Ch. 31..40

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 31-Mia returned home after registering for the competition. She started drafting her design.

That night, her brothers, cousins, and Eva came by for dinner. They talked about her participating in the Fleur International Design Competition.

Dominic’s eyes lit up.

“Do you like winning first place, Mia?” Mia was taken aback by this question. “I don’t think anyone would dislike that.” But who could be sure when it came to competitions? She could only try her best.

Eva stomped on Dominic’s foot. Then, she said, “Your brother just means that you’ll definitely win first place since you’re so good at this.’ Dominic nodded vigorously. He had to ensure Mia won first place. Even if there weren’t a first place to win, he’d create one for her!

What did principles matter when this had to do with his sister?

Mia didn’t think of this. She returned to her room to slave away at her designs. She could finally participate in this competition again after a number of years.

decided to get married if not for James suddenly Three years ago, she wouldn’t hav needing a huge sum of money to stay alive.

This time, Mia wanted a fresh start. It was for herself and also for her unborn child.

A week later, Mia was notified that she’d made it into the Fleur International Design Competition finals.

Gina immediately texted her when she heard. “I told you you could do it!

Congratulations on getting through to the finals, Mia! Your luck’s finally turning around! I just knew dumping that piece of shit would bring you good luck!” Mia replied, “I do have to admit that I’ve been having better luck lately.” Soon, Mia saw the story Gina posted on her Instagram. “Extra, extra! Our amazing Zoe has just made her official comeback. She’s gotten into the final round of the Fleur International Design Competition. She’ll have another victory under her belt soon!” Mia took a deep breath. She hoped she would win first place; she needed the prize money, after all.

Eva soon received word on this. She said to Dominic, “Honey, that Zoe is participating in the competition, too. I’m worried that the odds are stacked against Mia.” Dominic didn’t think this s was too big a deal. “We’ll have two first–place winners, then.” Whatever it was, Mia had to win first place!

Meanwhile, Heath knocked on Timothy’s door at Barrett Group’s headquarters. “Mr. Barrett, the list of finali for the Fleur International Design Competition is out.” Timothy looked up and pretended to look nonchalant as he asked, “Who’s on it?” “I heard that Zoe, that popular designer who disappeared three years ago, is also participating.” Timothy rapped his knuckles on the desk. “Have someone ask her whether she’s willing to work here.” “Yes, sir. I’ll get on it right away.

“Hold it.” Timothy frowned. “Hand me the list of finalists.” Heath handed it to them and asked tentatively, “Did you want to know whether Mrs.

Barrett got in, sir?” “I couldn’t care less about that. I just wanted to see whether anyone on this list has potential.” Timothy skimmed the list. Sure enough, Mia’s name was on it. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He hadn’t expected her to actually get through.

She’d been timid and lowly for three years. Now, she seemed like a wholly different person.

Heath said with a straight face, “Mrs. Barrett’s design seems to be pretty unique.

Should we try to get her to join us, too?” Timothy gave him an icy look. “I didn’t tell you to do anything extra, did I?” His gaze darkened as he looked down at the list again. “Tell the panel of judges that I want to be on the panel for the finals.” Heath was lost for words. Would this be considered something “extra“?

He forged on ahead. “Sir, do you remember the person at the registration that you wanted me to investigate? They had a hat and mask on, so I couldn’t find out who it was.‘ Timothy crumpled the list when he heard that. His brows furrowed with irritation.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 32-Why was the investigation inconclusive again?

Mia relaxed a little after finding out she’d made it to the finals. Then, she threw herself into preparing her designs for the final round. This time, she had to win first place.

When she was almost done, she received a call from the hospital. “Am I speaking to Ms. Mia Bowen? It’s time for you to come to the hospital for a prenatal checkup.” hadn’t even to Mia placed a hand on her belly. She’d almost forgotten that she was pregnant. She Patricia about this–she knew Patricia wouldn’t agree to her keeping the baby. She decided to go for the prenatal checkup alone.

When Mia stepped out of her room, she saw Liam standing on the balcony. He was on the phone with someone. He hurriedly hung up when he saw her. “Where are you going, Mia? I’ll go with you.” “Do you have something to attend to on set, Liam?” “Nah, it’s nothing important. One of the shows I was in is gonna start promoting soon, so they want me to make an appearance. I’m just a side character, so it doesn’t matter whether I’m present. It’s just that the main actor can’t make it, so they need me to go in his stead.” Mia thought about it, then said, “I’m meeting a friend, so you should go do your thing. I’m an adult; I don’t need you guys to watch over me all the time.” Over the past few days, her brothers and cousins had taken turns accompanying her at home while she slaved away at her designs. While it moved her, she hadn’t forgotten that they were from Nord City.

