《Fled With CEO’s Twin Babies》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Let¡¯s Divorce ¡°Ah¡­ Slower¡­!¡± The woman pleaded in the dimly lit room, gripping the man¡¯s strong back. Her moans of pleasure only fueled his eagerness as he moved back and forth with intensity. Their heavy breaths mingled together, igniting a fiercer passion within each other. CLANG!!! Their wild movements knocked over themp on the bedside table. The orange light turned on and lit up the room. Still struggling to catch his breath, Joe Smith looked at Mia White with a mocking gaze. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re this desperate. Drugging me just to get me to touch you? Well, are you satisfied now?¡± With a smirk, he changed his angle and continued with his hard thrusts, taking her pleasure to new heights. A single tear slipped down her check as she struggled to speak, ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± His eyes darkened upon seeing her cry, pushing him to move even faster, and with a few more thrusts they both reached climax. Letting out a low growl, Joe released Mia, still shaking from aftershocks, lost in a daze. He headed towards the bathroom, leaving her to lie motionless on the bed. It took her some time to gather her strength and slowly dress herself. Her gaze fell upon the nightstand drawer, and she bit her lip. Three years ago, when the White Group was facing a financial crisis, her parents drugged her and sent her to Joe¡¯s bed to secure an alliance with the Smith family. Joe believed that it was all Mia¡¯s scheme to get closer to him, and despised her from the start. And more than that, he never loved her because he treasured someone else. Wendy Swan. Wendy had saved his life. He was incredibly grateful, and wanted to marry her. But due to certain family obligations and business contracts, he was forced to marry Mia instead. Despite his hatred, Mia cared and loved him in every way, even though the high society of Anta all mocked and looked down on her for it. But she didn¡¯t care about their opinions. She neverined once, continuing to tolerate everything Joe did that proved how much he hated her. But today, she decided¡­ she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She was pregnant. Joe and Mia had made a deal not to have children. Or more urately, Joe didn¡¯t want her to have his child. She took out the papers from the bedside table drawer. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Joe emerged from his bath, a deep scowl on his face. He tossed a small box of pills Mia. ¡°Take it.¡± Mia read thebel on the box, ¡°emergency contraceptive,¡± and felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. Her hesitation irritated him, and he scoffed, ¡°We¡¯ll not have kids. Mia. Quit dreaming.¡± Mia threw the pills aside, her expression devoid of emotion. ¡°I don¡¯t need them. I won¡¯t get pregnant this time. And¡­ I have something to tell you.¡± Tear streaks were still visible on her face, shimmering under the light. Despite his coldness to her, Joe couldn¡¯t deny the pang in his chest, seeing her tears. But he pushed the strange feeling aside. ¡°Go ahead. How much do you want this time?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. I want a divorce.¡± Joe¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. Anxiety washed over him, and he clenched his fists tight. ¡°So now you¡¯re ying hard to gel, huh? How much does your family want this time?¡± Wordlessly, Mia pushed the document towards him, the two-centimeter scar on her slender arm standing out. Her expression remained terrifyingly calm. Joe nonchntly picked up the document, ¡°The White family finally realized you¡¯re useless. They must be nning to exchange you for money¡­¡± Right away, the words ¡°Divorce Agreement¡± came into his view. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 The Compensation Joe¡¯s eyes narrowed, tossing the divorce agreement onto the table. He lit a cigarette and blew smoke toward Mia¡¯s face, staring at her through the haze. ¡°You¡¯ve taken your little game too far,¡± he sneered. It didn¡¯t make sense to him that she would settle for just a clean split and nothing else. He thought this agreement was just a game to threaten him. He knew Mia loved him. She would never leave him. Plus, her family¡¯spany would never let her go through with a divorce. Mia clenched the nket next to her, locking eyes with Joe. She spoke slowly and firmly, ¡°I only want a divorce. I¡¯m not plotting anything. I¡¯ve given back everything I owe you.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t love you anymore¡­¡± Her words were a mixture of sadness and determination. She didn¡¯t explicitly say it, but Joe somehow knew the hidden meaning underneath. It was¡­ affecting him. More than he¡¯d care to admit. Something was wrong. He took a step forward, pinning her with his intense gaze. He lifted her chin with his fingers, blowing smoke in her face, making her turn away and cough. He smirked and grabbed a pen from the table. ¡°You really think I won¡¯t sign it?¡± She coughed, tears welling up in her eyes, but she quietly watched him sign his name. ¡°You better not regret this.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to let her have her way. After it was signed, he tossed the divorce agreement to the floor. Then he pulled a card from his wallet and threw it at Mia. ¡°Consider thispensation for your¡­¡± He paused, his frown deepening. ¡°¡­hardships this past year.¡± With that, he mmed the door and left. He rarely spent the night here. The bedroom fell intoplete silence. Mia clutched the card with trembling hands, her eyes turning red. She bit her lip, tears streaming down her pale face. The pain in her heart was unbearable. She touched her belly, curling up on the bed, and sobbed till her throat hurt. A whileter, she gathered her strength, packed a few clothes, and booked a flight to Farnd for the next day. She had loved Joe for three years. Sometimes hated him. But now, it was all over. That night, Joe stayed in an apartment near hispany. The next day, he drove to Sun House after finishing work. Today was the day he and Mia were supposed to visit Joe¡¯s grandpa, Sir Smith. However, when he arrived at the Sun House, he couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. He asked the maid, ¡°Where¡¯s Mrs. Smith?¡± She hesitated, looking at Joe cautiously before answering, ¡°Mrs. Smith hasn¡¯t arrived yet. Should I call her?¡± ¡°No need.¡± He dismissed her, then walked into the house. He paid no mind to Mia¡¯s absence, assuming she would show up eventually. After retiring from the Smith Group, Sir Smith fell in love with gardening. When Joe walked in, he was watering the nts in the yard. When saw Joe, Sir Smith nced behind him and his face. suddenly darkened. ¡°Where¡¯s Mia?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Joe answered nonchntly, ¡°But she was with me at the apartmentst night.¡± Joe had already pushed the divorce agreement out of his mind. ¡°You Idiot!¡± Sir Smith scolded. In Sir Smith¡¯s eyes, he knew that it had to be his idiot grandson¡¯s fault that Mia, who usually arrived early with bundles of carefully prepared gifts, hadn¡¯t appeared. Not wanting to scold his grandson in front of others, he ordered sternly, ¡°Come with me.¡± Then the two of them entered the study together. ¡°So you¡¯re the reason for that scandal?¡± Sir Smith looked at Joe with a gloomy expression. Confused, Joe asked, ¡°What scandal?¡± Sir Smith tossed his phone at Joe and snapped, ¡°Take a good look!¡± Joe took the phone. He saw a trending headline that read: [Golden Award-winning Actress, Wendy Swan¡¯s Mysterious Boyfriend Revealed, and It¡¯s Him!] The photo that came with the news showed Joe and Wendy dining together a few days ago. The paparazzi managed to capture them at an angle that made it seem like they were kissing passionately. But in fact, Joe had only been helping her keep her bnce. Joe tried to exin, ¡°This is nonsense.¡± ¡°Have someone delete this Twitter post as soon as possible,¡± Sir Smith demanded, ¡°This scandal damages Mia and the White family¡¯s reputation. What will people say about her?¡± His face darkened as he asked, ¡°What does it have to do with her?¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking! Don¡¯t try to fool me again!¡± Grabbing the teacup in his hand, Sir Smith threw it at Joe. Joe dodged the cup, and it shattered into pieces on the floor. Sir Smith growled, ¡°Wendy Swan will never marry into the Smith family! Over my dead body! Don¡¯t be as ungrateful as your father!¡± At the mention of his father, Joe¡¯s stoic expression finally dropped, his eyes going down to the floor. He muttered, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Sir Smith¡¯s face softened slightly. After discussing other matters, Joe left the study. He called his assistant, Jack, and instructed, ¡°Take down the post on Twitter.¡± Then he drove back to the vi. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. As he entered, he saw a woman in a white dress with her back to him. ¡®Hm¡­ Must be Mia. Sure enough, what she said was just to threaten me and get me back to her. Joe cleared his throat, put on a faint smile, and then sarcastically remarked, ¡°Thought you said you were leaving. Couldn¡¯t resisting back?¡± The next second, the woman turned around. It wasn¡¯t Mia. With her face beaming with joy, she walked towards him, eximing, ¡°Joe!¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Joe¡¯ eyes widened in puzzlement. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Why Are You Wearing Her Dress? Joe wasn¡¯t expecting Wendy to be at his home. And more than that¡­ she was wearing Mia¡¯s dress. The white strapless dress didn¡¯t fit Wendy¡¯s curvy figure, and her breasts were spilling out the top. But she hugged Joe as if she didn¡¯t notice it at all. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡± Wendy asked flirtatiously. She ced her fingers on the back of Joe¡¯s neck and caressed his skin. Joe pushed her away, frowning. ¡°Who let you in? And why are you wearing Mia¡¯s clothes?¡± Wendy¡¯s smile faltered for a moment. But she quicklyposed herself and yed coy. ¡°The maid Emma let me in. I identally spilled coffee on myself when I got here. I¡¯m just borrowing one of Mia¡¯s dresses. I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t mind, right?¡± ¡°Where is Mia?¡± Back when Joe identally brought Wendy¡¯s lipsticks back home, Mia was furious and even told Sir Smith about it. So, Joe found it hard to believe that Mia would lend her dress to Wendy. ¡°How should I know? She wasn¡¯t here when I arrived,¡± Wendy replied. Her eyes lowered slightly as she continued to move closer to Joe and lean in to kiss him. An image of Mia wearing the same dress shed in Joe¡¯s mind, and he avoided Wendy¡¯s hand. ¡°Joe?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wear her clothes anymore,¡± Joe spat, ¡°They don¡¯t suit C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. you.¡± Wendy wanted to say something else, but he cut her off, ¡°You should go home now. I¡¯ll see you tonight at the Mystery Club.¡± Wendy was surprised that Joe would remain indisserent even when she seduced him that way. But realizing that she had to maintain the ¡°good girl¡± image in front of him, Wendy had no choice but to nod andply. Before leaving, she made sure Joe saw the heart-shaped birthmark on her arm. Joe immediately softened his expression. Seeing that, Wendy turned to leave, hiding her smirk. The strong scent of Wendy¡¯s perfume filled the vi, overpowering the air. Joe¡¯s face slightly darkened as he headed upstairs. In the master bedroom, the bed covers were messy, and he didn¡¯t see the divorce agreement he had carelessly thrown on the floor yesterday. Joe nced around casually, scoffed, and went into the dressing room. He noticed that the wardrobe was packed full. Mia¡¯s clothes were still there. Wendy had just taken one of her dresses. He felt smug, believing that Mia was just bluffing when she proposed a divorce. Joe left the master bedroom after changing his clothes. He left in such a hurry that he didn¡¯t notice the bank card and divorce papers that had fallen to the floor. *** At the Mystery Club Under the colorful lights, Joe lounged on a sofa, surrounded by sting music. Wendy, dressed in a fiery red and revealing dress, leaned against him. And she epted all thepliments of those around them. They were ying a game of Spin the Bottle. Someone spun a bottle on the table, and it ended up pointing at Joe. Joe¡¯s acquaintance John grinned mischievously. He was ready ¡± to lease Joe, but one look in his eyes was warning enough. John shuddered and opted for a safer question. ¡°Joc¡­ How did you meet Wendy?¡± Wendy gazed at him. Joe picked up a ss of beer and drained it. He then replied with tenderness in his eyes, ¡°Wendy saved my life.¡± ¡°She did?!¡± Everyone was shocked, except Wendy, who was smiling as she gently leaned against Joe. Twenty years ago, Joe and a little girl were kidnapped. They kept each otherpany for a few days until Joe found a chance to escape, leaving the little girl behind. Before escaping, he promised her that he woulde back and rescue her. However, things didn¡¯t go as nned. By the time he came back with a rescue team, the girl had disappeared, and the kidnappers were gone. All he remembered was the heart-shaped birthmark on her arm. In those dark days, Joe didn¡¯t lose hope because of that girl. From then on, he kept looking for her until he stumbled upon Wendy singing at a bar. The heart-shaped birthmark on her arm reminded him of the girl. Joe was already engaged to Mia at that time. But he married Mia in the end. Thinking of Mia, Joe¡¯s face darkened again. Suddenly, his other acquaintance Lucas cursed, holding his phone in his hand. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± John asked. ¡°My friend ran into Miss White at the airport.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Joe was puzzled, frowning. ¡°Mia White.¡± Hearing that, Joe¡¯s face turned even grimmer. He asked, ¡°What is she doing at the airport?¡± Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 You Will Regret It John and Lucas exchanged nces, wondering how they could possibly know about it. Joe¡¯s phone suddenly rang. The moment he answered the call, he heard Sir Smith shouting angrily, ¡°Idiot! You¡¯re nning to divorce Mia? Are you kidding me?!¡± His rage erupted through the phone, and everyone could hear. Joe stood up and walked to the door. Behind him, Wendy tightly clenched her palm, resentment in her eyes. Joe walked to a quiet ce and exined to his grandfather, ¡°Mia is just throwing a tantrum. Ignore her, she¡¯ll calm down in a few days.¡± ¡°Then why is she at the airport? Did you drive her away so that you can marry that woman? I told you¡­ As long as I¡¯m alive, Wendy will never ever marry into the Smith family! Never!¡± Joe furrowed his brow. ¡°Did she really go to the airport?¡± Just the thought that Mia was actually nning to leave him¡­ it put a deeply unpleasant feeling in his chest. And it annoyed him how much she affected him. Sir Smith sighed. ¡°My people saw her at the airport. Go get her back! Mia¡¯s a good girl. If you let her go, you¡¯ll regret it.¡± And then, he hung up without waiting for Joe to reply. When Joe returned to the private room, he looked incredibly gloomy. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°Joe, where are you going?¡± Wendy asked. She looked perplexed as Joe confidently walked away without looking back. Joe called Mia several times but couldn¡¯t reach her. Not knowing if she had turned off her phone or blocked him, he had no choice but to call Jack to find out where she was. Joe, consumed by anger, raced back to his vi and confronted Emma angrily, ¡°Where is Mrs. Smith?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Emma stuttered, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know. But Mr. Smith, I found something in the room¡­¡± Before she could finish, Joe rushed upstairs. And, as expected, Mia was nowhere to be found there. In the past, no matter howte he came home, Mia would always be waiting for him in the bedroom. Even if he was upset, she would always greet him with a gentle smile. Frustrated, Joe yanked off his tie and scanned the room. It had been tidied up, and the bed looked perfectly untouched, like she had never even slept there. The wardrobe in the dressing room was still full. But upon closer inspection, Joe noticed that some of Mia¡¯s casual clothes were missing. Joe¡¯s face darkened instantly. When Mia married him and moved in, she only brought two suitcases of belongings. And Joe bought the rest of the clothes in the wardrobe for her. But she didn¡¯t take any of the clothes he bought. She only took away her own things. Joe¡¯s gaze shifted to the nightstand where he saw a bank card the one he had given to Mia the night before. As he picked it up, he quickly discovered the divorce agreement hidden. underneath. It was the divorce agreement they had signed together. Anxiety started to spread within him, and Sir Smith¡¯s words echoed in his mind, ¡°You¡¯ll regret it¡­¡± It couldn¡¯t be true. He knew how infatuated Mia was with him. She wouldn¡¯t leave him. This was just another game she was ying to try and make him give in. Joe lit a cigarette, filling the room with smoke as he called Jack, ¡°Have you found her?¡± ¡°Our people saw Mrs. Smith at the airport, but¡­¡± ¡°Just bring her back!¡± He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anxiety. It had been a long time since he had felt this overwhelming mix of surprise and anger; not since his parents¡¯ incident. He couldn¡¯t understand why¡­ ¡°But Mrs. Smith has already boarded the ne and taken off.¡± Looking at the divorce agreement in his hand, Joc looked incredibly gloomy. ¡°Send people to intercept her when the nends! Bring her back to me at all costs!¡± With that, Joe angrily threw his phone at the wall, shattering it to pieces. ¡°So you finally got away, huh Mia? You¡¯d better hide well and don¡¯t let me ever catch you!¡± Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Five Years Later Mia had indeed bought a ticket to Farnd. However, Joe¡¯s men couldn¡¯t find her at the airport she was supposed to arrive at, and there was no evidence of her traveling to other countries. Joe and Jack continued searching for her for two months, but they had no luck. Mia White had essentially disappeared¡­ *Five yearster, at the airport in Anta¡± The special assistant of Horizon Group, Frank Wilson, waited anxiously outside the airport. He kept his eyes fixed on the exit. Finally, a woman appeared, and he sighed in relief. He quickly approached her and greeted her politely. ¡°Wee, Miss Clinton.¡± The woman was dressed in a tight red dress that showed off her lovely curves. She slowly took off her sunsses, revealing her bright eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a warm smile. She had changed a lot in the past five years. No one from her old life would ever recognize this dazzling woman as the gentle daughter of the White family, Mia White. ¡± Though Frank had seen her countless times through aputer screen, he was still captivated by her beauty in real life. He hurriedly took her luggage. ¡°Would you like to go to the hotel first or head straight to thepany?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to thepany first.¡± Frank nodded and took Mia directly to the Horizon Group office. Horizon Group had be a very powerfulpany, despite having only been founded just two years ago. It was quickly catching up to the Four Major Family Corporations, and even earned the respect of their leaders. Not much was known about the person in charge of Horizon Group, leading to much spection. Only the executives of Horizon knew the true identity of the person at the top. Frank led Mia upstairs. The receptionist at the front desk noted how he was so attentive to a mysterious woman. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder who she was. Minutester, Mia reached the top floor of the building. Looking down at the familiar sights of Anta, she felt her anxiety growing. She quicklyposed herself and asked Frank, ¡°Isn¡¯t tomorrow Sir Smith¡¯s birthday?¡± ¡°Yes! Are you nning to go?¡± At the mention of the Smith family, Mia¡¯s eyes flickered with unreadable emotions, but she soon returned to her normal self and smiled sweetly ¡°We have a project in coboration with the Smith family, don¡¯t we? Of course, I have to go.¡± Frank nodded and was about to leave when Mia stopped him again. ¡°I don¡¯t have a suitable dress. Have someone send some over.¡± After he left, therge office became quiet. Mia couldn¡¯t help but recall the past, and a bitter smile appeared on her face. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by her ringing phone. Mia answered the video call and saw two adorable children on the screen. ¡°Mommy!¡± They eximed. Seeing their chubby faces on the screen, Mia felt her anxiety melt away. ¡°Have you two been good?¡± Mia asked softly. ¡°Yes!¡± The little boy answered sweetly, while the little girl whispered, ¡°Grandpa took us horse riding today.¡± ¡°Horse riding?¡± She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Then you need to behave for Grandpa. Mommy will be back soon.¡± The children nodded and chatted for a while before ending the call. The moment the call ended, Mia¡¯s gentle smile and demeanor vanished, reced by her sharp business persona. At night, Sun-House was brightly lit. Inside the hall, big shots from Anta gathered, chatting lively. These people would be the center of attention outside, but the Smith family managed to invite them all to the party. Joe stood in the second-floor hallway, observing the scene below with a detached expression. His handsome face had matured over the past five years, radiating wisdom and depth. His well-tailored ash suit emphasized his tall stature, attracting admiring nces from thedies present. Joe ignored their stares, ncing back at his assistant, Jack. Jack adjusted his sses and spoke rapidly, ¡°We heard that the CEO of Horizon Group has returned to the country today. They should be here for Sir Smith¡¯s birthday celebration.¡± The Smiths and Horizon Group had reached an agreement two months ago to coborate on a major project. The CEO of Horizon returned at this point with the purpose of negotiating with the Smiths in person. Joe replied, ¡°Politely escort them to the second floorter.¡± Jack agreed but hesitated before adding, ¡°Miss Swan is also almost here, and¡­ ¡± He stopped suddenly, sensing a change in Joe¡¯s mood. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sir?¡± Joe¡¯s jawline tightened, and his intense gaze fell on the entrance, his presencemanding. Following his gaze, Jack was shocked to see the person at the entrance. A familiar woman that they thought they¡¯d never see again. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Jack murmured. ¡°It¡¯s her¡­¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 How Dare You Appear Again? At the entrance, Mia was dressed in a simple ck strapless gown. A hollow heart shape at the back revealed her fair, delicate skin, which looked even more mysteriously alluring against the dark fabric. She was like a beguiling fairy, intruding upon the mortal realm, yet utterly unaware of her own maism to those around her. She failed to notice that more than half the room¡¯s eyes were drawn to her. Mia confidently walked into the hall, her eyes shing a hint of scorn at the extravagance before her. After five years, she finally returned to this ce. Mia¡¯s bold appearance surprised many, especially those who were trying to curry favor with Wendy. They were quick to confront her. ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t this Miss White who has gone abroad? What¡¯s wrong? You are starving and decided to come back?¡± A mboyantly dressed Inte celebrity, Amy, blocked Mia¡¯s path. Mia raised an eyebrow, scanning the woman up and down, ¡°Who are you?¡± Amy¡¯s face stiffened. She red at Mia angrily, ¡°Are you pretending not to be Mia? Who doesn¡¯t know that you fawned over Mr. Smith for three years, only to end up divorcing and leaving the country in disgrace? Now you¡¯re back here; nning totch onto Mr. Smith again, are you?¡± Mia, long immune to such bad rumors and nders, was unfazed. But not far away, Joe¡¯s face darkened at the sight. Five years had passed. He thought that Mia had made progress, but he didn¡¯t expect that she would be stopped by Easily picked on by little people like that. ¡°Mr. Smith¡­¡± Jack nced at Joe, subconsciously worried. Five years ago, when Mia suddenly disappeared, Joe spared no expense to find her, but to no avail. The usually stoic Mr. Smith was furious for the first time, and his mood was foul for the following six months. Everyone at Smith Group worked on pins and needles, fearing they might be fired on the spot for the slightest mistake. Although five years had passed, Jack didn¡¯t know if Joe still cared¡­ Sensing Jack¡¯s gaze, Joe nced at him expressionlessly. Jack immediately suggested, ¡°Since our guests have arrived, shall we go downstairs to wee them?¡± Jack conveniently forgot that just half an hour ago, Mr. Smith. had brought him upstairs, irritated by the reception. Joe sneered and walked downstairs. Upon Mia¡¯s instruction, Frank had deliberately kept his distance. When seeing Mia being offended, he intended toe over, but was stopped by Mia¡¯s gesture. ¡°You might want to save your fawning for Wendy. Since she¡¯s not here yet, why don¡¯t you wait until she arrives and then continue your hard sell?¡± Mia smirked sarcastically. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°You!¡± Amy¡¯s face changed as she heardughter from the crowd behind her. Just as she was about tosh out, a deep male voice called from behind, ¡°Mia White.¡± Seeing who it was, Mia¡¯s movement slightly stiffened, but she quickly mustered a polite smile, ¡°Mr. Smith.¡± Looking at the even more beautiful woman before him, Joe experienced a moment of disorientation. The Mia who used to be by his side was gentle and dignified, her eyes always filled with his presence. But now, she was radiant like a rose, tempting yet thorny. He couldn¡¯t quite grasp his feelings: anger, shock, and perhaps even a joy he couldn¡¯t detect himself. Rage swirled in Joe¡¯s eyes as he took a step forward, ¡°You dare to show up here.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 He Wants to Firmly Grasp it in His Hands The man¡¯s suppressed anger made Mia take a step back slightly, but a smile appeared on her face, ¡°Mr. Smith can¡¯t be so narrow-minded that you don¡¯t even want to celebrate Sir Smith¡¯s birthday, can you?¡± Joe let out a sarcasticugh, ¡°What, the White family sent you here, right? Have they squandered their money again and want to resort to old tricks, sending you to beg for more?¡± These years the White family had already declined, desperately seeking to reestablish connections with the Smith family, but Joe had never agreed. Hearing what he said, how could Mia not guess what he was thinking? Her face immediately turned gloomy, ¡°I have no ties with the White family anymore. You don¡¯t have to worry about getting involved with me again.¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. She indifferently swirled her wine ss, turning to leave. But suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her wrist, muffling her scream before it escaped, and he dragged her to a secluded corridor. Mia was so frightened that she didn¡¯t even look at him. She reached out and pped him. But Joe, with a dark expression, firmly caught her hand mid-strike. He effortlessly seized her hand, raising it above her head, his hot breath fanning her neck, ¡°Sun House is not a ce you cane and go as you please.¡± Their position was undeniably intimate, yet Mia¡¯s mind was filled only with anger, ¡°Joe, we divorced five years ago. You had better behave yourself!¡± ¡°Well-behaved?¡± Joe¡¯s eyes gleamed wickedly, ¡°That¡¯s not what you said when you drugged me five years ago.¡± Mentioning the incident from five years ago, Mia¡¯s face turned a shade paler, her beautiful eyes filled with a soft glimmer. Joe¡¯s gaze momentarily lost focus, his grip unintentionally tightening. Since he took control of the Smith Group, both the family and the business had been firmly in his grasp without any variables. The only variable was Mia. He did not ept variables or enjoy them. So even if he despised Mia, he still wanted to keep her within his control. Feeling the change in his eyes, Mia suddenly smiled, full of allure. ¡°Mr. Smith, you im to be immune to my wiles, yet your actions say otherwise.¡± Her voice was soft, tingling his cars. Joe¡¯s expression darkened, and he forcefully pushed her away. Mia quickly put distance between them, the mockery in her eyes turning to scorn, ¡°Five years and you¡¯ve be less of a gentleman, Mr. Smith.¡± Seeing her change face so quickly, how could Joe not know that all was an act? He stoodposed, his piercing gaze fixed on Mia, ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± Mia gently rubbed her wrist, now marked with red. A fleeting shadow crossed her eyes, and her impatience with Joe grew, ¡°If I were still the Mia of years past, perhaps I¡¯d be trapped, but now¡­¡± Her confident smile made Joe feel as if something was slipping from his control. This feeling, which he despised most, was akin to hearing the news of his parents¡¯ ident many years ago¡ªthe first time he¡¯d ever lost control in life. At this thought, Mia¡¯s face became serious. She straightened her dress, her dark eyes fixed on him, ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll exin. Whether you believe me or not, I didn¡¯t drug you that day.