“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
“Maia, you’re the CEO! You should lead by example!” “It’s fine. No one dares to judge the CEO.” Maia continued to mumble sleepily. Tess refused to give in as she dragged Maia out of bed and patted her gently on her cheeks. “How about this? Are you awake now?”“Ouch!” "It looks like you’re awake now! Hurry up. Breakfast is ready. You should have some and leave for work!” Tess instructed as she left Maia’s bedroom. Maia shook her head in defeat as she reached for her phone to check the time. It was only 8 a.m. so her usual routine would only start in an hour. It's no wonder her alarm didn’t go off. “Aunt Tess, there’s still an hour to go! I’m not anywhere close to being late!” Maia yelled helplessly. Unfortunately, she was already fully awake. There was no way she could go back to bed now. She dragged her tired body into the bathroom and got ready. As she was about to leave after finishing her breakfast, Tess immediately interjected. “Let me send you to work.” “It’s
Maia did not expect Tess to approach Hope personally. She knew that things were getting complicated. “I got it. I’m coming over right now.” She instructed her secretary to adjourn her upcoming meeting and left the office in a hurry. "What are you planning, acting all weak and innocent?" Tess asked Hope as she sat down. You made Maia leave her assistant here just to look after you? I’ve underestimated you.“Tell me, is this part of your plan to make her assistant work as a mole for you instead?” Tess was crude with Hope. She did not want to waste time beating around the bush. “Let me warn you. Your mother killed my sister and took her place as the mistress of the Burgess household. We’re done playing nice. How could you have the audacity to ask Maia to help you with your contract issues?“Maia is kind enough to see you as her sister, but how could you claim to be hers when your mother has done such despicable things to us? How dare you ask such a huge favor of her?”Hope was confuse