Their lives and work were based there, so she’d told them to return. Now, Liam was the only one left with her.

He caressed her on the head. “I’ll be at Centura Mall for the event, then. Call me if anything comes up.” Liam would love nothing more than to spend time with Mia, but he was also worried she’d get sick of him. Eva had told them they couldn’t be overenthusiastic; it would make them seem fake.

“Okay. Bye, Liam.” After bidding Liam farewell, Mia took a cab to the hospital. During the prenatal checkup, the doctor smiled and said, “Everything looks fine. The baby’s doing very well. Remember to take your folic acid and vitamins.” “Thanks, doc.” Mia exited the room with her folic acid. She held a piece of paper–it was a pregnancy report, and it represented her baby.

“What are you doing here, Mia?” Mia looked up to see a well–dressed middle–aged woman standing before her. It was Sharon.

Mia’s heart leaped to her throat when she saw Sharon. She quickly lowered her hand to hide the pregnancy report. She hadn’t expected to run into Sharon here.

After all, rich women like her generally went to private hospitals.

She should’ve checked her horoscope before leaving the house today.

Sharon strode over to her, looking appraising. “What are you doing here, Mia? And at the gynecology department too. Are you pregnant?” “No, my period’s just out of whack. I came to see a doctor to regulate it.” There was no way Mia would let Sharon know she was pregnant. Otherwise, she wouldn’t ever be able to leave Timothy.

Besides, Timothy wouldn’t want the baby, and Sharon only wanted Maya as her daughter–in–law. Mia’s baby was destined to be an unwanted child–that was why she would do anything to protect it.

She gulped before starting to spout nonsense. “Anyway, your son can’t get anyone pregnant. What would be the use of me seeing any doctor? Why else do you think I haven’t had a child despite being us being married for three years?

“I was willing to help him cover up the truth in the past, but I don’t need to continue novelbin doing that now that we’re getting divorced. Timothy can’t even get it up!” “Ha! Do you think I’d believe you? You’re obviously lying. Show me what you’re holding!” Mia looked calm on the outside, but her heart was practically jumping out of her chest. She couldn’t let Sharon see the pregnancy report!

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 33-Ultimately, Mia held out the pregnancy report to Sharon. “Go ahead and read it if you want. This is a report for myself. It has nothing to do with Timothy.” Her heart was almost jumping out of her chest.

Sharon eyed her for a while before scoffing. “C’mon, be frank with me. I bet you’re here to get treated for infertility. How dare you accuse my son of being the one with the problem if you’re here for that? I couldn’t be bothered to look at your report. Why would I need to?” Mia relaxed a little. It looked like Sharon didn’t suspect her of anything. She put up a calm front and said, “Forget it if you don’t believe me.” “Hold it. Do you have a guilty conscience because I caught you out? Honestly, you don’t even need to treat your infertility. Once Timothy and Maya get married, they’ll definitely have children of their own. Don’t even dream of using a child to tie Timothy to you.” Mia’s gaze was mocking. “The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. I wouldn’t stoop that low.” She put a hand on her belly. After all, she’d always intended to leave the Barrett family with her baby.

Sharon’s tone was condescending as she said, “I hope so. After all, Maya comes from the Lane family and grew up in an affluent environment. She’s beautiful, rich, and classy. Only someone like her is worthy of being with Timothy.

“Only her child would be worthy of being the Barrett family’s heir. Women who lived in squalor shouldn’t even dream about using their child to climb the social ladder.” With that, Sharon turned and flounced away in her heels.

Mia’s grip tightened around her pregnancy report as bitterness washed over her. Her regular upbringing was one of the main reasons Sharon had never liked her. Sharon didn’t think she was worthy of being Timothy’s wife.

But she had never thought about the Barrett family’s money when marrying Timothy.

Mia watched Sharon leave, then looked down at her belly. “Don’t take those words to heart, sweetie. I don’t think like that, and I don’t agree with her. You’ll have six uncles when you’re born; they’ll love you to bits and protect you at all costs.” She wasn’t alone anymore.

On her way home, she transferred the folic acid pills to the bottle with the vitamins. That way, no one would realize what she was taking.

When Mia returned to her room to get some rest that night, she received a WhatsApp message from Gina. “Do you remember the Instagram story I posted the other day? A prestigious company just contacted me-they want to hire you, and they’re willing to pay. Are you interested?”

“Which company is it?” Mia asked. She had to admit she was tempted. She needed novelbin the money.

