Ch. 41..50

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 41-Timothy’s car had pulled up by the road. The paparazzi had their cameras aimed at it.

The door opened, and Timothy got out. He wore a dark suit, and it made him look mature and handsome. As soon as he got out, a pair of heels followed closely behind. A woman in a white gown got out after him.

Mia watched as Maya got out of Timothy’s car. Obviously, they’d come together.

Her pupils constricted, and she felt a little gloomy. Still, she quickly composed herself. It was only normal for them to come together. After all, they were supposed to be a match made in heaven.

Liam opened the door. When he made his appearance, one of the paparazzi cried, ” Linden Lane is here!” The other paparazzi swarmed the car when they heard this. Liam kept a low profile and rarely made public appearances when he wasn’t filming. He didn’t even shoot many commercials, let alone accept interviews.

The paparazzi surrounded the car.

“Mr. Lane, why are you at the Fleur International Design Competition?” “Mr. Lane, are you here for work or personal reasons?” Liam stood by the door, looking calm. “This is a personal matter. Sorry, but could you guys move back? Someone else needs to get out of the car. I don’t want you to cramp her.” The paparazzi shuffled backward and peered into the car curiously. Was there someone else in there? Was it a woman? Was Liam going to announce his new relationship?

At this moment, Mia cowered in the car. She didn’t dare to get out at all. She was caught off guard by the sheer number of paparazzi surrounding the car.

Wasn’t Liam just a body double? Why were the paparazzi surrounding him? She didn’t want to make such a high-profile entrance!

Mia looked out the window. She happened to catch Timothy and Maya standing nearby. She could feel her headache worsening when she saw them.

Liam waited for a while longer, but Mia showed no sign of leaving the car. He bent down to knock on the window. “What’s wrong?” Judging from the crowd waiting outside, Mia knew there was no way for her to avoid this. She took a deep breath before getting out. She had a pair of stilettos on, and the champagne-colored dress showed off her figure. It also made her look like she was glowing.

“Watch your head.” Liam considerately put a hand on the door so she wouldn’t knock her head when getting out.

The paparazzi’s cameras flashed at this scene. They were afraid of missing even a second of this. Liam had never announced any relationships in the past, nor had he had any sort of interaction with other women.

The fact that he was so concerned about Mia was enough to prove that this was his new relationship!

Mia stared at the paparazzi after getting out of the car. She didn’t really know what to do.

Fortunately, Liam was quick to react. He grabbed Mia’s hand and pulled her toward the venue.

Mia didn’t want the paparazzi to snap photos of her, so she hurried after Liam.

The paparazzi were barred from entering. Only then did she sigh in relief. “Why were those paparazzi snapping photos of you, Liam?” “Ahem. They mistook me for that famous actor. We do look alike, after all.” Liam could already lie through his teeth about this. Paparazzi always mixed truth and lie in their articles, anyway. There was nothing to worry about.

Mia relaxed. But as soon as she regained her composure, she felt a gaze land on her. She subconsciously looked in the direction it was coming from to meet a dark gaze. It was calm but had the ability to root her to her spot.

Mia quickly averted her gaze. Instead of looking at Timothy, she searched for her seat.

Meanwhile, Timothy stood where he was as he watched Mia. His mood improved fractionally at the sight of the champagne-colored dress she wore.

Then, his gaze turned icy again when he saw Liam beside Mia.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 42Maya walked over to Timothy. “What are you looking at?” She followed his line of sight and saw Mia. Her expression turned ugly. “I didn’t expect Ms. Bowen to be so capable. It’s not easy to get into the finals, after all. I found it weird earlier, but everything’s clear now that I see who her companion is.” Timothy turned to look at her. “What do you mean?” “The man beside her is my cousin, Liam Lane. He’s also an award–winning actor from Nord City. I didn’t expect to see him here, nor did I expect him to be here with Ms. Bowen. He’s always kept a low profile and never had any women in his life.” Maya said these things on purpose. Sure enough, she saw Timothy’s expression turn icier. She shut her mouth and looked in Mia’s direction. A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes as she wondered when Mia had gotten to know Liam.

