"Nicole, I don't have much time left."
Maia said in an extremely sad voice.
Nicole nodded without interrupting her. She didn't say anything and Maia got a little embarrassed.
"I know you must have hated my guts and think I'm a bad person. I've got what I deserved. Don't be
angry with me anymore, okay?"
Maia looked pitifully at Nicole.
Nicole whispered, "I'm not angry with you. In fact, I was disappointed with your dishonesty when I took
you as my friend. So I told myself not to let a stranger get to me. I really don't care about what you say
or do right now."
Maia became more upset after hearing Nicole's remarks.
"Nicole, it's my fault cheating you and destroying our friendship. But I can't help it. Ever since my
parents left and my younger brother fell ill, I've failed to control my life. All I can do is to protect you as
much as I can. It's the greatest concession I have ever made."
Maia said sadly.
It seemed that she felt a little aggrieved.
Nicole looked at her and couldn't help but think of Martha's comments.
"You didn't kidnap my aunt, did you? You went to the sanatorium to save her. Are you afraid that Tim
will be sad if his mother is injured?"
Nicole asked Maia to make sure if her guess was right.
Maia was slightly shocked at her words.
"Your aunt?"
"My fault. I forgot to tell you that Tim's mother is my aunt, who is my closest family. As for Tim, he is my
cousin. I found out about it not long ago."
Maia was surprised at Nicole's words and looked at her and Tim in disbelief.
"You are cousins?"
"Yes!"
Tim nodded.
Maia found it ludicrous.
What did she do?
She viewed Nicole as her love rival, but it turned out that Nicole was Tim's cousin. What was wrong
with her?
"Do you think ridiculous?"
"No. On the contrary, I like how you love Tim. If you hadn't loved him so much, I wouldn't have let you
off easily. You'd better be grateful for having sincere affection for Tim in your lifetime."
What Nicole said wrung Maia's heart.
"How outspoken you are!"
"Do I need to put it mildly? I don't think so. I'm principled. Since you protected my aunt from other
disasters for Tim, I appreciate you. Even if you need money, I can help you. You don't have to worry
about anything else."
Maia felt miserable at Nicole's words. She had been thinking Nicole was approachable. To her surprise,
Nicole was a good satirist while becoming serious.
Maia shook her head with a bitter smile and said, "I had a selfish consideration when saving Tim's
mother. I wanted to leave a good impression on her and wished her to give consent to our marriage."
Although Nicole had known it, she got irritated.
"You did not ask me here to listen to your confession, right? Maia, I'm not Tim, who views highly of
feelings. That's probably why you kept deceiving him. To put it bluntly, when I found out that you are
from the Harper Town, I told Tim there might be something behind your uterus being injured when you
protected him. But do you know what Tim said? He said that you possibly had no alternative since you
did so at the risk of being infertile. According to him, you are not bad by nature. He was willing to take
care of you. Moreover, he tried to love you and thought of marrying you. Maia, how could you deceive
and hurt him?"
Actually, Nicole got angry with Maia for cheating on Tim.
How could Maia play tricks on the one she loved?
She and Tim should have owned pure love, why did she ruin it?
Maia looked at Tim in shock and asked in a trembling voice, "Is that true?"
"Is there any point in saying this now?"
Obviously, Tim did not want to talk about that.
Maia's eyes dimmed as she was gradually no longer excited. At last, her face paled.
She smiled bitterly and said, "You are right. It's too late. I'm dying. Even if I'm regretful, I have no
chance to make up my mistake. Tim, we are doomed to be apart in this lifetime."
Nicole couldn't help but be a little furious at her remarks.
"Maia, whatever you did to me, I can forgive you. But I can't forgive you for cheating on Tim. He is true
to you. He's my cousin and friend. I asked you to go on a business trip with him because I wanted to fix
you two up, but what happened? It's my fault believing you. You probably were in trouble and couldn't
help it, but you shouldn't hurt and deceive others under the excuse of it. Even if you're dying, I won't
forgive you, and I have no intention of it. However, as I said, I appreciate you for saving my aunt, so I
can agree to one of your requests. Perhaps that's why you came to me."