“Barrett Group. You know how they normally open up mass recruitment for students in the second half of the year? Many students have sent in their applications. Barrett Group pays well and has lots of benefits, but they’re also strict.

“Everyone wants to go there. Things are different for you, though. They’re the ones who want you to join them.” Barrett Group? That was Timothy’s company. This made Mia hesitate. “I’ll think about it.” She didn’t want to have anything to do with Timothy. Besides, she would soon be returning to college to continue her education. Getting a job would only delay that. She wanted to get her degree more than anything.

Mia never would’ve expected that Timothy would one day offer her an olive branch. In the past, he wouldn’t even have spared her a glance. It truly was ludicrous for a woman to give up her career for a man.

After Mia submitted her designs for the final round of the competition, she started waiting for the results to be announced. But there was no news even when it was time for the winner to be announced.

She was confused. “Has something gone wrong this year? I don’t remember the announcement being delayed in the past.” Liam immediately sent a message to One Big Happy Family. “Dominic, why aren’t the competition’s results out yet?” Dominic sounded like he was sulking. “I wanted to throw a grand award ceremony for Mia and take the opportunity to announce who she was, but Eva disagreed. She’s already scolded me for ten minutes.” Eva said, “The award ceremony is fine, but you can’t announce Mia’s identity. She looks casual and breezy but is actually very sensitive. We have to keep a lid on things now that she’s accepted us.”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 34-Liam said seriously, “I agree. There won’t be any pressure on Mia if she doesn’t know anything about our actual identities.” Ultimately, Dominic gave in. Shortly after, Mia found that the competition’s results had been announced on the official website. There was no mention of the placing, though.

Mia received an invitation from the organizers to attend the awards ceremony next week. She sent a screenshot of the announcement on the website to Gina. “I made it through, but there aren’t any rankings.” Gina replied excitedly, “You have to be in the first place! It’s weird that they’ve suddenly changed the rules this year, though.” Mia found it weird as well. But it didn’t really matter. This competition was only held once every three years, and many designers couldn’t wait to win an award from 1. it. After all, all the big names in the industry recognized this competition. It was a hefty accomplishment to place in such a competition.

“Mia, the people from Barrett Group have contacted me again to ask whether you got through. This time, they’ve offered even better conditions than before to get you to join them. I think it’s an opportunity that’s hard to come by, Mia. Are you still thinking about it?” Mia couldn’t come clean to Gina. Though Gina knew she’d been married, she had no idea it was to Timothy. After some thought, Mia replied, “I want to go back to college and complete my education, so I don’t intend to get a proper job for now. It might delay my studies; I want that degree.” Gina said, “Alright, then. I’ll support you no matter what you decide to do.” Mia took a photo of the invitation to the awards ceremony and shared it on her Instagram with a caption that read, “Three years upon three years. This time, I won’t give up halfway.” Timothy also soon received news that the list of finalists had been announced. He saw Mia’s name among the finalists and was surprised. He hadn’t expected her to get this far in the competition.

Timothy pulled out his phone to see a notification that Mia had a new post on her Instagram. For an inexplicable reason, he clicked on it to see what she’d posted.

Then, he narrowed his eyes. Three years upon three years?

Mia had married him three years ago, which was when the Fleur International Design Competition had last been held. He could guess why she’d given up on the competition the last time. As he stared at her caption, he couldn’t help feeling irritated. novelbin At this moment, Heath entered the office. “Mr. Barrett, Zoe made it into the finals but refused our olive branch.” Timothy frowned. “Is someone competing against us for her?” “I would think so, but we’re definitely offering the best conditions. No one should be able to say no to that. I’m guessing someone’s going for the personal approach. After all, no one knows why exactly she disappeared three years ago.” “Disappeared three years ago?” Timothy glanced at Mia’s Instagram post. Could it really be that coincidental?

The following day, Dominic and Eya arrived with plenty of gifts for Mia.

Eva said, “Mia, these are some of Nord City’s local specialties. Congratulations on getting into the finals!” Dominic said cautiously, “You mentioned something about three years upon three years in your Instagram post, Mia. Did you participate in this competition three years ago?” Mia nodded, “Yeah, but there were too many things going on at home at the time. I didn’t have time to prepare any designs for the finals, so I had to drop out halfway.” Dominic didn’t expect to have been so close to Mia three years ago. It was too bad he hadn’t managed to track her down back then.

