"It's not your fault, Hope. Get some rest, and tell Buck if you need anything." "Maia…" Hope called out and said solemnly, "Thank you."After Maia hung up, someone knocked on the door. "Ma'am, we've recovered the footage." The IT manager entered the office and handed a thumb drive to Maia. "It contains all the surveillance footage on that day. I watched all of it, and only one woman seemed suspicious."Maia let out a bitter smile as she took the drive. That woman must be Yvette. Since she had admitted that she was the murderer, the surveillance footage wasn't important now."Leave it with me then."The IT manager nodded and turned to leave. Maia put the thumb drive in a nearby drawer and closed it.Seeing it was 5 p.m., she left the office and took the elevator after saying goodbye to a few employees. When she reached the first floor, she saw Nigel waiting for her in the lobby. "Hey, Nigel, when did you arrive?" "I just got here." Nigel smiled. "Come, let's go shopping
Tess hurried toward the kitchen. Maia let out an embarrassed smile. “Don’t pay any mind to what Aunt Tess said.”Nigel’s smile froze slightly. “Well, I quite like what she said.”Pretending not to have heard him, Maia said, “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you something to drink.”She headed toward the sideboard. Nigel walked down the hallway into the living room. At that moment, Errol emerged from his bedroom. “Hey, Nigel,” Errol gestured with a smile. “Aunt Tess loved your gift so much she posted a photo of it on Instagram. She even cooked several more dishes just for your sake, you know.”Knowing a bit of sign language, Nigel understood what he meant.“She’s too kind.”After Nigel took his seat, Maia handed him a drink. “Here you go. I’ll go help my aunt.”“Thanks, Maia,” Nigel nodded at her.Maia then went to the kitchen and washed her hands before starting to help Tess.Tess asked, “Maia, have you guys started dating yet?”Caught off guard, Maia asked, “Datin
“Sure, Nigel, but only if you call me Aunt Tess as well like Maia and Errol do.” Hearing this, Maia choked on her soda and spluttered. Widening her eyes, she whispered to Tess who was sitting beside her. “Are you sure he wouldn’t mind?”Tess caught herself. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, it does come off as rude, doesn’t it?”“Hey, I don’t mind at all. I’ve always treated you like my own aunt anyway," Nigel said. Tess laughed happily. “That settles it then.”Maia frowned. “Well, I’m starving. Let’s eat.”“Yes, yes. Time to chow down, everyone,” Tess said as she kept passing dishes to Nigel. Keeping her head low, Maia ate quietly. “Maia, pass Nigel the meatloaf.”“Aunt Tess…” Maia was reluctant.“It’s okay, Aunt Tess. I can reach it,” Nigel said and placed a chicken drumstick on Maia’s plate using a pair of tongs. “Eat more, Maia. You’re too skinny.”“Thanks, Nigel,” Maia said courteously and continued to eat quietly. Seeing this, Errol was puzzled. Tess kept the c
Having been keeping a watchful eye from Cedric’s car, Baz got out and hurried over. “Sir!”Cedric spluttered and carelessly wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth.Not expecting him to show up there, Nigel was furious.“If you dare to harass her again, I’m going to fuck you up, asshole!” Nigel took Maia’s hand and brought her into the hallway.Maia glanced at Cedric from the corner of her eye and saw a bitter look on his face.As she passed him by, he murmured, “Just stay upstairs, okay?”After all, it wasn’t safe for her to go anywhere all by herself.Maia pursed her lips and followed Nigel into the hallway. When the hallway door closed, Maia let out a relieved sigh.“You did great, sir. You mustn’t fight back even when you know you can beat him. She would only pity the one that got punched.”Cedric shifted his gaze to Baz and snorted. “Gaining sympathy that way won’t work.”“It worked this time. The look in her eyes was different just now, you know,” Baz said seriously
Surprised, Maia nodded. “You’re really up-to-date on news about our company, aren’t you?”Tess laughed proudly. “Of course. With you being the CEO, how could I not be? Anyway, I heard it’s not just a talent show. It also has some variety elements, right?”Maia nodded. “The show will focus on how the girls grow. The audience will see part of their daily lives through live broadcasts, and there will be team-building activities. The production team has put in a lot of effort from the promotional stage. For the sake of viewership, I’ll also be part of the show.”Surprised, Tess asked, “Really? Will you be one of the judges?”Maia nodded. “More like a guest judge, really. I guess producers are expected to make appearances these days, aren’t they?”Nigel looked at Maia and asked, “When are you going to film the first episode?”“Next Monday,” she said after taking a sip of soda.Nigel asked again, “Where?”“Stonebrook.”“Theo is still on the run, and we don’t know where he is. Are yo
Maia pursed her lips and didn’t reply to his messages. Suddenly, Tess said, “Maia, do you think Celia has potential?”“Mm-hmm, right,” Maia said listlessly.Tess was puzzled. “What do you mean, Maia?”“Huh? What did you say?” Maia looked up at Tess and pocketed her phone. Tess looked at Maia and asked, “You seem distracted. What’s on your mind?”Maia quickly lied, “Just work stuff.”“I told you not to keep thinking about work, Maia.” Tess looked at Errol. “You too, Errol. Don’t ever let work dominate your life.”“You’re right, Aunt Tess.” Trying to change the subject, Maia asked with a smile, “So what were you talking about?”Tess said, “I was telling Errol that since Celia is going to become one of your artists, you will surely pave the way for her.”Maia nodded. “Several of my guys think Celia has potential, too. I’m sure they’ll come up with ways to make her shine.”“See? Don’t worry, Errol. Maia will look after her,” Tess said happily. Errol nodded and gestured, “You
Nigel knew that Maia only saw him as a friend, but he was willing to wait. He hoped that with time and effort, she would eventually see him as a man. He would do anything to make it happen. "You know that I’ll only do what’s best for you. The issue here isn’t distancing yourself from him. He’s the one that keeps coming back to you.” Nigel looked at her with a serious face and said, “The best way to solve this once and for all is to marry me.” Maia did not want to hurt him because he had such a sincere look in his eyes. Rejecting him would seem too cruel. However, she did not want to give him false hope. “Nigel, I-”“Let me finish. I know you don’t love me. Unfortunately, Cedric is a powerful man. You could not get rid of him that easily. If you’re married to someone else, that would stop his advances for good!” Maia drew her lips into a fine line as she thought hard. This would seem like a solution to her problem. Nigel continued to persuade her, “I’m not trying to take ad
When they arrived at Prismara Hill, Maia did not even bother getting out of the cab. She simply handed the bag of items to security and asked them to give it to Cedric. Before the security guard got a clear look at her, he spoke crudely, “Just take it home. Do you know how many women have tried to send gifts to Mr. Cedric? Yours would only end up in the trash." When the security guard got close enough to the taxi, he was surprised to see Maia inside. He immediately greeted her politely. “Ms. Maia, how can I help you?”“Pass these to Cedric.”“Got it. Ms. Maia, would you like to come in as well? Mr. Cedric had told us to welcome you whenever you’re back.” “There’s no need for that. I’ve seen enough of this place.” Maia closed her window. Then she told the driver to leave the place. The driver was momentarily stunned as he finally realized who his passenger was. He managed to recover from his petrified state the second time Maia addressed him. “Sure thing, right on it,” th