Judy's voice came through on the phone. "Ms. Maia left before daybreak, sir. I tried to persuade her to wait until the snowstorm stopped, but she seemed in a hurry and told me to mind my own business."Cedric frowned. As soon as he hung up, Zera spoke again. "So you were really with Maia…" She lowered her gaze and murmured, "She must have gone to see you on purpose so you wouldn’t suspect her."She grew more anxious as she continued, "This way, she’d have an alibi. Mom's kidnappers would never say she did it if she paid them off or threatened their families. She knew she’d never be charged! Oh, my God, how could she be so evil?"Zera frantically paced in circles. "I wonder how Mom is now…"Suddenly, a loud crash was heard as Cedric smashed his phone to pieces. He looked terrifying as he said, "Find out where Maia is."Baz nodded. "Yes, sir!"...It was still snowing that morning. Maia trudged through the thick layer of snow to arrive at Burgess Winery.Suddenly, a whistle c
Maia smiled again. "I know you won't."Errol looked worried as he gestured, "Maia, when you're back in Solisar, you must watch out for those assholes." Now that their mother was no longer around to keep the elders in check, things had become even more complicated in Starlight Entertainment than in the winery.Maia nodded with a smile. “What are you two talking about so early in the morning?""Good morning, Nigel. Are you here to pick up my sister?" Errol greeted Nigel through sign language."Yeah, the flight is at 8 a.m. We better get going."Errol nodded. "Please take care of my sister."Nigel made an okay sign. "You know I will."“Give it your all, Nigel. She's single now." Nigel shook his head with a laugh and said to Maia, "Kids nowadays."Maia only let out a faint smile. "Get in the car. We're running late. You didn't pack anything?" Nigel saw Maia had no luggage. Maia nodded. She assumed the Larkins had thrown her stuff away when they divorced, so she did not
Nigel held out a hand to stop him. "Please behave yourself, Mr. Cedric."Cedric stopped walking and said, "Or what?"An SUV pulled up, and five men emerged, surrounding Nigel and his car. He was quickly overpowered. "Cedric, why the hell did you hit my car? You and Maia are divorced now, remember? She's not your wife anymore!"Cedric paid him no attention. With a half-smile, he opened the rear door and said, "Get out of the car."He spoke harshly to her, like he used to. She knew he was only nice to her for one night. The cold wind swept inside the car. Maia pursed her lips and decided not to drag Nigel into this. She took a deep breath and did as she was told. "Maia, stay in the car!"Nigel tried to push the bodyguards off him, but he was no match for so many trained individuals.With a gentle smile, Maia said, "It's okay, Nigel. I'll handle this. Please wait for me at the airport, okay?" She knew Nigel cared about her, but she did not want anything bad to happen to him. Someone a
He frowned and grabbed her jaw. "Why? Should I let a kidnapper escape?""Kidnapper?" Maia gasped. "What on earth are you talking about?"He tossed the box onto her, and its lid opened, revealing the voodoo doll. "W-What is it?""Drop the act, will you?" When she met his sinister gaze, her heart pounded. She looked down at the doll and saw Rita’s name on it. Realization struck her."You think I kidnapped Rita? Cedric, I was with you last night, remember? I only found out about what happened when Zera called you."He began to squeeze her jaw as he looked grimmer. "You wanted to spend the evening with me to have an alibi, right? And I'm the best witness there is!" For love, she had forsaken her pride. She braved the snow the day before she left Prismara to spend their wedding anniversary with him. Despite this, he believed it was all part of a scheme. For him, she could give up everything. Even now, when she was humiliated, she still loved him. Maia shook her head. "She ki
"Yes."His cold answer broke her heart. ‘He keeps crushing your hopes, Maia. But you just had to ask, hoping for a better response. What for? You always get hurt,' she reminded herself. “I should’ve known you’d think the worst of me. Of course you’d think I was responsible for the kidnapping. You’ve never trusted me, so I shouldn't have expected otherwise." He shot her a fierce glare. "Listen. You can’t leave until you’ve proven you’re innocent.”"Do you have evidence that I'm behind the kidnapping, Cedric? Why should I listen to you?"He tossed a document onto her lap. "I'm the largest shareholder of Burgess Winery."Maia was shocked to see the title "Winery Reconstruction Plan.""You want to turn the winery into a resort?” She said anxiously, “It's the largest one owned by Burgess Winery. Do you have any idea what you're doing? You might not be able to gain anything from it!"It was a foolish plan that would hurt everyone. How could a shrewd businessman like Cedric have m
The privacy divider blocked the view from the front seat.Maia began to panic, but it was too late. She tried to scream, but his kiss muffled any sound she made. She could only lay defenselessly, her long hair disheveled. A while later, the car came to a stop, and the chauffeur left them alone. Cedric removed his jacket, wrapped it around her, and carried her out of the vehicle.‘Where are we?’Maia gazed at the stacked townhouses before her. It was an upscale development by HL Corporation that had not launched. Then it hit her."You're going to imprison me?"Cedric said coldly, "I can't let a suspect escape, can I?"He carried her into a room and threw her onto a bed with velvet sheets. "You can't do this to me, Cedric!” Maia tried to leave, but he pinned her to the bed and glared at her.He warned, "Don't forget about the winery and your brother."Cedric rose and made his way toward the door. As he was about to leave, he paused."Was the story you told me true?”Maia cl
Susie frowned. "Ms. Maia, Mr. Cedric forbade me from giving you any devices.""Well, he didn't say I couldn't make a call, right? It's just one call, please, Susie," Maia pleaded. Susie glanced around and said, "Ms. Maia, it’s not that I don't want to help you, but this place is under surveillance. Mr. Cedric can watch your every move."Taken aback, Maia looked around her and saw surveillance cameras everywhere. She chuckled bitterly and murmured, "I guess the place is bugged, too, huh?"Susie sighed but didn't deny it. "Eat while the dinner's still warm, okay?"Maia was left alone in the dining hall but had lost her appetite. She squeezed the utensils in her hands tightly.She had no choice but to hope that Rita would be found soon. Still, something about all of this made her uneasy. There was more than meets the eye about Rita's kidnapping. She could only hope to leave the townhouse soon.Letting out a bitter chuckle, she finished her meal and headed upstairs. Maia curled
Cedric marched toward the door without answering. Soon, his luxury car sped out from the manor.Susie was the only person Maia had seen in several days. After dinner, when Susie cleared the table, the glass container fell to the floor and shattered with a crash. Looking flustered, Susie quickly said, "Oh my, I'm so clumsy! I'll clean it up right away, Ms. Maia."Maia saw the glass shards on the floor and said, "Be careful, okay?"Susie hastily answered, "I will. Thank you, Ms. Maia."Maia yawned multiple times while nodding. Feeling tired for no apparent reason, she looked at the clock and saw that it was only around seven. ‘Is it because I didn't sleep well last night?’ She went upstairs to her bed and soon drifted off to sleep. After some time, a flurry of footsteps was heard, and she was yanked off the bed. "Maia, why did you lie to me?" With a fierce expression, Cedric threw Zera’s phone onto the bed. Still groggy, Maia heard a recording from the phone. "It's Maia