Patricia wiped her tears. “It’s all our fault for troubling Mia. If not for what happened to us three years ago, she wouldn’t have-” 1 Mia cut her off. “It’s all in the past now.” Dominic’s expression shifted as he watched them. “What happened three years ago?”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 35-“Three years ago, Uncle James got into an accident and needed a huge sum for his treatment. I quit the competition to work as a carer at a wealthy family.” Mia didn’t want to tell Dominic that she’d married Timothy.

Liam said, “The awards ceremony is next week, right? Let’s go get you something to wear for it, Mia.” When it came to walking the red carpet and attending events, no one had more experience than him.

Mia nodded.

Dominic sighed to himself. The Lane family organized the Fleur International Design Competition, so he couldn’t show himself for the time being. He didn’t want to expose his identity and have Mia detest him. He had no choice but to allow Liam to go with Mia.

However, Dominic and Liam had some work to attend to the following day. Mia could only have Eva accompany her to the mall.

When they arrived at the mall, Mia looked around and saw that the products offered were extremely expensive. She tugged on Eva’s sleeve and said, “The brands at this mall are all priced exorbitantly. Let’s go to another one.” “Don’t worry about it, Mia. I have a friend working here; I can have her pick out a discounted evening gown for you. Look, this is your first time attending an awards ceremony. You have to look good for it!” Mia still wanted to leave, but Eva dragged her inside and made a beeline to a Chanel store.

Shelly had just finished her beauty treatment when she saw Mia entering the mall. She followed Mia into the mall with a branded bag dangling from her arm.

Then, she said arrogantly, “I can’t believe you’re here, Mia. The clothes here cost several thousand dollars, you know. With your family background, do you really think you can afford anything here?” Eva said calmly, “It’s just an evening gown. Why wouldn’t we be able to afford it?” She thought nothing of the money she’d be spending today. In Nord City, she’d never even had to look at the price tag when shopping. She’d just buy whatever she wanted.

Before bringing Mia here, Eva had already spoken to the salespeople in the Chanel store. Where had Shelly suddenly popped up from? She was so rude-mocking Mia for not being able to afford an evening gown.

Eva knew what Dominic, Liam, and their brothers were like. If not for the fact that they wanted to keep a low profile in front of Mia, they probably would’ve reserved the whole mall.

Shelly doubled over with laughter. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. This isn’t some farmer’s market that you country hicks go to where things cost less than a hundred dollars, you know.

“This high-class mall was specially built with the wealthy in mind. Peasants like you don’t even deserve to come here-it’s not like you can afford any of the things here.” Mia shot to her feet. “You’d better watch your mouth, Shelly.” Shelly could say whatever she wanted about her, but Mia wouldn’t allow her to say anything about Eva.

Upon hearing Shelly’s name, Eva knew who it was. She just knew every member of the Barrett family was as despicable as the last! novelbin At this moment, a salesperson came over with a few evening gowns. “Ladies, I’ve picked out a few suitable evening gowns.” Shelly glanced at the gowns, then said disdainfully, “Why are you buying evening gowns, Mia? Don’t tell me you’re attending the awards ceremony next week.” Mia looked calm. “Yes, I am. Do you have something to say about it?” “Maybe you’re not aware of this, but people who don’t get through to the final round don’t get to attend the ceremony. Oh, but that doesn’t apply to wealthy people like me; we have special invites. No one else can attend, you know.” Shelly didn’t even need to think to know that Mia wouldn’t make it to the finals.

