachment in her eyes.