¡± With that, she tossed her hair and left the corridor. Looking at her slender back, Joe clenched his fists tightly. Jack, who noticed that both his boss and Mia had disappeared, came rushing over. But seeing Mr. Smith standing darkly in the shadowy corridor, he instinctively swallowed hard. Now was not the time to show up. Before he could take a step away, Joe¡¯s deep voice stopped him, ¡°Look into the ounts of the housekeeper, Emma, at the vi from five years ago. Check if anyone else was in and out of the vi that day.¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Why Are You Back? Back then, Joe didn¡¯t believe Mia, and now he didn¡¯t believe her either. Even though Mia insisted that the matter had nothing to do with her, Joe feltpelled to make her admit it. Mia had just stepped out of the corridor when she saw Franking toward her with a look of surprise, ¡°Miss Clinton,¡± he said. Upon seeing Joe not far behind Mia, he paused for a moment, ¡°Mr. Smith? Sir Smith was looking for you just now. You¡­¡± Joe didn¡¯t hear Frank¡¯s reference to Mia, but he did notice that Frank¡¯s enthusiasm for her was somewhat strange. He frowned and nced at Mia lightly without saying anything. Frank, sensing that something was amiss between the two, hesitated and asked, ¡°Miss Clinton, do you know Mr. Smith?¡± Mia shook her head with a poker face, ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± She walked away quickly, and Frank hurried to follow, leaving Joe standing there, grinding his teeth. Upon entering the grand hall, Mia heard a frail voice calling out, ¡°Mia?¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. * Sir Smith had always been kind to her, and she held him in high regard. ncing past the tall man beside him, Mia put on a smile, ¡°Sir Smith.¡± No sooner had she called out to him than Sir Smith¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°Silly girl, why are you being distant with me?¡± In front of everyone, not wanting to upset the old man, steeled herself and said, ¡°Grandpa.¡± Sir Smith was satisfied. Mia He took Mia¡¯s hand with a beaming smile, ¡°Come, tell Grandpa where you¡¯ve been thesest few years. Back then¡­¡± Watching them walk away, Joe¡¯s eyes gradually darkened. Those who were there for the banquet were also surprised. Sir Smith usually kept his distance from others; when had he ever been so affectionate? Wasn¡¯t Miss Swan supposed to be engaged to Mr. Smith? Who was this neer? As Joe was about to follow them, a soft, coquettish voice came from behind, ¡°Joe?¡± Wendy affectionately walked over and took Joe¡¯s arm, ¡°Were you waiting for me here?¡± She had specially chosen an off-shoulder dress for the asion, making her look more delicate. Seeing Wendy, Joe frowned almost imperceptibly and said lightly, ¡°No.¡± Wendy¡¯s expression froze, not expecting Joe to be so direct. Before she could say anything, she saw a graceful woman standing near Sir Smith and immediately felt a sense of rm. Mia was currently declining Sir Smith¡¯s invitation to join him on stage, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s not appropriate for me to go up there with my current status.¡± Sir Smith roared, ¡°What status? I told you long ago that I only recognize you as my granddaughter-in- law. The rest doesn¡¯t count!¡± After marrying Joe for a few years, the only warmth Mia had ever received from the Smith family was from Sir Smith. She could only smile gently now, ¡°Joe and I are divorced now, and he should be married to Miss Swan. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for me to appear.¡± ¡°No,¡± Joe, who had appeared beside them at some point, refuted Mia¡¯s statement subconsciously. But his low voice waspletely drowned out by Wendy¡¯s shrill one, and no one heard him. Wendy stared incredulously at Mia, ¡°Why are you here!¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 I Am Pregnant Hadn¡¯t Mia gone abroad? How could she appear here? She subconsciously grabbed Joe by the arm, and the two were tightly pressed together. Mia looked at the two of them, nestled close together, a glimmer in her eye but with little visible sadness. Her feelings for Joe had been worn away over the years, and now, even if she wished them a lifetime of happiness, it would not stir her heart. She conjured a standard polite smile, ¡°Miss Swan, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Wendy saw her smile as a challenge, especially after all these years of Sir Smith¡¯s overt and covert disdain. And now, Mia was standing next to him! ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s been a long time. I remember you went abroad, didn¡¯t you? Why have you suddenlye back? Could it be¡­¡± Her smile was sweet as she leaned on Joe¡¯s arm, ¡°If you have any trouble, I can ask Joe to help you.¡± Mia sneered. Although she no longer cared about Joe, it did not mean that she could allow Wendy to be so arrogant in front of her. Mia scoffed, ¡°Is that so? Mrs. Smith indeed has a generous heart.¡± Sure enough, before her words had evennded, Sir Smith snorted distantly, ¡°She¡¯s not Mrs. Smith, and our Smith family¡¯s door isn¡¯t open to just anyone.¡±- At these words, the surrounding crowd erupted in whispers. Mia had just learned from Sir Smith¡¯s words that Wendy and Joe were not yet married for some reason, and she knew that Sir Smith would not publicly acknowledge Wendy as his granddaughter-inw. Wendy¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at Joe. Joe tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose; his grandfather¡¯s prejudice against Wendy had always been strong, and he was not willing to openly oppose his grandfather. He could only soothingly pat Wendy¡¯s arm. Normally, Wendy might have let it go, but now Mia was standing beside Sir Smith! Moreover¡­ Perhaps even Joe himself hadn¡¯t noticed, but his gaze always seemed to fall unintentionally on that woman! She couldn¡¯t ept it! For years, she¡¯d done everything to please Sir Smith, but he never epted her! And now Mia had returned¡­.. Her mind in turmoil, she blurted out, ¡°Sir Smith! Even if you don¡¯t ept me, are you going to reject the child in my womb too?¡± Mia immediately looked at Wendy¡¯s abdomen. Joe also frowned, looking at Wendy, ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± Wendy shyly lowered her head, ¡°Two months ago, in Harlow, you were drunk¡­¡± Two months prior, Joe had gone to Harlow on business, and Wendy had followed him. One night Joe got drunk and woke up to find Wendy lying beside him. Joe subconsciously nced at Mia, and seeing no reaction, aplex look shed in his eyes. Seeing that Joe did not show the expected joy, Wendy added, ¡°I know you¡¯ve always liked children, and now that we have a symbol of our love, why not give the child a home¡­¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Joe liked children! Was it really so? Hearing this, Mia couldn¡¯t help sneering. Joe pursed his lips. After a short moment, he nodded, ¡°Since it¡¯s like that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my birthday today. Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I don¡¯t want to hear anything against me!¡± Before Joe could speak, Sir Smith interrupted him loudly. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Is She Being Kept as a Mistress? Sir Smith was not happy that Wendy was pregnant at all! Given his understanding of Wendy, whether the news was true, or whether the child was really Joe¡¯s, was still in question. He would never allow her to act behind his back! It was Sir Smith who prevented Joe from marrying her! Having been with Joe for many years, how could Wendy not know what he originally wanted to say? But all this was interrupted by Sir Smith! She red resentfully at Sir Smith and then quickly lowered her head. Joe could only pat her, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡± Wendy knew that Joe would not defy Sir Smith in public, so she obediently nodded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Seeing the young and attractive couple in front of her, Mia scoffed, raising her ss, ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Smith, on your blessed child.¡± Although she spoke words of blessing, she didn¡¯t touch a drop of the wine, and carelessly ced the ss on a nearby table before Even Sir Smith could not face her to stop her, and he only red at Joe, snorting indifferently before turning to leave. Joe watched Mia¡¯s departing figure, his face darkening. Miss Clinton, you¡­¡±. Frank, who had been standing nearby, noticed Mia¡¯s face didn¡¯t look good and hurriedly approached to check on her. This scene was caught by Wendy, who was being congratted. by everyone, and a n quickly formed in her mind. So, under Wendy¡¯s subtle hints, the attention of the crowd gradually shifted to Mia. ¡°Didn¡¯t Miss White go abroad? Why has she suddenlye back? Could there be some problem?¡± ¡°She must have failed abroad! How could there be a Smith family abroad¡­¡± The speaker seemed to realize that they had said something wrong and immediately covered her mouth. But Wendy didn¡¯t mind at all. Instead, she gently covered her belly, ¡°Joe and I are very happy now. Although Miss White took a wrong turn, we are still willing to help her.¡± Who among those present wasn¡¯t shrewd? One was Joe¡¯s disliked ex-wife; the other was the pregnant future Mrs. Smith of the Smith family. Anyone with a brain should know whom to choose. So, with the gossip spreading among the crowd, Mia became the pitiful woman who couldn¡¯t make it abroad and had to return home to be kept by someone. Although no one foolishly brought it up in front of Mia, their strange nces still alerted her that something was wrong. ¡°Do you need me to find out what¡¯s going on?¡± Frank, too, sensed something off and quickly asked Mia. Mia shook her head, her ironic smile more evident, her eyes precisely falling on Wendy, who was radiating triumph not far away, ¡°No need. They only know how to take advantage of their words.¡± When she was first found by the Horizon Group, she This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. encountered much worse. Compared to that, this was nothing. Seeing Mia¡¯s calm expression, Frank was somewhat puzzled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me announce your identity? If they knew that you have the support of Horizon Group, they wouldn¡¯t dare to talk behind your back.¡± Mia¡¯s eyes swept around the room, ¡°It¡¯s not the time yet.¡± She had to deal with the disgusting White family first, making them spit out all the advantages they had taken. She had initiallye to the banquet to meet some members of the White family. However, she hadn¡¯t expected that within just five short years, the White family had fallen to the point where they couldn¡¯t even get into a Smith family banquet. ¡°Watch out!¡± As Mia was lost in thought, Frank¡¯s warning sounded, and she skillfully dodged, a ss of champagne sshing on the floor. Amy, who had appeared from somewhere, apologized without any sincerity, ¡°Miss White, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± After saying this, she winked at a group of women not far away, who immediately burst intoughter. Frank frowned, surprised to find such a person at the Smith family¡¯s banquet. As he was about to speak, he saw Mia, expressionless, stopping the triumphantly departing woman, ¡°Are you just going to leave like that?¡± Amy shrugged nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ve already apologized, what else do you want?¡± Mia looked at her for a moment, then picked up a nearby ss of wine, pouring it over Amy¡¯s head. Amy hadn¡¯t expected Mia to dare to take action against her at the Smith family banquet, and the icy wine made her shiver and scream. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Fianc¨¦e, Right? A woman¡¯s scream drew the attention of many in the room, causing everyone to instinctively look in her direction. Wendy, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, quickly walked over, her face showing concern as she asked in surprise, ¡°Oh, my! What has happened here?¡± Her gaze fell on a few women not far away, who immediately understood her meaning, shouting, ¡°Amy almost identally spilled wine on Miss White, but Amy already apologized. Why is Miss White still unrelenting in publicly humiliating her?¡± ¡°Exactly! Not a single drop of wine touched Miss White!¡± Hearing the women¡¯s words, the crowd¡¯s expression toward Mia became subtly altered. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± At that moment, Joe heard themotion and walked over, looking at the disheveled Amy with some surprise. Wendy quickly moved to Joe¡¯s side, gently exining what had just urred, feigning tenderness, ¡°I think Miss White might have been scared, that¡¯s why she got so agitated all of a sudden. But this girl¡­¡± ¡°I happen to have an extra skirt with me; why don¡¯t you go change into mine?¡± Wendy said to Amy, her face adorned with a gentle and affectionate smile. Many of those unaware of the truth began to whisper about Mia, and Joe¡¯s brow furrowed even more deeply. He had already noticed some changes in Mia over the past five years, but she¡­ Before Joe could speak, an arrogant voice rang out, ¡°How could my Mia bully someone without reason? If she acted out, it must be because you¡¯re at fault.¡± Without turning her head, Mia knew who had arrived behind her, a trace of helplessness showing in her eyes. ¡°Mr. Johnson?¡± Wendy eximed in surprise. If the Smith family rose to prominence through the efforts of Sir Smith alone, then the Johnson family was a lineage that ran deep, spanning several generations. No one knew when the Johnsons began their ascent to power, but everyone knew they had endured for hundreds of years, amassing a fortune beyond most people¡¯s imagination. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. And David Johnson was the most noteworthy figure of his generation. He possessed a pair of passionate eyes that, even with a casual nce, could make you feel deeply loved as if he was truly in love with you. Rumors had long circted about this young yboy¡¯s wild character, a seducer of countless women, until a few years ago when he suddenly reined in his behavior, rarely appearing in social gatherings. Equally famous were David¡¯s precise and unique investment insights. Legend had it that any project he fancied would never fail. In their circle, he was the only one who could measure up to Joe. But why would such a person appear to speak on behalf of Mia? And their attitudes seemed very familiar, almost as if¡­ Could David be the one who was financially supporting Mia? ¡°You made faces behind her back just now, and I saw everything. You deliberately poured that wine onto Mia,¡± David said, casting a disdainful nce at the woman who had fallen silent since his arrival, ¡°Do you want to apologize, or shall we check the security footage?¡± Amy dared not say another word and quickly bowed her head, apologizing to Mia before slinking away. Wendy¡¯s smile froze on her face, and she rapidly conjured an excuse, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to cry wolf like that; she almost fooled me. Mr. Johnson, you and Miss White¡­¡± ¡°What business is it of yours what her rtionship with me is?¡± David scoffed, winking at Mia, ¡°Right, my dear fianc¨¦e?¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Why Are You Here? ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡± Wendy eximed in shock, instinctively looking at Joe next to her. Joe¡¯s face turned dark and sullen. ¡°Mr. Johnson must be joking. When did you get engaged? We didn¡¯t hear anything about it,¡± Joe said, his eyes fixed on Mia, revealing a touch of severity. He thought Mia was still the naive woman who would hurriedly exin and cate him at the slightest frown. He didn¡¯t realize that Mia hadn¡¯t even nced at him, but just looked helplessly at David, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Her familiar attitude said it all. Wendy clutched her skirt tightly, unable to believe it. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. The Johnson family! Almost equal to the Smith family! How could Mia, after being abandoned, climb such a high branch? And Joe¡¯s unusual attitude¡­ ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Johnson and Miss White. You cane to our wedding¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± A surge of irritation welled up in Joe¡¯s heart, and he coldly interrupted Wendy. His eyes met David¡¯s, and the tension between the two men scattered. Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson¡­ The onlookers observed their expressions carefully as if trying to discern something. Wendy was startled, and her voice dropped a little, ¡°Joe¡­¡± The man who used tofort her immediatelypletely ignored her and looked at David, ¡°Mr. Johnson, getting engaged is a good thing, but don¡¯t let it all be in vain.¡± David raised an eyebrow and sneered, ¡°Mr. Smith, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll surely invite you for a drink at the engagement party.¡± Joe nced at him and turned to leave. Wendy bit her lip and forced a smile for everyone, hurrying after him. Others, fearing to offend the Johnson family, had quietly left, leaving David and Mia alone. Watching Joe¡¯s retreating figure, David eyed Mia, ¡°Seeing your scumbag ex-husband, do you feel thrilled?¡± Mia was both amused and annoyed, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Announcing me as your fianc¨¦e so loudly, aren¡¯t you afraid your mother will kick you out of the house?¡± David snorted, ¡°You know how much my mom loves Ben and Anna. If I can bring you home, she might set off ten thousand fireworks.¡± Hearing his words, Mia alsoughed. Two years ago, David¡¯s mother, Mrs. Lucky Johnson, was touring Farnd when she suddenly suffered from low blood sugar. She happened to meet Ben and Anna, who were ying outside. The two little guys fed her two candies by ident to help her recover. Since then, Mrs. Johnson had beenpletely conquered by the two little guys, and even David, her biological son, had to step back. Not far away, Joe¡¯s hand burst into veins, his eyes ring venomously at theughing pair. Wendy was rmed and hurriedly said, ¡°It seems Miss White and Mr. Johnson are close. Miss White disappeared for five years; I wonder when she met Mr. Johnson. Her disappearance was soplete, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± This was implying that Mia¡¯s disappearance years ago was connected to David. Joe¡¯s ss shattered in his hand, startling Wendy. Her eyes welled with tears as she mumbled, ¡°I just care too much about Miss White. After all, she left because of me. Now that she¡¯s back, Joc, if you feel guilty¡­¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Joe¡¯s brow furrowed. Wendy took the opportunity to pout, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll fall for Miss White again after she returns since she was once your wife.¡±. Joe¡¯s eyesnded on the lively pair not far away, and his face darkened further, ¡°We¡¯re divorced; how could I possibly have feelings for her?¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Congrattions, Mr. Smith ¡°I just can¡¯t bear to part with you.¡± Wendy tenderly clung to Joe¡¯s arm, the heart-shaped red birthmark on her snow-white skin bing more pronounced. A nameless irritation welled up inside Joe. He nced at Wendy, ¡°You don¡¯t seem well. Perhaps you should rest.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Wendy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to announce our engagement?¡± Joe thought of Sir Smith¡¯s stubborn stance and felt a headacheing on. He didn¡¯t know what Mia had said to his grandfather to make him so determined to ept only this granddaughter-inw. He said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Grandpa. You go rest.¡± Knowing he wouldn¡¯t change his mind, Wendy reluctantly followed the waiter out. Before leaving, she shot Mia a venomous nce. She couldn¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. She found a secluded corner and made a discreet phone call. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Due to David¡¯s high-profile appearance, everyone assumed Mia was hispanion. Her previous entrance with Frank was dismissed as a misunderstanding. Other than some sourments about the White family¡¯s daughter, who could still catch the attention of the Johnson family after leaving the Smiths, no one questioned Mia¡¯s identity. Mia discreetly messaged Frank to rece her in presenting the gift from the Horizon Group and then yed along as David¡¯s partner. David was delighted with the arrangement. People were astonished to see Mr. Johnson, who had always disdained socializing, enthusiastically moving through the crowd with hispanion, even ¡°identally¡± letting slip news of his engagement. Mia, unable to bear it any longer, pinched him hard at his waist, quenching his enthusiasm. Joe¡¯s anger grew, and Jack mentally elevated Mia¡¯s status even higher. Only when the banquet was over did Joe confront David, who was preparing to leave with Mia. ¡°What does Mr. Smith want with my fianc¨¦e?¡± David asked and his smile was not quite reaching his eyes. As David had always been a little rogue and Joe was very disciplined, the two were at opposite extremes and rarely interacted. Considering their equal status, David was not at all intimidated by Joe, and a sense of rivalry was evident. Joe ignored David¡¯s hostility and simply said to Mia, ¡°We need to talk.¡± Mia pushed David aside and replied calmly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to discuss between us, Mr. Smith. The person you¡¯re waiting for is over there.¡± She looked pointedly at Wendy. Wendy stood nearby, red-eyed, clutching her stomach, looking like a forsaken wife. This sight seemed both ironic and amusing to Mia. Joe said indisserently, ¡°Come here, Mia.¡± His imposing manner and oppressive gaze might have forced a lesser person toply. But not Mia or David. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± David stepped between them, his eyes zing with anger. How could Joe appear so arrogantly before Mia and issue orders after the way he had hurt her? Just as a fight seemed imminent, Mia pulled David back. After shooting him an angry nce, she said softly to Joc, ¡°Today is Sir Smith¡¯s birthday. Let¡¯s not make a scene.¡± As the tension between them grew, many eyes turned their way. Mia didn¡¯t want her first appearance back home to be marred by a spectacle. ¡°We indeed have nothing to talk about.¡± She lifted a ss of champagne and toasted Joe. ¡°Mr. Smith, congrattions on your expectant wife and the joy of a new child.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you talk to me,¡± Joe said coldly, disliking this new, spiky version of Mia, who used to put him first in everything. Mia smiled, ¡°But I like it. If you can¡¯t adapt, Mr. Smith, you can leave.¡± ¡°Mia White,¡± Joe suddenly grabbed her wrist, his dark eyes turbulent, ¡°Don¡¯t challenge my limits.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 We Divorced Five Years Ago Mia struggled a moment, realizing she couldn¡¯t break free, she gave up, ¡°So this is where you draw the line, Mr. Smith? Your threshold must be really low.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. With a strong tug, Joe pulled her directly into his arms and started heading toward the garage. ¡°Joe Smith! What are you doing?¡± David hadn¡¯t expected Joe to pull something like this, he angrily yelled and started to pursue them. But Smith¡¯s bodyguards seemed toe out of nowhere, blocking his way. ¡°Let go of me!¡± The sudden turn of events shocked Mia. Sheshed out at Joe, fists, and feet flying, demanding that he release her. But no matter how she protested, Joe¡¯s face remained calm, leading her to his car and pushing her inside. The door locked behind her, and Mia couldn¡¯t get out. She looked at him her eyes cold and sarcastic, ¡°It¡¯s been a few years, and I never thought I¡¯d see Mr. Smith be a robber.¡± Joe ignored her, simply starting the car and leaving Sun House. Seeing that he was unaffected by her words, Mia, frustrated, turned to look out the window, not wanting to waste her breath on him any longer. It was then that Joe nced over at Mia. Perhaps his actions had been a bit too rough, her skirt was a little disheveled, revealing smooth, delicate skin. Comparing the present Mia to the one from five years ago, always with a hint of worry and mncholy, he couldn¡¯t deny that she was now as vibrant as a rose, her features even more refined. Even though Joe was reluctant to admit it, he had to say, Mia had done very well since leaving him. He pressed his lips together, refocusing on the road. Once they arrived at the vi where they had once lived together, Joe opened the car door and reached out to help Mia. Without hesitation, she pped his hand away, ¡°Mr. Smith, spare me your pretense. I dare not hold the hand of a kidnapper.¡± Maybe she didn¡¯t even notice herself, but in front of Joe, she always seemed a bit sharper than usual. She stepped out of the car and looked at the familiar vi, her eyes devoid of emotion. Even though she had lived here for three years, Mia had to admit that the ce had never brought her a day of joy, only endless pain. ¡°Go in.¡± Joe said in a deep voice. Mia nced back at the Aston Martin parked behind her, contemting the possibility of seizing the keys from Joe and escaping. In the end, she gave up. Even after five years, the vi¡¯s decor hadn¡¯t changed much as if time had never passed here. A hint of sarcasm shed in Mia¡¯s eyes, ¡°Mr. Smith, did you ruin your reputation to bring me here just for a tour of the vi?¡± Seeing her so defiant, Joe¡¯s expression cooled. ¡°Where have you been in the past five years?¡± Mia had vanished without a trace back then, a fact that remained a mystery. ¡°Farnd. You didn¡¯t find out, Mr. Smith?¡± Mia sat on the sofa; her tone rxed. Actually, she had nned to go to Farnd but met people from the Clinton family in Burkina Faso who were looking for someone. They took her to the Clinton Family Headquarters in Albania, helping her hide her tracks. Having spent a few years with the Clintons, Mia had changedpletely and even inherited substantial wealth. 7777 As she had said earlier, Joe wouldn¡¯t find it so easy to get to her anymore. Joe looked at Mia for a moment, then suddenly said, ¡°The Johnson family is not suitable for you. Leave David Johnson.¡± As he spoke, he took out his checkbook and began to write, ¡°How much money do you need? I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 You Owe Me This p in the Face He didn¡¯t believe that Mia could have any real feelings for David. It was all about money to him. Looking at Joe, just as he used to be, Mia suddenlyughed out loud, ¡°Ten billion dors, do you have it?¡± Joe put down the pen in his hand and frowned at Mia. Even without saying a word, Mia understood his meaning, don¡¯t be ungrateful. If it were in the past, Mia would have be nervous because of his expression, but now she had no such concerns. ¡°Five years, and you haven¡¯t improved, Mr. Smith. What can you do besides throwing money around?¡± Mia sneered, standing up. In the quiet vi, the two faced each other across the coffee table, and the atmosphere became tense for a moment. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Joe looked at Mia, who was at swords¡¯ points with him and felt a strange feeling welling up in his heart as if only this version of her was the real one. ¡°Do you like David?¡± Joe looked at Mia indifferently and his eyes were sharp without any concealment. The Smith and Johnson Families were not quite on good terms, and he would not allow Mia to have anything to do with the Johnsons. Especially since Mia was the one who had escaped his control. Mia was enraged by his attitude and scoffed, ¡°What if I do? At least David knows what respect means.¡± She was about to leave, but Joe, his face gloomy, grabbed her. Mia swatted his hand away, ring at him, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Anger overwhelmed Joe¡¯s reason. He could not ept Mia escaping his control time and time again, and he certainly would not allow her to tell him she loved another man to his face! ¡°David is a yboy. Don¡¯t you even care about that?¡± Joe stared into Mia¡¯s eyes. The two were very close, and Mia could even feel his warm breath. Joe could also feel Mia¡¯s graceful body. In this familiar vi, memories from five years ago seemed to flood back into his mind. Mia¡¯s face turned red with anger, ring at Joe, ¡°We¡¯re already divorced! Even if I marry David tomorrow, I¡­¡± She didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence, as Joe suddenly kissed her, sealing those explosive words. p! A clear p interrupted the romantic atmosphere. Joe¡¯s left cheek stung, and Mia had already struggled out of his embrace. ¡°This p is what I should have given you years ago, but back then I must have been out of my mind to put up with you,¡± Mia said, her eyes red with anger. Joe¡¯s actions had reminded her of the past, making her even more furious. For the first time in his life, someone had dared to p him. His face turned dark, and he stared at Mia, emotions roiling in his eyes. Mia red back, undaunted, ¡°Whatever reason you had for bringing me here, Mr. Smith, I hope it¡¯s the last time.¡± Her eyes had been red just a moment ago, but Mia quickly collected herself and looked indifferently at Joe. ¡°You¡¯re about to have a wife and children. I¡¯m not your outlet for venting emotions anymore. Don¡¯te looking for me again.