Eva stood up and clucked her tongue. “Whoever said anything about Mia not getting through to the finals? She’s unlike certain people, who got disqualified after she was caught paying someone to do up some designs for her.” As the wife of the organizing company’s president, she knew all about these things.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 36-Shelly looked a little diffident. “What nonsense are you spouting?” How did Eva know about that? Mia didn’t expect to hear about something like that. She pulled out her phone to show Shelly her invitation. “Take a good look at this-I’m attending the awards ceremony because my capabilities got me to where I am. “I’m not like some people who only know how to pull strings and buy their way in because they don’t have any skills to back themselves up.” Shelly’s blood boiled. She hadn’t expected Mia to make it to the finals. She looked at the evening gowns the salesperson held. “Hey, you. Wrap all three of those dresses up for me.” The salesperson looked conflicted. Shelly’s expression darkened. “Did you not hear me? Wrap those dresses up for me. Don’t you know who I am?” “Yes, Ms. Barrett.” “Hold it!” Eva stopped the salesperson. “We came first.” Shelly laughed derisively. “So what? It’s not like you can afford them. Why are you trying to make yourself seem better than you are?” “Whoever told you that we can’t afford them? Swipe my card.” Eva pulled out a credit card and placed it in the salesperson’s hand. “Go on.” She’d never been on the receiving end of such scorn in her life. No one in Nord City would dare accuse her of not being able to afford something! “Wait a minute.” Mia took the credit card from the salesperson and looked at Eva. “I haven’t even tried those gowns on yet; there’s no need to buy them. Let’s look at some others.” Eva had only acted in a fit of rage because she didn’t want to take Shelly’s mockery lying down. Since Mia had stopped her, she didn’t insist.Mia linked arms with her and dragged her over to another corner to check out the dresses there. But whenever something caught their attention, Shelly would immediately say, “Wrap that up for me.” Mia’s eyes gleamed. She walked over to the bags. As soon as she picked one up, Shelly ran over to her. “Wrap this up for me, too!” Eva couldn’t stand it anymore. She glared at Shelly. “Are you doing this on purpose?” “Yes, I am. I want some people to see what a disparity in wealth is like! Don’t shop here if you can’t afford it!” Mia stopped Eva from doing anything. Then, she checked out several more bags and dresses. She only stopped after going through more than half of the store’s offerings. “What, had enough already?” Shelly looked smug. Mia looked at the salesperson. “Look at all the things Ms. Barrett has decided to buy. Why don’t you settle the bill now? After all, Ms. Barrett is rich and generous. She wouldn’t go back on her word and refuse to buy the things, nor would she return the items at a later date.” The salesperson was so agitated that she could barely keep a hold of the things in her hands. How much of a commission would she earn from this deal? It was only at this moment that Shelly realized she’d picked out too many things. After all, she’d only been thinking about snatching the things that Mia was interested in so she could humiliate Mia. She didn’t expect Mia to pull a fast one on her. Shelly looked at the small pile of clothes, bags, and shoes. Many of them weren’t to her liking, and she couldn’t help wincing at the thought of having to spend money on them. She said angrily, “You did this on purpose, Mia!” Mia leaned against an empty rack. “Yeah, I did. If you can’t afford them, why make yourself seem better than you are?” She’d told Shelly the exact words that Shelly had said to her earlier. Eva burst into laughter. She thought Mia would get bullied, but it seemed Mia was better than she gave her credit for. She chimed in, “Some people just love pretending to be wealthy. If you can’t afford them, you really should drop the act.” “Who the hell are you saying can’t afford these things? I’m a member of the Barrett family, which is the largest shareholder of this mall. How could I possibly not be able to afford these things?” As soon as the words were out of Shelly’s mouth, the salesperson came over with her card. “Ms. Barrett, the transaction can’t go through. You’ve exceeded your limit.”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 37-Shelly screeched, “What do you mean the transaction won’t go through? How can that be?” “It just won’t, Ms. Barrett.’ Shelly felt embarrassed. She’d bought a number of things this month, so she’d already been close to her limit. That, coupled with the fact that Mia had deliberately led her into a trap, would definitely mean that she’d exceeded her limit.

Shelly put on a serious expression. “Why don’t you just wrap these things up for me first? Put them on my tab. I’ll settle the bill later.” “We’re not allowed to do that, Ms. Barrett. All customers have to settle the bill before taking the items home,” the salesperson said.

Shelly gave her a tight slap. “I’m a member of the Barrett family! This whole mall belongs to my family; would I really stoop low enough to steal these things from you?

The salesperson’s cheek turned red and swollen from the slap. She didn’t know what to do.

Mia couldn’t take it anymore. “The mall’s rules were set by the Barrett family, Shelly.

It doesn’t matter who’s the one doing the shopping-even if Barrett Group’s president were to shop here, he’d still have to pay before taking the things with him.

Do you think you’re a big shot by bullying a salesperson?” Eva couldn’t help finding Mia kind as she watched the latter stand up for the salesperson, who’d also been scornful of them earlier.

Shelly scoffed. “Who do you think you are, Mia? It’d do you good to remember your place. This is a matter for the Barretts, which means you have no right to interfere. I want to see the manager!” The manager soon arrived. “May I know what about our service is not up to your expectations, Ms. Barrett?” Shelly pointed at Mia and Eva. “Kick the two of them out of here. They’re nothing but poor bastards who can’t afford any of the things in here. They’re just wasting our time and resources! In the future, don’t allow peasants like them in here. It’ll just ruin the mall’s reputation.” The manager hesitated. “That’s not in accordance with the rules and regulations, Ms.

Barrett.” Shelly shrieked, “How is that against the rules? My word is equivalent to the Barrett family’s rules!” At this moment, a cold voice rang out. “Since when have you been able to represent the Barrett family?” The voice immediately made the temperature in the store drop a few degrees. It was like a cold breeze in the winter.

