Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Taking a moment, she asked, “Does Timothy have any knowledge of this?”
“He doesn’t. Some things are best kept from him,” Laura replied calmly.
Mia harbored some lingering questions in her mind. Unable to suppress them any longer, she asked, “Considering your knowledge of Timothy’s background, what is your opinion of him?”
“Tim is a commendable young man, and he has never let our family down. He has achieved remarkably well for himself. To be honest, I feel indebted to him as well.
“At first, I only kept him around for the sake of preserving the Barrett family lineage. But as time passed, my sentiments evolved, and I genuinely wished for his happiness-envisioning him finding love, establishing a family, and embracing a fulfilling life.”
After a brief silence, Mia intervened, “You should take some rest now. I’ll go speak to Mrs. Barrett and straighten things out.”
“Mia, do you perceive me as a bad person?” Laura’s voice quivered with uncertainty.
Mia tenderly clasped Laura’s hand, reassuring her, “You’ve shown him nothing but kindness, and he holds you in high regard. That’s what truly counts.”
Indeed, capturing the intricacies of human relationships in just a few words proved to be quite challenging.
At that moment, Sage approached Mia. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Mia replied, gently patting Sage’s head. “Did you manage to fix that bug?”
“It was just a minor glitch. Nothing too difficult for me to handle,” Sage affirmed confidently. Frowning slightly, he added, “But Timothy does seem to have a lot on his plate.”
“Yeah, well, Uncle Dominic is just as tied up with work. They’re both practically workaholics, aren’t they?” Mia remarked casually.
With that, she exited the hospital with Ginger and Sage, not sparing even a glance at Timothy.
During the journey, Ginger remained unusually quiet.
After dinner at home, Mia pondered investigating the issue Laura had brought up.
Upon finding Ginger alone in the room, Sage approached her and asked, “What’s going on?”
Ginger then recounted the conversation she had overheard with Sage. Feeling a pang of empathy, she added, “Sage, it appears he has a rough past too.”
Sage tightened his lips, startled by the disclosure about Timothy’s background.
The following day, Mia arranged a face-to-face meeting with Sharon.
Upon entering the caf¨¦, Sharon el.
swept into the private room with an air of superiority. “What’s the problem? Spit it out quickly; don’t have time to waste,” she snapped.
“Luna has been apprehended,” Mia stated plainly, noticing the change in Sharon’s demeanor.
Sharon hesitated, her words faltering, “B-but isn’t her arrest justified?”
“Don’t you want to know how Luna was caught?” Mia countered.
“Well, that deceitful woman got what was coming to her,” Sharon asserted.
Mia’s tone remained steady as she disclosed, “Luna was the one who pushed Mrs. Barrett Senior down the stairs. Upon learning of Mrs. Barrett Senior’s recovery, Luna hurried to the hospital out of fear her crime would be revealed. She attempted to remove Mrs. Barrett Senior’s ventilator discreetly, hoping to silence her permanently.”
Sharon was shocked. “How could she? Did she honestly think our family wouldn’t discover the truth? If it weren’t for her influence, the bone marrow switch wouldn’t have happened. It’s all her fault.
Mia couldn’t help but notice the stark change in Sharon’s demeanor from earlier.
“Is this the only reason you’ve approached me? Or are you feeling uneasy because Timothy promised to transfer his assets to me?”
“No, I’m here because Mrs. Barrett Senior has a message for me to convey to you.”
Mia noticed Sharon’s expression changing slightly when she mentioned Laura.
Sharon took her cup of coffee and said, “What? Does Mrs. Barrett Senior still want to lecture me even when she’s on her deathbed? She must have known Timothy’s identity all along, but she conspired with her son to keep the truth from me.
“She and the Barretts are birds of a feather. What else does she have to say?”
Mia was not surprised by her words. She had expected that Sharon would certainly think this way.
Fortunately, she managed to stop Laura when she said she wanted to meet Sharon.
Sharon was emotionally unstable now. What if Laura said something unpleasant and Sharon retorted? Her words might upset Laura.
Mia took a kraft envelope out of her handbag and placed it in front of Sharon. “I hope you won’t regret saying those words after reading this.”
“What’s this?”
“This is the will that your husband left behind, as well as the divorce agreement.”
Hearing that, Sharon quickly took the document out of the envelope. When she read the content, she was so indignant that her face turned pale.
“What a bastard! How could he treat me this way? I’m his wife! How could he give everything to his mistress and her son?”
Looking at Sharon’s expression, Mia was not surprised by her reaction at all.
She added, “He made a will right after he brought Timothy home. If Grandma Laura did not stop him, do you think you could still be Mrs. Barrett without any worry?” As Sharon stared at the two documents before her. She seemed to have aged in an instant.
After some time, Sharon finally spoke. “So what?”
“When Grandma Laura got to know about it, she hid the will away. Knowing that you would live in.
hardship if you were kicked out, she allowed you to remain in the Barrett family.
“I believe you know what kind of life you would be living now if it weren’t for her.”
After all, the Hopkins were totally unreliable.
Mia knew that, and Sharon knew that even better.
With a stern expression, Sharon tore the divorce agreement into pieces. “It’s a good thing that that man did so many terrible things and died early.”
“If it weren’t for Grandma Laura, you would never have everything you have now. So both Grandma Laura and Timothy owe you nothing,” Mia said.
“And you said you did not come for the sake of the Barrett family’s wealth Did Mrs. Barrett Senior ask you to lecture me so I won’t take a single penny from the Barrett family?” Sharon retorted.
Mia’s tone turned cold. “Do you think you’re qualified to have all the Barrett family’s wealth? Without Timothy, would you still be a part of the Barrett family?
“You, Timothy and even Laura knew nothing about this matter. All of you are the victims in this matter.”
Timothy’s father was the culprit, but he had already passed away.
“What are you trying to say?” Sharon asked with a contemptuous face.
“Timothy has never told Luna the truth. He took Asher to the Barrett residence only to take care of him. But now, Raymond has adopted now,
Asher. You’ll always be Mrs. Barrett if you can let go of the past
“Mia, you finally show your true colors. Why should I do that? Timothy owes it to me, and he has to make it up to me,” Sharon insisted.
Sharon felt that her life was a joke. To her, money was the most reliable thing in the world now.
Mia spoke, “Speaking of compensation, hasn’t Timothy been cleaning up after you and taking care of the Hopkin family issues all these years? He has done more than enough.
“Do you think you could still live a carefree and comfortable life if you had a useless son?”
“You don’t know anything,” Sharon said.
Mia retorted, “I might not know everything, but Timothy is innocent. Before he knew the truth, he always regarded you as his mother. Even after he found out the truth, he has never mistreated you. “Besides, when you said you wanted the Barrett family’s wealth, he agreed. Tell me, who else could do what he did?”
Mia felt that Timothy might have been hurt by Sharon’s words.
He seemed impressive on the outside, but his identity was a dark secret.
Therefore, his relationship with Sharon became awkward.
Sharon’s eyes reddened. “But I also treat him like my biological son.”
“You’re also his foster mother. Now everyone related to him is dead, and you’re the only one he has. What are you afraid of?”
Sharon wiped off her tears. “I’m not afraid of anything. It’s just that I felt that I can’t trust anyone.”
“Timothy is a man of his word. However, Grandma Laura said that if you remain stubborn, making the will public is her only option,” Mia said. Immediately, Sharon tore the will into pieces.
Mia’s expression remained calm. “The documents in your hands are photocopies. I didn’t bring the originals. Do you think I’m that stupid?” Sharon said furiously, “Mia, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”