"Where’s the oatmeal?" "Be right back." Cedric ruffled her hair and smiled lovingly before heading toward the kitchen. He then returned carrying a steaming bowl of oatmeal. "Eat slowly. It's hot."When he placed it before her, Maia noticed his fingers were red and swollen. "What happened to your hand?""I got burned," he said casually.A rich man like him must have never cooked anything in his whole life before. "Shouldn't you apply some cream?" she asked stiffly, trying not to sound concerned.He smiled. "It's no big deal."Maia then started to eat slowly. His gesture would have been very moving if it were the past. However, it was different now.Suddenly, Maia's phone rang again. When she answered the call, Buck's voice said, "Check out the trending topic on Twitter! Someone released videos, chat records, and voice messages that show Zera has been fooling around overseas and in the set! This has diverted public attention away from us!" Instead of checking Twitter, M

Hearing this, Cedric stopped dead in his tracks. There was a slight shift in his gaze. "You wouldn't dare."Maia smiled. "Try me.""Okay, you win." Letting out a bitter smile, he put her down gently.As she found her footing, she noticed the change in his expression. It was a look of loneliness. Maia could not help but feel bad for him. Looking away, she turned and said coldly, "Just stay out of my face forever."That was what she wished for most. Her eyes turned red. Perhaps it was due to the strong wind on Prismara Hill?She headed toward Nigel. When the guards saw Maia, they looked at Cedric and only backed away after he gave them a slight nod."Let's get the hell out of here." Nigel opened the front passenger door for Maia, and she got in.Soon, the car moved away. Staring after it, Cedric took out his phone and sent Maia a text. Maia's phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw Cedric's message. It read, "I'll die to protect you from now on."Tears welled up in her eye

Tess entered the office and shook Jordan’s hand. "Hey, Mr. Jordan, you're back!""Long time no see." Jordan nodded courteously. "Aunt Tess, what brought you here?" Maia was surprised that she had come. Tess feigned anger. "Am I not welcome?" Maia chucked. "Of course, you're welcome here anytime."She then signed the documents and returned them to Jordan. "Thanks, Jordan. I'll tell Nigel to handle the lawsuit."Jordan nodded. "He's the best man for the job. I trust him."Taking the documents, he smiled and said, "I'll leave you two alone then."After Jordan left, Tess sat on the sofa and asked, "Who are you suing, Maia? It's better to take it easy since you just took over the company."Maia shook her head. "Jordan found out that Theo had been taking money from the company." “"He's just like his dad,” Tess sighed. “I heard many big corporations wanted to hire Jordan, but he turned them all down. You've done a great job, Maia! Your mom would be proud of you." She gave her

Maia was alarmed to hear Hope’s desperate plea for help.“Where are you?”She sounded like she was somewhere noisy.“I… I…”Maia asked, “Hope, where are you? Can you hear me? Hope!”However, no matter how many times she called her name, Hope didn’t reply. Keeping the call connected, Maia grabbed her keys and dashed out of her office.“Where are you going, Maia?” Buck asked, as he saw her rushing away and quickly went after her.“Hope is in trouble.”“What?” Buck was alarmed. “Let me drive you!”Maia looked at her phone, but there was still no reply from Hope.She murmured into the phone, “Don’t worry. I’m coming for you now.”At that moment, a strange voice came through. “Are you Ms. Hope Burgess’s sister?”“Yes, I am!” Maia answered immediately.“This is the police. Ms. Hope and her mother were involved in a car accident and have been sent to the hospital. That’s where you’ll find them.”“Thanks! I’ll head there straight away.”Knowing where Hope was, Maia calmed down a little. “Let’

She gradually slowed down her pace and glanced to see who was behind her using the rear-view mirror of a car parked nearby.As she expected, a man wearing a black baseball cap and a black mask was following her.She found his frame to be familiar.Who was he?Feeling anxious, she didn’t dwell on it as she knew the man had to be watching her every move.Not wanting to give herself away, she didn’t dare to quicken her pace now.Just as she turned a corner, she swiftly removed her high heels and threw them to the other side to make some noise before hiding behind a pillar.Hearing the clatter, the man hurried toward the shoes. Seizing the moment, Maia made a run for her car.The car lights flashed a few times as she unlocked her car with the key fob. However, when she was about to open the car door, a gunshot was heard, followed by hurried footsteps.Her plan had failed!Biting her lower lip, Maia saw the man charging over and ducked behind her car so that he couldn’t shoot her.