Mia turned around in surprise at the familiar voice. Sure enough, she saw Timothy walk into the store. He wore a dark suit and was followed by a group of people. He led the group; the lights shone down on him, accentuating his perfect features.

No matter where he was, he would always be the center of attention.

Mia suddenly recalled that Timothy would make his rounds at the mall every month. There wasn’t a specific date or time for it; he would make surprise visits.

And every time he made his rounds, he dealt with many inexperienced staff. But it was also because of his strict management that the malls under Barrett Group always performed well.

Mia didn’t expect to run into Timothy at the mall today.

Shelly immediately dropped the obnoxious act when she saw Timothy. She lost her voice as if a hand had wrapped around her neck. She didn’t look too happy. Why was she unfortunate enough to run into Timothy making his rounds?

Still, she was quick to point fingers. “These two people came to the mall to cause trouble, Timothy. I only had the store manager kick them out for the sake of the mall’s reputation.” Timothy stood there, looking like he already had a grasp on the situation. He gave Mia a sidelong glance. “Is that so?” Mia looked up at him. Was he asking her for her opinion? He’d never done this in the past whenever situations like this had happened. He would only believe what his family members said.

She pursed her lips. “No. We came to the mall to buy something, but Ms. Barrett started mocking us and insulting us when she saw us. She wanted to snatch the things we were interested in but didn’t have the money to pay for it.

“That upset her, so she wanted the store manager to kick us out. Is that how the Barrett family conducts its businesses?” “Shut up, Mia Bowen! What the hell are you talking about?” Shelly was incredibly diffident. She didn’t sound as confident and obnoxious as she’d been earlier.

Mia pointed at the surveillance cameras above them. “You can check the surveillance footage if you don’t believe me. All will be revealed then.” At this, Shelly panicked. “I only did what I did for the mall’s sake, Timothy! Mia doesn’t deserve to shop here; she can’t afford anything here!” Timothy’s expression was frosty. “Apologize!” Mia gave him a stunned look. Who was he demanding an apology from?

Shelly was delighted. She gave Mia a smug look. “Didn’t you hear him?” Timothy frowned. “Are you dumb, Shelly? I want you to apologize to our customers!”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 38-“How is she considered a customer?” Shelly shrieked. Forcing her to apologize to Mia made her feel worse than getting killed.

Timothy said coldly, “As a member of the Barrett family, your actions have severely impacted our image. If you don’t apologize, you won’t be allowed to set foot in any of the Barrett family’s malls in the future. Security, get her out of here!” He was a ruthless, decisive leader. He didn’t give Shelly any leeway.

When Shelly saw the security guards approaching, she knew Timothy was being serious. If she were to get kicked out today and be barred from entering any of the Barrett Group’s malls, she would be the laughingstock of the city.

In the end, Shelly shuffled over to Mia reluctantly. Her eyes were red as she glared at Mia and snarled, “I’m sorry!” Mia raised an eyebrow and gave Timothy a surprised look. She hadn’t expected him to actually force Shelly to apologize to her. Or was he only doing this for the Barrett Group’s sake?

Eva asked calmly, “Is that really considered an apology? With that sort of attitude?” Shelly almost snapped the nails that she’d just had done. What else did they want?

Timothy’s gaze was icy. “It only counts if the customer accepts your apology.” Shelly was almost in tears. She lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry.” Eva still wasn’t very satisfied. “How about this? We’ll forgive Ms. Barrett if she serves us today.” This was the last thing on earth that Shelly wanted to do, but one look at Timothy’s expression told her what she needed to know. She had no choice but to remain rooted to the spot.

Timothy didn’t leave, either. He stood to one side as he looked at Mia. “To express our truest apologies, I’ll stay here to keep an eye on things.” +15 BONUS Mia was stunned. What was wrong with Timothy? Wasn’t he a busy bee? Why did he suddenly have time to stay here and keep an eye on things?

On the other hand, Eva was pretty pleased by this. Timothy looked like a pest, but he was rather principled when it came to doing business.

“Mia, come and try this on,” she said.

Mia had no choice but to walk over to Eva. She looked at the evening gown before her, saying in a low voice, “Why don’t we just go, Eva?” She couldn’t really handle trying on evening gowns with Timothy watching.

“What are you afraid of, Mia? We’re customers here. By the way, do you know the Barretts?” Eva asked. Shelly had obviously been picking on Mia.

Mia’s breathing hitched. Had Eva noticed something? She answered in a low voice,” I worked as a carer for an affluent family, remember? I cared for Mrs. Barrett Senior, so I’ve met all the Barretts.” “Oh, okay. No wonder it looked like you guys knew each other. Don’t be scared, Mia.

