Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen

Upon learning that Heath was the CEO's secretary, Noah deduced that the man beside him must be a high-ranking executive in
Barrett Group.
Heath reaffirmed, "I am the CEO's secretary, so naturally, this gentleman here is my boss, Mr. Timothy Barrett, the CEO of
Barrett Group."
Noah's face visibly drained of color upon hearing Heath's revelation.
Though he felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing Timothy, Noah struggled to recall where they might have crossed paths before.
However, with Heath's clarification, Noah's memory was jogged. Timothy was indeed the CEO of Barrett Group.
He had glimpsed him once from afar during a brief encounter in a certain business circle.
After all, elite families like the Barretts were well out of Noah's social sphere.
Just then, Noah's legs momentarily weakened, nearly causing him to lose his balance. With a hesitant stutter, he turned to Mia
and asked, "I-I-Is she Mr. Barrett's former wife?"
Timothy's gaze turned cold as he responded to Noah, "My ex-wife is not someone you need to concern yourself with."
As Noah's legs gave way, he knelt on the ground, pleading, "Mr. Barrett, I was unaware that Ms. Lane is your ex-wife! It was a
mistake on my part, and I inadvertently offended her. Please, don't stoop to my level and hold it against me!"
Bewildered by Noah's sudden display, Pamela interjected, "Noah, a man's dignity is priceless. Why are you kneeling before
him?"
Noah rushed to explain, "Mom, he's the heir of the Barrett family-the most prominent family in Bern City! If I offend him, it won't
just be me; our whole family will suffer.
"Besides, your friend seems rather dubious. Is she deliberately trying to sabotage me by arranging this blind date?"
The thought of offending Timothy filled Noah with dread.
Given Mia's former status as Timothy's wife, how could someone like Noah possibly compare to him? To make matters worse, it
was clear that Timothy still harbored feelings for her.

Pamela seemed to have caught on, tightly gripping Diane's arm. "You're utterly ruthless! You promised to introduce Noah to a
wealthy, easy-to-please woman, someone without family ties to worry about. "Yet, surprise, surprise, this so-called bachelorette
turns out to be the ex-wife of the Barrett Group's CEO! Do you realize the mess you've thrown us into?"
Noah's act of kneeling certainly underscored the gravity of the situation.
If he were genuinely impacted by this, it would unquestionably pose considerable challenges.
Feeling unsettled, Diane stumbled over her words, hastily blurting out, "I-I had no clue that Mia's ex-husband was the CEO of
Barrett Group, the prominent tycoon in Bern City Aunt Patricia never mentioned it.
They only knew Patricia's niece's ex-husband was well-off, but they had no idea about the depth of his riches, merely presuming
him to be a reasonably successful businessman. Who could have fathomed he hailed from the wealthiest family in the city?
Indeed, it seemed unimaginable for an ordinary person to even contemplate such a scenario.
But considering Mia's status as an orphan, how could she have possibly married into such an esteemed family?
Patricia's disdainful snort cut through the tension. "I didn't bring it up because I prefer to maintain a low profile, and I didn't want
to bring any trouble Mia's way. That's the only reason-not some excuse for you to slander her."
Nonetheless, it was remarkable how judgmental people could be nowadays. The more someone strived for modesty, the more
others seemed to look down on them.
Diane's expression betrayed her discomfort, "If you had been straightforward from the beginning, we wouldn't be caught up in
this confusion now. At first, your silence led me to think you were shy or overly sensitive."
Patricia could feel her frustration escalating. "Are you suggesting that this is my fault?"
"What other explanation is there?" Diane retorted.
Watching Patricia's struggle to counter the argument, Mia realized that Patricia's character hadn't evolved much.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be so easily manipulated by others.
With a cold stare fixed on Diane, Mia quipped, "That's rather amusing. I clearly recall both Aunt Patricia and I rejecting your
advances last night.

"And again this morning, when you shamelessly showed up to deliver something, Aunt Patricia turned you down once more. If
audacity could be a meal ticket, you'd never go hungry."