LOGINWyatt shrugged at Maria helplessly. "I really don't have a choice. He put in a lot of money and wants to help the music association grow into a full company. You know I've always dreamed of starting a company. Just let this one slide, alright?"Maria pressed her lips and turned away with a cold snort, unwilling to speak to him.After calling to confirm, Wyatt came back smiling. "Don't be angry. He said you can bring anyone you like as long as you show up."Maria let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine. I'll attend the event. Please leave for now."Wyatt hurried out and closed the door behind him.Maria sat alone in the practice room, lost in thought. She knew Richard would almost certainly try to create chances to get close to her at the event. But if she brought others with her, he would have no opportunity to probe what lay under her mask. She would have Willow and Hector stay by her side every moment.With that plan in mind, her mood eased a little.Once she had calmed down, she
Hector got up from his seat and left the cafe without looking back.Richard narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hector disappearing from view, a complicated expression on his face. He didn't find any flaw after testing Hector just now, mainly because the talk had been too brief and Hector had been too on edge. Even so, Richard could tell that Hector reacted to Maria's name the way family would, just like Willow did.It wasn't enough.Richard's fingers curled. He took out his phone, making a call.This time, he planned to force Marina to slip up herself.-At the same time, Hector immediately called Maria outside the cafe. After Hector told him about what happened, Maria fell silent.The silence from Maria unnerved him, and he gulped. "Did I do alright just now? Did I mess up? Don't scare me, teach.""You didn't slip up. You did alright," Maria said. Her eyes narrowed as she started thinking about something. "Go do your own thing for now."She pressed her fingers to her brow.
At a cafe…Hector walked in and immediately spotted a man by the window who looked familiar. He frowned and walked over."Were you the one who called me? You said there was something important you wanted to talk about?"The man lifted his head.Seeing his face, Hector's eyes widened in surprise. "It's you."Richard's gaze was dark as he motioned for Hector to sit.Hector pursed his lips but sat across from Richard anyway. "What do you want? You went through all this trouble to ask me out. What is it?"He remembered what Maria had told him last night. If Richard saw those staged photos, he would definitely come looking for him. She told him to keep his guard up and not to slip up.Looking at him now, Hector had to admit Maria understood Richard far too well. Just as she had predicted, Richard had come straight to him.Richard's voice rang out and cut off Hector's thoughts. "You and Marina. Are you really together?"Hector gathered his thoughts and gave a light chuckle. Then,
Trent pushed those thoughts aside and walked over to Jonathan. "Jonathan."Jonathan didn't move or answer.Trent spoke again. "Pack your things. I'm taking you overseas to see your father in Norland tomorrow."Jonathan finally reacted to that. He turned to look at Trent, still kneeling. "Is it because he wants me to go?""Yes. You two will be staying abroad for a while in the house near where your mother lived. He met someone who looks a little like her, and wants to stay there and see for himself…"Before Trent could finish, Jonathan shot to his feet. "Alright, I'll go! I'll go home and pack now!"He lost his footing, and he almost fell. When Trent saw that, something flickered in his eyes, and he reached out to steady the boy."Go home and sleep for a while. Build your strength before you travel. But let me make one thing clear: this is just your father's wishful thinking. That woman is different from your mother."Jonathan smiled. His cracked lips began to bleed, but h
Once Richard left, the lounge fell completely silent.Hector looked at Maria, then at Willow. Their faces were both cold as he cleared his throat. "So… What's exactly going on here?"Maria regained her senses and glanced at him. "You're going to keep pretending to be my boyfriend.""He clearly won't give up. He won't stop until he sees your face," Hector said with a helpless shrug.Willow turned to Maria as well. He really didn't expect Richard to show up again after three months. "This time, he's not just here to bother us. He wants to move his whole company here and bring his son too. How are we supposed to get rid of him now?"Willow shrugged. Running the company was already quite stressful, and now, he also had to watch out for Richard. He was getting a headache just thinking about dealing with someone so unpredictable.Maria could see how overworked Willow already was. She didn't want to drag him down any further. Her eyes narrowed, a flash of disdain in them."Fine.
Richard's heart ached when she saw the woman in the mask announce another man as her boyfriend, even when he wasn't sure if she was really Maria.It felt as if a hand was squeezing his heart, crushing it, draining the strength out of him. He couldn't stand watching Marina with someone else, as the sight burned his eyes. Even if she was only someone who looked like Maria, he still couldn't accept it.Richard slowly clenched his fists and glanced at Wyatt, who was sitting beside him. "Marina has a boyfriend? Since when?"Wyatt looked just as stunned, then smiled. "I have no idea, but this is good news. I'm happy for her. I didn't expect her to find someone this soon.""They've only been dating for a little over a month. That's hardly anything solid," Richard said coldly, jealousy laced in every word as a chill flashed in his eyes.Wyatt was startled by his tone and quickly stood up. "Mr. Shaw, don't tell me you like Ms. Marina? Why are you this jealous?"Richard didn't answer.T