Maia felt bitter.
"Nicole, I didn't know you are this straightforward. Since I'm going to die, can't you show mercy to me?"
"You don't need it, and I'm not a hypocritical person. Don't torture each other. Tell me what you want."
Since Nicole had no patience with her, Maia understood that she had completely lost Nicole as a friend
now.
She could remember how warm and kind Nicole was when they first met. If she hadn't made the
mistake, she would be fortunate enough to have Nicole as her friend right now.
Although Maia was regretful, she probably would make the same blunder if she had an opportunity to
restart.
Maia put on a bitter smile and whispered, "I do need to ask you for a help. I heard from Trevin that he
met you in the Harper Town, and Mr. Green promised him that he could work in Eternal Group. I hope
you can keep words and don't bear a grudge against Trevin because of me. He doesn't know what I've
done at all."
Nicole in fact had guessed why Maia came to her. However, she found it strange.
"Why don't you let him work for Tim? For the sake of you, Tim won't treat him shabbily."
As soon as she heard Nicole's question, Maia shook her head.
"No! Trevin can go to any company except the company of the Louis family! I keep him indoors now,
and I hope you can do me a favor. Please bring him out and tell him that I die from a car accident when
I'm gone. Hide the truth from him, or he probably will fail to get over it and make the same mistake I
did. Trevin is a good child and has a bright future. I don't want to get him into trouble."
Maia's eyes were filled with tears.
Obviously, she really loved Trevin.
Nicole nodded and said, "Alright, I promise. I will ask Samuel to give Trevin a chance. Besides, I'll
ensure his safety. It might be what you concern the most, right?"
Maia immediately nodded.
"Yes, thank you."
"It doesn't matter. I protect him not because of you."
After finishing speaking, Nicole stood up, patted Tim's shoulder and walked out.
There were only Tim and Maia in the room, and Tim was particularly silent.
Maia looked at the man in front of her. He was extremely handsome and treated her well. She indeed
wished that she could spend the rest of her life with Tim, even though he didn't love her. However, she
had no alternative.
"Tim, I really like you."
Maia couldn't help but speak.
As soon as Tim heard Maia, he trembled a little. Then he turned round and looked at her, with his eyes
wet.
"I really want to give you a home and live with you."
Tim did not lie.
And Maia believed him.
It was she who had no luck.
"Tim, you deserve a better woman than me! I've been scheming against you from the beginning. I
approached you merely to seduce you, since I wanted to steal your company's seal. However, I failed
at last."
Tim was shocked at Maia's confession.
"My company's seal? What do you want the seal for? More precisely, what does the person behind you
want the seal for? Is that person my business opponent? Who is it?"
Maia only smiled at the questions from Tim.
She was in pain!
She ached all over!
But the most unbearable pain for her came from within!
Maia knew that she had little time left.
She looked at Tim and said in a sad voice, "Tim, although I resorted to schemes and conspiracies
when I was with you, I didn't lie to you all the time. I really hope that Trevin can go to military school.
You promised me."
Tim felt sorry about it.
"Sorry, I can't carry out my promise. Trevin failed to pass political examination. Besides, you have a
criminal record now...."
"I ask for nothing, and I don't need you to avenge me. I will hide the truth from the police as well.
Instead, I will tell them that I didn't drive carefully and hit the wall. Please help Trevin pass political
examination, okay? I know you can manage it. Trevin can wait for a few more years, and it doesn't
matter."
Tim got distressed over Maia's pleading.
"Yes."
He nodded.
Maia finally smiled.
She looked at Tim with a complicated expression, "Tim, I'm dying. Can you give me a hug? I'm so
cold!"
Tim couldn't help but feel sorrow at Maia's words.
He remained silent and stepped forward to hug Maia tightly....
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