¡± Joe suddenly loosened his tie, revealing a predatory smile, ¡°Mia, no one can escape my control.¡± Mia had no intention of engaging in a verbal battle with him. She stepped sharply on his foot with her high heel and escaped, even remembering to grab the car keys from the table. After leaving the vi area and driving away, Mia finally exhaled deeply. Joe Smith, he¡¯s still the same jerk! She abandoned the car in a bustling shopping mall¡¯s parking lot and called her driver, instructing him to return the car keys to the Smith family tomorrow. After returning to her apartment, Mia, feeling thoroughly exhausted, washed up quickly and fell into a deep sleep. She slept until the next morning. Mia was finally awakened by a video call ringtone. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Mommy is a sleepyhead; you¡¯re still in bed!¡± a childish voice squealed, immediately waking Mia up. A gentle smile spread across her lips, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you guys. gone to bed yet?¡± Lazily sitting up, Mia nced at the time. It was evening in Dynastica. Without thinking, she knew that the two little devils must have insisted on calling her, dying their bedtime. Anna¡¯s soft-face puffed up as she looked at the screen with teary eyes, ¡°Mommy, when will we see you? I miss you so much!¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Mommy, We Miss You So Much As her little daughter looked at her, Mia¡¯s heart almost melted, and she said softly, ¡°One more month at most, then I¡¯lle to see you, okay?¡± A hint of disappointment shed in Anna¡¯s eyes, but she still childishly agreed. After her sister and mother finished talking, Ben, who had been sitting by the side, finally joined in, speaking with a bossy tone, ¡°Are you in trouble over there? Do you need me to step in and help?¡± Mia burst intoughter but knew her little man¡¯s temperament, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can handle the problems here. If something really trickyes up, I¡¯ll ask for your help, okay?¡± Ben hummed in acknowledgment, already a four-year-old little man, determined to take care of his mother and sister. After some delightful chitchat with her two children, Mia reluctantly ended the video call. No sooner had she hung up than Frank called, ¡°Miss Clinton, Mr. Smith is out of the country on business. Our joint project will be temporarily taken over by Mike Hook, the deputy general manager from the Smith Group.¡± ¡± Remembering the events of the previous night, Mia sneered, ¡°In that case, we only need to send our deputy, Tim Lake.¡± Frank sensed some tension between the two but simply agreed. Having dealt withpany affairs, there was another knock on Mia¡¯s apartment door. Just back in the country for the second day, and already it was so busy, Mia was rather speechless. She opened the door, and, as expected, saw a furious David. ¡°That bastard Joe Smith!¡± The thought of Joe taking Mia away right under his nose the previous night had David grinding his teeth, full of rage. The guards who had tried to stop him had all received a thorough dressing-down. He carefully observed Mia¡¯s expression, ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything. to youst night, did he?¡± Mia¡¯s smile faded slightly, ¡°What could he do to me? Joe Smith is the high and mighty Mr. Smith.¡± Whether it was the old her or the present Wendy, who wouldn¡¯tply with him? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. What happenedst night was nothing but his frustration at her change of attitude. Seeing that Mia was fine, David finally exhaled in relief, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen today¡¯s trending news? The news of Wendy¡¯s pregnancy is all over the Inte. Joe has no choice but to marry her.¡± As he showed his phone to Mia, he suddenly cursed, ¡°Damn it! Where did this fake newse from?¡± He quickly pocketed his phone, telling Mia, ¡°Some idiots are spreading rumors online. Don¡¯t look now; I¡¯ll handle it.¡± With that, he walked over to the window, frowning as he made a call. Though David often teased her, he was the heir to the Johnson family, so why had he suddenly be so serious? Mia pondered for a moment, then took out her phone to check. On Twitter, #Wendy¡¯s Pregnancy# was the top trending topic, followed by a big and bold red ¡°Breaking¡± sign. Close behind was another hashtag, #A Woman Surnamed White, the Mistress #, which was also gaining attention rapidly. Mia furrowed her brow, clicking on this topic. Apparently, the scene of Joe carrying her away the night before had been captured at a very crafty angle. Wendy could be seen in the background, clutching her stomach and looking forlorn as they left. Although the photo didn¡¯t show Mia¡¯s face clearly, the blurry side profile revealed enough for anyone paying close attention to recognize her. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Mistress! Get lost! The topic was filled with foulnguage, andizens were filled with vitriol. ¡°Is it so easy to be a homewrecker these days? Doing this right in front of the wife?¡± ¡°The mistress and her entire family should drop dead.¡± ¡°I bet this woman is Miss White from the White family. Who knew the heiress couldn¡¯t handle being alone?¡± David, returning from a call, witnessed Mia reading thements, and his heart skipped a beat, ¡°What are you doing?¡± He rushed over and grabbed her phone, ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered. people to suppress the trending topic. Why are you reading what those ignorant people have to say? They know nothing.¡± Though startled by the cruelments, Mia quickly regained herposure. Seeing David so concerned for her, Mia had no choice but to console him, ¡°They are strangers; their words won¡¯t affect me.¡± In truth, she had been through worse over the years. David finally nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Sure enough, the trending topic was suppressed, and Mia¡¯s pictures were no longer visible. David hadn¡¯t even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when his phone rang shrilly. ¡°Wendy Swan has tweeted.¡± David¡¯s face darkened terribly. If he couldn¡¯t guess that Wendy was doing this on purpose, he would have to be a fool. Mia took his phone and opened Twitter again. Wendy Swan V: I never thought ¡­ they are old friends, perhaps not what everyone is thinking. Don¡¯t misunderstand. It looked like she was defending Mia and Joe, but in reality, it only incited theizens¡¯ emotions once more. The topic that had finally been suppressed was once again trending, with more and more people concocting seemingly usible stories online, pushing Mia further into the abyss. Soon, the fact that Mia was Miss White of the White family was uncovered, causing the White Group¡¯s stock price to plummet. The Smith family, however, was unaffected. Seeing this, Mia sneered. Picking on the weak, were they? This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. She stopped David, who was almost smashing his phone in anger, her face calm, ¡°Let them rant. The bigger the uproar, the better.¡± David, seeing her soposed, felt his anxiety lessen considerably. He had always known Mia was no rash person, ¡°Do you have evidence?¡± Mia scoffed, ¡°Back then, they were hardly discreet. There¡¯s evidence aplenty.¡± Just then, a call came in from the White family. ¡°Mia! You idiot!¡± a venomous voice shouted from the other end of the phone. Mia¡¯s expression remained impassive as she ced the phone on the table beside her, waiting for the ranting to stop before picking it up again. Sure enough, the voice on the other end had changed to a middle-aged man. ¡°Mia, not only did you sneak abroad, but now you¡¯ve caused such an uproar upon your return! Whether you apologize on your knees or find another way, seek Miss Swan¡¯s forgiveness immediately, or don¡¯t me me for being ruthless!¡± Listening to her nominal father speak like this, Mia responded with mockingughter, ¡°Aren¡¯t you most aware of what happened back then? Why don¡¯t you clear it up?¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± Mr. White yelled in anger, ¡°To clear it up now would be to openly offend the Smith family!¡± His voice then softened a bit, ¡°Apologize to Miss Swan and seek her forgiveness, and I¡¯ll still allow you to be the daughter of the White family. Otherwise¡­¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t be the so-called daughter anymore,¡± Mia replied sarcastically, hanging up and blocking the number. David looked at Mia with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mia shook her head, ¡°They can¡¯t affect me.¡± She had long lost hope in the White family, and after learning the truth about a certain matter, all that was left was disdain. Calmly, she made a few calls and prepared all the evidence. Meanwhile, Wendy, seeingizens madly ndering Mia, almostughed out loud. Mia¡¯s reputation was now ruined, and even if Joe were to clear her nameter, what good would it do? People would only remember her as a homewrecker and ignore the rification. ¡°Leak Mia¡¯s information quietly, including her address if possible,¡± Wendy sneered, instructing her agent. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Joe Saved Her That night, when Mia stepped outside, she immediately sensed something was amiss. People around her seemed to be surreptitiously pointing at her, but whenever she looked their way, they would turn away, pretending nothing had happened. She pursed her lips, about to head to the supermarket, when David¡¯s call came through. ¡°Don¡¯t go out, someone¡¯s leaked your address online! Stay home, I¡¯ming to get you right now!¡± David¡¯s voice was full of urgency, clearly signaling that the situation was grave. Mia also looked sullen. In such a short time, it would be impossible for anyone online to find her address, unless someone deliberately leaked it. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess who it might be. Mia had no intention of challenging fate and turned to head back. But at that moment, two shady-looking men stopped her. Their eyes unabashedly roved over her body, ¡°You¡¯re the mistress, right? You do look exciting. How about having some fun with us?¡± one of them leered. Mia looked around, noticing people excitedly pulling out their phones to record, whispering to each other, but no one seemed willing to help. She even heard words like ¡°mistress¡± and ¡°serves her right.¡± Her eyes narrowed, and her fingers quickly tapped a specific spot on her phone. ¡°Get lost.¡± Mia snapped at the two hoodlums. But her scolding seemed to amuse them, even eliciting augh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; though we can¡¯t match Mr. Smith¡¯s wallet, we won¡¯t disappoint you physically.¡± One sneered, reaching out to touch Mia¡¯s face. Quick as a sh, Mia pulled out her keys, disengaged a hidden mechanism, and revealed a sharp little de, plunging it into the man¡¯s palm. He screamed in pain, blood pouring out. ¡°You damn witch!¡± he cursed, reaching out to grab Mia. She was too fast for him, pulling out the de from his hand and stabbing the other. Hispanion realized what was happening and rushed forward, grabbing Mia¡¯s wrist. Bang! Before Mia could react, a powerful kick hit the man¡¯s chest, sending him flying. Dizzy, she found herself caught in familiar arms. ¡°Joe?¡± Mia gasped in surprise, looking at the man before her. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be on a business trip? Joe¡¯s face was cold as he ordered those behind him, ¡°Take them to the police station after beating them up.¡± Several tall and strong bodyguards emerged and moved quickly toward the two ruffians. After a while, the hooligans howled. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Even though Joe had saved her, Mia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t soften. After all, if it weren¡¯t for his past love, she wouldn¡¯t have had to endure this humiliation. She pulled away from Joe, intending to leave, but he blocked her path, his face grim. ¡°Are you still going to be stubborn?¡± The exposure of her address was a significant danger for Mia. ¡°My fianc¨¦e doesn¡¯t need Mr. Smith¡¯s concern.¡± David panted, arriving at the scene, putting his arm around Mia, and addressing Joe. Joe snorted, ¡°Is this how you treat your fianc¨¦e?¡± He couldn¡¯t even suppress a Twitter trend. When had the Johnson Group be so useless? David choked back a reply, tightening his grip on Mia¡¯s hand, ¡°No need for your concern.¡± He then moved to leave with Mia. ¡°Mr. Smith¡­¡± Jack, approached cautiously, noticing Joe¡¯s dark expression. He whispered, ¡°About this trending topic¡­¡± Joe gave him a cool nce. ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll have it removed right now!¡± Jack said quickly, rushing away to make a call. Joe watched the retreating figures of Mia and David, his eyes narrowing. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The Real Mistress ¡°Wendy, your fan base has just surpassed twenty million!¡± Inside Wendy¡¯s makeup room, her agent Penny and assistant Perry were watching the ever-increasing fan numbers, smiling, from ear to ear. They had initially nned to deal with Mia only, but this unexpected gain was a pleasant surprise! Wendy looked at her stunning reflection in the mirror, her lips curving into a smirk, ¡°Ask Peggy toe and do my makeup to make me look more haggard. It¡¯s time for my pitiful appearance.¡± She was determined to nail Mia to the pir of shame once and for all! Just then, makeup artist Peggy hurried in, a strange expression on her face, and handed her phone to Penny. Penny¡¯s face suddenly changed, and she looked at Wendy with uncertainty. A bad feeling welled up in Wendy¡¯s heart, and her face fell, ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Penny hesitated for a moment before handing Wendy the phone. The top Twitter Trending was now #Wendy Swan, The Real Mistress# and #Wendy Swan Shameless#, among others. Wendy took a deep breath and quickly clicked to see the details, only for her vision to go ck. The reason she dared to guide everyone to think that Mia was a mistress was that she was sure Mia would never reveal her marriage and divorce from Joe. After all, she had married into the Smith family through unscrupulous means. But Mia had thrown caution to the wind, posting their marriage and divorce certificates on Twitter, and even having saved the pictures about the rumors about Wendy and Joe during that time. Anyone with eyes could see that Wendy and Joe had been rumored together long before their divorce. Now, the title of ¡°mistress¡± had unexpectedly fallen on Wendy herself! ¡°Disgusting. The best actress who is the real mistress is ming others! How audacious can she be?¡± ¡°How dare she? Calling the wife a mistress right to her face? No wonder she¡¯s the best actress!¡± The malice thatizens had previously shown toward Mia was now doubled toward Wendy. Wendy stared at the words on her phone, screamed, and threw ¡± it violently to the ground. Mia, on the other end, watched as public opinion turned in her favor. Apart from Wendy¡¯s die-hard fans, almost everyone was now pointing their arrows at Wendy. Someizens even went to Mia¡¯s Twitter to apologize. For these fence-sitters, Mia paid no mind. Her eyes deepened, and she thought that if it hadn¡¯t been for Wendy¡¯s foolishness, she wouldn¡¯t have bothered with her. She was not worth it. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Wendy deleted her Twitter post.¡± David had been monitoring the online situation and knew it was Wendy¡¯s doing when he saw her delete the post and other marketing ounts follow suit. ¡°She was certain I wouldn¡¯t dare offend Joe or the Smith family and would swallow this injustice,¡± Mia said coldly, a smirk on her lips. If she had been the Miss White of the past, perhaps she would have. But now, she was different, not only refusing to swallow it but also making it widely known. As they were talking, Sir Smith suddenly called. ¡°Did you do this today?¡± he asked. ¡± His voice tinged with regret. Mia nodded and said yes, not intending to hide it from Sir Smith, mainly because she couldn¡¯t. Sir Smith hesitated for a long time before saying, ¡°The Smith family was wrong in the past, and I apologize to you.¡± Hearing his words, Mia fell silent. She hadn¡¯t expected that Sir Smith, at his age, would apologize for his grandson. The one who should be apologizing wasn¡¯t him. After hanging up, Mia¡¯s heart felt somewhat sour. After all, Sir Smith had been the only person in the entire Smith family who had been kind to her. Meanwhile, Wendy, after enduring so much, finally lost control and, with tears in her eyes, sought out Joe. ¡°Joe?¡± Wendy held her stomach, tears in her eyes, sobbing, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I just wanted to clear things up for you.¡± From behind his desk, Joe tossed his pen aside, leaning back in his chair, ¡°I found the paparazzi. He admitted to being paid for taking those pictures. What do you think, can we trace the source of the money?¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Joe, Help Me Wendy¡¯s face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped forward, ¡°I¡­¡± Facing Joe¡¯s eyes as if seeing through everything, Wendy felt ufortable and dodged them, only stammering after a long time, ¡°That day she came back, and your eyes were always on her, I was confused and just¡­¡± Joe¡¯s eyes fell on the birthmark on Wendy¡¯s arm, and he remained silent for a long time before saying, ¡°This is thest time.¡± Wendy nodded hastily, her eyes flickering. Some things she didn¡¯t have to face, others could do it for her. Joe called Jack and asked him to remove today¡¯s trending news about her. ¡°Just removing the trending news?¡± Wendy was anxious, ¡°People online are calling me a homewrecker, and several clients are demandingpensation from me!¡± Seeing Joe unmoved, Wendy added, ¡°Do you want our unborn child to be branded illegitimate?¡± But Joe just looked at her deeply without saying a word. Wendy bit her lip tightly, knowing there was no room for negotiation, and reluctantly left. As soon as she stepped out the door, her face darkenedpletely. Mia White! ¡°The trending news is gone.¡± In Mia¡¯s apartment, David frowned at her. At this point, the news disappearing could only mean Joe had intervened. ¡°He is willing to spend money for that woman,¡± David sneered, about to call and have the news pushed back to the top, but Mia stopped him. Her expression was indifferent. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Continuing this now will only hurt her reputation, why waste money?¡± Having spent so many years with the Clinton family, what she had learned best was patience. Even if Joe protected Wendy, there woulde a time when he could not protect her anymore. David looked closely at Mia¡¯s expression, then leaned back and said, ¡°Fine! When you decide to take action, just let me know. I don¡¯t care whether I can help you or not; I just can¡¯t stand the audacity of a homewrecker like her.¡± Mia nced at him andughed. Both thought this would be the end of it, but that night the White family suddenly posted online, searching for Mia, saying she had been missing for five years and that the family missed her dearly. They begged her toe home. The emotional post touched manyizens, who began sharing and tagging Mia as if it were a love- seeking story. Mia looked at the words on the screen, not touched in the least, but filled with anger instead. The White family, still daring to make noise. ¡°The White family never does anything in vain. This post is just the beginning; there must be more to come,¡± Mia said, calling Frank and instructing her PR Department to monitor the online situation. Sure enough, not long after the White family¡¯s post, a journalist rushed to interview. He interviewed Mr. White, Mia¡¯s father, looking haggard as if truly concerned for his daughter. Remembering thest time she saw him and his smug face, Mia scoffed, ¡°The White family is really wasting their talent by not being actors.¡± On the screen, Mr. White spoke to the journalist, recounting the hardships of raising a child and the family¡¯s longing for Mia, even iming that her grandmother had fallen ill from missing her and that he had been so distraught that his business had suffered. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Netizens began to turn against Mia, ¡°For the sake of a man, she¡¯s made her family suffer. Mia White is no good.¡± ¡°No wonder Mr. Smith divorced her.¡± Mia saw the shift in public opinion andughed indifferently. ¡°The White family has been losing money for the past three years; even theirtest project is facing financial issues¡­¡± David sneered, ¡°It seems my family¡¯s Johnson Group isn¡¯t prestigious enough for them to think twice before spouting nonsense.¡± As he was speaking, the journalist turned to the subject of Mia¡¯s previous marriage to Joe, and Mr. White spoke ambiguously, making people doubt the reason behind their union. Somements read, ¡°I heard that Miss White used methods to marry into the Smith Family, and Wendy is Joe¡¯s true love.¡± ¡°So, Miss White is the real homewrecker?¡± After the broadcast, the PR Department called, discussing the impact on Mia. ¡°Online rumors and spection are starting to turn against you¡­¡± the PR Manager, Manager Moore, said worriedly. Mia¡¯s eyes grew colder, realizing who was behind the White family¡¯s actions. Wendy Swan. She just didn¡¯t know what Wendy had paid to get the White family to act so vigorously. ¡°Someone will surely leak more information soon; once you find it, suppress it, andter I¡¯ll send you some information¡­¡± Mia hadn¡¯t finished speaking when the PR Manager eximed in surprise, something unexpected had happened. ¡°Miss Clinton, someone leaked your rtionship with Mr. Johnson, and now the Johnson family is being dragged into this!¡± Immediately after, David¡¯s phone rang, and his father¡¯s angry voice could be heard¡­ The other party said something unknown, and David impatiently said, ¡°Stop talking to me about those useless things. If the Johnson Group can¡¯t handle even this piece of news, then we might as well pack up and leave.¡± He hung up the phone in anger, and Mia furrowed her brow, saying, ¡°You should go back first; I can handle the affairs of the White family.¡± David was reluctant, saying, ¡°The Johnson family will be fine without me. Do you really believe that the Johnson Group can¡¯t ¤¦ C handle even this crisis?¡± Mia gave a slight smile, ¡°You should know that for the Horizon Group, dealing with this problem is a piece of cake.¡± David finally understood. Mia today was not the fragile girl she once was. With the Horizon Group in her hands, she would never be wronged. He could only sigh softly and stood up, ¡°Alright, I still need to keep the Johnson Group to deal with Joe.¡± Mia neither agreed nor disagreed. After David left, Mia¡¯s phone began to ring urgently, and the anxious voice of Tom River, the butler, came from the other end, ¡°Miss Clinton! Ben and Anna are missing!¡± With a crash, Mia¡¯s phone fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Where Is Mom? With trembling hands, Mia switched to a new phone and urgently called Tom. ¡°What do you mean by that Ben and Anna are missing? Weren¡¯t you watching them all the time? How can they be gone? What do you mean by ¡®missing¡¯?¡± Mia fired off a series of questions, leaving Tom at a loss for where to begin, and he could only sigh heavily. Miss Clinton¡¯s concern for the two children was apparent to him, and now that they had disappeared, how could she not fall apart? But she had only just managed to escape from her past. Tom, feeling helpless, exined the circumstances of the children¡¯s disappearance. They were supposed to have piano lessons that day, but before the ss began, Anna suddenly said she felt unwell. The nanny rushed to call the family doctor, only to find the children gone upon her return. They had practically turned the entire mansion upside down but found no trace of them. Hearing this, Mia¡¯s originally agitated heart actually calmed down. 2/4 Due to her caution, the identities of every staff member in the vi had been checked multiple times, and the security measures around the vi had been elevated to the highest level. It was impossible for anyone to sneak in unnoticed. Rubbing her forehead in frustration, she asked, ¡°There¡¯s no sign of them on the vi¡¯s surveince footage, is there?¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Tom was taken aback, ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°Go after the piano teacher¡¯s car now. Maybe the children are hiding in the trunk,¡± Mia calmly gave an instruction to Tom. After hanging up the phone, Mia let out a deep breath. She wondered why the two little ones were so well-behaved during their video calls, even promising to wait for her return. It turns out they had nned this all along, waiting for her to act. At the Capital Airport. Two identical little figures, each dragging a suitcase almost as tall as themselves, stood in the middle of the terminal, attracting many nces. A security guard approached to inquire, and Anna, nervous, grabbed her brother¡¯s hand, but Ben was calm, ¡°Thank you, sir. Our Mom went to the restroom and told us to stay put.¡± Seeing the children so orderly, the guard left satisfied. ¡°Ben, where is Mom?¡± Anna whispered ifto Bel S caf. Ben, keeping a straight face, pulled out his phone, ¡°I heard Mr. River mention Mom¡¯s addressst time. We can go there directly.¡± Before he could open the map search app, his eyes were caught by a notification on Twitter. ¡°Mia White¡­ Is this mom¡¯s name?¡± Ben closed his phone too quickly, and Anna, who had only seen three characters, asked curiously. Ben¡¯s little eyebrows furrowed, taking his sister¡¯s hand, he said, ¡°Change of ns! There¡¯s a group of bad people bullying Mom now. We have to defeat them first!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Hearing that someone was bullying their mom, Anna¡¯s little hand clenched into a fist, and she nodded earnestly. The two little ones struggled with their suitcases and left, being spotted by Jack, who was preparing to go abroad with Joe. The previous international trip had been abruptly interrupted, and Joe had to fly abroad again for contract negotiations. Seeing Jack repeatedly ncing back, he frowned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jack quickly turned his gaze back, smiling, ¡°Nothing, I just saw two little ones struggling with their suitcases and thought it was interesting.¡± Joe followed his gaze, looking in the direction where the children had been. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 How Dare You! When he looked over, he saw nothing. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± By now, Mia had received a phone call from Tom. They had checked the surveince, and the two little rascals were indeed hiding in the piano teacher¡¯s trunk. However, they had sneaked out of the trunk and werest seen getting into a taxi with their luggage¡­ Their destination was clear, and Mia had to urgently call Frank to join her in looking for them at the airport. ording to the time they werest seen, they might have already arrived in their home country! When Mia hurriedly dressed and went downstairs, she was surprised to see David in the parking lot. She paused, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go home?¡± ¡°Tom was worried about you and called me about the kids missing,¡± David said, pushing the car door open, ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to talk about this. Let¡¯s find the children.¡± Mia bit her lip and nodded. Seeing Mia¡¯s concern, David quickly reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ben and Anna are smart kids. They¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re too smart,¡± Mia huffed. She was annoyed that her four-year-old children dared to sneak out of the vi and take an international flight. She wished she could give their little behinds a good spanking! David smiled, ¡°They must have got their smarts from me! Who else woulde up with such a great idea?¡± Mia was speechless. They rushed to the airport and soon spotted the two little ones on the surveince footage, dragging their suitcases. But instead of going to a gate, they headed to the nearest¡­ Inte ce. ¡°What are they doing at an Inte ce?¡± Even David was puzzled. Without waiting for an answer, Mia hurried to the location inside the airport. Sure enough, the two little ones were sitting in the ce¡¯s lounge area, and the receptionist was about to call the police. ¡°Mom!¡± Seeing Mia, Anna forgot all about their secret escape and rushed toward her. But Ben stood still, holding the luggage. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Anna nuzzled Mia¡¯s neck, holding her tightly. Mia¡¯s heart finally settled, and her eyes filled with tears. David went over to the receptionist to exin, then picked up Ben under the receptionist¡¯s reproachful gaze, ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve, young man! Sneaking back into the country with your sister? Do you want to scare your mom to death?¡± Ben pressed his lips together and looked at Mia, not daring to speak. Mia gave him a stern look, ¡°You have the courage to run away but not toe here?¡± David gently pushed him, ¡°Go on, your mom¡¯s been worried. sick.¡± Ben slowly approached and quietly hugged Mia¡¯s leg. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Seeing that she didn¡¯t push him away, he breathed a sigh of relief and burst into tears. After all, he was only four years old, and his brave front crumbled now that his mother was here. Mia¡¯s eyes reddened, and she crouched down to hug both children. On the way home, Mia looked sternly at the children, ¡°How on earth did you manage to sneak over here? How could the airport possibly allow two children to fly alone?