Liam and his brothers were actually quite distant from her and her family. Maya had heard that it was partly due to the daughter that had gone missing and partly due to Dominic bringing Maya home from the orphanage to trick their grandmother.

Liam and his brothers hadn’t been happy about Maya taking the missing daughter’s place, so they’d kept their distance. In truth, Maya wanted to build a relationship with them, but they always ignored her. It was all because she was nothing but a replacement.

A trace of hatred flashed in Maya’s eyes. What right did Mia have to be so intimate with Liam?

Maya looked up at Timothy, “I was really surprised that you were willing to join the panel of judges, Tim. Thanks for helping me out.” Timothy grunted in acknowledgment. Then, he turned to head to his seat.

Maya swallowed her resentment and pulled out her phone to text the person in charge. “Have you done what I told you to do?” “Don’t worry, Ms. Lane. Everything will go perfectly.” m Maya smirked. Tonight, she would show Mia up in front of everyone.

Mia took her seat while Liam sat down in the row behind her. This was because the 11 designers who’d made it to the finals were all seated in the second row.

In the first row were the special guests and judges. Mia watched as Timothy walked in her direction. Then, he took a seat in the center of the first row. He was diagonally in front of her.

He crossed his legs casually after sitting down. He exuded the charisma of a mature man.

Soon, Mia heard the women beside her start to whisper among themselves.

“That man is so handsome. Who is he?” Mia wasn’t surprised to hear this. After all, Timothy’s looks had also attracted her back in the day.

Shortly after, Shelly tottered toward the first row. Her perfume wafted into Mia’s nostrils. When she saw Mia, she sat in the seat directly before her.

Mia held her breath. She wasn’t used to such strong perfume. Shelly turned to give her a smug look. “My perfume’s nice, isn’t it? It was made by a renowned perfumer, and it’s not being sold anymore.” Mia fanned herself. “Well, that doesn’t mean you need to marinate yourself in it.” Someone heard this and laughed. This angered Shelly. She glared at Mia.

“You’re just jealous that you won’t get the chance to use this perfume in your life. Also, don’t think you can act all high and mighty just because you got to the finals based on pure luck.‘ “1 “At least I didn’t cheat or get disqualified because I cheated,” Mia said calmly.

It angered Shelly so much that some of the powder on her face fell off. In the end, she snarled, “I couldn’t care less about a dumb, nondescript competition like this. Timothy and I are just here to cheer Maya on. After all, we’re going to be a family in the future.” So, Timothy had come for Maya?

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 43-Mia lowered her eyes to conceal her true emotions at Shelly’s words. She’d already signed the divorce papers; who Timothy wanted to cheer on and be with was none of her business. Later, no matter what else Shelly said, Mia ignored her. Soon, Maya walked on stage to announce the commencement of the ceremony. “As we all know, there have been some changes to the rules for this year’s competition. “There will only be ten winners, which means one of the 11 finalists will leave with nothing. For the sake of fairness, the designers‘ names will be concealed when the judging is conducted. The announcement of the winners will also be different–we’ll start from the tenth place.” Mia looked at the panel of judges. Timothy was among them. Obviously, he was one of the judges. If she were being completely honest, she was quite nervous. At this moment, she received a WhatsApp message from Liam. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.” ” Half an hour later, the judging ended. On stage, Maya announced the results. “In tenth place, we have … In ninth place…” Soon, they were down to the top three. Mia frowned. There were four finalists left. The one who wasn’t among the top three would be the one eliminated. Shelly turned to glance at her. “Don’t tell me you’re dreaming about being in the top three, Mia. The competition’s tough this year, and that Zoe is also one of the competitors. You shouldn’t even think about placing with your lousy skills.” Mia faltered. She was Zoe, though. Should she thank Shelly for her compliment? Maya soon announced the third and second place. Mia wasn’t among them. She noticed Timothy glancing at her, but he’d already turned away when she turned to look. Mia looked down and waited for Maya to announce the winner. Maya saw Timothy and Mia’s interaction. Her eyes darkened slightly at the sight before she smiled and 1/2 said, “And in first place is Wilhelmina Jones.” Two seats away from Mia, a young lady shot to her feet and ran on stage excitedly to accept her award. Mia sat in her seat, clenching her fists awkwardly. For a split second, she’d thought she was in first place. But after Maya announced the winner, Mia felt like she’d been slapped. She couldn’t even breathe normally. She thought she could at least place in the competition, but she ended up getting eliminated. Shelly snorted. “Did you see that, Mia? I told you you should’ve given up hope long ago, yet you refused to believe me. People like you aren’t worthy of winning first place, so stop dreaming. Go back to the slums that you came from or go screw bolts in a plant or something.” Mia stood up to head to the restroom. She washed her face to calm herself down. At that moment, her phone rang. It was a call from Liam. Mia glanced at it but didn’t answer. She didn’t want anyone to comfort her right now. She just wanted some peace and quiet. After washing her face, Mia exited the restroom. She saw someone leaning against the wall–he was unbelievably handsome. She didn’t expect to run into Timothy here. Mia lowered her head and turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist as she walked past him. “Is this the result you wanted?” Mia looked up. “I don’t understand what you mean.‘ Timothy said, “I mean that your new backer doesn’t seem to be capable of much. He couldn’t even help you win a competition.” “Let go of me. I don’t want to talk to you.” Mia was in a bad mood. She didn’t want to explain who Liam was. Timothy didn’t release her. “What? Angry already? It’s not too late for you to come to your senses. If you wanna find another wealthy backer, I could introduce a few people to you.”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 44-Mia barked out a laugh. “I don’t need them, and I don’t need you to interfere in my matters. Let go of me!” “You’d better watch your attitude!” Timothy growled.

