Maria POV:
At that moment, my phone suddenly buzzed. My tense heart jumped to my throat. I quickly took out my phone without even looking at the caller ID, I hung up the call and stared nervously at Old Master Smith.Old Master Smith Held the marriage certificate and examined it front and back. He touched it lovely as if it was his own marriage certificate. The smile in his eyes was so intense that it could overflow.“Great! This is great! My grandson is finally married and has a wife.” He said joyfully.After that, he slowly opened the certificate…I was so nervous that my eyes almost popped out. At that moment, my phone rang again.I wasn’t in the mood to answer the call, so I directly pressed the side button to silence the phone. Then I widened my eyes anxiously and stared at Old Master Smith flipping to the side with photos.I just felt like entering the ground. I felt doomed.My heart tightened. I almost collapsed to the ground, sweating and feeling cold at the same time.I hadn’t even acted as Mrs Smith for a day, and yet my true identity was about to be exposed like this…However, as Old Master Smith looked at that page, he laughed heartily, “My granddaughter-in-law is really beautiful! Ha- ha! Today is the happiest day of my life.”Afterward, he closed the marriage certificate and nodded with a smile, “Of course Grandpa, don’t worry.” Charles said tenderly.Seeing this scene, my heart finally settled.I was really scared just now. So scared to the point where sweat broke out on my back.Thinking of my phone, I lowered my head and saw the screen was still lit up. The caller was persistent.Looking at the caller ID on the screen, I heaved a sigh. I excused myself from Charles and Old Master Smith, then walked to the side to answer the phone.“Hello, Mia.”On the phone, Mia’s voice sounded angry, “You little brat! Why didn’t you answer my call?”I was furious right there. When I tried to reach Mia, she would ignore my calls. Why can’t I do the same thing without being questioned by her?I took a deep breath before replying to her. “It wasn’t convenient to answer the call now.”“What could make it inconvenient for you?!” She yelled.I gritted my teeth, “There wasn’t before, but now there is! Charles came back. He took me to meet his friends. And today he took me to meet his grandfather. Should I answer your call in front of them and say, ‘Sister, I’m acting well. No one saw through it?” I asked in a mimicking voice.I was sure that she was struck dumb. She will probably be thinking how did the meek and fearful Maria suddenly gained confidence because I didn’t hear any reply from her immediately.After some time she finally says, “Charles took you to meet his friends?”I coldly responded, “Hmmm.”I don’t know why she decided to call me herself today but there’s a hint of jealousy in her voice, “He treats you well and he was very gentle with you?”Now I understand her implication. I sneered, “Yes, he treats me extremely well in front of others as if we’re in love. But behind people’s backs, he’s mean and indifferent. If it were not for me to accompany him in his act, he probably wouldn’t even look at me.”This was not a lie from me. In my heart, this was exactly how Charles was.Mia finally let out a long sigh of relief. She said in a serious tone, “It seems like he really does not like women and just wants to have a wife to hide that fact.” Before I could reply to her, a familiar voice sounded from behind, “Who are you talking to? You have been on the phone for a while.”I turned around. I wanted to come up with an explanation, but the phone suddenly hung up. I think Mia nervously ended the call like a cat with its tail stepped on. I smiled, surprised that my mighty sister could also be afraid at times.Raising my cell phone, I did not bother to find any excuses. I just smiled and replied, “My sister, your real Mia.”Charles furrowed his brows slightly. He walked up wrapped his arm around my waist from behind and whispered affectionately to my ears, “If you don’t want your dad to die sooner, watch your mouth!” It’s a threat…Looking at his handsome face with a smile but hearing such cruel warning words, I twitched my lips. Just then, I felt a sharp pain from my waist. Then Charles let go of me.He pinched me!!!After giving the warning, he still pinched my waist?!!I took a deep breath, another deep breath, forcefully suppressing all my emotions.Forget it!Just consider it a dog bite!After all, he had something on me.Glancing at his back with frustration, I bit my lip and walked out.*************When Charles and Old Master Smith were playing chess, I walked into the kitchen and saw one Maid, Maid Fanning, making tea and I walked over to her.“Maid Fanning, let me do it.”