¡± Anna and Ben looked down and exchanged a nce. ¡°Don¡¯t think about keeping your stories straight; I¡¯ll know,¡± Mia said gruffly. The twins, being identical, had an unspoken understanding and had often used this tactic to win Mia¡¯s sympathy. Ben nced at Mia quickly, making sure her anger had subsided bit, and then whispered, ¡°We hired a man and a woman online and paid for their tickets so they could bring us here.¡± Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 The Dirt of the White Family Mia was speechless. She had always known that her children were clever, but she never expected them toe up with such a scheme. After a moment of silence, she made a video call to Tom, Having frantically searched for the missing children all day, the sight of their mischievous faces allowed him to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Ben and Anna, looking at Mr. River¡¯s weary and haggard face, couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. Mia spoke to them sternly, ¡°Because of your sneaking out, Mr. River and the staff at the vi have been looking for you all day. They only just now have been able to rest easy.¡± The children hung their heads. ¡°If you want to be with Mom, you can tell Mr. River, tell Mom, and we will arrange for you toe home. Don¡¯t sneak back without saying a word, making everyone worry about you,¡± Mia¡¯s tone grew increasingly stern. Tears welled in Ben and Anna¡¯s round eyes, and in childish voices, they apologized to Mr. River. Mr. River hurriedlyforted the children and then ended the call. Seeing that the children were crying hard, David hurried to smooth things over, ¡°Hey, why did you sneak back all the way to the country just to go to an Inte ce?¡±. Ben looked at Mia and hesitated to speak. Anna then said, ¡°Ben said there are lots of bad people online bullying Mom, and we want to defeat them!¡± Mia was taken aback, and all sorts of emotions flooded her heart. Because of the recent actions of the White family, the online discussion had been buzzing, and if the children had opened their phones¡­ Choking up, Mia hugged her children and said with a cracked voice, ¡°As long as you¡¯re safe and sound, those bad people can¡¯t hurt Mom at all. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Ben patted Mia¡¯s back, ¡°Mom, we will protect you.¡± After all thismotion, the children were utterly exhausted and fell asleep in the car. Mia and David each carried a child back home. Looking at her children peacefully sleeping, Mia¡¯s eyes grew heavy and she called Tom again. ¡°Has anyone visited the vi in the past few days?¡± She knew her children well; they wouldn¡¯t sneak back to the country just because they missed her. Something else must have happened. Mr. River hesitated for a moment, ¡°Three days ago, your sister came to give the children toys. Since she didn¡¯t stay long, I didn¡¯t tell you¡­¡± Mia¡¯s gaze sharpened instantly. Linda Clinton? She pondered for a moment, ¡°Keep the toys Linda sent for the children. I will check them when I get back.¡± Looking again at the closed bedroom door, Mia went downstairs deep in thought. David was sitting in the living room, his face darkened with anger, ¡°I went easy on the White family before, but now they¡¯re getting better and better at ying these games.¡± On his phone screen, a video was ying of the White family¡¯s eldest son berating a journalist. On the surface, he was angry at the reporters for hounding him, but in reality, he was suggesting that Mia¡¯s marriage to Joe was unclean, ming the White family¡¯s downfall on Mia offending Joe and leaving. Wendy even posted on Twitter to rify that she and Joe were just good friends, and the so-called ¡°mistress¡± title was nonsense. Taking advantage of the heat, they even hired a wave of trolls and actually managed to salvage their reputation. Mia had originally nned to reveal some things to publicly shame the White family, but because the children had sneaked back to the country, she hadn¡¯t paid attention to public opinion. and had lost the opportunity to counterattack. ¡°The White family dares to be so tant because Wendy must have promised them something,¡± Mia scoffed, fully aware of the White family¡¯s motives, ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m just amon person. What does my feud with the White family amount to? To defeat a snake, you must strike at its heart.¡± She narrowed her eyes and posted a tweet. The tweet¡¯s content was simple, showing Wendy trying on jewelry and clothes in a dressing room. Although she tried on many things, there was nothing particrly explosive. Originally, because of recent events, many people were following Mia on Twitter, and when she posted, it sparked much discussion. [Is Miss White running out of tricks? Posting voyeur videos?] Property ? N?velDrama.Org. [Spying on someone changing? If I were Mr. Smith, I wouldn¡¯t want a woman like that!] Netizens quickly trended a hashtag criticizing Mia. But at the peak of public opinion, Mia¡¯s next tweet left everyone stunned. ¡°While my marriage was still in effect, she brazenly entered my home, wore my clothes, donned my jewelry, slept¡­ Miss Swan truly acts as if she¡¯s in her own home.¡± The moment this tweet hit the Inte; the whole web was in an uproar. The intrigue of the White family was immediately forgotten byizens. After all, what could be more entertaining than celebrity gossip? And what was even more unheard of and unseen was a mistress brazenly trying on clothes and jewelry at the wife¡¯s house! Inte users had never witnessed such a shameless person before. Not to mention, just a few hours earlier, this mistress was still ying the victim on Twitter, feigning innocence and protesting her treatment! At herputer, Wendy was thunderstruck as she watched the video, her vision going ck, ¡°How does she have this video? How does she have it?¡± In the past, she had indeed taken advantage of Joe¡¯s favor and snuck into their vi to try on jewelry, but she had never expected that there would be video footage! Penny¡¯s call came through urgently, but Wendy brushed it off with a few casual words before hastily dialing Jack¡¯s number. They had suppressed such big news before, and they could certainly do it again now! But to her dismay, there was no answer to Jack¡¯s call! Gritting her teeth, Wendy tried Joe¡¯s number again, but his phone was also turned off, and she couldn¡¯t find him at all! In the end, Wendy couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and fainted on the floor. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Where Are You? Upon receiving the message, Joe found out about itte at night. ¡°Mr. Smith, Miss Swan has been hospitalized,¡± Jack said, looking at Joe with difficulty, seemingly struggling to find the right words. Joe gave him a nce and said coolly, ¡°It seems I need to send you to the Antarctica to learn how to speak properly.¡± Jack, startled, quickly blurted out, ¡°Miss White posted a video online of Miss Swan trying on her clothes at the vi, and now people are attacking Miss Swan online¡­ She fainted from anger.¡± As he spoke, he showed Joe the offensivements about Wendy on Twitter. They were indeed unpleasant to see. Joe¡¯s demeanor suddenly grew frozen. He had previously taken action to remove the trending topic, thinking that the matter had ended. Who would have known that Mia would still not let go? What was she trying to do? Joe rubbed his tired brow, and before he could speak, his phone rang. ¡°Joc¡­¡± Wendy¡¯s delicate voice came through the receiver,ced with tears. ¡°Mia¡¯s gone too far! She even released videos of me trying on clothes and jewelry! Now my reputation ispletely ruined! Many brands are asking to terminate our contracts!¡± She never thought that, despite all her efforts to involve the White family, this would be the result. The White family really was useless! Wendy¡¯s eyes were filled with malice, but her voice became even more pitiful. Thinking about Mia¡¯s attitude toward her that day, Joe frowned, ¡°I will handle this matter. You rest in the hospital and take care of yourself. Don¡¯t provoke her anymore.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Wendy¡¯s face showed surprise, finding Joe¡¯s attitude a bit too indifferent. ¡°I understand. The baby and I will be good, and won¡¯t cause any trouble for Daddy,¡± she replied softly. Joe responded tersely and hung up. Wendy gritted her teeth as she stared at her darkened phone, then arrogantly instructed Penny, ¡°Joe said he would handle this. If those brands want to terminate the contract, let them weigh the capabilities of the Smith Group.¡± Penny breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll negotiate with them right away.¡± After Penny left, Wendy twisted her face in anger and smashed a vase on the ground. She then dialed a number. Meanwhile, Mia was unaware of Wendy¡¯s venom. Half-asleep, she was covered in drool by her two children, and the three wereughing and ying together. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time!¡± said Anna. Anna had only been frightened for half a day yesterday, but today, he had regained his usual mischievousness and looked at Mia with a smile. Mia tapped her little nose, ¡°Who was it that wanted to sleep with Mommyst night, keeping me up?¡± Her daughter looked around guiltily, avoiding Mia¡¯s eyes. Behind her, her son looked at Mia with a serious expression as though pondering a major problem. Noticing his troubled look, Mia affectionately touched his head, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I saw people online saying bad things about Mommy. Is someone bullying you?¡± he asked, looking gravely at Mia. Ben looked at Mia very seriously. Mia was stunned. ¡± * His eyes were slightly red, his back straight. Even though he was small, he wanted to protect his mother. A soft emotion welled up in Mia¡¯s heart. She suppressed the tightness in her throat and said gently, ¡°There are many people online who use others without knowing the truth. Their words can¡¯t hurt me, and I won¡¯t take them to heart.¡± Though her son didn¡¯t fully understand her words, seeing that she seemed unhurt by thements, he sighed with relief. He nodded, ¡°I¡¯m a big boy. I can protect Mommy.¡¯ Mia¡¯s smile grew even softer, ¡°I believe you can.¡± Their tender moment was interrupted by a ringing phone. Seeing the caller ID, Mia frowned and touched her son¡¯s head as she walked to the window, ¡°Hello?¡± It had been a long time since theirst call. Hearing Mia¡¯s voice, Joe¡¯s eyes flickered, ¡°Where are you?¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Are You Threatening Me? ¡°What does this have to do with Mr. Smith?¡± Mia¡¯s expression was indifferent. Without guessing, she knew why Joe was calling at this time, ¡°Mr. Smith is a busy man; he wouldn¡¯t call for such a meaningless question.¡± Joe unconsciously loosened his tie. After a few years, Mia had be even more sharp-tongued. ¡°About the trending issue, Wendy didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Why are you still clinging to it?¡± Joe¡¯s voice carried a hint of impatience that others might not perceive, but Mia was keenly aware of it. After all, she once studied his every micro-expression, just to please him. Exhaling deeply, a sarcastic smile yed at Mia¡¯s lips, ¡°Does Mr. Smith truly believe she¡¯s innocent? That I¡¯m the one clinging to it?¡± Joe was silent. Mia didn¡¯t care about his thoughts. Her mind quickly shifted to the White family, who had been making waves recently. She smirked, ¡°Of course, Mr. Smith standing up for Mrs. Smith is only natural, and I¡¯m not without understanding.¡± At her words, Joe¡¯s brows almost knitted into a frown. In his memory, Mia¡¯s attitude toward him was always one of admiration, affection, and passion, even though he seldom looked at her. Joe knew how deep her feelings for him were. But five yearster, Mia was not only out of his control but her attitude toward him had also lost its previous emotions, leaving only indifference and mockery. With this thought, Joe¡¯s eyes gradually turned fierce. ¡°Mia White, what gives you the illusion that you can speak to me this way? Is it because of David?¡± Joe said indifferently. He had checked, the so-called engagement was just a fabrication by the two, and the Johnson family would never agree to let Mia marry into it. Mia sneered, ¡°I have many videos like the previous one. If Mr. Smith wants them to appear on tomorrow¡¯s trending list, you can continue to flex your muscles.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Joe growled. ¡°Mr. Smith seems to misunderstand me; what wouldn¡¯t I dare to do?¡± Mia¡¯s tone was full of undisguised contempt. She¡¯d even endured childbirth abroad. What was there to fear? Actually, take action against Mia. Joe subconsciously dismissed the thought, irritably throwing his phone on the desk and turning on the speaker. ¡°What do you want?¡± Mia finally rxed a bit, her eyes shing, ¡°When I married you, the White family gained a lot of benefits, and knowing your nature, you wouldn¡¯t let anyone take advantage of you. I want the leverage you have over the White family. Once I get it, I¡¯ll save face for Mrs. Smith.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Joe leaned back on the sofa, his face darkening. The White family was like this, always pushing further, their greedy faces utterly repugnant. Even after five years, Mia was no different. His eyes cold, his tone even more frigid, Joe said, ¡°The White family owes me a lot over these years. You think you can write it off just like that?¡± Although he didn¡¯t care about those things, he also didn¡¯t want them taken away, especially not in this manner. Mia was taken aback, guessing that Joe must have misunderstood that she was doing this for the White family. Her eyes reflected her irony. She¡¯d been married to Joe for three years and had tried many times to exin the White family¡¯s situation, but he never wanted to listen. Since that was the case, there was no need to exin now. ¡°Mr. Smith can say no; after all, I still have plenty of those videos,¡± Mia said sarcastically. Wendy had gone to great lengths to make them, just to spite her. Joe sneered, ¡°Mia White, you¡¯ve certainly grown bolder. Let¡¯s talk face to face when I return home, in the meantime¡­¡± Before he could finish, Mia hung up the phone. Looking at the now-darkened screen, Joe¡¯s face darkened as well. It was the first time someone had dared to hang up on him, especially when that person was Mia! If it was before¡­ Quickly suppressing the involuntary thought, Joe called Jack, ¡°Finish up the work within three days; I need to return home as soon as possible.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 You Put Someone in My Company? ¡°Mommy?¡± Mia had just hung up the phone when Anna quietly tiptoed to the study¡¯s door, smiling sweetly at her. The resentment in Mia¡¯s heart quickly dissipated, and she smiled, patting Anna¡¯s head, ¡°Mommy has to go to the office soon. Do you want to go to David¡¯s or ¡­?¡± Since they met, David had been incredibly attentive to the two children, and even before Mia could react, the kids had already taken to calling him their godfather. David was, without a doubt, the children¡¯s favorite person besides Mia. Sure enough, before Mia could finish speaking, Anna quickly interrupted, ¡°We want to go to David¡¯s!¡± ¡°I knew Anna loved me the most!¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. David¡¯s voice came from the doorway, as he stood smiling, holding Ben¡¯s hand. Anna saw him and laughed, rushing over to join them. After a round of happyughter, Mia asked David, ¡°Can you take them? After all, your father¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± David waved it off nonchntly. ¡°What if my dad gets angry? Can he outdo my mom? The last time he called me, my mom yelled at him so much, he doesn¡¯t dare to say anything now.¡± Mia thought of Mrs. Johnson¡¯s fierce scolding and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. With that settled, she confidently left the children with David. Upon arriving at the Horizon Group¡¯s building, Mia had hardly walked through the door when she caught the attention of many. The receptionist quickly greeted her, ¡°Miss Clinton?¡± Although she had never seen the mysterious president before, Frank had made sure to show her a picture to prevent any unintentional neglect. Mia gave her a polite smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± Not until she had left did the receptionist snap out of her daze, frantically messaging her colleagues: Ah! The president is so beautiful! Unaware of what had just transpired, Mia made her way to the top floor by elevator, where Frank had been waiting. ¡°President Clinton!¡± Frank respectfully led the way to the office. Though Mia had yed a part in establishing the Horizon Group, this was her first time in the office. The bright and clean workspace offered a view of the bustling world below as if everythingy at her feet. Remembering her earlier days timidly shadowing Joe, Mia¡¯s eyes filled with scorn. Indeed, only after experiencing a broader world did one realize their former shallowness. ¡°We¡¯ve nearly finalized our proposal with the Smith Group¡­ What do you think?¡± Frank ced the coboration n on Mia¡¯s desk, his voice cautious. Mia didn¡¯t rush to open it, looking at Frank and calmly asking, ¡°Do you think I would refuse to cooperate with the Smith Group for personal reasons?¡± The project was enormous, and aside from the Smith Group, no otherpany had the capacity to coborate. Mia¡¯s prating gaze made Frank instinctively lower his head before realizing he had been subdued by the gentle-looking president before him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our rtionship with the Smith Group won¡¯t be affected by our personal matters. Let Mr. Lake sign the contract with them,¡± Mia said after carefully reviewing the proposal. As Mr. Lake had initially handled the project, his signing the contract was justified. Frank nodded but hesitated before adding, ¡°Mr. Smith has sent you several dinner invitations, hoping to dine with you.¡± Mia¡¯s actions froze for a moment, but she promptly refused, ¡°No need.¡± Though she didn¡¯t intend to hide her identity, she also didn¡¯t want to reveal herself, especially before clearing matters with the White family. Just as Mia picked up the documents beside her, her phone rang again. ¡°Heard you went to Horizon today?¡± A light female voice came from the other end, causing Mia¡¯s brow to furrow. She had been in thepany for less than half an hour, and Linda called to inquire. Was Linda tantly telling her that she had nted someone inside? The Clinton family had few heirs, and initially, the grandpa wanted Linda to take over the family business. But Mia had appeared and was also well-received by the grandpa, causing Linda¡¯s hostility toward her to deepen. ¡°If you return to the country, you¡¯re wee to visit,¡± Mia said with a seemingly casual smile. ¡°That¡¯s a promise then! I will definitelye when I return!¡± Linda¡¯s voice was affectionate, like a big sister who adored her little sister. 1 Mia replied naturally, ¡°Of course.¡± After some casual conversation, Linda suddenly asked with concern, ¡°I heard the children secretly went back to Zyphoria. Grandpa was furious. What if something happens to such young children?¡± Mia¡¯s face instantly darkened. She gripped her phone, responding coldly, ¡°The children are fine, and there¡¯s no need for you to worry, sister. But if you truly care for them, why not hire ten bodyguards to follow them day and night? That would ease my mind.¡± Linda was taken aback. She hadn¡¯t expected Mia to be so calm and sharp-tongued. ¡°Of course, no problem,¡± Linda¡¯s voice remained steady, ¡°I¡¯ll have my assistant handle it.¡± They hung up the phone in a seemingly friendly manner. Mia frowned and quickly dialed Tom, ¡°Send me the toys that Linda sent to the children.¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Business Gathering ¡°Miss Clinton, Chamber of Commerce President Mr. Thompson would like to invite you to dinner,¡± Frank said, handing Mia some documents as he spoke. Thesest couple of days, Mia had been dealing with various matters within thepany, allowing others to truly see the strength beneath her gentle appearance. Mia frowned at the news, never fond of attending these sorts of banquets, and said, ¡°Let Mr. Lake handle it.¡± ¡°Mr. Lake has gone to the hospital today with heart difort, and besides, Mr. Thompson mentioned having important matters to discuss with you,¡± Frank exined quietly. Although Mia didn¡¯t want to expose her identity, the request was insistent and refusing might be inappropriate. After hesitating for a moment, she agreed. After calling David to inform him of the banquet and declining his offer to apany her, Mia asked Frank to apany her. She nced down at her light-colored suit, looking very professional and suitable for a business asion. When the two arrived at the hotel, many guests were already seated in the private room, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke and liquor, causing Mia to frown. Several members of the Chamber of Commerce were seated at the round table. As Mia entered, all eyes brightened. Frank discreetly shielded Mia, pulling out a chair for her. ¡°Is this Miss Clinton?¡± Chamber of Commerce President Zack Thompson squinted his eyes, satisfaction gleaming in his gaze. Since Mia¡¯s clothes, make-up and even her name had changed since thest banquet, he had not recognized her from the birthday celebration at the Smith family. ¡°Good evening to you all.¡± Mia greeted them with a polite smile. ¡°Miss Clinton is young and aplished. We didn¡¯t expect her to be such a beauty!¡± jokes started flowing, but Mia remained unaffected, acting as if she hadn¡¯t heard. ¡°Since it¡¯s our first meeting, Miss Clinton, we should toast,¡± Mr. Thompson said, pouring a generous ss of wine. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Thompson, but I¡¯m not good with alcohol, so I must decline,¡± Mia replied with a gentle smile, not even touching the ss. Zack looked a little unhappy. He did not let go of the A flicker of This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡± surprise passed through Mr. Thompson¡¯s eyes, and he didn¡¯t put down the ss. ¡°Not even one drink for our first meeting, Miss Clinton?¡± Frank quickly tried to smooth things over, ¡°Since President Clinton doesn¡¯t drink, may I take her ce?¡± Mr. Thompson¡¯s face darkened, ¡°If Miss Clinton doesn¡¯t drink, it means she looks down on us. If that¡¯s the case, we need not have any dealings in the future.¡± Years of ttery had led him to believe that without him and his associates, no business could be sessful. Now that Mia had publicly refused him, he was naturally unhappy. Unperturbed, Mia watched as Frank stepped forward, taking the ss and downing it in one gulp. ¡°I¡¯ll drink; you¡¯re free to do as you please! We still value our rtionship with the Chamber of Commerce¡­¡± Mr. Thompson snorted indifferently. He had specifically researched Mia¡¯s background before she arrived. In his view, a woman like her wouldn¡¯t be running a business unless she had hidden support. His words inevitably carried a hint of disdain. But since Frank had drunk the wine, he let the matter rest. After a few rounds of drinks, Mr. Thompson¡¯s eyes began to blur, and he deliberately brushed his hand against Mia¡¯s thigh, slurring, ¡°Miss Clinton¡­¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 She Must Have a Background Mia¡¯s body stiffened as she forcefully shook off Zack¡¯s hand, her expression icy, ¡°Mind yourself.¡± Her action wasn¡¯t small, drawing the attention of those nearby, who began to chuckle quietly. Clearly, they were no strangers to such incidents. Zack, red with embarrassment, seized Mia¡¯s hand, ¡°What are you pretending to be, pure? A young woman in charge of Horizon Group? I bet you slept your way to the top!¡± He forcefully pulled Mia toward him, his liquor-stained mouth moving in for a kiss. p! This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Mia heavily pped him across the face, ¡°Get lost!¡± Frank was shocked and hadn¡¯t expected Zack to suddenly lose control. He stepped forward,nding a punch on Zack¡¯s face. Zack, in pain, let out a shrill cry of rage and lunged at Frank. People nearby hurried to help, but many were secretly supporting Zack, and Frank seemed to be at a disadvantage. ¡± In the chaos, Mia grabbed a wine bottle from the table and smashed it over Zack¡¯s head. He fell with a thud. Blood poured from his head, and he red menacingly at Mia, ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay!¡± Mia stood her ground, casually tossing the bottle to the floor, ¡°Wait and see. I¡¯d like to see what kind of show Mr. Thompson can put on for me.¡± Initially, some were going to support Zack, but seeing Mia¡¯s fearless action with the wine bottle, they quickly withdrew. This Miss Clinton was clearly not to be trifled with; it was better for them not to get involved. Bang! The door was kicked open, and a tall, handsome figure walked 1. His eyes scanned the chaotic room, finally resting on Mia, disheveled and in disarray. ¡°Mia,e here.¡± His words sessfully halted everyone. Zack started to curse but stopped when he saw the man¡¯s face, ¡°Mr. Smith?¡± ¡± Joe didn¡¯t look at him, his eyes fixed on Mia. Seeing her motionless, he frowned more deeply, ¡°Well? Aren¡¯t youing?¡± Mia looked at him indifferently. Joe wanted to throw a sarcasticment, but noticing the scratches on Mia¡¯s hand, he swallowed his words. He stepped over to Zack, looking down at him, ¡°What were you trying to do?¡± Zack panicked. The person who had told him to teach Mia a lesson hadn¡¯t mentioned her connection with Joe! He shook his head like a rattling drum, ¡°Misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!¡± ¡°I think your time as Chamber of Commerce President hase to an end,¡± Joe sneered, stepping on Zack¡¯s hand without mercy. Zack screamed in pain. Joe, looking at Mia¡¯s disheveled appearance, snorted, and carelessly draped his coat over her, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mia nced back at Zack, lying on the floor. She didn¡¯t believe he would suddenly attack her. There had to be someone else behind this. Mia helped Frank up, and he quickly shook his head, ¡°Thank you¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± From start to finish, those who were previously arrogant said not another word. The group made their way to the hotel entrance, where Mia handed Joe his coat back, ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s in this state, and he can still drive?¡± Joe looked at Frank indifferently, recalling that thest time they went to a Smith family banquet, Frank had also apanied Mia. What was their rtionship? Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Don¡¯t You Dare to Take My Car? Before Joe could continue speaking, Jack, who stood behind him, stepped forward, ¡°Why don¡¯t I take him to the hospital first? Miss White has had quite a shock today; she should go home and rest.¡± He nced stealthily at Joe in front of him. This man had rushed over immediately after identally spotting Mia¡¯s shadow in a dinner photo shared by a Chamber of Commerce member¡¯s friend, without even considering that they had just landed from their flight. Fortunately, they had arrived in time. Who could have known that Zack would be so audacious? Seeing that Frank¡¯s clothes were still stained with spots of blood, Mia didn¡¯t hesitate too long to agree. With a nod from her, Jack promptly helped Frank into the car, and they sped away. Frank, who didn¡¯t even get a chance to say goodbye, felt helpless. Mia nced at the silent Joe and took out her phone to call a taxi. Unexpectedly, Joe suddenly grabbed her wrist, ¡°What? You dare to attend those messy dinners, but you don¡¯t dare ride in my car?¡± Mia red at him, ¡°What messy dinner? I merely attended a banquet like anyone else; I¡¯ve done nothing wrong!¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. V Joe knew, of course, but the scene he had encountered upon entering filled him with an inexplicable irritation. His voice was icy, ¡°Do you know what could have happened today if I hadn¡¯te?¡± ¡°Maybe Mr. Smith didn¡¯t see it. At that time, Zack had already copsed, and I was about to call the police.¡± Mia red back. The situation had indeed been chaotic, but Mia was confident that she wouldn¡¯t have been at a loss. Joe, unwilling to argue in the street, opened the car door, ¡°Get in.¡± Seeing that Mia was still hesitant, he casually added, ¡°Noting? Don¡¯t you want your belongings from the White family?¡± Having lived with the Clinton family for so many years, Mia had learned never to give up what was rightfully hers out of momentary emotion. She took a deep breath and quickly opened the car door. ¡°Where¡¯s your apartment? I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Joe asked, ncing at Mia. ¡°No need. I don¡¯t want to be photographed again,¡± she replied, her heart skipping a beat. She absolutely couldn¡¯t let Joe know where she lived. His face darkening a shade, Joe silently drove Mia to a nearby t he owned. Mia hesitated, not getting out of the car, setting aside other concerns; she genuinely did not want to entangle herself with Joe any further. Seeing her like this, Joe bent over, his hand on the car door, asking, ¡°Here or your apartment? Choose one.