Maia knew Tess really well. Once she had set her mind on something, it was difficult to change it.“Fine, Aunt Tess. I’ll move in with you once I get off work.”“That’s the spirit! If you kept turning me down, I would've gotten so mad!” Tess smiled and patted Maia on the shoulder.Maia smiled to appease her aunt.Tess relented, “I’ll get back to the winery now. I’ll come back to pick you up in the evening and we can go back to your place to pack!”“I promise I’ll stay here!”“You'd better!” Tess nodded with satisfaction as she walked towards the door. “No need to see me off, you should get back to your work.”“Drive safe, Aunt Tess. You're not as young as you used to be!” Maia teased.Tess shook her fist at Maia in return. “I’m still young at heart!”Maia laughed at her response as she waved at Tess. When she got back to her desk, Maia was lost in her own thoughts again.Just then, her cell phone vibrated. It was a notification about the news that Cedric was gay. She could no
Cedric looked at her coldly and remarked, “You should’ve thought about that when you caused her miscarriage.”Rita froze as she avoided eye contact with Cedric. Yet, she continued to make up excuses, “W-what are you talking about? It was Maia that didn’t want the child. She fell from the third floor on her own, just to cause a miscarriage.”“Shut up!” Cedric demanded loudly.Rita was surprised by his tone and turned pale. She took a few steps back and argued, “Cedric, there’s no proof of your claims. How could you just put the blame on your mother? This isn't like you! The old you wouldn’t have just trusted her word blindly over your own mother’s!”Cedric looked at her in pain. His brows furrowed tightly together as he stared at his mother in utter horror.“I hurt her so much because I trusted you. I promised her this would never happen again!” he said coldly, before turning around and marching towards the elevator.Baz immediately followed as Rita ran up toward them. Her hair
”Ms. Zera, you should be careful.”“Ms. Zera, please stop!” “Is Mrs. Rita back yet?” Try as they might, the housekeepers could not contain Zera’s madness. They were almost hurt by her as well.When Rita got home, she was surprised to see the mess that Zera had caused. As she witnessed Zera’s tantrum, Rita could not bring herself to be mad at her.“Zera, calm down!” Rita entered Zera’s bedroom and hugged her.Zera did not calm down when she saw Rita. Instead, she seemed more agitated and started to laugh and cry at the same time.“I’ve lost everything! What should I do now? I have nothing left.” Zera could not stop her tears from pouring down her cheeks.“It was Maia! It was all her fault that I lost my place in the entertainment industry. Why does Cedric listen to her every word? She is such a vile woman! She must have done something to manipulate Cedric! She’s turning him into her puppet!” Zera yelled hysterically as she grabbed onto Rita’s arm. She went on. “That has to b
”If I knew my life was going to be so miserable, I would’ve rather died before you gave birth to me!” Zera retorted as she grabbed Rita’s wrist.“Listen carefully! Maia must die, Cedric and the corporation should be mine as well!”“Fine, I’ll remember what you said!” Rita replied and walked out of the room. Zera just smiled at her back approvingly.Rita closed the door and instructed the housekeepers to clean up Zera’s room. The housekeepers nodded reluctantly and braced themselves to enter her bedroom.Judy rushed over with a glass of water and some medication. After she was fired by Cedric, she had returned to Rita’s side.Judy had served Rita even before she became a Larkin. “Don’t get so worked up. You should take your medicine.”Rita had been diagnosed with heart problems. The doctor had told her that it was best not to get so emotional. Rita took the glass with her trembling hands and swallowed her pills.“Mrs. Rita, you should take care of yourself! As for Ms. Zera, she
"Try to get him on board. No matter how you look at it, Aiken is the best candidate." The executive nodded. "Okay, we'll try to contact his agency."Maia asked, "Is his contract coming to an end soon?""Yes, several companies are eyeing him because the chances of him renewing his contract are low. When he first debuted, he had contract issues with his agency, and it was only after he became famous that they agreed to change the terms." "Then we should try to get him. We need someone to replace Bruno as our number one artist." Aiken would be the perfect choice. "All right, Ms. Maia." Before he could continue, the conference room burst open. Paige hurried inside and said urgently, "Ms. Maia, Bruno's wife is making a scene in the lobby. She refuses to go unless she sees you. She's even brought her newborn baby with her!"A commotion broke out among the executives. "What the hell?""Bruno had it coming. What on earth is his wife thinking?" "She should be ashamed of herself!" Maia
Myrtle staggered as her knees gave, and Maia quickly supported her. "Don't waste your time on a jerk like him. It's just not worth it," Maia said calmly. Seeing her, Maia was reminded of herself. Their situations were different, yet somehow similar. "Paige, have someone send her and her child back home."Myrtle looked at her in surprise. "You…""Take care of your child, alright?" Maia smiled, not holding any grudges against her. She knew the woman only did what she did out of her misplaced love for Bruno, and it was the asshole who had misled her."Thank you, Ms. Maia…" Myrtle nodded and asked hesitantly, "Do you think I can still act in your productions in the future? I'll take any role to support my daughter.""Of course." Maia smiled. After thanking her, Myrtle then left with Paige. Bruno was stunned by her exit. "Hey, where are you going? Don't you love me anymore? You love me, don't you?"I love you, babe! Come back here. Hey!" Of course, Bruno only said so beca
"What's with that evil grin?" Jordan grabbed Aiken's ear. "Mind your manners.""It hurts, Dad!"Aiken didn't expect to see his father just as he was about to make advances on Maia. "I'm a goddamn star. I have an image to maintain."Trying not to laugh, Maia said, "For your sake, I've told my staff to give us some privacy." "I appreciate it, Maia," Aiken said with a bitter grin. It was only until they reached Maia's office that Jordan let go of Aiken's ear. "You little shit! I was so proud when I heard you tackled Bruno, and yet you tried to be disrespectful to Maia. Is this how I raised you?" As he spoke, he tried to smack his buttocks, and Aiken tried in vain to stop him. "Come on, Dad!"Aiken howled. Maia chuckled, seeing their interaction. "I heard the company offered to host The Quest, and you dared to say no? You think you're some kind of big shot, huh?" "No, Dad! My agent said no, and I've told her I'm interested in the job." "Oh, yeah?" Jordan was unconvi
"Where is the talent show going to be?" Aiken asked curiously. “It will be Stonebrook, surrounded by valleys and a lush meadow, since the first episode's theme is ecology. Your host script will be delivered to you then, and it's best to depart for Stonebrook this Sunday.""Okay, I can move my schedule around." "That's perfect!" The executive shook Aiken's hand. "We're counting on you then, Mr. Aiken.""Sure, just leave it to me." Aiken patted his chest heroically as if he were going to war. Glaring at him, Jordan downed his cup of tea to calm himself down. "Ms. Maia, for the first episode, the production team hopes you could join as a guest judge. This will create some buzz and show our seriousness about the show. You can treat it as a getaway." Aiken quickly said, "Yeah, Maia, you can seize the opportunity to scout for Starlight talent. Who knows, you might be able to find someone like me?" He patted his chest and gave himself a thumbs-up. Seeing this, Jordan kicked his