You’re not working for them anymore, and we’re paying customers. Remember your identity.” Eva pushed Mia into the changing room. Mia looked at the evening gown in her hands and sighed. Soon, the salesperson who’d been slapped followed her in. “Allow me to help you with that.” “Oh, uh, sure. Thanks,” Mia said.

The salesperson crouched down before her. “I should be the one thanking you.

Thanks for speaking up for me earlier.” Their gazes met. They understood what the other meant.

Mia soon stepped out of the changing room in the evening gown. The salesperson had pulled back her hair in a loose bun. Tendrils of hair framed her face, giving her a cheeky, spirited look, She stood before the large mirror outside the changing room and looked at her reflection. The evening gown was indeed beautiful.

Mia turned and subconsciously met Timothy’s gaze. She turned away to look at Eva, ” How’s this one?” Eva beamed. “It’s gorgeous. You have such a nice figure and temperament that everything looks good on you.” Shelly, standing to one side, rolled her eyes. What was so nice about them? They were nothing but two country hicks. She only dared to think this, though. No way would she have the guts to say that out loud. She didn’t want Timothy to hear her.

Timothy appraised Mia from where he stood and narrowed his eyes slightly. The evening gown seemed like it’d been tailored to fit her. It hugged her in all the right places and showed off her figure. Still, wasn’t the bold cut-out in the back exposing too much skin?

He frowned at her. “Where are you wearing this dress to?” Why was Mia suddenly buying an evening gown?

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 39-Before Mia could say anything, Eva beat her to it. “For an awards ceremony, of course.” Awards ceremony? Timothy recalled the list of finalists for the Fleur International Design Competition. Indeed, Mia had gotten through to the finals. He hadn’t expected it.

When Laura had insisted on getting Mia a spot in the competition, Timothy hadn’t believed that she would get far at all. His gaze landed on Mia as he said in a low voice, “Congratulations.” Mia looked calm. “Thanks.” Timothy switched tacks. “But that evening gown doesn’t suit you.” “Why not? I think it looks pretty nice.” “It’s revealing too much of your back.” novelbin Mia was lost for words. The dress had been designed to have cutouts in the back. Of course, it would reveal her back.

Eva glanced at it, then said, “It does. Let’s look at some other ones.” Dominic and the others would probably flip if they saw Mia wearing something so revealing. It’d be better to have her wear something more conservative.

Mia was given several more dresses to try. With each one that she put on, she could sense Timothy’s eyes on her. She felt a little awkward. It was as if she was trying the dresses on for him to see.

When it was finally time to decide, Mia was in a dilemma. Eva asked, “Which one is your favorite?” “They’re all fine, actually.” Mia was a little absent-minded. It was mainly because Timothy was still watching her. Two hours had passed, yet he hadn’t left!

Timothy pointed at a champagne-colored dress. “This one.” It only revealed Mia’s shoulders. Her back would be covered in it, and there weren’t any high slits to reveal her legs. It was very conservative and was perfect.

For an inexplicable reason, Mia didn’t want to go with the dress Timothy had picked.

She reached out for the first dress that she’d tried on. “I like this one.” Timothy frowned, looking a little displeased.

As a pregnant woman, Eva was getting tired. She said, “It’s fine as long as you like it, Mia. Let’s pay for it, then.” Shelly was the first to walk over to them. She said, “This is a new launch, and there are only limited quantities. We can only sell this to you if you buy it with something else, I’m sure you know what that means, right? This is the rule at all of Barrett Group’s malls.” “Buy this one along with it.” Timothy brought the champagne-colored dress over.

Take this one too.” Shelly wasn’t too happy about that. She looked at Mia. “They’re 20 thousand dollars in total. Will you be paying in cash or card?” 20 thousand dollars? Mia looked at the dresses. She hadn’t expected them to be so expensive. In fact, she hadn’t wanted to come to this store in the first place. Mia had only agreed to come after Eva had promised her that they’d get discounts.

It had truly been a surprise to run into Shelly here and get into so much trouble.

“Swipe my card.” “Swipe my card.” Two voices rang out at the same time. Mia looked at Eva, then at Timothy. She wasn’t surprised by Eva wanting to pay for the dresses, but what was Timothy trying to pull?

Mia didn’t want Eva to know about her and Timothy’s relationship. She put a hand over Eva’s. “Forget it. Let’s go.” Timothy said, “Don’t get me wrong. We believe that customers are always right- since the Barrett family is the one who caused the situation to end up like this, it’s only right for us to make things up to our customers by paying for the dresses.