¡± His deep eyes met Mia¡¯s, his masculine scent filling the air around her, making her feel incredibly uneasy. Mia pursed her lips, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They entered, one after the other. Joe¡¯s home was consistently decorated in a simple, bold style,cking personal touches. The only exception was probably the vi in Harlow, a ce that Mia had spent three years building, filled with her dreams and yearnings for a home. Lowering her eyelids, Mia gave a mocking smile; she would probably never set foot there again in her lifetime. At that moment, Joe came over with a first aid kit, noticing Mia¡¯s thoughtful expression, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Mia quicklyposed herself, looking at him, ¡°I¡¯m here now, Mr. Smith; can you give me the items now?¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 We Have Been Divorced for a Long Time Joe didn¡¯t give a clear response, cing the first aid kit before her. ¡°Treat yourself.¡± Following his gaze to the back of her hand, Mia only then realized that she had unknowingly been cut, blood oozing a dark red hue. She didn¡¯t say much, simply taking out a bandage and applying it, ¡°Is this good enough?¡± Joe frowned, ¡°I remember a time when even a small wound would have you making a fuss. Now, it doesn¡¯t seem to bother you?¡± A small wound? Making a fuss? Mia had no recollection of ever making a fuss about a wound in front of Joe. Seeing herck of memory, Joe calmly exined, ¡°It was during John¡¯s birthday party.¡± Mia thought back for a long time before she remembered what had happened. Probably in the first year of their marriage, Mia had been in a car ident on the road. Not only was her right ankle fractured, but a long gash was also carved into her leg. In her panic, she called Joe, only to have Wendy answer. After hearing the circumstances, Wendy informed her that Joe was busy and instructed her to go to the hospital herself. After struggling to get to the hospital and treating her wound, Mia saw a post by Wendy on social media. John was blowing out candles, while Joe stood next to Wendy, chatting andughing. Both of their smiles were genuine. Afterward, Mia angrily confronted Joe, but she hadn¡¯t realized that what had left an impression on Joe was her making a fuss. The past was indeed painful to recall. The irony in Mia¡¯s face was impossible to conceal, ¡°If Mr. Smith considers a fractured ankle and twenty stitches a ¡®small wound,¡¯ then my injury must be quite insignificant.¡± ¡°What?¡± Joe looked at Mia, frowning. A fracture? Stitches? Wendy told him that it was just a small cut? He was prepared to ask further, but Mia had no intention of continuing. She leaned back on the sofa, ¡°Are you going to give me those things, Mr. Smith, or do you n on having me spend the night here?¡± Joe, perceiving the sudden coldness in Mia¡¯s attitude after bringing up the past, didn¡¯t say more. Instead, he handed over a stack of documents. ¡°The White family has obtained quite a few projects and funds from the Smith Group over the years. Every penny is ounted for.¡± Joe was no fool. Every sum of money the White family had taken from him over the years was documented as a loan. They had just assumed they wouldn¡¯t have to pay it back. Mia quickly nced at the documents, surprised. In just a few short years, the White family had ¡°borrowed¡± nearly two hundred million dors from Joe. No wonder Joe despised her so much. The White family was like a leech to the Smith Group, truly disgusting. ¡°Are you really willing to give me these things, Mr. Smith?¡± Mia closed the documents, raising an eyebrow at Joe. After all, it was two hundred million dors. Joe didn¡¯t even bat an eye, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask forpensation? It¡¯s all yours.¡± Mia was happy toply, ¡°You¡¯re quite generous, Mr. Smith. Don¡¯t worry, the videos on my phone won¡¯t be leaked. I wish you and Mrs. Smith a lifetime of happiness.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. For some reason, hearing Mia say ¡®Mrs. Smith,¡¯ Joe found it particrly grating. Mia was already standing, ready to leave, but almost subconsciously, Joe stopped her. ¡°Is there anything else, Mr. Smith?¡± Mia looked at Joe, confused. He wouldn¡¯t be regretting it now, would he? Joe stood, moving closer to Mia, ¡°You can¡¯t get engaged to David. The Johnson family won¡¯t ept you.¡± ¡°My rtionship with David is none of your concern, Mr. Smith.¡± Mia¡¯s expression suddenly cooled, and she moved past Joe to leave. But Joe grabbed her wrist, ¡°David¡¯s always been a yer; he¡¯s not right for you.¡± Mia stopped in her tracks, looking at Joe with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, ¡°Have you forgotten, Mr. Smith? We¡¯re already divorced.¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 I Was Serious When it came to divorce, Joe looked gloomy. ¡°Stop talking about it, Mia.¡± He put one hand in his pocket and stood still, with only certainty in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you will really marry David.¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Mia loved him so much in the past. How could she fall in love with David so soon and even marry him? Mia gradually stopped smiling and looked straight at Joe with her dark eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been five years. Why do you think I¡¯m stupid enough to love you who don¡¯t care about me at all? Mr. Smith, Your conceit also requires a limit.¡± Joe walked up to Mia step by step with a gloomy face and reached out to pinch her chin. ¡°Mia, Limit? Will David give you 200 million dors in three years?¡± The sarcasm in his eyes hurt Mia. She calmly pushed away his fingers one by one and did not retreat at all. ¡°Joe, I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡± When she was with him, she gave his all her love without reservation, and even after she left¡­ It was Joe who chose to give up on her love. She didn¡¯t do anything wrong. ¡°Is that so?¡± Joeughed coldly. ¡°I¡¯d like to see if the Johnson Family dares to let you be their family member, Mia.¡± Mia didn¡¯t say anything more, picked up the document on the table, and walked out quickly. Watching her leave, Joe once again felt that something was out of his control. Joe took out a cigarette, lit it, and then called Jack. Back at the apartment, Mia found that David came, sitting in the living room with a gloomy face and cigarette butts all over the floor. Mia raised her eyebrows. Since David knew that she didn¡¯t like the smell of cigarettes, he had never smoked in front of her. Now¡­ ¡°You know?¡± She sighed slightly. ¡°It happened so suddenly today. I¡­¡± Before she could finish her words, David reached out and hugged her. Mia stiffened and hesitated for a long time but still couldn¡¯t push him away. The mellow smell of tobo filled her nose in an instant. David suppressed the cruelty in his voice and said, ¡°I¡¯ve checked. Zack, that bastard, took the money and targeted you on purpose this time. Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t have another chance in the future.¡± Mia had already guessed this, withdrew from David¡¯s arms, and said seriously, ¡°Do you know that this is a society ruled byw?¡± David was stunned, raised his eyebrows, and said, ¡°Are you concerned about me?¡± Mia red at him grumpily. ¡°If you talk nonsense again, go back quickly.¡± It was not easy for David to get a hug. How could he dare to talk nonsense again? He quickly straightened his expression and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t need to deal with Zack. He has a lot of enemies. As long as some rumors are spread, many people will deal with him.¡± Mia also knew that although David looked careless, he actually had his own principles, so she nodded. Mia noticed that the apartment was particrly quiet, so she looked at David and asked, ¡°Where are Ben and Anna?¡± David rubbed his nose and said, ¡°After receiving the news, I was worried that you were not in a good state, so I sent them to the Johnson¡¯s Mansion.¡± ¡°The Johnson¡¯s Mansion?¡± Mia was a little surprised. Although Mrs. Lucky Johnson asionally took Ben and Anna to the resort vi when they were abroad, Mr. Goergie Johnson was not around at that time. Now Mr. Goergic Johnson had clearly expressed his dislike for her. If she was involved too much, she was afraid that he would be more unhappy. However, David waved his hand and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how my mom treated Ben and Anna? If my dad dares to say no, I¡¯m afraid he will sleep on the road today.¡± Although Mia did not believe what David said, she knew that his parents had a good rtionship from his description. She felt a little envious. She didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence that none of the people around her had a good marriage. She also felt happy to hear such a harmonious couple¡¯s life. Before leaving, David looked into Mia¡¯s eyes seriously and said, ¡°I used to be an idiot, but I have never done anything idiot since I met you. I won¡¯t force you and just hope that you can consider me seriously.¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Zack¡¯s in Prison Mia was stunned. In the past, David had joked about marrying her, but Mia didn¡¯t take it seriously. For this time, she could tell he meant it. ¡°I¡­¡± Before Mia could say anything, David pulled her sleeve and stopped her. ¡°I know you weren¡¯t interested in me. But I¡­ I still dream for a chance¡­¡± David started in a hurry but ended up stammering, ¡°Please don¡¯t reject me immediately¡­at least not now. I can¡¯t handle hearing rejections from you¡­ I sincerely ask you to consider me. I will give you my everything as long as you give me a chance.¡± Mia had never seen him like this before, nervous like a boy who had done something wrong. Mia can¡¯t helpughing. ¡°You left no time for me to reply. Shall I speak now?¡± David let go her sleeve and took a step back. ¡°Sorry. Go ahead.¡± ¡°I want to say¡­¡± Mia withdrew her smile and said seriously, ¡°Because what¡¯s I¡¯ve experienced before, I may not be able to ept another man in my life so quickly¡­but¡­¡± ¡°¡­I will try hard to get rid of my shadow as soon as possible.¡± W David¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Mia, I¡­¡± ¡°But to be honest, I currently only consider you as a fri¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± David was wearing a broad smile. He knew that if she continued, the content would not be what he wanted to hear. But it¡¯s enough to know she had let go her previous rtionship. ¡°I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡± David quickly turned around, waved his hand with his back to Mia, and left elegantly. Early the next morning, Frank called to inform Mia that Zack had been arrested. ¡°It is said that he was beaten in a sack on his way backst night, and then was taken away by the police.¡± Frank briefly exined what had happened to Zack. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Mia didn¡¯t expect that Zack would be caught before she could make any moves. ¡°Besides, all members of the Chamber of Commerce present yesterday were also caught¡­¡± It was not difficult to bring down Zack, but it was difficult to throw every member of the Chamber into jail overnight. The tactics and power behind this were astonishing. Mia knew that David would take action, so she was not too surprised. ¡°Since Zack has already been imprisoned, we can take away what we have prepared for him.¡± Frank agreed. ¡°How are your injuries going?¡± Mia asked with concern. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Miss Clinton. Jack sent me to the hospital yesterday.¡± Frank paused for a moment. ¡°He has been inquiring about your information from me¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± Mia said certainly. Someone as proud as Joe would nevere back looking for her after she humting him. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Mia Was Back ¡°B*tch Mia!¡± Meanwhile, in the White House, Leah threw her phone on the sofa, curing angrily. She had a crush on Joe, but Mia married him instead and became Mrs. Smith. After Mia left, she had spent so much effort to get close to David, but why that b*tch Miae back again and got in her way? Leah¡¯s mother, Diana, curled her lips and shouted to her husband Levi, ¡°I told you that Mia was unreliable, but you insisted on marrying her into the Smith Family. Look what is happening now? She¡¯s back and made so many troubles for us!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Head of the family, Levi eximed coldly, interrupting theirints. ¡°What¡¯s the point ofining now? We need her. Shut up and ask her back.¡± Leah widened her eyes. ¡°Dad! Are you crazy? I don¡¯t want her back!¡± Diana also looked embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t forget what we have done to her, and how she was married into the Smith Family. Now she divorced Joe and hooked up with Mr. Johnson. How could shee back?¡± She didn¡¯t want to see Mia at all. Every time she saw her, she would think of Judy, whom she hated the most. Seeing that they were still unclear about the current situation, Levi pped the table hard and said, ¡°Get out of here if you don¡¯t want to find her! Do you think the White Family still has the same power as before?!¡± Ever since Mia privately divorced Joe, the Smith Family had no support for the White Family. He had been blocked from seeking Joe several times! Now, the White family was barely able to maintain its basic operations and one careless move would result in aplete loss! It was not easy for Mia to get a link with the Johnson Family again. How could he let her go? He stared at Diana and Leah gloomily. ¡°If you still want to live a rich life, go and get her back! Otherwise, you will be homeless on the street!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the nanny ran over and said, ¡°Sir, Miss White is back!¡± The three of them, who had been arguing fiercely just now, suddenly looked at each other. ¡°She¡¯s back now?¡± Mia walked slowly into the living room, followed by David, whose face was cold. After knowing that she was going to the White Family, David insisted on following her. Mia couldn¡¯t refuse him several times, so she had to agree. Anyway, he had helped her find out the past, so it didn¡¯t matter about hising. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Seeing that her ex ¡°parent¡± and ex ¡°sister¡± were all here, Mia raised her eyebrows. Levi smiled kindly. ¡°Mia, we¡¯ve waited for you for so long! It¡¯s good to have you back.¡± He gave Diana a subtle look, and she reacted quickly. Her eyes immediately turned red, speaking with a pitful tone. ¡°Poor girl, why didn¡¯t youe home immediately when you flied back to the country? We are your family!¡± Leah nced at her parents, who put on fake faces. She forced a smile at David and called him sweetly, ¡°David. I miss you so much.¡± ¡°You are good at acting.¡± David didn¡¯t even look at Leah, found a sofa, and sat down. ¡°I have an entertainmentpany under mymand. Can you guys consider debuting? Your acting skills. are much better than some of my actors and actress¡¯.¡± As soon as David said that, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly dissipated. Mia also curled her lips and looked around. ¡°What about my grandma who is seriously ill because she misses me too much? I really want to see her.¡± Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Who were Her Real Parents? Levi looked embarrassed. ¡°She has gone back to the countryside to recuperate. If you want to see her, I¡¯ll pick her up tomorrow.¡± Diana also stepped forward and tried to pull Mia. ¡°You seem to have lost a lot of weight. Let me take a good look at you.¡± Mia nimbly dodged and looked at Diana coldly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seeing this, Leah shouted, ¡°Our parents have been worried about you. Is this how you treat them?!¡± ¡°Our parents?¡± As if she had heard something funny, Mia curled her lips and asked, ¡°Are they really my parents?¡± Levi and Diana changed their expressions. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Levi scolded loudly. ¡°You¡¯ve been out for five years and you don¡¯t even recognize us? Or do you think you can leave your family behind just because you¡¯ve hooked up with the Johnson Family?¡± Diana grabbed Levi and cried, ¡°She was wronged back then. It¡¯s normal for her to feel sad and talk nonsense now. Don¡¯t take her words seriously.¡± Levi was still full of anger but didn¡¯t say anything more. When Mia saw their pretentious performance, the sarcasm in her eyes deepened. She had seen this scene countless times in the past. They forced Mia to do something she didn¡¯t want to do through their talking, and then theyforted her hypocritically.. Mia was physically disgusted. She sneered and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. Are you really my biological parents?¡± Levi was furious. He raised his hand, smashed the ashtray on the table to the ground, and cursed loudly, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!¡± David moved quickly and pulled Mia with a sullen face. The thick ss shattered at their feet and scattered. Leah looked at Levi in surprise. Wasn¡¯t his reaction a little too intense? Diana was also shocked, quickly stopped him, and said, ¡°What are you doing? You almost hurt them.¡± ¡°I think you have forgotten your parents with the support of the Johnson Family.¡± Levi pushed Diana away angrily, pointed at Mia, and scolded her. ¡°We gave birth to you and raised you. We have done so much for you, but you don¡¯t even recognize us ¡± because of a moment of grievance!¡± Diana staggered and barely managed to stand firm with the help of the sofa. Hearing what Levi said, she also cried. ¡°When I was pregnant¡­¡± ¡°You were pregnant¡­?¡± Mia was tired of their back-and-forth act and interrupted Diana. ¡°Do you know Judy Clinton?¡± As soon as these words came out, the room suddenly quieted down, and the face of Diana turned even paler. Levi was silent for a moment and then flew into a rage. ¡°Who is she? Who did you hear this from?¡± Diana¡¯s heart suddenly fell. How did Mia know Judy and how could she know Judy?! Diana forced a smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know her. Who is she? Is she your friend?¡± Seeing that the two of them still refused to admit it, Mia simply threw out a few photos from her bag. They were photos of Diana and a beautiful woman. The beautiful woman in the photo had a slightly bulging abdomen and a sweet smile on her face. Diana was carefully supporting her with a gloomy smile. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The moment Diana saw the photo, her legs went weak. She fell down on the sofa and took a long time toe to her senses. ¡°Where did you find this photo?¡± She had clearly destroyed all the photos of them. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 The Truth of the Past Mia didn¡¯t answer her question. Instead, she stared at Diana with burning eyes and asked, ¡°Do you still want to say that you don¡¯t know Judy?¡± Diana burst into tears. ¡°She is indeed my friend but passed away many years ago, so I don¡¯t remember for a while.¡± Diana looked at Mia with tears in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what others have said to you, but you are indeed my daughter.¡± ¡°I was with her when Diana gave birth to you! She almost died. How dare you insult her like this!¡± Levi was furious, picked up the phone on the table, and threw it at Mia. Mia didn¡¯t expect him to do this. When she reacted, David had already hugged her and protected her in his arms. She hurriedly looked at David and asked, ¡°Are you all right? Where did you get hurt?¡± ¡°My back.¡± David waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He patted Mia on the back tofort her and then turned to look at Levi. He didn¡¯t say anything, but everyone could clearly feel that he was angry. Although it just hit his back, David could feel how much strength Levi had used just now. If it had hit Mia in the face¡­ He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Levi by the cor. His eyes were full of hostility. ¡°Do you want to die?!¡± Looking at the imposing David in front of him, Levi was shocked. In the past, Joe¡¯s neglect of Mia made them take it for granted that David would treat her the same way. They didn¡¯t expect that a phone that almost hit her would make him so angry. Was David serious about her? ¡°I just made a mistake.¡± Levi quickly apologized. ¡°Mia listened to the rumors and actually felt that she was not our child. Isn¡¯t that too absurd?¡± Mia looked at Levi coldly, and her eyes were full of coldness. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you haven¡¯t made any progress after so many years.¡± Back then, when they forced her to marry Joe, they used this kind of attitude, using both soft and hard tactics without any bottom line. ¡°You idiot!¡± Levi was so angry that he took two steps forward, but was stopped by David. Mia didn¡¯t bother to say anything more and threw out another stack of documents. ¡°My birthday is on November 25th, but there was no record of Diana being hospitalized that day. Did she give birth to me at home?¡± Diana looked at the case file and opened her mouth but didn¡¯t. say anything. ¡°Not only that, she didn¡¯t have any records of obstetrics and gynecology one year before my birth. On the contrary, she had apanied Judy many times to have a checkup. Do you want to see the records?¡± The more Mia said, the paler Diana looked. Levi was also frightened. Back then, when the incident had happened, they had been so focused on dealing with the problems around them that they had forgotten about the hospital records. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. He calmed down and sighed deeply. ¡°Since you know, I won¡¯t hide it from you. You are indeed not our biological daughter.¡± Leah and Diana eximed at the same time. ¡°Judy died in an ident when you were just born. It happened so suddenly that she only had time to entrust you to us before she passed away. We were worried that you would be sad because of this when you grew up, so we simply hid it.¡± Levi sighed deeply and said with pity in his eyes, ¡°Even so, our feelings for you are true. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Mia looked at him quietly for a while and sneered. ¡°Is it really that simple?¡± Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Diana¡¯s Exnation Mia originally wanted to see how Whites would react when they found out that she knew the truth, but their reaction made her feel sick and bored. ¡°When Judy past away, not only did she entrust me to you, but also left a huge amount of inheritance. These inheritances fell into your hands and were used as the first bucket of money for the development of the White Group. Yet you dicided to never tell me the truth.¡± Mia tore their lies apart. ¡°Judy probably never dreamed that her best friend would easily betray her. Not only did you erase her existence, but also tried to throw me into the orphanage several times.¡± When she was a child, Mia always wondered why Diana had apletely opposite attitude toward her and towards Leah. As long as Leah smiled, Diana would give her all the love, and even if she tried her best, she would rarely get encouragement from. Diana. And she even took Mia to the prphanage. She once wanted to ABANDON her. Truth exined the matter. As soon as Mia finished speaking, the living room fell into indescribable.silence. Leah looked at her parents in shock. Mia was not her biological sister! She instantly understood why her parents had treated Mia so bad in the past. Levi reacted very quickly and pped Diana in the face. ¡°Did you try to send her to the orphanage?¡± Levi was really angry. He never thought that Diana would be so stupid. Not only had she done this, but she had also been caught. Seeing the couple ming each other, Mia was not moved at all. Leahined, ¡°Do you have to do this? Even if you¡¯re not their biological daughter, didn¡¯t mom and dad bring you up? Don¡¯t you know how to be grateful?¡± Mia nced at Leah sarcastically and said, ¡°Grateful? Do you know that your parents were just the most ordinary employees before they adopted me? Because they got the inheritance left. by MY MOTHER, the White Family had the capital to start a business. Later, when they ran out of cash, they made a deal with the Smith family in exchange for more money.¡± ¡°They drugged me, and sent me onto someone¡¯s bed.¡± Mia sneered. ¡°If you were me, would you be grateful to them?¡± Leah was at a loss for words. Diana took a step forward and grabbed Mia¡¯s sleeve, pleading, ¡°I was wrong. In the past, I wasn¡¯t prepared to raise a kid and felt that I couldn¡¯t take good care of you, so I tried to put you in good hands. But I was wrong. I regretted it. Can you forgive me? I¡¯ll make it up to you, okay?¡± ¡°I could forgive you,¡± Mia coldly brushed off her hand, ¡°As long as you kneel down in front of my mother¡¯s grave, confess your crime and apologize.¡± Leah screamed, ¡°How dare you!¡± She wanted to pull Mia, but David stopped her. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Diana looked at Mia incredulously. When she saw Mia¡¯s face simr to Judy¡¯s, she suddenly went crazy. ¡°I knew it! You and Judy are exactly the same!¡± Diana raised her hand and tried to p Mia. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 We Still Had a Debt to Settle Seeing this, David quickly stepped forward and stopped her. Diana stared venomously at Mia. ¡°Judy is an extremely hypocritical person! She seems to be very kind to me, but in fact, she treats me like a maid! She gave me those branded bags and clothes just to mock me for not being able to afford them. In the end, she died! Why should I help her raise her daughter?!¡± ¡°If we didn¡¯t put you on Mr. Smith¡¯s bed, do you think you had a chance to be Lady Smith? I would marry you to an abuser or a drug addict. I want you to be tortured and die in pain!¡± p! ¡°I usually don¡¯t hit women unless she¡¯s not a human.¡± David stared at Diana with a cold face. Although David used to be a yboy, he had always respected women. He had never thought that one day he would hate at woman so much and even hurt her. Leah screamed, ¡°David, how could you hit my mom!¡± How could he help that b*tch Mia like this! Diana covered her face and said with hatred in her eyes, ¡°You are exactly the same as Judy. She was also a whore and sleeping men to climb up! I bet you don¡¯t know who your father is.¡± It was David who hit her, but she only scold Mia. Levi saw that he couldn¡¯t cover it up anymore, so he simply fell out with Mia. He pointed at her and scolded, ¡°You ungrateful monster. Get out of my house!¡± Looking at Whites¡¯ ugly faces, Mia simply pulled David to sit down on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t leave.¡± Hearing her words, Levi thought that she was willing to make concessions, so he said stiffly, ¡°You¡¯re right. After all, we¡¯re a family. You¡¯ll need us at your back when you get married in the future.¡± Mia smiled. She looked straight at Levi with undisguised sarcasm in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a lot of family members, and they are my biological rtives.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Levi looked gloomy. No wonder Mia was so confident to make trouble. It turned out that she had found her real family. ¡°Good. Since you have found your real family, don¡¯t evere to us anymore.¡± Mia smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I have to settle the debt with you.¡± ¡± ¡°Debt?¡± Levi looked at Mia warily. ¡°I don¡¯t remember owe you anything.¡± Mia slowly put several documents on the table and motioned for Levi to have a look. Levi picked up the papers. Once he looked at them his eyes suddenly widened, and his first reaction was to tear the papers apart. Mia said in a cold tone, ¡°Save some effort. These are just copies. I have many of them¡± Levi froze on the spot. Diana and Leah, who were standing by the side, noticed that something was wrong. They quickly picked up the rest papers and read them. Their expressions changed drastically. These were the IOU documents that Mia had taken from Joe, as well as the notarized inheritance certificate that Judy¡¯s Law Firm had submitted. These items were worth 280 million dors in total. Diana screamed and raised her hand to p Mia in the face. However, she was firmly restrained by Mia. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 The Truth of A Million Dors Mia said with anger in her dark eyes, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m still that poor little girl who can be beaten and scolded by you at will?¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. She only exerted a little force with her hand, but enough to make Diana stumble. Diana was shocked for a moment and then pounced crazily again. ¡°How dare you? How dare you ask for money from us?!¡± She looked ferocious, like a crazy shrew. She didn¡¯t have the temperament of a noblewoman that she was usually proud of. ¡°If you dare to touch me, I¡¯ll add one-thousandth of interest.¡± Mia stood still and looked at her, saying in a cold tone. Diana was nailed to the spot like a punctured balloon. Her chest rose and fell violently. If sights could kill others, she would probably dismember Mia. Leah couldn¡¯t believe it either. When she got up this morning, she was still the Miss of a rich and powerful family, but now she had be a pauper who owed hundreds of millions. This was impossible! V Levi obviously couldn¡¯t ept this and said with a straight face, ¡°Impossible. I won¡¯t pay you back.