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Then, the seven of them moved their gaze away from her.
Sharon heaved a sigh of relief. She didn’t say anything wrong, though. What a protective family.
At that time, Connor separated Mia and Timothy to check on him.
The long cut made him frown.
No matter how reluctant Connor was to feel indebted to Timothy, he couldn’t deny that Timothy had saved Mia.
Connor bandaged the wound with a napkin. “To the hospital this instant. Get the wound disinfected and stitch it.”
“It’s alright. The college hospital will do. I have to attend the ceremony, Timothy stressed.
Most importantly, Mia would be going onstage today. He didn’t want to miss it.
Something in him was telling him that it wouldn’t be easy for him to meet Mia in the future if he left the place right now.
The revelation that she was the true Ms. Lane actually surprised him.
She was getting farther and farther from his reach.
Mia noticed the heavy feelings from his gaze, but she brushed it off by convincing herself that she must be seeing things.
Why would Timothy feel that way for her? She could never imagine it.
She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I think it’s better to go to the hospital.”
“Tim, she’s right. Look, she’s concerned about you. You should go to the hospital. What am I going to do if something happens to you?”
Dominic looked at Timothy, “They’re right. You should go to the hospital, Mr. Barrett. Thank you for saving Mia.”
Sensing something was off, Claude quickly said, “We’re Indeed grateful to you for saving Mia, but let’s call it even considering how you’ve treated Mia. We’ll let bygones be bygones.”
Jason got the hint right away. “Yup. We actually wanted to take Mia with us and deal with the matter with your family. After all, you made her suffer for a whole three years! We can never let that slide easily.”
The six men’s unfriendly gaze on Timothy worried Sharon so much that she stayed silent.
In fact, she was one of the bullies that picked on Mia. If the Lanes wanted to settle the score, things would be complicated.
The atmosphere turned grim.
Maya, who was pressed onto the floor, laughed. “What about me? I’ve sacrificed so much for the Lane family and yet this is what I receive in return?”
She shot a menacing look at Mia. “On the other hand, you didn’t do anything at all. What rights do you have to hog all their love? Why?”
Mia found that statement odd.
Dominic responded, “Mia, I regret bringing Maya back from the orphanage so much. Grandma’s condition deteriorated when we lost you. Her mental health was unstable. That was why I brought Maya back, to comfort Grandma. I didn’t know it’ll bring you harm.”
“Mia, do you remember what happened in the orphanage? Maya and you came from the same orphanage. You should know each other,” asked Eva, who stood next to Mia.
Mia’s eyes widened at Maya. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember a thing about the orphanage.
Did they know each other when they were young?
Maya giggled. “You can’t remember? We were best friends. Are you going to abandon me now that you’re the true Ms. Lane?”
Mia took a few steps back, frowning. “I can’t remember. If we were friends, why did they only adopt you but not both of us?”
Maya’s eyes betrayed guilt. “Because you were adopted before they came.”
Dominic was furious. “If that was the case, why didn’t you tell us? At the end of the day, it took us longer to look for Mia!”
Maya retorted, “How would I know that she was the person you were looking for?” Eva slapped Maya. “Lies! You lied to us for years! You were trying to replace her.”
At this point, Mia sort of understood what happened at the orphanage back then. Maya probably knew
Dominic was looking for Mia, but she chose to deceive him and replaced Mia as the daughter of the
Lanes.
Dominic regretted it badly. He glared at Maya. “The Lanes will hold you responsible for this. You’ll end up in prison.”
Infuriated, Sharon chimed in. “I’ll also hold you responsible for my son’s injury!” Little did she expect
Maya to attack someone with a knife, almost hurting Timothy in the process. She was convinced that
Maya was a lunatic, and she even felt quite relieved that it was Mia who married Timothy instead of
Maya.
As Maya began to scream frantically, a few shrill cackles escaped her lips occasionally. She seemed to have lost her sanity.
Dominic frowned. “Keep an eye on her.”
“Enough, let’s leave. The event’s about to start, so let’s go.” Mia glanced up at Timothy. “It’s better for you to go to the hospital.”
After saying that, she left with the Lanes promptly.
