Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
confident that no one could rival her.
Lowering his eyes, Timothy retorted. “So what? Our engagement was never real in the first place, and you know it better than anyone else.”
Maya’s breath caught for a moment, and she spoke with a pleading tone. “Tim, could you please help me maintain a sense of dignity in front of my brothers? After all, Connor thinks our engagement is genuine.
“If he discovers next week that it’s merely a transaction, and particularly if you’re absent, what if Connor reconsiders his decision regarding Grandma Laura’s surgery?”
Timothy, his gaze reflecting a distant coldness, remained silent before walking away.
Maya stood alone, her eyes expressing hesitation.
Next to her, Shelly anxiously inquired. “Maya, have you talked to Timothy about reinstating my credit card?”
Maya, her eyes turning red, responded, “Shelly, you’ve seen Timothy’s attitude toward me. I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do to assist you.”
Growing increasingly anxious, Shelly exclaimed, “How am I supposed to handle my credit card situation? Do I really have to apologize to Mia? It feels utterly unbearable.”
Shelly had always held a contemptuous view of Mia, consistently belittling her both openly and discreetly.
Now, compelled to apologize to Mia, Shelly felt as though she was being pushed to the brink of despair.
Despite Maya’s disheartened mood, she maintained her composure and quickly reassured Shelly, saying, “For the time being. just use the credit card I gave you.
“As time passes, Timothy is likely to forget about this incident. Mia deliberately complained to Timothy to portray herself as the victim.
“If you approach Mia, you’ll be falling into her trap,”
Upon hearing this. Shelly’s discontent intensified. “But wouldn’t that mean Mia is getting away with it? I cannot just swallow my pride like this.
“Wilhelmina, that incompetent fool, can’t even handle such a minor issue properly. I even gave her two designer bags. Shelly complained.
Maya’s lips curled with disdain. In her perspective, Shelly was just as incompetent, struggling to deal with someone as insignificant as Mia.
Nevertheless, Maya understood the importance of maintaining Shelly’s allegiance for the time being. Once she married Timothy, she wouldn’t have to deal with such foolishness anymore.
Out of the blue, Shelly recalled something, “Maya, when I was searching for Mia today, I learned that she has been avoiding her adoptive parents. It appears they are not the easiest people to deal with.
“If Mia’s adoptive parents managed to locate her, she could face significant trouble.”
A glint of amusement crossed Maya’s eyes. “That’s a clever approach. With Timothy and Grandma Laura safeguarding Mia, even I wouldn’t dare to harm her casually. It appears to be the only viable option.”
“I can’t fathom what’s admirable about Mia. I’ve heard she was adopted from an orphanage. How woman with such a humble background be considered worthy of someone like Timothy?”
w can a
Upon hearing the term “orphanage.” Maya’s gaze immediately took on a somber expression. After all, she too came from an orphanage, though she considered herself luckier than Mia.
If it weren’t for her intelligence back then, she might still be grappling at the bottom now.
Nonetheless, Maya quickly brushed aside these thoughts. After all, she was now the heiress of the Lane family, destined to live a life of luxury and privilege for the rest of her days!
Regardless, Mia would never be able to surpass Maya.
As Mia exited the Barrett Group, she briefly glanced back at the imposing skyscraper before walking away from the premises.
After returning home that evening, Patricia took Mia’s hand and shared, “Mia, I have some wonderful news to share. It appears our old neighborhood might be undergoing redevelopment.”
“Redevelopment? Are you serious?”
Mia hadn’t considered the possibility of her old neighborhood being redeveloped. Could this be a stroke of luck?
Just when she was in dire need of money, did she Ironically become eligible for compensation?
Patricia was equally excited.” Yes, it’s true. I revisited our old neighborhood today and chatted with some neighbors. The word on the street is that we’ll have a meeting in a few days to voice our opinions.
“I’ve heard they’re considering two options¨Cone is to provide a new house, and the other is to offer compensation in cash.”
Mia held Patricia’s hand. “That’s fantastic news. When the time comes, we’ll weigh our options and decide which one suits us best.”
“I’m sure Bob and Mary will eventually catch wind of this, and I anticipate there might be a commotion again. It’s wiser to inform your brothers sooner rather than later.