¡± Mia had already expected this. She handed over a business card, on which was the phone number of the Legal Department of the Horizon Group. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Levi looked at her warily, afraid that she would take out another agreement. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to pay back the money, let¡¯s meet in court!¡± Mia said in a rxed tone. Obviously, she was looking forward to Levi refusing to pay back the money. ¡°You definitely don¡¯t have so much money on hand. I¡¯ve already calcted that the current estimated value of the White Group is 250 million dors. The court will force you to go bankrupt and repay me.¡± Levi was so angry that he wanted to Mia die. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Handing over the White Group was tantamount to cutting off his source of ie, making him return to the days when he worked for others. Seeing that Levi was in a bad state, David secretly stood in front of Mia to prevent him from attacking her. When Mia saw his actions, a trace of moving shed across her eyes. It seemed that David would always stand in front of her and help her as soon as she needed him. Perhaps¡­ ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± After being angry for a long time, Levi found that he had no choice but to beg her for mercy. Like a stray dog, he had no choice but to ept the result. Noticing that Levi had made a concession, Mia took out her mobile phone and put it in front of them. ¡°Why don¡¯t we y a game? Tell me the truth and I¡¯ll deduct a million dors. What do you think?¡± ¡°10 million.¡± Levi was keenly aware of the intention of Mia and tried to propose conditions. Mia nced at him lightly and said, ¡°I remember that you once taught me don¡¯t push so far, or it will be in vain.¡± Levi was speechless. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Okay, but you have to allow us to pay off the rest of the debts in thirty years.¡± ¡°Ten years.¡± Mia said firmly, ¡°If there is an abnormal operation during this period, the White Group must be transferred to me in advance.¡± Levi didn¡¯t expect Mia wouldn¡¯t give in and didn¡¯t say anything with a gloomy face. Mia was not in a hurry, took out a document, and said, ¡°Take a ¡± look.¡± Surprisingly, it listed all the conditions that Mia had mentioned just now. She was sure that he would agree. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Entered the Hospital ¡°No! You can¡¯t sign it!¡± Just as Levi was about to sign it, Diana pounced on him and pushed him away. Levi frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Diana pointed at Levi and scolded, ¡°I think you¡¯re the crazy one! It¡¯s two hundred million dors, not a small sum. We¡¯ve worked so hard to raise her. Why should we give her the money?¡± Her gaze fell on David and she said maliciously, ¡°Do you know where Mia got the money? Joe gave it to her! Aren¡¯t your her fianc¨¦? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve been cheated?¡± ¡°When we married Mia to Joe, she was very resistant! Butter, she was still obedient¡­¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Mia was not as afraid to hear her continued words as Diana had imagined. Even David showed no signs of getting angry. The two of them looked at Diana as if they were looking at a clown. On the contrary, Levi and Leah red at her. ¡°I know what you mean. There¡¯s no need to sign this contract anymore.¡± Mia nced at Diana indifferently, turned around, and walked out. Levi immediately panicked. If he paid off in debt over ten years, there was still a possibility of him turning over. Or he could leave nothing for Mia. But if she left now, he would never have another chance! p! He gritted his teeth and pped Diana hard in the face. ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t understand! If you talk nonsense again, we¡¯ll divorce!¡± Diana looked at Levi in disbelief and immediately got into a fight with him. ¡°Levi! If it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t be where you are today! How dare you hit me!¡± Her attacks were crazy and fast, and Levi was powerless to resist. The two of them fought fiercely. They didn¡¯t notice that Mia and David had already left the White Family vi during this period of time. ¡°When Levies to sign the contract, I will officially change my name. Mia White will my past then.¡± The trip to the White Family was smoother than Mia had imagined. As long as Levi didn¡¯t want to go bankrupt and be poor immediately, he wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything more. David also smiled and said, ¡°Congrattions on getting rid of the White Family. Why don¡¯t I treat you to dinner?¡± Mia nced at him helplessly. When she was about to speak, David¡¯s cell phone rang. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. David was annoyed. Who was calling him at this time? As soon as he picked it up, his expressionpletely changed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mia looked at him strangely and saw his bad expression. He pursed his lips and said, ¡°Ben and Anna have been sent to the hospital.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Mia was shocked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lucky said that they have arrived at the hospital now. It shouldn¡¯t be a big problem.¡± David exined guiltily. Mia trusted him, so she entrusted her children to him. He didn¡¯t expect that something would go wrong. He knew how important the children were to Mia, so he quickly stepped on the elerator and rushed to the hospital with Mia. After driving to the hospital, David went to the fifth floor ording to the address provided by Lucky, but he didn¡¯t see them. Mia suddenly came up with a lot of ominous spections. With a pale face, she hurriedly stopped a doctor in a white coat. ¡°Hello, do you know that a pair of twins were hospitalized just now?¡± The doctor stopped and looked at Mia. ¡°You mean the two children who are allergic to food. Their condition is now under control. They are probably drawing blood in the blood collection room.¡± Allergy? Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Encountered with Joe by Chance Mia was slightly stunned but quickly came to her senses and thanked him. ¡°I¡¯ve already told Lucky about their taboo foods. How could it be?¡± David was also very surprised. He knew how much she cared about the two children. How could she make such a mistake? Mia quickly asked about the direction of the blood collection room, but before she could take two steps, she was stopped. ¡°Mia?¡± It was Joe. Mia turned with a pale face, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat. She nced at David secretly. He soon understood what she meant and left quietly. Mia tried her best to suppress her anxiety and looked at Joe impatiently. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Joe didn¡¯t care about her impatience. Frowning, he asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°This is a hospital. Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Mia kept looking in the direction of the blood collection room. She didn¡¯t want to waste time with Joe at all and just wanted to go and see Ben and Anna as soon as possible. Joe immediately became sullen. Before he could speak, Wendy, who was wearing a hospital gown, quickly walked over with a gentle smile on her face. ¡°Joe?¡± When Wendy saw Joe holding onto Mia, her expression changed dramatically and she grabbed onto Joe¡¯s hand as if she was trying to demonstrate their intimate rtionship. Joe tried to move his arm but failed. No wonder he asked her so nervously. It turned out that he worried that Mia would follow them and hurt Wendy. was Mia said with sarcasm in her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I knew that you were in this hospital, I would never come here.¡± She was worried about the children and didn¡¯t want them to meet Joe. She turned around and was about to leave. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Wendy quickly stopped Mia and said affectionately, ¡°Mia, It was the reporter¡¯s problem that caused our previous conflict. Are you willing to forgive me?¡± Mia nced at her lightly and said, ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t ask Wendy felt so wronged that her eyes turned red. She reached out to hold Mia¡¯s hand, but Mia pushed her away. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not a casual person. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Wendy gasped and was in so much pain that she was about to cry. ¡°Joe and I truly love each other. I¡­ I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Wendy lowered her head, looking very sad. Mia sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s not me who made you pregnant. What¡¯s the use of telling me?¡± Wendy slightly changed her expression, but soon raised her head pitifully, ¡°I just hope that for the sake of the child¡­¡± As she spoke, she paid attention to Joe¡¯s attitude. Ever since the incident on Twitter, Joe had clearly be indifferent. In the past few days, he didn¡¯t even call her. It had not been easy for Wendy to reach this stage, so she would not allow her to fail here. Mia suddenly approached, and Wendy took a step back subconsciously. Seeing her like this, Mia curled her lips sarcastically. ¡°It¡¯s none of my business.¡± Wendy widened her eyes, but Mia did not give her a chance to speak. ¡°No matter whose child you are pregnant with, it has nothing to do with me. I only hope that your moving love willst forever. You two must be with each other and note out to harm others. Don¡¯t worry, I will bless you.¡± After saying that, Mia didn¡¯t want to see Wendy continue to pretend to be pitiful, so she turned around and left. Wendy was so angry that her face turned pale. She wanted to curse Mia with the most vicious words, but when she thought of Joe, who was standing beside her, she suppressed her anger. She looked at Joe with red-rimmed eyes. ¡°I just want to apologize to Mia.¡± Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 It Was Okay, Mom Joe didn¡¯t notice Wendy¡¯s mood at all and just said to her lightly, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant and would better have a good rest.¡± Wendy was truly panicking now, grabbed Joe by the arm, and said, ¡°Joe, you don¡¯t like me being in contact with Miss White, do you? If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t see her again, okay?¡± Only then did Joe look down at Wendy. His deep eyes seemed to be able to see through her heart. After a while, Wendy looked away uneasily. He said in a deep voice, ¡°If you want to be Mrs. Smith, I will satisfy you. But don¡¯t do anything else, especially with Mia. Do you understand?¡± Wendy stiffened, opened her mouth, and wanted to exin. But when she met Joe¡¯s sharp gaze, she said nothing. Joe turned to look in the direction that Mia had left. What was she doing in the hospital? Especially¡­ He nced at the door te of the obstetrics and gynecology department and his eyes gradually darkened. At this time, Mia had walked around outside the hospital, found a small door, and went upstairs again. As soon as she arrived at the stairs, David came out and said, ¡°The children are here.¡± Mia quickly followed him and came to the door of the VIP ward. From a distance, she saw Ben and Anna, who looked tired and had rashes all over their faces. ¡°Mommy!¡± Mia quickly stepped forward and held the two children in her arms. Her eyes were slightly red. ¡°You scared me to death.¡± Smelling the fragrance of them, Mia finally rxed and refused to let them go for a long time. It was until this moment that Mrs. Lucky Johnson stepped forward with an apologetic look on her face and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mia. I didn¡¯t pay attention to the food for a moment¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Goergie who was sitting in the corner also came over and apologized to Mia solemnly, ¡°When I gave the children biscuits, I didn¡¯t find that there was a small amount of peanut sauce in them, which led to their allergy.¡± Mia was a little surprised. She had always thought that Goergie would not wee the two children but didn¡¯t expect that he would take the initiative to feed them snacks. When she was about to speak, Anna hugged her neck softly. ¡°Grandpa Johnson also likes me and Ben, so he bought snacks for us. You can¡¯t me him.¡± Ben nodded and held Mia¡¯s hand silently. ¡°It¡¯s not his fault.¡± Goergie was a little surprised. He saw with his own eyes how ufortable the two children were when their allergy broke out and didn¡¯t expect that they would forgive him so easily. Mia touched their heads and smiled at Goergie. ¡°Since they have chosen to forgive you, I have no right to say that I don¡¯t forgive you. As the children said, your intention is good, and they are willing to ept your kindness.¡± Goergie raised his eyebrows slightly and slowly squatted down to look at Ben and Anna. He said, ¡°I made a mistake this time. Will youe back to my house as guests when you recover? I promise that nothing like today will happen again.¡± Ben and Anna looked at each other and said loudly, ¡°Okay! You will y with us next time.¡± Goergie squeezed their hands and nodded with a smile. Seeing this scene, Mrs. Lucky Johnson also smiled with relief. Although Goergie seemed to be indifferent to them every time, in fact, every time the twins came, he would deliberately sit in the living room, wait for the children to take the initiative to greet him, and then pretend to be very reluctant to y with them. Men were hard-mouth but soft-hearted. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. After the Johnson couple left together, David looked at Mia apologetically and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If I hadn¡¯t taken them home¡­¡± Mia frowned and said, ¡°The person who should apologize has already said so. Are you going to apologize again and again every time you see me, Ben, and Anna?¡± Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 They Had Formal Identities David had to stop talking and turned to look at Ben and Anna. ¡°You two are going to stay in the hospital tonight. Is there anything I can bring to you?¡± Anna said to him in a childish voice, ¡°I want my doll.¡± Ben said cooly, ¡°I want my iPad.¡± David held the two children in his arms and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get them for you now.¡± Mia reminded the two of them to stay in bed obediently and followed David out of the door. ¡°I just bumped into Joe and I am worried¡­¡± David understood and suddenly took out three Citizenship Certificates from his pocket. ¡°I knew such a day woulde, so I prepared those.¡± Mia took them out to have a look and was stunned. In the Citizenship Certificates, the age of the two children had been changed to one year younger. Her name had also changed from Mia White to Charlotte Clinton. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since Ben and Anna are back, you can¡¯t hide them forever. It¡¯s better to make preparations in advance.¡± David looked at Mia seriously. She saw his sincerity for the children in his eyes, which moved her a lot. After David left, Mia returned to the ward and seriously apologized to Ben and Anna, ¡°I have been too busy to take care of you these days and also asked you to y at someone else¡¯s house. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Anna tilted her head and asked, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you do it on purpose?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Mia denied it repeatedly. ¡°You are the babies that I begged for a long time to get into my arms. How could I not want you?!¡± Anna pretended to be serious and said, ¡°Since you work hard to fill Ben and me with food and clothing, why should we me you? Your adults just like to guess other people¡¯s mind!¡± She nudged Ben, who was next to her. ¡°Am I right?¡± Ben nced at her helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s that adults like to guess other people¡¯s minds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± He stole a nce at Mia and quickly added. Looking at the two considerate children, Mia was moved and amused. She asked softly, ¡°Do you want to go to kindergarten?¡± When she was in Albania, Ben and Anna learned knowledge from the family teachers. Although it was safe, they rarely had contact with other children. Now that they had returned back and had official identities, maybe it was time for them to go to kindergarten. ¡°What¡¯s kindergarten?¡± Anna was confused. ¡°Is there a lion and a tiger in it?¡± Mia didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She patiently exined the meaning of kindergarten to the two children and said, ¡°You can meet a lot of other children in kindergarten. You can y with them.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go!¡± Anna jumped up happily,pletely forgetting that there were rashes on her body. Ben also agreed. Although the knowledge in kindergarten was too childish, he still had to take care of Anna. After all, he was the only man in the family. Seeing that both of them had no intention of resisting, Mia sent a message to Frank and asked him to collect some information about kindergarten. After receiving the news, Frank was confused. Was their Horizon Group going to develop the kindergarten business? Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Changed Their Father ¡°Mr. Smith, ording to my investigation, Miss White didn¡¯t get registered in the hospital. Instead, the Johnson couple took the two children to get registered. Mia and David went to see the two children together¡­¡± Jack looked at Joe, whose face was getting darker, and shut his mouth wisely. ¡°Children? Where did the childrene from?¡± Joe looked up at Jack, who shook his head. ¡°I only know that the two children¡¯s surname is Clinton, and they seem to have entered the hospital because of an allergy.¡± Joe leaned back on the sofa and unconsciously rubbed his fingers against the cool lighter. ¡°I asked you to investigate the Johnson Groupst time. How¡¯s it going?¡± Jack knew that he would not ask about the children again. He breathed a sigh of relief, took out a stack of documents, and handed them over. ¡°The Johnson Group is currently operating well, and several major projects are also advancing in an orderly manner. If we want to destroy them¡­ I¡¯m afraid it will be a little difficult.¡± Looking at the information on the table, Joe casually lit a cigarette. In the dense smoke, he sneered, ¡°Difficult?¡± Since he was forced to take over the Smith Group at the age of 14, he faced difficulties every day. As long as he wanted, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t get. At this time, Mia was looking helplessly at the two cute little guys in front of her. ¡°You just arrived at the hospital yesterday, so you can¡¯t leave today.¡± Mia tapped Anna¡¯s forehead and knew that Ben would not leave without Anna¡¯s instigation. Anna pouted andined, ¡°But our faces are already fine!¡± As she spoke, she raised her fair and tender face and moved Property ? N?velDrama.Org. closer to Mia. It had to be said that the recovery ability of the two little guys was really strong. In just one day, the rashes on their faces and bodies had disappearedpletely. No wonder they were not used to staying in the hospital. Seeing that Mia was not moved, Anna sat on the sofa aside in low spirits. ¡°I knew it. Mom said that she would not abandon us! But she just believe what her promise!¡± She seemed to feel that something was wrong and looked at Ben anxiously. As expected, Ben showed a helpless expression. ¡°It¡¯s that she breaks her promise.¡± Mia didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She suddenly remembered what David had said yesterday. Since Ben and Anna had returned to Zyphoria, she could not send them back. It was only a matter of time before they appeared in front of people. She was silent for a moment, then squatted down to look at the two children and said, ¡°If you go to the company with me, you can¡¯t reveal your identities, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Anna nced at Ben and agreed without hesitation. Mia was a little surprised. ¡°Are you sure? You can¡¯t say that I am your mother when you arrive at the company! Are you willing?¡± Anna nodded heavily. ¡°I know! Ben said that there are bad people who want to hurt us now, so we must keep a low profile and not let others find out that we are your children.¡± ¡°Ben?¡± Mia looked at Ben in shock and did not expect him to say this to Anna in private. Ben pursed his lips and showed the news rted to the White Family and Wendy on his mobile phone. There were even discussions about the marriage between Joe and Mia. Mia almost stopped breathing. She looked at Ben in shock and her hands were trembling. ¡°Ben, you¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know how to ask when the words were on the tip of her tongue. ¡°I know. Joe might be my father.¡± Before Mia could sort out her thoughts, Ben threw another shocking bomb, which shocked her Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 The Painful Past Mia blinked her eyes. After a long time, she found her voice. ¡°How¡­ how did you know?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it very simple?¡± Ben blinked innocently. ¡°Isn¡¯t him your former husband?¡± Mia only felt that there was a breath stuck in her chest and didn¡¯t know if she should spit it out. Children¡¯s logic was indeed very simple, and it was sharp enough. After a long silence, she finally nodded and said, ¡°Yes, he is your father.¡± Anna finally understood what they meant. She looked at Mia and Ben in confusion. ¡°Father? Where did this fathere from?¡± ¡°That bad guy.¡± Ben told Anna concisely. Anna widened her eyes and said, ¡°Then we don¡¯t want this father, let¡¯s change.¡± The depression in Mia¡¯s chest suddenly dissipated. She covered her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°You¡­¡± She knew that the two children had fantasized about their father when they were young, but because she avoided talking about him, they gradually stopped asking about this person. Ben walked up to Mia and took her hand. His dark eyes were filled with determination as he said, ¡°Joe made you unhappy. We don¡¯t want him.¡± Mia smiled at them with red eyes. She couldn¡¯t possibly pretend to be magnanimous and tell the children that Joe was their father, and that they should let go of the grudges and reconcile with him. She couldn¡¯t possibly give Joe the slightest chance to snatch them away from her. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Five years ago, she went abroad in low spirits, only to find herself pregnant after being retrieved by her family. Mia almost didn¡¯t hesitate to keep the children. At that time, she had not yet gained a firm foothold in the Clinton Family and was just informed all kinds of things about her mother. It could be said that every step was difficult for her. In addition, her premature pregnancy reaction was extremely serious. She could only rely on Nutrients to maintain her life. In less than three months, she had lost a third of her weight. Fortunately, some of her rtives took good care of her, so she gradually came out of that terrible state. The most dangerous thing was that she had a hemorrhage when she gave birth to the babies. At that time, she was almost injected with the amount of blood that an adult should have before she was barely rescued. What followed was a long-term recovery and recuperation. She had been lying in the hospital for three months. She even remembered that when she was discharged from the hospital, the two children had already shed their jaundice and looked white and tender. When they saw her for the first time, they smiled sweetly at her. Coming back to her senses, Mia held the two children in her arms and said nothing. Anna whispered to Mia, ¡°Will David be our father?¡± Mia was stunned and replied in a gentle voice, ¡°He is not yet. Do you like him?¡± Anna nodded heavily. ¡°He has a lot of delicious food. If he is my father, I can eat delicious food every day!!¡± Even David himself would not have thought that one day he would win in this respect. ¡°If you don¡¯t like him, I can help you find other men secretly!¡± Anna nodded heavily and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, a man who is good to children must be a good man!¡± Mia didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She couldn¡¯t persuade them, so she finally decided to take them to thepany. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Let¡¯s Go to the Horizon Group to Have a Look When they arrived at thepany, Frank was already waiting at the entrance. After receiving the news that Miss Clinton had brought someone to visit thepany, he asked someone to make all the preparations and came to the door to wee them in person. The guest that Miss Clinton had personally instructed must not be an ordinary guest. As Frank watched Mia stop the car slowly at the door, his expression became serious until two children jumped out of the car. Frank was stunned. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. As the most professional assistant, Frank quickly calmed down and asked the secretary to add two more lollipops to the reception room. ¡°Miss Clinton, they are¡­¡± Frank greeted them and asked curiously. Mia didn¡¯t reveal their identities. ¡°They will y in thepany for a day today. Just take them to my office.¡± Frank quickly responded and smiled gently at Ben and Anna. ¡°Hello, I am Uncle Wilson. If you need anything today, you cane to me!¡± Seeing this, Mia couldn¡¯t helpughing. Her assistant with an annual sry of one million dors was forced to be a kindergarten teacher. Should she give Frank a bonus this month? Anna grabbed Mia¡¯s hand and was about to rush in excitedly, ¡°Let¡¯s go in quickly.¡± Anna and Ben had been back for so long, but they had never been to herpany. Mia nodded dotingly and did not forget to turn back to take the cool Ben¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go in together.¡± Mia hadn¡¯t been in the Horizon Group for a long time, and everyone was curious about her. Now, when they saw Frank appear with beautiful twins in the Horizon Group, they were shocked and guessed the identities of the twins. But because of Mia¡¯s identity, no one dared to ask her face-to-face. From the hall to the top floor, Frank had been quietly observing the two children. He thought that it would be a day full of wrong things but didn¡¯t expect that although the two children were very curious about everything around them, they had always been well-educated and restrained themselves from making trouble for others. The two children did not fully demonstrate their nature until they entered Mia¡¯s office. Anna rushed to the huge French window, looking at the scenery outside the window and eximing. Ben sat down at the desk of Mia with a serious face and fiddled with herputer. Seeing this, Frank wanted to stop them, but he was stopped by Mia. ¡°They are both children with a sense of propriety. You just need to pay attention to their safety.¡± She nced at her watch and said to the two children, ¡°I¡¯m going to the meeting first. Can you y here for a while?¡± The two children answered obediently. Mia told Frank with concern, ¡°If they are bored, you can take them to various departments of thepany, but don¡¯t let theme into contact with other people¡¯s food, especially peanuts.¡± Seeing that she was serious, Frank also agreed seriously. At this time, in the Smith Group. Jack scolded the secretary in front of him with a sullen face. ¡°How many times have I told you not to let people in the boss¡¯ office at will? Do you turn a deaf ear to my words?¡± The new secretary felt very wronged. ¡°He is the Chamber of Commerce President. I can¡¯t offend him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not the Chamber of Commerce President now.¡± Jack sneered. After being dealt with by the Smith Family and the Johnson Family together, Zack was now like a stray dog. He was no longer the Chamber of Commerce President. He waved his hand at the new secretary and said, ¡°Go to the finance department to settle the bill and resign.¡± The new secretary was shocked and quickly begged for mercy. ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Jack shook his head. ¡°You have vited the rules of the boss. There is no other way.¡± After that, his eyes fell on the door of the chairman¡¯s office. In the office, Zack knelt on the ground and cried bitterly to Joe, ¡°Mr. Smith, I really know I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have been so blind and rude to Miss White, and I shouldn¡¯t have thought that she had a dirty background just because she is the representative of the Horizon Group. Please let me go!¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Joe Was Here Zack was now very regretful. If he had known that Mia had the support of the Smith Group and the Johnson Group, he would not have dared to make any movements to her. Joe looked coldly at the man kneeling on the ground. ¡°You said that Mia is the representative of the Horizon Group, right?¡± Zack was stunned. Did Mia have an affair with the boss of the Horizon Group behind Joe¡¯s back? If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t he be saved? Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. He quickly nodded and said, ¡°That day, Miss White came as the person in charge of the Horizon Group. As you know, the chairman of the Horizon Group has always been mysterious. I thought she relied on¡­¡± Seeing that Joe was angry, Zack quickly shut his mouth and did not dare to say anything else. ¡°Disappear from the Capital City. If I hear any more news about you¡­¡± Joe nced at him indifferently, but it was enough to scare him out of his wits. After Zack left in disgrace, Joe called Jack in and asked, ¡°How¡¯s our project with the Horizon Group going?¡± Jack was stunned. Didn¡¯t he meet Zack? Why was the Horizon Group suddenly involved? However, as a professional assistant, Jack quickly replied, ¡°The progress of both sides is smooth. Recently, we are discussing the details of the contract.¡± Joe pondered for a moment and suddenly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Horizon Group to have a look.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jack reacted quickly and asked Mr. Lee to go with him. Mia had just finished an important meeting. When she returned to the office, she saw Ben and Anna together reading a picture book. She couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel bored? Do you want Uncle Wilson to take you out for a walk?¡± The two kids looked at each other and shook their heads in unison. ¡°Since we¡¯re here to visit your company, we have to stay here and watch until we leave.¡± Seeing that they were enjoying themselves, Mia didn¡¯t say anything more. When she was about to speak, she saw Frank rushing in. ¡°Miss Clinton, Mr. Smith is here.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Mia panicked and stood up with great force. She even knocked over the coffee that had just been poured on the table. ¡°Miss Clinton!¡± Frank was about to help but was stopped by Mia. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Take the children to various departments of thepany now. Mr. Smith is here to inspect. Don¡¯t let him see the children in the company, so as not to arouse his suspicion of our professionalism.¡± Anna ran over and said, ¡°Mom¡­ Charlotte, are you okay?¡± Mia suppressed the panic in her heart and touched her head calmly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just have something to discuss with someone now. Can you go around with Uncle Wilson?¡± Anna pouted and was about to refuse when Ben stopped her. ¡°Okay.¡± After the two children and Frank left, Mia quickly went to the lounge behind her to change her clothes and took a deep breath. What awaited her next was a tough battle. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Please Call Me Miss Clinton In the reception room. Mr. Lee was afraid that Joe would not see his efforts, so he carefully introduced the project progress to Joe, but Joe stopped him. ¡°Who has been in touch with you during this period of time?¡± ¡°Mr. Lake of the Horizon Group.¡± Mr. Lee was confused. ¡°The chairman of the Horizon Group has never returned to Zyphoria before, and it was Mr. Lake who contacted us. Recently, I heard that their chairman hase back, but I have never seen him.¡± Joe raised his eyebrows. The chairman was quite mysterious. The three of them stayed in the reception room for less than five minutes before Mr. Lake hurried in. ¡°Excuse me for not weing you, Mr. Smith.¡± Joe nced at Mr. Lake indifferently and said, ¡°I heard that your chairman is in thepany. I¡¯ve invited him several times but failed to meet him. You¡¯re too insincere.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Mr. Lake was in a dilemma. There was nothing wrong with Joe¡¯s request, but the rtionship between Mia and Joe was reallyplicated. If they met¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joe sneered. ¡°Is the chairman of the Horizon Group not visible? I¡¯m worried about the sincerity of yourpany to such a big project because of his absence.¡± ¡°Mr. Smith, you may have misunderstood.¡± Just as Mr. Lake was at a loss for what to do, a familiar female voice rang out. Joe immediately turned sullen. Mia was wearing a beige suit. Her makeup was simple and exquisite, and there was a professional smile on her face. ¡°I paid a lot of attention to this project from the beginning. Our Horizon Group is absolutely sincere.¡± When Mr. Lake saw Mia, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief. Joe thought that Mia came with the mysterious chairman, so his tone became colder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? He¡¯s relieved to let you At this time, Mia only had two children in her mind. She was not in the mood to figure out what Joe was thinking at all and said directly, ¡°Mr. Smith, if you have any doubts about the project, I can answer all of them for you.¡± ¡°You?¡± Joe sized Mia up from head to toe. ¡°He trusts you so much that he even told you thepany¡¯s secret.¡± Mia¡¯s previously bad mood was now even worse. She walked up to Joe, took out a business card, and put it in front of him. ¡°Unfortunately, I know all the secrets of the Horizon Group because thispany is mine.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Joc suddenly looked at Mia. ¡°What did you say?¡± Mia sneered. ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, Mr. Smith, you can go back to school for two more years. I still have something to do, so I won¡¯t apany you.¡± She turned to leave, but Joe stopped her. ¡°Wait.¡± Joe skimmed through the business card in his hand and sneered. ¡°I really don¡¯t know when the dignified Miss White changed her surname to Clinton.¡± He casually flicked the business card aside, and the sarcasm in his eyes became stronger. Their tense atmosphere made everyone in the conference room look at each other at a loss. In the end, the oldest Mr. Lake came out to smooth things over. ¡°Mr. Smith, you don¡¯t that something did happen in Miss Clinton¡¯s family that made her stop using her previous name. It¡¯s just that her new name hasn¡¯t been made public yet.¡± After all, Mia was the founder of the Horizon Group, so everyone more or less knew something about her. Joe looked down at the strange name on the card. Charlotte Clinton? How many years had it been? Not only did Mia get involved with David, but she also changed her name and became the chairman 1 of the Horizon Group. How many things did she still have that he didn¡¯t know? He suddenly stood up and walked to Mia step by step. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Joe Left They were very close to each other. Mia struggled not to take half a step back. Instead, she calmly looked at Joe. Both Mr. Lake and Mr. Lee looked at the two of them nervously and were afraid that Joe would do something out of anger. Fortunately, Joe just chuckled and suddenly reached out his hand to Mia. ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of this project from now on. As the person in charge of the Horizon Group, Miss White should also be in charge, right?¡± Mia really wanted to refuse but knew that this project involved billions of dors, so there must be no problems during their cooperation. She had no choice but to put on a business smile. ¡°Since Mr. Smith values this project so much, I¡¯ll naturally cooperate with you.¡± Only then did Joe say meaningfully, ¡°That¡¯s great. We have plenty of time in the future.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But Mr. Smith, since you¡¯ve got my business card and knew my name, please call me Miss Clinton in the future,¡± Mia said in a distant tone. Joe blinked. ¡°We¡¯ve been to the Horizon Group so many times, and it¡¯s rare to see Miss White¡­ Miss Clinton, why don¡¯t you show me around thepany.¡± ¡°No.¡± Mia refused him without thinking. Ben and Anna were still ying with Frank in thepany. She couldn¡¯t let them meet. Joe thought that Mia didn¡¯t want to stay with him, so his face darkened. ¡°Is this how Miss Clinton treats her guests?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not convenient for you to visit thepany when others are working. Why don¡¯t youe to my office?¡± Mia knew that her obvious performance would definitely attract his attention, so she quickly added. Joe and Mia had been married for three years. How could he not see that she was suddenly nervous? But why did Mia, who dared to challenge him just now, have such an emotional change? Joe thought to himself. Just as he was about to respond, his cell phone suddenly rang. ¡°My stomach hurts, Joe!¡± Joe frowned slightly when he heard Wendy¡¯s petite voice on the other side. He wanted to refuse her but heard Wendy¡¯s scream and then hang up the phone. ¡°I still have something to do today. Why don¡¯t I visit yourpany next time?¡± Joe said in a low voice. Mia had never thanked Wendy for making trouble like she did today. She replied straightforwardly, ¡°Mr. Smith, since you have something to do, you can go now. See you next time.¡± It would be best if he never came again. Joe took a deep look at her and left with a curled lip. Mia breathed a sigh of relief and quickly contacted Frank to ask about his location. Joe took Jack and Mr. Lee into the elevator. Without hiding anything, he said to Jack, ¡°Go and investigate what happened to Mia in the past few years. Why did she suddenly change her surname and establish the Horizon Group.¡± The Horizon Group had a lot of initial capital. Where did she get the money? Joe only felt that Mia five years ago was as simple as a piece of white paper and could be understood at a nce. Five years.ter, she became mysterious and had a lot more unknown matters. While they were taking the elevator, two young female employees came in. They did not even notice the presence of Joe and started discussing excitedly. ¡°Ben and Anna are so cute, especially Anna. She¡¯s as soft as a rice ball! I really want to steal her from Miss Clinton¡± Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 You Were Gifts from Heaven Hearing the name Miss Clinton, Joe subconsciously turned his gaze to the two female employees. However, they seemed to have noticed Joe and nodded at him before quietly retreating to a corner. When the elevator reached the eighth floor, they fled out of it quickly. Joe withdrew his gaze indifferently. After Mia confirmed that Joe had left, she contacted Frank. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the technical department. You¡¯d bettere and have a look.¡± Mia didn¡¯t know if it was her illusion but Frank¡¯s voice seemed a little strange. She rushed to the technical department. As soon as she entered the door, she saw a group of people around aputer pointing at it. Frank and Anna were standing behind the crowd with helpless faces. Mia looked around and suddenly became nervous. ¡°Where¡¯s Ben?¡± Anna ra? over and hugged the leg of Mia, pointing to the group of people who surrounded him firmly, ¡°He is there!¡± Looking at the crowd, Mia was stunned for a moment. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°When Ben came here just now, he happened to see the staff of the technical department writing code, so he¡­ made a few suggestions.¡± Frank looked a little subtle. It was funny to see a four-year-old child seriously instructing an employee of the technical department, but what he said was always right. Anna also nodded heavily. ¡°Later, Ben went to write codes by himself! Those uncles all surrounded him and ¡®invaded¡¯ him!!¡± Mia didn¡¯t expect such a reason and couldn¡¯t helpughing. It was only then that the person in charge of the technical department discovered the existence of Mia. Seeing Mia, the usual shy and reserved person rushed up excitedly for the first time. ¡°Is this the child you brought? He is so talented! You must insist on cultivating him. The national technology will rely on him in the future!¡± Mia coughed softly. ¡°Don¡¯t tter him too much¡­¡± ¡°How could it be a tter?¡± The person in charge of the technical department looked at her with disappointment. ¡°He just started from DevOps¡¯ perspective¡­¡± w Property ? N?velDrama.Org. The person who used to talk very little now exined a technical problem for nearly ten minutes. It was Frank who came over and took him away that made Mia recover from countless professional terms. At this time, Ben finished his demonstration and ran to Mia with a cold face. Everyone in the technical department looked at him with a smile, took out snacks one by one, and handed them to Ben. Seeing this scene, Mia didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Was this a favor from the technical staff? On the way back to the office, Anna was fed a lot of snacks by thedies in the secretary¡¯s office. The little girl was so excited that her face turned red. She said, ¡°Mom, yourpany is really fun. I want to come here every day.¡± Behind her, Ben also straightened up silently. Mia bent down and pointed at her nose. ¡°You want something to eat, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re going to kindergarten in a few days, so you can onlye here asionally.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Anna snorted in disappointment. This was the second time she had heard the name kindergarten.¡± What¡¯s fun about it? Is it funnier than yourpany?¡± ¡°Of course, there will be many teachers and students there. You will definitely like it.¡± Mia tried her best to fool them. Anna pondered for a moment before nodding reluctantly. ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that Ben had gotten some dirt on his face from somewhere, Mia quickly cleaned him up with a wet tissue. When the distance between them was narrowed, Ben suddenly asked, ¡°Is he here today?¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 The Kind Ben Mia paused and subconsciously clenched the wet towel in her hand. She and Ben looked at each other. Looking at his clear eyes, she didn¡¯t want to lie. ¡°Yes.¡± Mia admitted with difficulty and thought that the children would me her for being selfish and take away their right to see their biological father for her own desires, but they didn¡¯t. Ben just put her soft little hand on Mia¡¯s face and said, ¡°Mom, you were not happy to see that person. I will find a perfect husband for you and won¡¯t let you be sad again.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Mia froze on the spot and had never expected that Ben would say such a thing to her. ¡°Don¡¯t you me me?¡± She thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Maybe you could have met him.¡± Ben shook his head without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him.¡± At this moment, Mia didn¡¯t know how to describe her feelings, could only look at Ben withplicated emotions, and touch his head. Anna strolled over while eating the jelly. ¡°What are you doing? Why do you look unhappy? Is it because Ben is too dirty?¡± 2/3 Mia burst intoughter and kissed Anna and Ben on their faces. ¡°You are the best gifts from God.¡± When Joe arrived at the door of the hospital ward, Wendy took the initiative to greet him. ¡°Joe!¡± Her face was ruddy and full of smiles. There was no trace of the pity and misery she just had on the phone. Joe slowly darkened his face. ¡°Is this what you meant by feeling unwell?¡± Wendy¡¯s smile froze. She tried to hold on to Joe again, but he dodged. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡± Wendy looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯te to see me for the past few days. I¡¯m scared of living alone in the hospital¡­¡± She lowered her head weakly and said in a choked voice. Seeing Wendy like this, Joe knew that he should say something tofort her, but now he didn¡¯t want to say a word. Wendy seemed to have realized that Joe was really angry and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just miss you so much. Not only me but also the baby in my belly¡­¡± The usual effective methods were useless this time. Joe only gave her a meaningful look. ¡°If you¡¯re bored, I can invite someone to chat with you.¡± Wendy froze on the spot. She had been thinking about how to appease Joe, but what he said next sent a chill down her spine. ¡°Eight years ago, you received a call from Mia on John¡¯s birthday. She clearly told you that she was seriously injured, but you told me that it was just a minor injury to her. Do you remember?¡±. Wendy staggered and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Joe caught her in time. Wendy looked at him in shock. ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t seem to remember at all.¡± Looking at Wendy, who was acting dumb, Joe did not say anything. His eyes fell on her lower abdomen. Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Her Face Was Livid His gaze was so direct that Wendy subconsciously turned sideways. ¡°Joe, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Joe frowned slightly as his eyes fell on the birthmark on Wendy¡¯s arm. What had happened back then surfaced in his mind. He suddenly asked her, ¡°How did you escape at that time?¡± Wendy was stunned and her eyes were a little flustered. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? A kind person identally passed by and saved me. If it weren¡¯t for him¡­¡± Joe stared at her for a long time before nodding. After Joe left, Wendy copsed on the bed, biting her lip without making a sound. After staying in thepany for a day, Mia took the two children back to her apartment and unexpectedly saw two figures. ¡°Mr. River and Mrs. River!¡± Ben and Anna jumped on them in surprise. Mia was also surprised by their appearance. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Mr. River and Mrs. River were a couple. They had worked in the Clinton Family for many years. Since Mia was found, they had been following her. They took care of her pregnancy, childbirth, and raising children. However, they had never lived in Zyphoria before. Mia didn¡¯t want them to leave their homnd, so she didn¡¯t invite them here. She didn¡¯t expect them toe here by themselves. Mrs. River hugged the two children with a smile and said to Mia, ¡°The children can¡¯t live without us.¡± She looked Mia up and down and immediately frowned. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t eat well alone. You¡¯ve lost weight.¡± Mia didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She had gained a lot of weight after returning to Zyphoria. How could she have lost weight? However, Mia was very happy to see them. ¡°It¡¯s great that you cane! We won¡¯t live here today.¡± It just so happened that she had already prepared to move to another vi, so she decided to do it in advance. The children were very happy when they arrived in a new environment. After a while, they went upstairs with their small suitcases, leaving Tom to hand a box to Mia. He looked a little serious and apologized to her with guilt. ¡°There is indeed something wrong with these toys. It¡¯s my negligence¡­¡± Mia frowned. She had thought that Linda might not be a good person but didn¡¯t expect her to be so crazy as to hurt the two children. She took the box from Tom. There were seven or eight toys in it, including plush dolls, robots, Barbies, and so on. They all looked normal. Mia even yed with them one by one but didn¡¯t find anything unusual. But when Tom opened the secret buttons on their bodies, these toys began to tell some twisted stories, each of which was about a child abandoned by his parents and ended miserably. There was even a Barbie that said, ¡°Your mother abandoned you, poor child.¡± After listening to all the stories, Mia was livid. No wonder Ben and Anna sneaked back to Zyphoria. No wonder they had been following her all this time and even requested to go to thepany with her¡­ Mia quickly ran up the stairs and held the two of them, who were talking, tightly in her arms. Although Ben and Anna did not understand what had happened, they still hugged her obediently. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. heard the stories in those toys.¡± Mia took a deep breath and looked at the two children. ¡°You are all my most precious treasures. No matter what happens, I promise that I will never abandon you.¡± Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 The Vicious Linda Although they knew that what the toys said was not true, Ben and Anna were just children after all, and it was inevitable for them to feel uneasy. Now that they heard what Mia said, the heavy burden on their hearts was finally lifted, and they cried silently while holding Mia in their arms. Seeing the children¡¯s crying faces, Mia felt more and more sad but didn¡¯t show it on her face. Afterforting the two children, Mia said seriously, ¡°Remember, if you have any questions in the future, you can ask me. Don¡¯t hide them in your heart.¡± Ben and Anna nodded seriously. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. After going downstairs, Mia looked at Tom who was still waiting in the hall, and asked, ¡°I remember that Linda has been trying to get the third Uncle¡¯s support recently?¡± In the Clinton Family, it had always been advocated for those with strong abilities to be the heir. Originally, Linda was a strongpetitor for the heir of the Clinton Group, but after the appearance of Mia, the situation changed. It was obvious that Old Mr. Clinton valued Mia even more. Of course, Linda would not give up so many years of nning andpete with her in every aspect. However, Mia didn¡¯t expect that her methods would be so dirty. Tom nodded, ¡°Before we left, she also sent a jade sculpture to him.¡± Mia sneered. ¡°Since she has put in so much effort, how can I not help her?¡± Mia took out her mobile phone and called Nora Taylor, who was her assistant in Albania, to give her some instructions. Tom looked at her curiously. ¡°Miss, this is¡­¡± Mia didn¡¯t hide it and said to him, ¡°Recently, a piece of extremely rare jade as high as half a person has been found at the border. I believe the third uncle will like it very much.¡± Tom was stunned. It was true that the third uncle had some power in the Clinton Family, but he didn¡¯t like to get involved in family affairs and just liked to y with jade. In order not to let him squander all his property, Old Mr. Clinton had even limited his consumption. Now that the rare jade was out, he would definitely want it. The one who would pay a lot of money was Linda. ¡°Old Mr. Clinton has told me more than once that his disgust towards the third uncle¡¯s view that jade is his fate. If he knows that Linda bought jade for the third Uncle¡­¡± Mia sneered. 10 She didn¡¯t want to argue with Linda in the past, but it turned out that the more she ignored her, the more insatiable Linda became. In this case, it was better for Mia to give her a big gift in person. Tom looked at Mia with appreciation. After all these years, she had finally grown up and be a qualified hunter. Miss Judy must be very happy to see her change. At this time, Joe also received information about Mia. ¡°Charlotte Clinton?¡± Joe frowned and looked at Jack, who nodded and said, ¡°Yes, after Miss White went abroad, her family found her and took her back to the Clinton Family.¡± ¡°What about the White Family then?¡± Joe frowned as he skimmed through the information. The fact of how the white family rose was not too much hidden, including those who were familiar with Mrs. White and Judy before also knew it. Later, when Judy passed away, Mrs. White lied about giving birth to a child, so no one expected Mia to be Judy¡¯s daughter. Only then did Joe understand why Mia had asked him for the 4/4 IOU for the White Family. It turned out that she didn¡¯t want to help the White Family but make things difficult for them. ¡°I remember that we have some businesses with the White Family.¡± Joe looked at Jack, who nodded. ¡°Stop those businesses,¡± Joe said indifferently. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Won¡¯t You Help Us? In order to make the childrenpletely rx, Mia especially took them to the beach to y for five days before bringing them back. It was until the nended that Mia turned on her mobile phone. Before leaving, she had told David, Frank, and Tom that if there was an emergency, they could call her satellite phone, so she was not in a hurry. Unexpectedly, as soon as she turned on her phone, countless text messages and calls flooded in. Ignoring those unimportant people, the only ones who called. most left were Joe and the White Family. She didn¡¯t even need to think to know why Joe was calling because she had missed several meetings with him during this period of time. But this project was not hers to talk about at the very beginning. Even without her, it could still progress smoothly. Mia crossed his name casually and looked at the names of the White Family with great interest. Ever since she went to the White Familyst time and forced Levi to sign the IOU, the people of the White Family had wanted to cklist her and never contact her again. How could they suddenly contact her now? Just as she was thinking, a phone call came in. It was from Diana. Mia hesitated for a moment and picked up the phone. Diana¡¯s sharp voice almost broke through the phone and pierced her car. ¡°Mia White!¡± Before she could continue, Mia hung up the phone directly. On the other end of the line, Diana was stunned that Mia dared to hang up on her! Before she coulde to her senses, Levi, who was next to her, asked her anxiously, ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°This wicked girl! She actually hung up on me!¡± Diana still couldn¡¯t believe it. Although Mia had a strong aura when she came to them to sign the loan receiptst time, Diana still didn¡¯t think that she was really tough and didn¡¯t expect that she would dare to hang up the phone! Levi interrupted her impatiently. ¡°Are you stupid? She is our creditor now. Can you use your brain?¡± As he spoke, he took out his phone and was about to call her in person but was stopped by Diana. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call her! I know where she is!¡± She had heard the airport announcement from the background just now. Mia must be at the airport! ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± Levi couldn¡¯t care about anything else and quickly pulled Diana to drive to the airport. Mia didn¡¯t expect that a less-than-a-second phone call would expose her position. She looked down at the two kids and said, ¡°We still have to wait for our luggage. Do you want to cat ice cream?¡± Ben and Anna looked at each other excitedly and nodded. Mia took them to the nearest dessert shop to buy ice cream. As soon as they went out, they saw a figure screaming and rushing over. ¡°Mia White!¡± In the quiet airport, the voice of Diana attracted many people¡¯s attention. Mia also looked gloomy, quickly sent the two children back to the store, andforted them softly, ¡°Wait a minute. Mom will be back soon.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Anna was so worried about Diana that her eyes turned red. Mia was not afraid of Diana at all and said calmly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She just has a loud voice. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ben held Mia¡¯s hand tightly, raised his head, and asked with concern, ¡°Is that so? Are you sure you¡¯re safe?¡± Seeing that the children were so scared, Mia asked the waiter to apany them. Then she pushed the door open and went out. Diana almost rushed in. When she saw Mia, she shouted, ¡°How dare you!¡± ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± Mia looked at Diana and Levi coldly and asked. BContent provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Looking for Wendy? Seeing that Mia had ignored her, Diana became angrier. But Levi was also a smart person and saw that Mia was already angry at this time, so he quickly pulled Diana and said, ¡°We are also concerned about you. Who are the two children just now¡­¡± ¡°My friend¡¯s children.¡± Mia didn¡¯t want them to know about the existence of Ben and Anna, so she said simply. Mia didn¡¯t even give them a chance to react and took the initiative. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Only then did Levi remember his real purpose. How could he care about the two children? He quickly asked, ¡°Did you say something to Mr. Smith? Why did he suddenly stop all the cooperation with the White Family?¡± They got this cooperation because they agreed to cooperate with Wendyst time but didn¡¯t expect that the Smith Group would end their cooperation so soon. Mia raised her eyebrows. ¡°I have nothing to do with the Smith Group anymore. If you have any questions, you might as well go and find Joe yourself¡­¡± If it was so easy to see Joe, Levi and Diana would not have tried their best to find her. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since you want me to pay back the money, you can¡¯t let someone smash mypany, can you?¡± Levi looked at Mia righteously and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are still our daughter now. If you go too far, don¡¯t me us for being ruthless.¡± Not only was Mia not afraid, but she also smiled. ¡°Really? You can try.¡± Levi didn¡¯t expect Mia to be so stubborn. Since he had said so, she was still unwilling to help them. Diana finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She raised her hand, was about to p, and saw Mia looking at her indifferently. ¡°Didn¡¯t I teach you a lessonst time? I won¡¯t be the one to lose face in public.¡± Thinking of the scene at home before, Diana flinched but still cursed, ¡°You heartless b*tch, if I had known your true characteristic earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have raised you. It¡¯s better to leave you to fend for yourself.¡± Mia didn¡¯t take it seriously. Diana saw the passers-by looking at them and suddenly came up with a n. She wanted passers-by to think mia was a bully. ¡°If you dare to make trouble here, I promise that the name of the White Family will be the trending on Twitter tomorrow.