Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Now, all her fantasies vanished. Maya framed her, causing her to be expelled by the school. The actual daughter of the Lane family turned out to be Mia Instead of Maya.
Dana was left with nothing now. She loathed the fact that Mia was the real daughter of the Lanes instead of her. They were both orphans from the same orphanage, but why did fate favor Mia? She studied and worked diligently, but she was miles away from her dream life.
If Dana couldn’t get what she wanted, then others didn’t deserve what they had as well. She spun around and dwindled into the darkness.
Mia, who was seated below the stage, glanced over at the spot she found Dana earlier. A shiver raced up her spine. She couldn’t help but sneeze, suddenly having a hunch that something bad was about to happen.
“Mia, what’s wrong?” Dominic’s question snapped Mia back to her senses.
“Nothing,” she replied with a smile. Gazing at her, Dominic added. “There’s a charity auction later. You can bid whatever you have your eyes on. Money’s not an issue.”
Visibly amused, Mia glanced at him and quipped, “Oh, I remember you told me you’re a real estate agent?
Dominic cleared his throat and said, “I only mentioned real estate. You assumed I was an agent.”
Her gaze drifted to her other brothers. “Nathan, the software programmer?”
Nathan said solemnly. “Let me reintroduce myself formally. Nice to meet you, Mia. I own Techsphere.”
“Oh my god, it’s your company who developed the famous online game!” Mia’s hands flew to her mouth as she spiraled in absolute shock.
Connor took the initiative to defend himself hastily. “Dominic came up with the nonsense of me being a vet. I never admitted that I was one.”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “So, you’re that renowned doctor in Nord City? You’re actually the one who operated on Grandma Laura, right?”
Rubbing his nose guiltily, he mumbled, “Yeah, but I wasn’t deliberately lying to you. I was in a difficult position back then, and I had no idea how I should explain it to you. I was worried that you’ll be mad at me.”
Mia glanced over at Claude. “Are you merely a piano teacher? I remember Maya boasting about her brother being a famous pianist, and he owns the orchestra.”
Claude broke into a fit of cold sweat. “E¨CExactly. But Mia, I didn’t do that on purpose. I swore that I wouldn’t let Maya join the orchestra, and I’ve been persuading you to join us.”
Averting her gaze to Jason, she questioned, “You own the extremely well known law firm, don’t you? You’re the best lawyer in Nord City, aren’t you?”
Jason, who was eloquent and had no issues with expressing himself, was now at a loss for words. He stammered, “Mia, I’m sorry for lying to you all this while.”
When Mia was falsely accused, the famous law firm in Nord City defended her case. She thought Jason managed to persuade them to do so, but little did she expect him to own the law firm.
Lastly, she fixed her gaze at Liam, beaming at him. “The famous actor who worked as an extra?” Only now did she realize he wasn’t Lindon’s stunt double¨Che was literally him!
Clearing his throat, Liam said, “I’m not going to defend myself, but Mia, I’ve never thought of deceiving you. Dominic forced me to do so!”
Dominic waved his fists at Liam. How dare he make him bear all the blame? What a bastard!
Mia was overwhelmed once she found out about their real identities. She used to imagine herself being brought back by a wealthy family so she could spite the Barretts. Well, she certainly didn’t expect it’d actually happen.
She pinched herself hard. Her eyebrows immediately drew together as she exclaimed. “It’s not a dream.”
Dominic’s heart ached. “Of course it isn’t, Mia. It’s real.”
Eva placed the paddle in Mia’s palm as she urged, “Buy anything you like!”
“Yeah!” The other Lane brothers chimed in simultaneously as they shoved their paddles in her hand.
“It’s not like I need that many of them,” Mia quipped.
Eva gave her a warm smile. “Don’t worry about it, Mia. A paddle represents a bidder. You can bid six lots, and we’ll pay for it.”
“But I-“
“Just do it. Your brothers are all guilty as hell right now. Trust me, if you just picked one, the others would start a brawl For the sake of our peace, I’d advise you to bid six lots so it’s fair to everyone.”
Mia was perplexed. She was aware that she had to be fair by buying everyone a separate gift, but she never knew that was the case with spending as well. She glanced back at her brothers, and they all nodded in agreement.
Dominic was unfazed. “Mia, I’m richer. Don’t go easy on me.”
Clearing his throat, Nathan chimed in, “Mia, my company makes plenty of money, you want!”
“Mia, me too!”
“Listen to me, Mia. You should spend my money instead.”
You can splurge all
“Enough!” Mia exclaimed. She cast a helpless glance at Eva, finally grasping what she meant. To foster peace between her brothers, she had to bear the responsibility of bidding six lots at the auction.
Whilst she fulfilled her responsibility, she attracted everyone’s attention. She felt slightly uneasy as she met the envy in their eyes. She had always been the one sitting in the corner, watching how others draw attention. Little did she expect to be put in the spotlight for splurging on her brothers¡® dime.
