Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Dominic’s face fell when he learned that Timothy had shown up. “What? Timothy Barrett was the one who had saved Ginger at the airport? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Wade stammered, “B¨CBecause Ms. Mia told me not to. Plus, Dr. Grayson did suggest she spend time with him. It’s for her health.”
“Nonsense! Buy them plane tickets at this instant!” Dominic didn’t want Mia to have anything to do with Timothy.
Four years ago, Mia almost died on the operating table because of Timothy, and Dominic would never forget that.
Dominic had spent years clandestinely opposing Barrett Group, especially their ventures in Nord City, leading to a downturn in their business fortunes.
“A tsunami had struck Xanier Island recently, and the storm shows no signs of ab?ting. The airport has been closed for the past two days. I don’t know when they’ll reopen it.” Wade was in a tough spot.
“So what if it’s a storm? Even if it rains knives, I want them back home immediately!” Dominic was infuriated.
Who would’ve known that Mia would run into Timothy on a trip to Xanier Island?
Right then, Eva entered the presidential office and happened to witness his rage. “What happened? Why are you angry?”
“Mia met Timothy on Xanier Island,” Dominic shared what he had heard from Wade.
Eva was equally surprised.
Dominic sprang from his seat. “This won’t do. I have to take them back in person.”
um do safe to fly a chopper through the bad weather.”
“I’m not afraid of danger.”
She pulled him. “What about Mia and Ginger? Ginger’s still young. Do you want her to take the risk?”
That cooled his head instantly. Still, the flame was burning in him. “But I can’t let Mia meet Timothy. Don’t you know what happened to Mia four years ago was because of the Barrett’s?” “I know, but Mia has changed. She’s no longer someone who can be bullied.”
“What if she regains her memories?”
“Honey, hypnosis is a temporary solution. You can’t keep her in the dark forever. Four years is long enough. If they met on Xanier Island, it could only mean they’re fated to cross each other’s path. Mia will be able to make the right choice. Don’t you have any faith in her?”
He finally calmed down. “Of course I do.”
she wanted to look for her
“Good. It’s not like you don’t know why Ginger left the house. father. Could you stop her forever? It’s time to learn how to let go.”
safe to fly a chopper through the bad weather.”
“I’m not afraid of danger.”
She pulled him. “What about Mia and Ginger? Ginger’s still young. Do you want her to take the risk?”
That cooled his head instantly. Still, the flame was burning in him. “But I can’t let Mia meet Timothy. Don’t you know what happened to Mia four years ago was because of the Barretts?”
“I know, but Mia has changed. She’s no longer someone who can be bullied.”
“What if she regains her memories?”
“Honey, hypnosis is a temporary solution. You can’t keep her in the dark forever. Four years is long enough. If they met on Xanier Island, it could only mean they’re fated to cross each other’s path. Mia will be able to make the right choice. Don’t you have any faith in her?”
He finally calmed down. “Of course I do.”
“Good. It’s not like you don’t know why Ginger left the house. She wanted to look for her father. Could you stop her forever? It’s time to learn how to let go.”
“Calm down, honey, There was a tsunami in the territorial waters near Xanier Island. It’s not safe to fly a chopper through the had weather.”
“I’m not afraid of danger,”
She pulled him. “What about Mia and Ginger? Ginger’s still young. Do you want her to take the risk?”
That cooled his head instantly. Still, the flame was burning in him. “But I can’t let Mia meet Timothy. Don’t you know what happened to Mia four years ago was because of the Barretts?” “I know, but Mia has changed. She’s no longer someone who can be bullied.”
“What if she regains her memories?”
“Honey, hypnosis is a temporary solution. You can’t keep her in the dark forever. Four years is long enough. If they met on Xanier Island, it could only mean they’re fated to cross each other’s path. Mia will be able to make the right choice. Don’t you have any faith in her?”
He finally calmed down. “Of course I do.”
“Good. It’s not like you don’t know why Ginger left the house. She wanted to look for her father. Could you stop her forever? It’s time to learn how to let go.”
That idea put Dominic off. He didn’t want Mia to meet Timothy because he was worried about the past repeating itself.
Eva comforted Dominic and then called Mia.