¡± Mia saw through what Diana was thinking and said lightly. Diana was about to shout, but her voice was stuck in her throat and she couldn¡¯t make a sound. Her face turned red, and she didn¡¯t dare to say another word. Levi was in a daze. When he realized that he really couldn¡¯t control Mia, his expression couldn¡¯t help but be even uglier. Unexpectedly, Mia suddenly said, ¡°Who promised you those businesses? Shouldn¡¯t you look for her?¡± Levi raised his head in shock and looked at Mia as if she had understood everything. For a moment, he forgot to speak. She actually knew it. Mia looked at Levi indifferently. As early as the information that Joe had given her, she had noticed that the Smith Group had rarely had any business dealings with the White Group since their divorce. Now that Levi and Diana suddenly came to her, someone must have set the rtionship between the White Group and the Smith Group up in private. Thinking of what had happened to the White Family on the Inte before, it was self-evident who this person was. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 She Was Threatened Seeing that Levi was surprised, Mia found it ironic. They thought she was so stupid that she couldn¡¯t even see through their obvious little tricks? In the past, she had tolerated their schemes, but now she refused to waste any more time. ¡°Instead of trying to manipte me here, it would be better for you to find the person who cooperated with you,¡± Mia said calmly. ¡°By the way, she hasn¡¯t been feeling well recently and is staying in the hospital. When you go, remember to bring her some gifts.¡± Levi stared at Mia with a gloomy expression. ¡°It seems that your debating skills have improved a lot in just a few years.¡± If he hadn¡¯t witnessed it himself, he would never have believed that his once subservient adopted daughter had transformed into this. He should have realized it when she forced him to sign the IOU. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Levi said coldly to Diana, who was standing beside him. Diana was surprised. ¡°Are you going to let her go so easily?¡± Levi sneered, ¡°Do you think causing trouble will be of any use? She still has the IOU in her hand and knows our weaknesses.¡± Levi had underestimated Mia in the past, which was why he had failed this time. But he was determined to defeat her one day. After Levi and Diana left, Mia went to the ice cream shop to retrieve the two children. She expected them to be scared, but instead, Anna eximed excitedly, ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re amazing! You defeated the bad guys with just a few words! You¡¯re a heroine!¡± Mia couldn¡¯t help but smile at her daughter¡¯s words. Though the title ¡°heroine¡± didn¡¯t sit well with her, it wasforting to know that her children weren¡¯t afraid. After Levi and Diana left, they went to the hospital to visit Wendy. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Wendy asked, surprised. She quickly looked around, fearful of Joe finding out about her contact with the White Family. If he did, they would be in serious trouble. Levi felt a sense of relief seeing Wendy in such a panic. Finally, he had something to use against her as leverage. Half an hourter, Levi and Diana left, satisfied with their visit. Wendy was left with a gloomy expression. She had never anticipated that the White Family, which had been a mere pawn in her game, would dare to strike back. And it was all because of Mia! If Mia hadn¡¯t suddenly returned, Wendy wouldn¡¯t have faced rejection after rejection. Now, not only was she being threatened by the White Family, but she was also being undermined in every way possible. Wendy nced at the phone next to the hospital bed and a n formed in her mind. Diana had been silent since they left the hospital. Levi assumed she was still thinking about Mia, so he furrowed his brow and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother thinking about her if you can¡¯t control her. If I go bankrupt because of you, be prepared for my anger.¡± Diana red at him reproachfully. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I¡¯m just wondering about something. When we went to find her, she was with two children. Whose children those are?¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org. *** After dropping off the kids at home, Mia headed to thepany. To her surprise, she bumped into Joe there. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Mia asked, her tone tinged with curiosity. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Twitter Trend Mia¡¯s mood was still affected by the sudden appearance of Levi and Diana. So seeing Joe made her lose her usual calmness. It had taken her five years to distance herself from the past, but these people seemed to keep popping up, stirring up terrible feelings inside her. Joe looked at Mia in silence, while Mr. Lake, standing beside them, awkwardly interjected, ¡°Miss Clinton¡­ Mr. Smith is here to discuss the design with us¡­ Mia froze for a moment before quickly apologizing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my mistake.¡± Joe remained nomittal. ¡°Since you¡¯re so apologetic, why don¡¯t you just use our design?¡± Mia decisively refused his proposal, adjusting her mood. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I believe Mr. Smith should also know that our design was created by Moontide, a previous gold medalist. It¡¯s impable both in terms of design concept and final results.¡± The Horizon Group and the Smith Group were coborating on a project, developing a high-end community with holiday vis in the south of the city. The design n yed a crucial role in determining the direction of the project. Neither Joe nor Mia were willing to back down easily. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Joe spoke in a measured tone, ¡°Although Moontide¡¯s design is unique, she isn¡¯t as well-known. Master Warren, whom we invited, is a renowned designer worldwide and would be more beneficial for the project¡¯s development.¡± Mia stood her ground, undeterred. ¡°Master Warren¡¯s design is too conventional this time. Do you genuinely believe this is the best option?¡± The atmosphere between the two sides grew tense, and Mr. Lake, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, hastily suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and have a productive discussion.¡± Just then, Frank approached Mia with a solemn expression and whispered, ¡°Miss Clinton, something has happened.¡± He showed his phone to Mia, revealing an article titled: #Is Miss White a Young Lady from a Rich Family or a B*tch from Social Venues# The article not only depicted Mia as a slutty woman lingering between various men, but it also posted a lot of photos of her. Each man was different, and there was even a photo of her with Joe. Mia was not an influencer, but this topic inexplicably reached the top of the trend and caused a heated discussion. Mia¡¯s face darkened. What she despised most about this situation was not the person spreading such nderous ims, but the fact that some people reveled in humiliating women, reducing their efforts to mere pursuits of beauty and men. ¡°Find the person responsible within the next day. Simultaneously, have ourwyers send letters to the Twitter tform, the ount publishers, and any users with over 500 reposts. I won¡¯t ept any mediation,¡± Mia calmly instructed Frank. Frank was surprised for a moment. He knew that Mia would fight back but didn¡¯t expect her to fight back so thoroughly. ¡°I want anyone who thinks they can degrade women in this manner to understand their own foolishness,¡± Mia dered, enunciating each word deliberately. She turned to Joe, a sarcastic smile on her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Mr. Smith?¡± Earlier that morning, she had asked Levi and Diana to search for Wendy, and now this article had been published. She believed it was connected to Wendy in some way. Joe understood what she meant, and his eyes darkened. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Mia let out a bitter chuckle, opting not to say anything further. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 The Reversal ¡°I knew Mia wasn¡¯t a good girl. Look at how she dressed when she went to the Smith Familyst time!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She suppressed her nature when she was Mrs. Smith, wasn¡¯t she? Now that she has divorced, she could do whatever she wants.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. No matter how hard she tries, she can¡¯t find a man like Mr. Smith! It¡¯s a pity that Mr. Smith only loves Wendy. How can he like her?¡± In a famous coffee shop in the Capital City, Leah was having afternoon tea with her friends. When she heard that they looked down on Mia, she felt happy. So what if Mia forced them to sign the IOU? Mia had a bad reputation now. She wanted to see if David would want such a Woman. But before she could finish being happy, she saw that her friends, who had been scolding happily just now, stopped talking and looked at her with strange eyes. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Leah picked up a piece of cake and stuffed it into her mouth. ¡°We still have some matters to do, so we¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Someone spoke up first, and then others followed closely behind. Not long aller, everyone left. Leah didn¡¯t know what was going on. As soon as she turned on her mobile phone and was about to ask what was going on, she saw that the people who had just left were reuniting somewhere else, but she was no longer a member of them. ¡°B*tches!¡± Leah was so angry that she threw her phone on the table. After thinking for a while, she took it out and nned to watch others scold Mia to vent her anger. Only then did she realize that public opinion had beenpletely reversed! At first, it was a simple and rough response from Mia. ¡°Rumors never stop with the wise, but with the law.¡± Along with this Twitter post, there werewyer¡¯s letters. From the ount where the article was posted to the Twitter tform, they all received thewyer¡¯s letters. People had seen many celebrities repelling rumors but had never seen anyone so tough, who didn¡¯t even take Twitter tforms seriously. Theizens who insulted Mia were scared. They secretly deleted their relevantments and pretended that nothing happened. Mia had no intention of pursuing this kind of person. However, people who had arge number of reposts cannot escape. Seeing that the poprity was continuing to rise and manyizens also began to question it, some influencers followed and Feleased the story that the White Group had upied the inheritance of their best friend, abused her daughter, and even maliciously ruined the reputation of Mia. For a time, the Inte was in an uproar. It only took a few hours for Mia to go from being scolded by everyone to being pitied with a ruined reputation byizens.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Public opinion was reversed. Those who had scolded Mia just now were now angrier when they scolded the people of the White Family. Next, someone imed that the White Family had gained benefits from the Smith Group in recent years, which pushed the White family into an abyss. ¡°To be able to make use of a person¡¯s worth so thoroughly, it¡¯s to the extent that even if she dies, they still have to use her to exchange for benefits.¡± ¡°What the White Family has done has exceeded the scope of human beings. I hope that their whole family will not have a good ending.¡± ¡°This is a long-nned revenge. How much does the White Family hate Miss White?¡± Outside the screen, Mia looked at thements one by one. Suddenly, her cell phone rang, and the exasperated voice of Levi came from the other side. ¡°Mia! Are you trying to force us to die? Don¡¯t forget that your surname is also White! If something happens to me, you won¡¯t get a penny!¡± Mia replied calmly, ¡°If you want to know why I attacked the White Family, you should go back and ask your daughter.¡± Levi suddenly stopped cursing. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Wendy Was the Mastermind ¡°How do you think today¡¯s trending appeared?¡± Mia sneered. ¡°Maybe your daughter can give you an answer.¡± After that, she hung up the phone. On the other side, Levi understood what was going on, ran home angrily, and saw Leah cursing on the sofa. Before she could react, Levi pped her. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Leah was stunned by his p, covered her face, and shouted, ¡°Dad? Are you crazy?!¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Am I crazy?!¡± Levi shook off Diana who came forward to stop him. ¡°Why did you provoke Mia for no reason? Now, she told the public everything. Who dares to cooperate with us?! You are killing me!¡± Leah dodged and didn¡¯t expect that Mia would find out about her so soon. ¡°I¡¯m just angry that she was brought up by you but still forced us into a desperate situation!¡± ¡°You¡¯re angry? I think you¡¯re just angry that she¡¯s stronger than you,¡± Levi scolded angrily. Leah, who had been stabbed in the pain spot, straightened her neck and said, ¡°Am I jealous of her? She¡¯s just a former Mrs. Smith. Can she really surpass Wendy?¡± It was rare for Levi to be so keen. ¡°Was it Wendy who gave you those photos?¡± Leah pursed her lips and said nothing. ¡°I¡¯m praising you for being stupid! Wendy gave you the photos and asked you to publish the news. Now that something has happened, she didn¡¯t get involved but you¡¯ve taken all the me!¡± Levi scolded her exasperatedly. Leah raised her head and said, ¡°I did leave a phone record behind!¡± As soon as she said that, Levi looked at her in surprise. ¡°What?¡± An hourter, when theizens didn¡¯t pay much attention to this matter, Mia released a call recording with her own ount and added a paragraph of text, ¡°The methods of the entertainment industry are indeed only better yed by people in the entertainment industry.¡± The call recording was delivered by Levi in person with Leah. Just as Leah had said, although she had been used by others, she was notpletely unprepared. At least she remembered to leave a call recording. On the other side, Wendy might not have thought that Leah would record their conversations. In their conversation, Wendy spoke without hesitation and even told that she had hired Inte trolls before. As soon as the recording of the phone call came out, everyone on the Inte was stunned. They had heard of thepetition between celebrities for the drafts but had never heard of a celebrity taking the initiative to frame ordinary people, especially when this person was her current boyfriend¡¯s ex-wife. In this way, there were many love-hate rtionships inizens¡¯ minds. #The most arrogant mistress # # Wendy Vicious # and other terms quickly appeared on the trend, and Wendy became the target of public criticism. Just as the discussion on the Inte reached its peak, Mia issued herst Twitter post. ¡°My name is Charlotte Clinton.¡± This beautiful public rtions war not only pushed Wendy into the abyss but also sessfully helped Mia get rid of her past. name and be a brand new Charlotte Clinton. Meanwhile, Sir Smith was reprimanding Joe in the Smith Family. ¡°I knew that Wendy wasn¡¯t a good person, but you treated her so well as if you ate a drug from her¡± Speaking of this, Sir Smith looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Did you really get drugged?¡± Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Was the Child in Your belly Mine? Joe nced at Sir Smith helplessly. Sir Smith had no choice but to withdraw his suspicious gaze. ¡°Why are you acting so abnormally? Or does she know your secrets?¡± ¡°No.¡± Joe couldn¡¯t stand the increasingly outrageous spection of Sir Smith, so he briefly told him about Wendy saving him. Unexpectedly, Sir Smith changed his face. ¡°Just because of this, you tolerated her so much? Mia is my savior. She saved my life.¡± ¡°Please stop talking nonsense.¡± Joe said helplessly. Sir Smith red at him. ¡°Do you think I would lie to you? Otherwise, why did I insist on you marrying Mia?¡± It turned out that Sir Smith first met Mia in a mall. At that time, Sir Smith went shopping alone in the mall but suddenly had angina pectoris. No one around dared to help him. Only Mia took the initiative to take first aid measures and sent him to the hospital. The doctor had once said that if he didn¡¯t receive treatment from her earlier, they would not be able to save him. After that, Sir Smith found that Mia was really a good girl, so he wanted Joe to marry her. Thinking of what had happened in the past, Sir Smith suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Now that I think about it, I harmed her by making her marry you.¡± He waved his hand feebly. ¡°Forget it, you can do whatever you want but only one thing, if Wendy provokes Mia again, I won¡¯t be soft-hearted.¡± After leaving the Sun House, Joe finally understood why the White Family let Mia marry the Smith Family instead of their biological daughter when they clearly didn¡¯t like Mia. It turned out that it was not that they didn¡¯t want to, but that they couldn¡¯t. He had once suspected that Mia had yed some tricks in private¡­ His thoughts were interrupted here and Wendy called him. ¡°Joe¡­ I¡­¡± She had never expected that Leah would dare to record the phone call and trick her. ¡°I told you not to provoke Mia,¡± Joe said coldly. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Wendy was speechless and finally said in a panic, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you will be taken away by her! Haven¡¯t you noticed that you¡¯ve been paying more attention to her since she returned to the country? I¡­¡± ¡°I told you that you¡¯d be Mrs. Smith.¡± Joe rubbed the bridge of his nose. ¡°You should go abroad and recuperate for a while.¡± ¡°What!¡± Wendy said in a sharp and anxious voice. ¡°How can I go abroad now?! My career and you will all go!¡± Joe couldn¡¯t help but reveal a mocking smile. ¡°Do you still have a career now?¡± Thest incident was not over yet, and this time Mia took out the evidence, so Wendy hadpletely lost her career. Her previous endorsements had all been lost, and she had lost a lot of money to pay the brands. Not to mention movies and TV shows, who would dare to use her now? Of course, Wendy knew this. The more it was like this, the more she had to grasp Joe and prevent him from having anything to do with Mia! ¡°Joe, I promise that I will take good care of the fetus and never provoke Mia in the future!¡± Wendy cried and said, ¡°It¡¯s too far away abroad. What if it hurts our child? It¡­¡± ¡°Wendy.¡± Joe suddenly interrupted her. ¡°Is the child in your belly mine?¡± Wendy was like a chicken that had been strangled in the neck, and all her sounds disappearedpletely. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Wendy Quit the Entertainment Industry Half a minuteter, Wendy asked in a stiff voice, ¡°Joe¡­ what are you talking about? How could the child in my belly not be yours?¡± Hearing her answer, Joe was very disappointed. He took out a cigarette, lit it, leaned against the window, and said, ¡°You should know that even if a man is drunk, he knows what happened. I didn¡¯t touch you that night.¡± Wendy was stunned. She had always thought that she had hidden it well but didn¡¯t expect Joe to know the truth from beginning to end! ¡°I¡­¡± Wendy opened her mouth and burst into tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this either. That day, the investor took advantage of the fact that I was drunk¡­ I was really panicking. I was afraid that you would dislike me. I¡­¡± The more she exined, the weaker her answer became. Wendy didn¡¯t know what to say. Joe was well aware of what had happened. When he heard that Wendy was still trying to find an excuse to deceive him, his voice became colder. ¡°Apologize to Mia and tell the public that you¡¯ve retired from the entertainment industry and wille back after resting abroad for a period of time. The position of Mrs. Smith will still be yours.¡± ¡°Joe, are you really willing to marry me?¡± Wendy asked in a hoarse voice as she gently stroked her belly. ¡°Then this child¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether to give birth or not,¡± Joe said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the position of Mrs. Smith to you.¡± Wendy knew that her insistence would only make Joe dislike her, so she reluctantly agreed. After hanging up the phone, Wendy smashed the mirror in front of her into pieces. The agent, Penny, who was rmed by the noise, was stunned when she saw this scene. She hesitated and stepped forward. ¡°Wendy, you¡­¡± Wendy stared at her fiercely. ¡°Prepare an apology statement. I will retire from the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Penny was stunned. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Wendy shouted hysterically. Penny did not dare to speak and quickly ran out. Half an hourter, Wendy¡¯s apology statement made her the trend and she announced that she was about to quit the entertainment industry. ¡°Wendy apologized, Miss Clinton!¡± Frank also saw this apology statement at the first time and sent it to Charlotte. Charlotte raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had thought that Joe would protect Wendy like before but didn¡¯t expect that he would ask her to retire so quickly. But after thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Wendy was about to be Mrs. Smith, and the star identity in the entertainment industry was of little significance to her. Seeing that Charlotte did not care, Frank did not say anything more and continued, ¡°Mr. Smith is here.¡± Charlotte pursed her lips. ¡°Let him in.¡± It was the first time that Joe had been brought into her office. Looking at Charlotte, who was sitting behind her desk in a professional suit, he suddenly recalled Mia, who had once sat at the dining table of the vi and smiled gently at him. In just five years, she seemed to havepletely changed into another person. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged for Wendy to go abroad. Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t bother you again in the future,¡± Joe took the initiative to say, ¡°I heard from Grandpa that you saved his life¡­¡± So it was because of Sir Smith. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Charlotte immediately understood. ¡°It was just a piece of cake. At that time, I didn¡¯t know he was Sir Smith.¡± Speaking of this, Charlotte suddenly sneered. ¡°Mr. Smith, you must have found out that I didn¡¯t approach you on purpose, right?¡± Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 I am not weak Joe froze for a moment. He had indeed investigated this matter. Charlotte smiled indifferently. ¡°Mr. Smith, you don¡¯te here just to thank me, do you?¡± ¡°The government has an emergency meeting today to discuss thend in the east of the city.¡± Joe looked at Charlotte and said, ¡°We can attend the meeting together.¡± Charlotte immediately sent a message to Frank to confirm the authenticity of it. After confirming that it was true, she nodded. and agreed. After getting in Joe¡¯s car, the two of them were particrly silent. Looking at Charlotte who was silently looking out of the window, Joe suddenly had a strange feeling. Before they divorced, it was Mia who took the initiative to find topics to talk about with him every time. The atmosphere between them was not warm but definitely not cold. But now, there was nomon topic for them to share when Chapter 61 I am not weak sitting in the same car. Joe also looked out of the window. With a casual nce, his brows suddenly sank. ¡°Stop the car.¡± 2/5 Joe ordered the driver to park the car by the side of the road and rushed down without saying a word to Charlotte. Charlotte looked at his back as he left quickly. After hesitating for a moment, she followed him. Sensing the movement behind him, Joe had no time to say anything and ran into an alley not far away. When Joe arrived, he saw three men surrounding a woman. The woman¡¯s mouth seemed to be gagged, and she sobbed. Joe frowned and rushed forward to kick one of the men over. The three men were shocked by Joe¡¯s move and looked in his direction. ¡°Mind your own business!¡± Ruthlessness shed across the men¡¯s eyes. They drew out their daggers and charged at Joe. Chapter 61 I am not weak 3/5 Joe didn¡¯t even look at the daggers in their hands as he nimbly. dodged their attacks. He quickly and urately grabbed one man¡¯s wrist and snatched the dagger from his hand. The dagger quickly cut the back of the man¡¯s hand, leaving a bloodstain. The man didn¡¯t expect Joe to be so good at martial arts and grabbed his injured hand. The other two men exchanged nces and attacked him from both sides. Joe reacted quickly. First, he grabbed a man¡¯s hand, threw him to the opposite side, and mmed him into hispanion. The three of them fell into a heap. At this time, they saw Charlotte, who was standing not far away. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Their eyes lit up. As long as they had a hostage, they would be able to escape. A man moved quickly and rushed to Charlotte. Chapter 61 I am not weak ¡°Watch out!¡± Joe shouted coldly and quickly stepped forward to pull the man away. 4/5 But before he could touch him, he saw the man twitch twice and fall softly to the ground. Charlotte did not change her expression. ¡°You should indeed attack weak people, but I am not weak.¡± These people didn¡¯t expect to meet such tough opponents. Not to mention Joe, even the delicate beauty, Charlotte, was a ruthless woman who could make people faint without batting an eyelid. They looked at each other hesitantly, then simply abandoned theirpanions and ran away. Joe wanted to chase after him, but Wendy called out softly, ¡°Joe!¡± Only then did Charlotte realize that the person Joe was in such a hurry to save was Wendy. At this time, Wendy was in a bad condition. She was sitting on the side of the road with a big belly, and there were bruises all over her body. She didn¡¯t look well at all. Joe frowned, took off his clothes, and covered Wendy with them. ¡°Who are they?¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Wendy¡¯s n ¡°I just want to go home and see my mother. After all, I won¡¯t be back for a long time¡­¡± Wendy bit her lower lip and looked pitiful. When she nced at Charlotte, a trace of jealousy and hatred shed in her eyes, which were suppressed very well. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet these people on the way¡­¡± Wendy covered her face and cried. There was also arge bruise on her arm, which made her look extremely pitiful. Joe raised his eyebrows slightly, bent down to pick her up, and walked toward the car. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take her to the hospital? I¡¯ll go to the city hall first.¡± Charlotte was not interested in their intimate scene, so she simply said. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Wendy shrank into the arms of Joe and looked up at her. ¡°Miss. White¡­¡± ¡°My surname is Clinton.¡± Charlotte interrupted her without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯d better go to the hospital for a check-up now. After all, you are still pregnant.¡± Chapter 62 Wendy¡¯s n Speaking of the child, Wendy froze and looked away. ¡°No need¡­ I..¡± 2/4 She was indeed lucky. There was a traffic light at the entrance of the alley, and Joe happened to see her being taken in there. Her face was covered with tear stains and bruises. She looked at Joe pitifully and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the hospital.¡± Joe said in a low voice, ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Go to the hospital.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really fine¡­¡± Wendy leaned against his neck and said softly, ¡°Can you apany me?¡± Seeing that Joe didn¡¯t have time now, Charlotte turned around and took a taxi to the city hall. Wendy curled her lips quietly and continued in a soft voice, ¡°Joe, I¡­¡± ¡°In the past, when you went to your mother¡¯s house, the driver would send you downstairs.¡± Joe put Wendy in the back seat of the car and looked down at her. Wendy couldn¡¯t say anything and raised her head in shock. ¡°Although those people tried their best to hide, they avoided you just right every time they took action. They even would rather catch Charlotte as a hostage than you, who was more Chapter 62 Wendy¡¯s n delicate. Why?¡± 3/4 Disappointment filled Joe¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t understand why the kind, strong, and brave little girl had grown up to be like this. ¡°Joe, I¡­¡± How surprised Wendy was before, how anxious she was now. She had thought that her trick would help her regain the trust of Joe but didn¡¯t expect that it would be exposed by him as soon as it started. ¡°Joe, my belly hurts.¡± Wendy covered her stomach and bent down. Joe had thought that she was lying, but when he saw the blood flowing out from the hem of her skirt, his expression changed. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right away!¡± After that, he quickly got in the car and drove to the hospital. On the other side, when Charlotte took a taxi to the city center, the meeting inside had already begun. In order not to disrupt the order of the venue, she casually found a seat near the door and listened to the introduction inside. But at this moment, a fat man ran into the room. He couldn¡¯t find a seat for a while and said directly to Charlotte, ¡°Give me your seat.¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t react at first. When she saw the fat man staring at her, she realized. ¡°Are you instructing me?¡± ¡°Otherwise?!¡± The fat man was sweating and even more impatient. ¡°Whichpany are you from? I want your