“Uh, okay.”Maid Fanning didn’t refuse and I think it’s because this was the first time I, the granddaughter-in-law, came to make tea for Old Master Smith. There’s no way she could refuse.Watching my skilled technique, Maid Fanning smiled in satisfaction, “Young Master Smith is really lucky. You’re so virtuous, Lady Smith.”I smiled at the compliments. Remembering what happened earlier, I casually asked, “Maid Fanning, can grandpa read well? I’m thinking of buying him some picture books for the elderly to pass the time when I come next time.”Old Master Smith looked at the marriage certificate but couldn’t tell my identity was fake, so I assumed that he couldn’t read.Maid Fanning smiled and replied, “Old Master Smith can read. But he had some problems with his eyes before, so he can only barely see things now, and people appear blurry to him.”Surprised, I turned to her, “But why is Charles playing chess with him?”“Ha-ha-ha…”Hearing that, Maid Fanning burst into laughter, “Young Master Smith is a sweet man. He knows that Old Master Smith likes to play chess, but sometimes, he can’t even distinguish the black and white pieces. Only Young Master Smith has the patience to play chess with him.”I nodded gently. It seemed that Charles was not that bad. At least, he was very filial to his grandfather.After leaving the banquet courtyard, Maria and Charles got into a sightseeing car and headed towards the Lesser family gate.Along the way, Charles remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his face looked terrifyingly solemn.Maria also didn't say anything. She held his hand tightly as if she wanted to give him her strength.Even when they got into their own car, Charles didn't say a word. He just gently rested his head on Maria’s shoulder, like an injured child.**********Back at the villa, Maria fetched a bottle of red wine, opened it, and took out two glasses. She tilted her head at Charles."Let's go and drink in the room."She smiled and raised the wine bottle in her hand. Charles noticed and finally relaxed the corners of his tightly pressed lips.He stood up and laughed softly, "How is one bottle enough? You are never drunk after a thousand cups."Maria looked at him speechlessly, seeing him take out two more bottles of red wine. She felt like things wer
Eva had been with Eric for more than twenty years, and she had no doubt about his feelings for her. Moreover, Eric always took good care of her and loved her deeply. If there was any rift between them, it was Charles.For the past twenty years, she had always been cautious in protecting their relationship, never inquiring about any news about Charles. That's why they had been living in harmony, until Mia came to Beijing. She had started investigating Charles' affairs under the old lady's orders.And since then, she felt that Eric had become more and more distant from her, a distance that she couldn't close no matter what she did.Now that Charles had come to Beijing, she had to make a choice between Eric and Charles. She didn't want to, but she had to…"Eric…"Her voice trembled as she pleaded, looking at him. "Can't you…?""No!"Those two resolute words instantly crushed the only hope in Eva heart.On one side was her husband, and on the other was her biological son, and she owed C
David and Hamya exchanged glances as they heard this. It was as if they had made a decision. They immediately said in unison, "We want to go too!""Huh?"Charles looked at them with confusion.David patted his stomach and smiled at Charles, "Young Master Smith, I wonder if your company is in need of pianists? What do you think of me?"Hamya chuckled and nodded, "I think I can do it too. Young Master Smith, please consider signing both of us. We don't ask for much, just a chance to perform in top music halls."David was worried that Charles would disagree, so he put on an even more sincere smile. "Ah yeah, haha... We just feel that Patrick is not enough on his own. With Hamya and I joining, after all, we have better qualifications than him. When the three great piano masters embark on anglobal tour together, and with Maria and Linda, it will be twice as successful.""Exactly!"Hamya laughed happily, "Young Master Smith, a single concert takes too long, Patrick won't be able to handle i
The two of them walked onto the stage and sat down at the piano. Maria raised her head and exchanged a glance with Linda, who placed her hands on the keys.The young pianists were curious about what music Maria and Linda would play. This was the second round of the training camp's open competition, and they usually wouldn't get to hear it.Suddenly, the piano played a melancholic melody, carrying a touch of elegance in the air, instantly striking at people's hearts!"This is..."Some couldn't remain calm instantly. "Butterfly Lovers?!""Is that possible? Butterfly Lovers arranged as a piano piece?""Yes, everyone knows that Butterfly Lovers is best played on the guqin, or the zheng would also work. It's my first time hearing it played on the piano.""Hey, no, this version of Butterfly Lovers has been adapted for piano. It suits the instrument perfectly while still preserving the essence of the original piece. It's absolutely refreshing!"After a few seconds of discussion, an unexpect