As they fought, Maya’s voice rang out. “Tim!” Mia watched as Maya and Shelly approached them from the other end of the corridor. At this moment, the grip on her wrist disappeared. Timothy retracted his hand.

A trace of mockery flashed in Mia’s eyes. He’d let go so quickly when he saw Maya coming. Was he afraid of her getting the wrong idea?

Maya’s gaze became colder when she saw Timothy’s and Mia’s linked hands. But on the surface, she smiled innocently. “I was looking for you everywhere, Tim. The judges are wanted for a discussion.” Maya strode over and looked at Mia. “I’m sorry you didn’t win anything this time, Ms. Bowen. You’re pretty talented, though. Maybe you can try again next time.” Mia didn’t say anything. She looked at Maya coldly.

Timothy turned away. “Let’s go.” Maya nodded. “Okay. I’ll be right behind you after going to the restroom.” Once Timothy was gone, the smile on Maya’s face disappeared. She gave Mia a haughty look. “This competition’s a perfect example of what you’re facing, Mia. You were only lucky to get into the finals, just like how you were lucky enough to marry Timothy.

“But if you insist on barging into a world and social circle that’s beyond you, you’ll only end up getting eliminated, just like how you’ve been eliminated tonight.” Shelly joined in on her mockery. “This competition was organized by Maya’s family, you know. Look at how she’s been put in charge of this whole thing at such a young age! You put in so much effort for this competition to end up being eliminated. Oh, my heart just goes out to you.

“After all, to a peasant like you, a competition like this is the only way for you to stand out among the crowd. Things are completely different for wealthy people like us—we have plenty of opportunities laid out for us.” Only then did Mia understand why she’d been eliminated. There had to be some underhanded dealings going on. But as Shelly had mentioned, the competition was organized by Maya’s family–the Lane family from Nord City.

Someone like her, who had no background, wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

Mia returned to the main hall, looking distraught. Liam came over to her. “Where did you go, Mia? I’ve been looking for you forever.” “I was in the restroom. Let’s go, Liam.” She’d already been eliminated, so there was no point lingering. She would only be subject to mockery.

“Why should we? I think there’s something wrong with this competition, so I lodged a complaint and requested that the organizers look into the placing.” Liam had just spoken to Dominic over the phone. They’d already rigged the competition to ensure Mia would win. Why had she ended up being eliminated? Something had to have gone wrong!

Mia didn’t expect Liam to do the thing she wanted but didn’t do. When she thought of Maya, she smiled bitterly and said, “Let’s just forget it, Liam. Nothing’s gonna work.” As long as Maya was around, there was no way she’d win anything.