Chancing a glance at Timothy, Dominic said, “We’ll bring Mia back to Nord City, and I hope you’ll refrain from showing up before her, Mr. Barrett.”
Timothy remained silent, yet his darkened gaze was fixated on Mia. He couldn’t care less about what the
Lane family said. She was pregnant with his child, after all.
If the child wasn’t his, he couldn’t fathom why Mia tried to keep it a secret from him, to the point that she was willing to let him misunderstand her relationship with Connor. It was a fact that the child belonged to him, and even Mia’s identity change couldn’t alter that.
Timothy felt slightly relieved that he had a child. Otherwise, he had no reason to make her stay.
Meanwhile, Mia left the dressing room with her brothers. Mixed emotions swirled in her chest. She thought she had finally reconnected with her family, but she didn’t expect their prestigious background.
Nor did she foresee her future as the daughter of a rich family. She has swapped positions with Maya entirely, and Maya was now an orphan.
Silence hung in the air when they stepped into the elevator.
“Mia, are you mad?” Dominic asked.
Liam chimed in swiftly. “Mia, it was Dominic’s idea to get us to keep our identities a secret. We didn’t agree to it. Blame him.”
Without a trace of hesitation, Claude said, “Exactly. We never wanted to lie to you. Dominic forced us to do so.”
Dominic was bewildered. How could they betray him in the blink of an eye? Weren’t they supposed to back each other up?
Feeling perplexed, Mia glanced over at them. The other five Lane brothers separated themselves from Dominic, leaving him deserted in a corner. He stood still, looking particularly pitiable despite his big frame.
He looked at Mia, saying, “I admit it’s my fault back then. I underestimated the evil and greediness in one’s heart, and I didn’t expect a little girl like Maya to manifest such malice. If I didn’t bring her back, she might’ve already told me about your whereabouts to ensure she’ll lead a good life.”
Mia’s eyes reddened. “Dominic, it’s not your fault. No one expected Maya to be that malicious as a kid. I can’t remember what happened back then, so I have no idea why she lied.”
Mia looked at her brothers. “However, I’m no longer bothered by them. Let the past stay in the past. At least I know I wasn’t abandoned, and my family has never given up on searching for me. This is more than enough.”
She wasn’t alone¨Cshe had family. Thus, she really didn’t mind.
Dominic’s eyes turned red as he choked, “Mia, you’re too kind and sensible.” He knew she was the kindest, cutest and most sensible soul on this planet.
Mia smiled. “We have to leave for the graduation dinner. No one’s ever been to my parent¨Cteacher meetings, but I’m glad my family made it to my graduation.”
All the Lane brothers teared up. They didn’t deserve her. Seeing how overwhelmed they were, Eva sighed.
“Mia, let’s go. The elevator’s here.”
They strode out of the elevator, and the Lane brothers immediately attracted all the ladies¡® attention. It caused quite a ruckus. Mia had expected her brothers¡® arrival would cause a scene.
Who doesn’t like eye candy, after all? And it was six eye candies, not just one.
She sat down and glanced around the hall she decorated. Realizing that her family was seated behind her, she was overjoyed.
Just then, Mia spotted Dana in a corner on the second floor. Stunned, she met Dana’s eyes, realizing that her face was injured. It seemed like she suffered a beating. Was it Maya who did that to her?
“Mia, what are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” She flashed a quick smile, and glanced up again. There was no sign of Dana. Was she mistaken?
Meanwhile, Dana was leering at Mia, who was seated in the VIP area, from a corner upstairs. A hint of resentment glinted in her eyes. She finally found out that Mia was the real daughter of the Lanes, and
Maya was just an orphan who was adopted.
What Dana couldn’t get over was why they couldn’t lead much better lives when they had all come from the same orphanage?
Defiance gleamed in her eyes. She used to be abandoned in the orphanage, and she had fantasies about turning out to be the daughter of a rich family. Perhaps she was swapped by mistake, or she was lost.
16 AGWAS
She’d Imagined that she would meet her biological parents one day, and she would retrieve her spot as the daughter of a prestigious family. She would marry a handsome and charming man, living happily ever after with him.