The line got through immediately.
“Hello, Eva. What’s up?”
“No biggie. I’m just checking in on you. How are things going on over at Xanier Island? Are you adapting well? I heard that the airport is closed because of the heavy pour.”
“Yup. The rain is different from the usual one. We’ll need to extend our stay for several days. We’ll return when the rain stops, and it’s safe to fly.”
Mia had a nagging feeling that there was something unusual about Eva’s sudden call. She couldn’t help but wonder if Eva had somehow learned that Caleb was on Xanier Island.
All these years, her family had avoided mentioning her ex¨Chusband to spare her feelings.
She had assumed Eva’s call was to urge her to return home promptly, but as it turned out, it was just a casual conversation.
After Mia ended the call, a suspicion formed in her mind¨Cperhaps Wade had reported something to her family.
Thankfully, the airport on Xanier Island was closed due to the bad weather. Even if her brothers wanted to come, they couldn’t.
Meanwhile, she should straighten things out with her ex¨Chusband in the meantime.
Mia walked toward Ginger, who was having fun. “Ginger.”
“Mommy!” Ginger threw herself in Mia’s arms like a happy bunny. Sweat plastered her fringe to her forehead.
“Did you have fun?” Mia wiped her face with a napkin.
Ginger nodded. “Mommy, I pranked him too. It was a success!”
Mia giggled. “Go over there and take a break. I have something to talk to him.”
Ginger heeded Mia’s instruction and left. Now that there was a better candidate to be her father, she didn’t care what Mia would say to Caleb. She wished for the discussion to go awry.
That way, she could have another father without guilt!
Mia approached Caleb, her voice steely. “Can we talk?”
“A¨CAbout what?” He scanned his surroundings, but there was no sight of Timothy. Caleb was surprised that breakfast had ended so soon.
“Look, Caleb, it’s been years since our divorce, which means everything is in the past. Ginger’s been asking about having a father figure around, so I was hoping you could spend these next few days with her.
“We’ll leave as soon as the airport reopens, and I wouldn’t expect any further involvement after that.” Mia was clear and concise.
Caleb protested his innocence, “Ms. Monalize, with all due respect, I wouldn’t dream of denying something I did. But seriously, you’ve mistaken me for someone else entirely. I’m not even close to being your ex¨Chusband!”
Her brows furrowed. “Admitting it or not is irrelevant. Anger Ginger, and don’t expect any kindness from me.”
“Oh, for crying out loud! You seriously got the wrong person. I am not your ex¨Chusband!”
Her gaze turned cold. “As I said, admitting it or not is irrelevant.”
Caleb had had enough. “Ms. Monalize, did Timothy not tell you how much you look like his ex¨Cwife?”
Mia was flabbergasted. “What do you mean?”
Timothy did tell her that she resembled his ex¨Cwife. She had thought it was a mere coincidence!
“Ms. Monalize, you really got the wrong person. Has it ever crossed your mind that Timothy is actually your ex¨Chusband?”
“That’s impossible!” she exclaimed.
That couldn’t be right. Mia heard Dominic mention Caleb being her ex. Timothy’s remark about the resemblance must have been a flimsy attempt at deflection. Mia never trusted his word anyway.
She glanced over at Caleb hesitantly. “I don’t believe you. Unless you have photos as proof.”
Mia had scoured the internet earlier, desperate to find a picture of Timothy’s ex¨Cwife. However, her endeavor yielded nothing but a frustrating gallery of non¨Cmatches¨Cthe lack of a visual confirmation gnawed at her.
The lack of an online trace of Timothy’s ex¨Cwife, a woman who once held a prominent position as part of the Barrett family, set alarm bells ringing in Mia’s head. This complete digital wipeout was eerily strange.
“Wait. I’ll show you the photos.”
Caleb whisked his phone out, attempting to find a picture of Mia. However, despite scrolling through the end of the gallery, he couldn’t find even a single picture of Mia.
Well, this was awkward.
Mia’s marriage to Timothy four years ago was meant to turn his fate around. Unfortunately, his family never fully embraced her as his wife. As such, Caleb had never been close to Mia, so he had none of her photos.