Liam looked serious. “No, I won’t forget it. Let’s wait until the results are out before leaving.” Seeing how insistent Liam was, Mia changed her mind about leaving. She looked at the panel of judges–they were gathered together and discussing something. Timothy was in his seat and looking at someone’s designs. They looked like hers, actually.

At this moment, Maya approached them. She said something as she stood beside Timothy. They leaned close to each other and looked intimate.

Mia felt like she’d been burned. She quickly retracted her gaze.

Meanwhile, Timothy looked up and glanced in her direction. When he saw Liam standing beside her and seemingly comforting her, his gaze turned icy.

Maya noticed who he was looking at. She suddenly said, “Tim, I’m gonna announce a special prize for Mia.”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 45-Timothy looked up. “A special prize for her?” “Yeah. My brother called me earlier and called for a re–judging. I’m guessing it’s because of Liam, but there’s really no need for the judges to go through the judging again. It’s not like there’ll be a change in the results. That’s why I’ve decided to set up a special prize for Mia. I don’t really have a choice.” After saying that, Maya sneaked a glance at Timothy’s expression. Deep inside, she felt angry. She didn’t understand why Dominic wanted her to do this, but she felt it had something to do with Liam. Then again, at least it would ensure Timothy wouldn’t get back together with Mia.

Timothy frowned and put the designs he held on the table. “Which ones are Mia’s designs?” “The judging’s supposed to be done anonymously, Tim. I’m guessing that her designs were pretty bad for her to be eliminated.” Maya calmly collected the designs on the table. “Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Let’s leave things at this. I’ll announce the results later.” She held the designs as she went to the office that had been set up backstage. After going through the designs and checking the names, she found that Mia’s designs were the ones that had scored the highest. Maya coldly ripped the designs to shreds when she saw Mia’s name. She’d originally thought that Mia would place among the lower contestants, so it was a surprise that she’d scored the highest.

For a second, she couldn’t help feeling glad that she’d decided to have the judges judge the designs without knowing who the designer was so that she could humiliate Mia. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to pull this off!

Still, it didn’t matter. No one knew these designs belonged to Mia. Everyone would think the first–place winner had designed them.

As Maya walked out of the office, she ran into the chief coordinator for the competition. They said, “Ms. Lane, Mr. Lane has instructed me to handle the rest of the competition.” “Sure, but I have to announce the final results.” “No, you don’t need to do anything. I’ll handle it, so you can take a break.” Seeing that the chief coordinator was so insistent, Maya nodded with a smile. She this incident?

She left the backstage feeling confused. Then, she made a beeline for the judges‘ seats. “Tim, let’s sit over there.” Timothy stood up but couldn’t stop his gaze from traveling to Mia. Had she asked the man with her to allow her to win the competition because of what he’d said to her outside the restroom? a This thought only exacerbated Timothy’s bad mood.

Maya stood where she was as one of the judges said, “Ms. Lane, I heard Zoe’s one of the contestants, too. Could I know which designs are hers?” Maya’s expression shifted at that. Then, she relaxed at the thought of her flawless plan. No one would know the truth. She smiled faintly and said, “I don’t think it’s hard to guess.” She would die before saying that the designs belonged to Mia!

“I don’t even need to guess–it must be our first–place winner, Wilhelmina Jones. Her designs are the ones Mr. Barrett was holding earlier. It matches up with Zoe’s style, and it scored the highest. It has to be her.” Timothy looked at the designs again. Indeed, the judge was right. Yet Zoe had rejected his olive branch twice. He pulled out his phone to message Heath. “Go talk to the first–place winner again.” Since she was here in person, he could try to talk to her and poach her.

Wilhelmina was surrounded by people. Many of the representatives from different companies had given her their business cards; they were busy singing her praises now.