Kennedy was flabbergasted. He never expected Mia to be seated with the Lanes, let alone be close to them. What stunned him the most was that she bidded with their paddles and they showed up to pay the bills instead of her. He could barely recover from the shock.
Panicking, the host seeked assistance from Kennedy. “What should we do now? She bidded six lots alone! This isn’t scheduled in the event flow!”
Kennedy was forced to take over. Looking at Mia, he said, “Mia bidded six lots today, contributing six equal shares of love and care to those who are in need. Give her a round of applause!”
A clamor of applause erupted in the hall.
An awkward smile spread across Mia’s face. Still, she figured that she was being a Good Samaritan since all profit gained from the charity auction would be donated to those in need.
“Let’s welcome Mia on stage to say a few words.”
Utterly bewildered, Mia stared at the microphone In absolute refusal. With all eyes on her, she was plunged into a difficult situation.
Eva encouraged her, “Go on, Mia. Just a few words will do.”
nce we should all Feeling resigned, Mia took the microphone and said, “Actually, this isn’t a big deal contribute to this. Back then, I was only able to enter college with the assistance of a charity donation. I hope more children in need could receive the same help.”
“Mia, as an orphan and a low¨Cincome student, where did you get the money to bid six lots?”
Mia’s gaze traced the direction of the voice and realized that it came from one of Maya’s lackeys. She wasn’t present when Maya’s identity was exposed, so she knew nothing about Mia’s relationship with the Lane family.
Just then, all her brothers rose simultaneously.
The Lane brothers looked intimidating when they rose in unison.
Layla’s expression shifted in an instant. A hint of confusion flickered across her eyes. Weren’t these men
Maya’s brothers? Nonetheless, she saw no sign of her and Mia took her seat instead.
This was strange.
Kennedy immediately sensed that something was wrong. He wanted to mention that Mia was Timothy’s wife and she was certainly well off, but he bit his tongue when he met the Lanes¡® glare. Zipping his mouth shut, he thought the Lanes were truly formidable.
“Mia, pass me the mic.” Mia glanced at Dominic and did as he said. He took the microphone and stared at Layla.
“We gave her the money as her family because we thought it’d be nice of her to contribute something significant to the society.”
“F¨CFamily? Aren’t y’all Maya’s brothers?”
Dominic’s gaze swept past the hall as he said, “Since Mia’s classmates are here as well, there’s no need to keep this a secret. Actually, Maya was adopted. The biological daughter of the Lane family had been missing for years, and we finally found her recently.”
Everyone was shell shocked as they stared at Mia in disbelief. What Dominic said was pretty obvious.
Still planted on the same spot, Mia sighed. It seemed like it was impossible for her to keep a low profile now.
Literally every soul in the hall spiraled in shock, including Kennedy who was on the stage. The microphone in his hand almost dropped as he realized Mia was the daughter of the Lanes. But she was
Timothy’s wife as well!
Fate truly favored her.
Mia flashed an awkward, yet courteous smile. Glancing up at Layla, she noticed her expression turned sour. She bet Layla didn’t expect Maya to be adopted. Layla had been eager to cause her trouble to please Maya, after all.
Just then, Claude took over the microphone as he fixed his gaze on Layla. “I remember you. You joined the audition for the orchestra, and your performance was remarkable. It seems like your offer letter is on the way.
Layla seemed uneasy as she replied hastily, “Y¨CYeah. Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Lane.”
“Don’t thank me, because your offer letter is officially terminated now!”
“Why?” Layla looked like someone had punched the living daylights out of her. She instinctively chanced a glance at Mia as she bit her lip in defiance. “It was a misunderstanding, and I wasn’t aware that Maya was adopted. Isn’t it unfair to terminate my offer letter just because of a misunderstanding?”
Claude was unfazed. “Are you justifying the fact that you can insult Mla because you weren’t aware that she’s the daughter of the Lane family? The orchestra doesn’t need a two¨Cfaced and immoral person like you.”
Jason chimed in, “According to the rumors you spread earlier, you’ve harmed Mia’s reputation. If any of these rumors begins to circulate, you will be held legally responsible for that.”
In an instant, Layla plopped to the ground in shock. She was petrified by the huge trouble she got herself into. She meant to please Maya, but little did she expect Mia to be the actual daughter of the Lanes.
Layla was doomed.
Looking at Layla’s face which was now drained of any color, Mia didn’t have any pity for her. If it weren’t. for her identity, she would’ve fallen victim to her accusations.
Just then, Mia spotted Timothy. He strode in with his bandaged arm, looking slightly pale. She didn’t expect him to return from the hospital that soon.
It wasn’t possible. The hospital was quite a distance from her college, and he couldn’t have returned in such a short period of time. The only possibility was that he didn’t even visit the hospital¨Che merely went to the infirmary,
Timothy’s arrival had people swooning over his looks as well. He took long, wide strides toward the VIP area and sat next to the Lane brothers.