Chapter 9 I Did It Willingly

His voice sounded certain, and it was more of a statement than a question.

"Nigel..."

He smiled. "Your aunt asked me to talk to you about it, but I doubt it’ll make much of a difference. You know better than anyone that you should move on, but you still love him, don’t you?"

Maia said nothing. She stiffly picked up the cake and ate it, again tasting bitterness.

"I'm sorry for making you all worry about me. I truly am." Maia looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks.

‘What else could I say other than sorry?’

She didn't want to feel this way, but when she learned that the Larkins had publicly announced her divorce from Cedric, she was overwhelmed with despair.

"Silly girl, what are you apologizing for?" Nigel gently wiped the tears from her face. "You’ve done nothing wrong and don't owe anyone anything. Cedric is the one who has mistreated you. If only he knew you’ve secretly helped his business for years!"

When HL Corporation struggled, she secretly secured an 83 million-dollar deal to fund them.

Her tears started falling again. "He doesn't owe me anything. I did it willingly."

"You could pick anyone, and one is right in front of you. But you just had to fall for him. You're such a fool, Maia."

Nigel felt sorry for her. Cedric might have dumped her, but she was the woman of Nigel's dreams.

He handed her a clean handkerchief, offering a reassuring smile. "Stop crying, okay? I'm here to give you something Mrs. Chairwoman wanted you to have."

Maia was baffled. "My mom?"

The only person Nigel Clayton would call "Mrs. Chairwoman" was her mother, Rosa, the legendary woman who once thrived in the business world.

Nigel nodded and retrieved some documents from his briefcase, passing them to Maia. She frowned as she perused the document.

With a choked-up voice, she asked, "20 percent of the shares of Burgess Winery and 30 percent of Starlight Entertainment? What's this?"

Nigel explained, "Everyone assumed that Mr. Homer would inherit all the shares of Burgess Winery, but Mrs. Chairwoman had a will in place, bequeathing her shares to Errol. The 30 percent shares of Starlight Entertainment are for you."

Hearing this, Maia tightened her grip on the documents as tears welled up in her eyes.

"However, your mom instructed me to only tell you about this after you and Cedric divorced. She said it was the last thing she could do for you as a mother."

Maia was dumbstruck.

'So Mom knew that after she passed away, the Larkins would demand that I get a divorce against Hans's wishes. This is a backup plan she had for me.'

Maia broke down in sobs. As her shoulders shook, her tears fell on the documents before her.

Nigel then handed her an envelope. "This is her letter for you."