Mia glanced at them before retracting her gaze. She watched as Maya and Timothy came in her direction before taking their seats in the first row. Shelly quickly asked, “Why aren’t you doing the honors, Maya?” Maya looked a little awkward. “My brother didn’t want me to push myself, so he had someone else take over for me.”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 46-Shelly sighed. “Man, I’m so jealous that you have a brother who dotes on you so much.” Maya smiled happily. “He really does. He’s always worrying that I push myself too hard and that others will bully me.” After expressing her envy again, Shelly turned to look at Mia. “What are you still doing here? Don’t tell me you think you’ll have a chance at winning something. Anyone with the slightest brains would’ve already left.” Mia didn’t respond to that. She noticed Timothy was looking at her with a hint of appraisal. She asked, “Why should I leave when the ceremony isn’t over yet?” Shelly snorted. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s a rare occasion for you to be able to attend high–end functions like this. Remember to take a few more photos so you can share them on your Instagram, or else you won’t have any chances in the future.

“You’re nothing now that you’ve left the Barrett family. Isn’t that so, Timothy?” Timothy frowned. “No one will think you’re a mute if you keep your mouth shut, Shelly.” Shelly wanted to say something after being humiliated, but Maya stopped her and surreptitiously shook her head. Maya had to keep Shelly in check–she truly was a fool of a teammate!

Soon, the chief coordinator of the competition walked on stage. “I apologize, but there’s been a slight error in the placing. Allow me to announce the new results- the first–place winner should be Ms. Mia Bowen.” Mia was dumbfounded when she heard this. Why was she suddenly in first place?

This change left the crowd in whispers. Maya was also caught off guard by the chief coordinator’s sudden announcement. Hadn’t she left instructions to announce a special prize for Mia? Why was she suddenly the first–place winner?

The original first–place winner, Wilhelmina, stood up indignantly. “What gives? This isn’t fair!” Shelly looked at Maya. “What’s going on, Maya? How can Mia possibly be in first place?” Maya didn’t look too pleased. “I don’t know.“‘ What the hell was wrong with the chief coordinator? Maya called the chief coordinator, but it went unanswered. As she watched the chief coordinator on stage, an ominous feeling washed over her.

The chief coordinator said calmly, “There was a mistake in the calculation of the final scores. Ms. Mia Bowen should be in first place; she shouldn’t have been eliminated.” Wilhelmina still refused to accept this. “What makes you think your announcement is final? We want to see the actual scores for each design!” Maya shot to her feet when she heard that. She looked at Wilhelmina and said, There’s absolutely no issue with our scoring. Something else must’ve gone wrong in the process.” There was no way she could allow the designs to be revealed. Wouldn’t her lies be exposed?

But in the next second, the screen behind the chief coordinator lit up to show the designs and their respective scores. “Look closely at these designs, everyone. They’ve been arranged in order, and the names of the designers are clearly stated.

“Could the finalists please check and see whether the names have been correctly indicated for the designs?” Wilhelmina said doubtfully, “No, they’re wrong. My name’s in first place, but those aren’t my designs. My designs are the ones in second place.” The chief coordinator nodded. “And that’s where the problem arose. The judging was done anonymously, which made room for such an error to happen. We apologize for this.” After the names were matched to the designs, Mia ended up in first place while Wilhelmina was moved to second place.

Mia didn’t expect things to turn out like this. Still, she couldn’t help feeling that the so–called mistake had been arranged by certain people. She glanced at Maya and Shelly.

Maya gnashed her teeth angrily at her tricks being exposed. Had the chief coordinator lost their mind? How dare they disobey her instructions?

“Now, let us welcome our first–place winner, Ms. Mia Bowen, on stage to receive her prize.”

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 47-Mia slowly stood up. She could feel several gazes landing on her.

Shelly looked at Maya in disbelief. “Has there been some sort of mistake, Maya? How can Mia win first place? Wasn’t everyone saying that Wilhelmina’s actually Zoe?” Earlier, Wilhelmina hadn’t denied that she was Zoe–everyone had taken it as her admission that she was. But now, if the first–place winner was Mia, didn’t that mean Mia was Zoe?

Shelly was on the verge of a breakdown. How could this be? Mia was a peasant from the slums who knew nothing. How could she be Zoe, the renowned designer?

Maya was close to losing control of her expression. She glanced at Timothy anxiously. As expected, he was looking at Mia.

Timothy watched as Mia stood up from her seat in the second row. Her champagne–colored dress accentuated her smooth skin, and her face was alight with happiness. Even her eyes were shining.