“Let’s see who can come and visit us. This way, it can prevent Mary from rallying her family to harass us.”
Having endured mistreatment for so many years due to her vulnerable position, Patricia now yearned for a moment of triumph.
When Mia’s six brothers showed up to support her, let’s see who dared to cause trouble then.
Understanding Patricia’s intent, Mia nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll discuss it with my brothers later,
After dinner, Mia tidied up and settled into bed. She sent a message to her family’s WhatsApp group, briefly explaining the situation regarding the demolition of her old neighborhood.
Eva was the first to respond, “Demolition is a positive development! Mia, you’re truly fortunate.”
Dominic chimed in with some playful flattery. “Our Mia is like a little lucky star, I’ve been selling so many houses recently. It must be because of Mia’s influence.”
Soon, all of Mia’s brothers joined the conversation, showering her with exaggerated compliments and playful banter.
Mia couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
She replied, “That’s not the point. The main concern is that once Bob and Mary find out, they’ll undoubtedly
“I’m wondering if any of you have the time to come and help me handle the situation.”
Dominic texted promptly, “Absolutely, I’m available. I was planning to take a break and come over in the next couple of days anyway.”
Nathan chimed in, “Perfect, I haven’t taken my annual leave either.”
Connor assured, “How convenient. I’m currently in Bern City and can come over at any time.”
Claude added, “I have a concert in Bern City, but I can arrive early.”
Jason contributed, “I can come for a business trip.”
Liam concluded, “The film I was working on has just wrapped up. I can head over for a vacation.”
Reading the text messages from her six brothers, Mia felt a warm sensation in her heart.
She gently touched her belly, imagining that when her baby was born, they would also have many uncles caring for them.
The next day, with no college classes scheduled, Mia went straight to the studio for work.
For now, her top priority was to earn money.
Shortly after stepping into the studio, Mia was startled by the loud voices of Bob and Mary approaching from behind. “Mia, you brat! How dare you make it difficult for us to find you!”
As Mia turned around and spotted Bob and Mary, an uneasy expression crossed her face. “How on earth did you two locate this place?”
It shouldn’t be possible. Bob and Mary shouldn’t be aware of her workplace!
Mary approached, hugging Mia’s legs and wailing. “Ted has been forced into this situation. Don’t you feel guilty for avoiding us like this?”
Chapter 187
Mary’s antics reduced Mia’s voice to a whisper. “Let’s discuss this outside.”
“Uh-huh, I don’t want to. Let’s sort things out in front of your colleagues. About why you don’t wanna help us. Back when you were on the brink of death in the orphanage, we were the ones who adopted and raised you.
“And you’re not acknowledging us as your parents? How could you be this ungrateful?” Mary had fully unleashed her potential in mixing truth with fabrications, hurling backlashes against Mia.
Meanwhile, Bob, who played the role of an honest family man, recounted to the watching colleagues, “We’re at our wit’s end. Raising Mia took up a lot of our savings. But now she’s avoiding us when we need money.”
Mia shot a cold stare at her brazen adoptive parents. “You didn’t pay for my studies.”
Mary whined, “How ungrateful of you! Who else could have paid for your studies other than us, Mia? You won so many cash prizes and have a decently paid job, but now you refuse to give us even a cent of it.”
At that moment, Felix strode out of his office with a frown. “What’s going on here?”
Mary continued with her acting. “You must be Mia’s boss. Is her salary high? We’re her parents. You should’ve transferred her pay to us.”
The absurdity almost had Mia chuckling, for she had never met such shameless people.
Impressively enough, her adoptive parents could always take shamelessness to a whole new level.
Felix asked, “Are you Mia’s adoptive parents?”
“Yes, we are. It wasn’t easy to raise her, but she turned into an ungrateful child. We need the money to save someone. You should give us her salary.”
He snorted coldly. “Give you her salary? On what grounds? You’re demanding this shamelessly!”
This stunned Mia and Bob as they didn’t expect Felix to react that way.
Felix continued, “As far as I know, Aunt Patricia had raised her and paid for her education. And her so-called adoptive parents turned her into a maid after they had their own child.”
Felix defended Mia further, “If it wasn’t for Aunt Patricia’s kindness, I wonder where Mia would’ve ended up. How dare you come and demand money from her?”