“Because of the mall’s policy, I can only pay for them with my personal credit card. Take it as the Barrett family apologizing to you for the inconveniences caused.” Mia stopped short. She couldn’t help feeling that something had gotten into Timothy. He was acting weirdly.

Meanwhile, Eva found that it made perfect sense. “Alright, then. Since you’re sincere in apologizing to us, we’ll accept it. Let’s go, Mia.” Mia watched as Eva took the dresses from the salesperson. Then, she glanced at Timothy. Shelly, who stood beside Timothy, looked like she wanted to murder Mia.

Mia didn’t say anything. She followed Eva out of the mall.

Timothy watched as she left, wondering which dress she would wear for the awards ceremony. Still, the fact that she’d deliberately chosen the revealing dress after he’d recommended the champagne-colored one made one thing clear-Mia was going against him on purpose.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 40-“Timothy, how could you stand up for Mia? I was so humiliated,” Shelly complained.

Timothy retracted his gaze and said coldly, “If I catch you doing this again, don’t even think of setting foot in any of the Barrett Group’s malls in the future. I’m a man of my word.” “How can you do this to me, Timothy? I have shares in the company, too.” “Because I’m the one calling the shots now. It’s bad enough that you don’t contribute to the company at all. There’s no way I’ll allow you to drag the company down.” With that, Timothy turned and left.

Shelly was left behind. She stomped her foot angrily but didn’t dare to rebuke Timothy. After storming out of the store, she called Maya. “I need to tell you something, Maya. Mia actually got into the finals of the competition.” “Really?” Maya had been too busy with her work to pay attention. She only checked the list of finalists that had been sent to her through WhatsApp. Sure enough, she saw Mia’s name on the list.

Her expression turned cold. “I didn’t expect her to be this lucky.” Getting to the finals of the Fleur International Design Competition wasn’t easy. One had to have some actual skill to achieve this.

“That’s not all. She was here at the mall to buy an evening gown. I wanted to teach her a lesson, but I didn’t expect Timothy to be making his rounds today. He helped her out and even bought the evening gown she picked out for the awards ceremony!

“Shelly said.

“What?” Maya scowled. There was no way she could allow Mia to use this competition as a way for her to shine. It would only attract all of Timothy’s attention.

“What should we do, Maya? Mia’s pretending to back off as a way to make Timothy see her in a different light. He’s already less biased against her.” “Don’t worry about that. I have my ways of dealing with her,” Maya said.

As she hung up, her eyes darkened. She wouldn’t allow anyone to take Timothy from her. He was an outstanding man, and he would belong to only her!

She looked at the list of finalists and smirked coldly. This time, she would show Mia who was boss.

Mia and Eva left the mall. Eva asked, “What do you think of Barrett Group’s president, Mia?” Mia’s steps faltered at this. “Why do you ask?” Did Eva suspect something?

“Nah, it’s nothing. I was just asking. I think he’s pretty principled, actually. He made that fussy bully apologize to us as a way of protecting his customers.” Mia knew Timothy had always been like that when it came to work. He wouldn’t let anyone off the hook, no matter who they were. It was why Barrett Group had expanded so rapidly.

Before today, Eva had been biased against the Barrett family. It had started three years ago after Timothy had had his accident. Before the accident, he’d been madly in love with Maya. Yet he’d married a different woman after the accident.

To make matters worse, Maya was still shamelessly insisting on marrying Timothy.

She acted like she couldn’t live without him.

Eva didn’t say anything about this to Timothy, though. He probably didn’t know who she was. After all, she’d always lived in Nord City and had never come to Bern City before this.

Mia and Eva stopped talking about Timothy.

After arriving home, Mia looked at the two dresses. Her gaze landed on the one Timothy had picked out. To tell the truth, she liked it more than the revealing dress.

The color was nice, and it didn’t reveal too much skin. It was just that Mia didn’t want to go along with Timothy’s choice. Still, she couldn’t help wanting to laugh as she thought about how Timothy had taught Shelly a lesson at the mall.

That weekend, Liam brought Mia to a salon to get her hair done. When it was finally time to select the dress, Liam suggested she wear the champagne-colored one. The reason was simple-it was more conservative than the other one.

In truth, Mia wasn’t used to wearing revealing clothes. In the end, she put on the dress that Timothy had picked out.

She and Liam went to the venue for the awards ceremony. There were many cars parked outside. Several paparazzi waited outside.

Mia was about to get out of the car when she saw Timothy’s car. Her breathing hitched. She hadn’t expected him to be present as well!