In this instant, she looked like she was glowing. She was nothing like the timid, lowly woman in his memories.

But what surprised Timothy the most was the fact that Mia was Zoe. Did this mean that Mia had deliberately rejected his olive branches?

Timothy stared hard at her. It was almost as if he wanted to burn holes in her with his gaze.

Suddenly, he found he couldn’t really understand Mia despite being married to her for three years.

Mia walked out of the second row with her head held high. There was a faint smile playing on her lips. As she walked toward the stage, she saw Maya remaining rooted to the spot. She stopped and smiled meaningfully. “Did you mean to surprise me with this, Ms. Lane?” Maya clenched her fists and forced out a smile. “Congratulations on your victory.

“Instead of congratulating me, I think it’s only right for you to apologize, Ms. Lane. After all, the Fleur International Design Competition is such an important competition. If mistakes like this were to happen all the time, would anyone have faith in its authenticity and fairness?” Maya’s eyes darkened. The bitch was mocking her! Still, she knew this wasn’t the right place for her to throw a tantrum. She suppressed her anger. “Indeed, this is a mistake on our part. We’ll do our best to make it up to you.” “If that’s the case, how about you present the award to me, Ms. Lane?” Mia didn’t budge. She stared right into Maya’s eyes and calmly waited for an answer.

Maya noticed people staring at them. There was no way in hell she would willingly present the award to Mia. She turned to look at Timothy, hoping that he would speak up for her. Mia would definitely go along with him.

To her dismay, Timothy sat there, looking emotionless. But his eyes were fixed on Mia, and his gaze was unfathomable.

Mia noticed his gaze on her. She met it, refusing to back down.

Timothy narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “As the organizer’s representative, it’s only right for you to present the award, Ms. Lane.” Hearing this, Maya had no choice but to nod in agreement despite her extreme reluctance. She was incredibly pissed.

Mia smiled. She turned away from Timothy and lifted her gown as she walked on stage. It had been three years. Finally, she could stand on this stage again.

Mia accepted the trophy from Maya. At this moment, one of the judges, who was seated off–stage, said, “Ms. Bowen, your designs are almost identical to the renowned designer, Zoe’s style and flair. Are you two one and the same?” Mia smiled faintly and answered, “I don’t think I’m worthy of being known as a renowned designer. After all, I’ve been away from the industry for a long time now.” “Then why did you choose to suddenly disappear three years ago?” Mia felt a piercing gaze land on her at this question. She looked off–stage to meet Timothy’s gaze.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 48-A trace of mockery flashed in Mia’s eyes. “Some personal matters delayed me for three years, that’s all.” Three years ago, she’d married Timothy. Off stage, Timothy frowned. Was she saying that he’d held her back for three years?

He leaned back, feeling annoyed as he glared at Mia. How dare she imply that! She was the one who’d married him for money!

Maya subconsciously glanced at Timothy. When she noticed how he only had eyes for Mia, she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her gaze darkened.

At this moment, the chief coordinator said, “Feel free to say a few more words, Ms. Bowen. Quite a number of people here are curious to know more about Zoe’s -or perhaps I should say, your– participation in this competition.” Mia accepted the microphone with a glance at Maya. “Firstly, I have to thank Ms. Lane for allowing me to experience going from being eliminated to winning first place.” Maya could barely keep her smile in place. Still, she had to force herself to put on an awkward smile.

Mia looked at the audience off–stage and continued, “Secondly, I want to thank someone else for my victory today. If not for him, I wouldn’t be where I am now, nor would I have won this award.“1 The chief coordinator asked excitedly, “And who would that be?” Mia smiled without answering. She walked off stage with the trophy in hand and headed in a specific direction.

Maya watched as Mia headed in Timothy’s direction. Her expression shifted. What was Mia trying to do?

Timothy watched as Mia came in his direction. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes flashed. He slowly sat up straight as his heart inexplicably started racing. He tried to figure out what Mia was up to as she approached. Was she playing hard to get again?

Mia stopped before him. His breathing hitched; he even straightened his legs as he watched her with a dark gaze.