Two days later, Maria and Linda arrive at the venue of the exchange conference in their finest attire.They hand over their invitation cards and wait for the security guard to check them.Suddenly, a mocking voice comes from beside them, "Oh oh, who is this? Linda!? Am I mistaken?"The one speaking is Linda manager, and standing next to her is the pianist signed by Linda economic company."Aria, you're not mistaken, isn't that Linda herself?"Hearing their voices, Linda's face darkens. She turns her head and glares at them, "Aria, your eyesight is really not good, you can't even recognize me. You should go to the hospital to have your eyes checked."Aria originally wanted to embarrass Linda, but she didn't expect her to retort so sharply. She immediately gets furious."Linda, the company didn't give you an invitation card. Tell me, where did you steal it from?""Hehe..."Linda raises her chin triumphantly, holding Maria's arm. "Do I need the company to give me one? Just look at who's
After arriving in Beijing, the feeling of uneasiness never appeared again, and Maria felt an indescribable relief.Charles had sent someone to take Andrew back to the Lesser family, while Patrick and Linda followed Charles and Maria back to their villa.Originally, Andrew had strongly invited Patrick to come back to the Lesser family with him, but Patrick knew that the Lesser family was big and complicated, so he used the excuse of being with Linda and followed Charles.***********On the third day, when Luna returned from Brussels, she went directly to Maria’s place and looked at Linda, her expression becoming more flattering."Linda, I heard that your contract with your previous agency is about to expire, right?"Maria sat next to Linda, holding a big doll in her hands, feeling very angry."Yes, they told me before that if I could achieve good results in the training camp this time, they would sign me for another ten years and give me all the resources. But just when I announced my
At this moment, Maria had already packed up and left the hotel with Charles, Linda, Andrew, and others.On the way to the airport, Linda still couldn't understand and turned back to Maria, "Ria, as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, we can still stay in the training camp, right?"Of course, Maria knew that if she returned to the training camp now, everyone would treat her like a deity.Just kidding, being able to decide the life and death of their teacher, they would definitely flatter and serve Maria obediently.Maria shook her head, "Actually, I have already achieved my goal. Linda, if you want to go back, you can go back, no need to accompany me.""Hey!"Linda casually waved her hand, "Without you here, why should I go back? Besides, I have hugged your thigh, and you have hugged Master Smith's thigh. Am I still afraid of not being able to reach the pinnacle of the international piano world?"She said it so casually, as if she was joking. But Maria could tell that she still f
Maria, so smart, why couldn't she understand what they meant?She smiled and turned to shout inside the house, "Honey, it turns out they are looking for you." Charles was inside, and he had heard everything at the door clearly. The girls had looked down on him before and said he was weak, but now they all came to beg him with a straight face. It was really funny.He remained silent for a while before saying, "Ria, in our home, I make the major decisions and you make the minor ones. But in my eyes, besides you, nothing else is a major matter. So, you make the decisions."The girls outside, "..."Didn't that mean that Maria would be in charge of everything in the house?They felt a toothache and couldn't believe they were caught off guard by this unexpected situation.Maria shrugged and looked at them again.Originally, they came to apologize to Maria as a pretense, hoping that she would persuade Charles, but now, the initiative was completely in her hands, and they had to lower their
Maria was not foolish. Why did her reputation stink so much? Was it only because of the ambiguous relationship between her and Charles at that banquet?Just that one time was not enough to make everyone dislike and envy her.Lucy's face was extremely embarrassed, but at this moment, she had already lost all confidence in front of Maria and could only cry helplessly."Maria, I really know I was wrong. Can you forgive me? Please...""Lucy, your intentions were truly wicked. You even used Rivata as a weapon. Honestly, I admire you for that."Even while saying this, Maria's expression remained calm, her tone as if chatting with a close friend."You, alone, have bewitched the hearts of all the girls in the training camp. You treated others as pawns to sacrifice for your own gain. Wasn't your goal to drive me out of the camp? Congratulations, you achieved your goal. You should be happy, so why are you crying?"When Maria said this, the other girls immediately began pondering.After thinkin