Everyone’s gazes landed on them. At this moment, Mia looked down at him with 1/2 +15 BONUS Timothy stiffened and watched as Mia breezed past him. Her champagne–colored dress brushed against the back of his hand; the scented material was as smooth as her skin.

manage to catch anything. He turned to see Mia moving past two rows of seats to throw herself into a man’s arms. Timothy pursed his lips tightly as his expression became frostier than ever.

The crowd started cheering when they saw Mia throw her arms around a man. Some of the men even whistled.

Mia looked up at Liam as she hugged him. With a smile, she said, “Thanks, Liam.” If not for him realizing that something was amiss with the competition and requesting for the judges to score the designs again, she probably would’ve missed her opportunity today.

Liam didn’t expect Mia to be so happy. He caressed her on the head. “It was nothing. You’re the one with the talent to back yourself up.” He thought Dominic had pulled some strings to make this happen. Earlier, he’d been genuinely worried upon seeing how Mia had been picked on. It was a surprise to find out that Mia was actually Zoe.

Mia smiled a little shyly. “It’s been three years, so I wasn’t too confident in myself.” When she’d first learned about being eliminated, she’d only felt upset. She’d even thought that things would’ve been different if she hadn’t given up three years ago to marry Timothy.

Fortunately, the heavens were still in favor of her. As the people around them continued cheering, Mia glanced at the first row out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to see the look on Timothy’s face.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 49-Mia had to admit that she’d done it on purpose. She held her trophy tightly when she noticed that Timothy’s back was to her. It seemed he hadn’t turned to look at her, nor was he bothered by her earlier actions.

Mia retracted her gaze and caught Maya approaching them. She didn’t seem to be looking at Mia, though. Her gaze was fixed on Liam. Did they know each other?

Maya greeted Liam with a smile. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.” Liam sounded cool and distant. “The world can be a small place.” Maya wanted to say something else, but Liam didn’t give her the chance to.” Let’s go, Mia.” Mia didn’t think there was any need for her to remain there. It would be good to head home earlier. She wasn’t too used to wearing heels and almost twisted her ankle as she walked. Liam held her up by the arm. “Slow down.‘ “Okay.” She linked arms with him; it made her feel more secure. She didn’t want to embarrass herself by slipping and falling.

When they got to the entrance, the paparazzi swarmed them again. “Mr. Lane, are you and Zoe currently dating? How long have you two been together?” “Mr. Lane, did Zoe drop out of the competition three years ago for your sake?” Mia hadn’t expected the paparazzi to still be around. She’d never experienced something like this before and couldn’t help feeling scared.

Similarly, Liam hadn’t expected the paparazzi to be so persistent. He’d come alone tonight without his bodyguards or manager. He could only shield Mia behind him so that she wouldn’t get hurt.

Timothy didn’t look too pleased when he saw the paparazzi standing in Liam and Mia’s way. At this moment, Maya said, “It looks like Liam’s serious this time. It’s no wonder Dominic was willing to help.” Timothy lowered his gaze. “She won first place with her skill, not some underhanded tricks.” Maya realized she’d had a slip of the tongue. She hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. “This really was an accident, Tim. I didn’t expect there to be a mix–up between the first and last places.” Timothy had been watching the entrance this whole time. He said to Heath coldly, Honestly, he was mainly irritated by Liam and Mia. After giving the order, Timothy strode toward the entrance. Maya remained rooted to the spot. She wanted to chase after him but didn’t have the nerve. She’d really messed up this time.

Shelly hurried over to her, still looking like she was in disbelief. “Maya, is Mia really Zoe?” Maya paused. “I’m not sure, really. Zoe’s never revealed what she looks like, and there’s nothing about her on her official website. Many people have tried to link themselves to her over the years.” Shelly snorted. “That’s what I thought. Mia must be faking it. For all we know, she could’ve paid someone to get those designs done! I can’t believe how obnoxious she was earlier, demanding that you present the award to her and everything. God, I was furious.” Maya smiled bitterly. “I didn’t have a choice.” “Don’t worry, Maya. I’ll get even with her on your behalf.” Maya’s eyes flashed. She deliberately said, “Don’t do anything rash, Shelly. She’s found someone new to back her up now.” “Ha! There’s nothing to fear about a woman who only knows how to depend on other men for survival!” Maya didn’t say anything else at this. Shelly wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was quite useful at times.

She was about to run after Timothy when she received a call from Dominic. She answered it in trepidation. “Hi, Dominic.” “Maya, I think you should steer clear of anything to do with the competition and the branch company for now. You should know what I think of the mistake you made today,” Dominic said.

Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen chapter 50-Maya’s expression changed. “Dominic, I can explain this. I had nothing to do with this; someone else messed up somewhere.” “But you’re the one running the show. It’s your responsibility to bear.” When Dominic had learned about Mia going missing for a short while because she was so upset over being eliminated, he’d been so panicked that he’d almost rushed over to the ceremony to stand up for her. Fortunately, Eva had stopped him.

It was also fortunate that the truth had been revealed and that Mia had turned out to be Zoe. There was no doubt she’d won first place based on her skill.

Dominic didn’t want Mia to suffer any grievances, especially since this was such an important competition.

Maya wanted to continue explaining herself, but the call had already been disconnected. She knew how decisive and ruthless Dominic was, so she didn’t dare to call him to continue arguing with him.

On the outside, it seemed like she lived a glamorous life with the Lane family, but the truth was far from it. Aside from their crazy old grandmother, no one else truly cared about her. Dominic and his brothers had always treated her politely, but it was only because she was their sister’s replacement.

This was why she was so obsessed with marrying Timothy. It was the only way to guarantee she could live a good life in the future!

Outside the venue for the awards ceremony, the paparazzi had been pushed back by the security guards. Mia and Liam immediately hailed a cab to leave.

Inside the car, Mia saw Timothy leave the venue as well. He stood straight and tall, and his steps were confident. Shortly after, Maya ran after him and stopped him.

At the sight of this, Mia averted her gaze. She didn’t look outside anymore. The cab soon left the venue.

Liam had also noticed Timothy making his exit with Maya, but it had nothing to do with him. After all, he’d never acknowledged Maya as his cousin. She was nothing but a replacement.

Mia looked up. “Liam, do you and Maya know each other?” “Nope. There’s a chance she knows Linden, but that’s none of my business. After all, I’m just a body double. Many people actually think we’re twins, you know. Look at how those paparazzi thought I was him!” “If that’s the case, will this affect you? What if Linden hears about this and is upset with you?” Liam scratched his head. “Nah, he won’t. We’re on pretty good terms.” How could he possibly be upset with himself?

“Okay. That makes me feel a lot better.” After returning home, Mia went out for a celebratory meal with Patricia, Dominic, and Eva. Liam’s manager called him away halfway through the meal. It probably had to do with what had happened at the awards ceremony.

After the meal, Mia returned home and placed the trophy on the table. Then, she took a photo of it and posted it on her Instagram. The caption read, “I got the trophy I missed out on three years ago.” She got in bed after taking her folic acid. She placed a hand on her belly. Now that she’d won first place in the competition, she could probably get a higher–paying job.

Shortly after Mia posted the photo on her Instagram, Gina called her to congratulate her. They chatted for a while.

Later, Mia received a WhatsApp message from her senior in college, Felix Quilter. “Congratulations on winning the competition, Mia. I didn’t expect you to be Zoe. I heard that you plan on returning to college to complete your education. Would you be interested in working part–time at my studio?” Mia was surprised by this. Back in their college days, Felix had been popular. Everyone knew who he was. It turned out he’d set up his own studio after graduation.

She replied, “I haven’t designed anything for three years, though.” “The fact that you won first place in the competition is enough to show what you’re capable of. If you’re willing to work part–time here, you won’t even need to come in on a regular basis. We can negotiate your compensation and benefits,” Mia thought about it. Working part–time wouldn’t be a bad idea. At least her hours would be relatively flexible. She replied, “Alright, then. I’ll take you up on your offer.” The next day, she saw a message Gina had sent to her. “Be honest with me–what Mia saw one of the trending topics on Twitter. It was about the award–winning actor, Linden Lane’s new relationship.