LOGIN“W-welcome home?” Tania looked at me, blinking in surprise.Unlike before, his words didn't unsettle or even annoy me.Treating it as air, I went ahead with what brought me by meeting him on the stairs and extending my hand.“My envelope.”Andrew raised one brow at me, the familiar amusement glinting in his eyes.“Don’t tell me you've come all the way here just for an envelope.”He didn't deny it.I was right.The envelope Mason gave him was with him. And he knew it, intentionally keeping it in his custody.“Mr. Hale, I don't have time to waste. Kindly give me my envelope.”“Annalise—”“It’s Ms. Sterling.”A pause.Andrew assessed me slowly, his gaze lingering a bit longer on my face. “You’re serious,” he murmured.“Was I supposed to be joking?”“Of course.” He tilted his head. “Your reason for coming should either be for us to reignite the old flame between us… or you finally accepting my marriage proposal.”“What!!!?”A loud exclamation came from downstairs. Tania stood there, look
No way.My fists clenched almost instinctively, and I grabbed a shawl from the closet and hurried out of the room.Downstairs,Tania and the guy were still arguing and they both looked frustrated.“Ms. Nelson, you don't understand—”“Understand what? What I'm trying hard not to believe is whether Andrew Hale is stingy and doesn't stick to his promises!”“I would watch the way I speak, Young Lady. You bought a house from Mr. Hale’s card. You bought a card, and spent a lot of money on lavish gifts and expensive meals. Mr. Hale was generous enough with you.”“Well, this card stays with me for the rest of the week.”“Unless you would want to go back to the hospital and spend the rest of the week there, I am afraid I would have to take the card from you, Ms. Nelson.”“Mister,” I interrupted them, my breathing rapid. “Can you take me to where he lives?”Tania and the guy turned to me.“Who?”“Who?”“Andrew Hale,” I murmured, the uttering of that name somehow bitter in my mouth.Instantly, t
I took a deep breath.Then dialed.The phone rang for a while before it was answered. We spoke for a while, and thirty minutes later, we were still on the phone.I had to make an excuse and hang up when someone suddenly walked into my office… unannounced. “Hey, Dear. I planned to surprise you. Hope you are.”Steve walked in and sat on the chair across from me, before placing the bouquet of roses in his hand on the desk.I wasn't really surprised.Several missed calls sat in my phone… from him.“Mr. Whittaker, how may I help you?” I forced a polite smile, dusting off the petals that had fallen on the files.Steve chuckled.As if he hadn't heard my question, he grabbed one of the files and opened it.Without permission, he began flipping through the pages and looking at the content.I frowned.“Mr. Whittaker, those are the company’s confidential files.”“Come on, Dear. Isn't it the Sterling Empire? Very soon we'll be one—”“Excuse me?”“You and I.” He looked up from the file. “We will
Annalise’s POVThree Days LaterI sat behind my desk, absently scrolling through the World Designer's Forum on the tablet resting in my hands.A newly pinned announcement occupied the top of the page.[The second round of the Crown Collection Challenge will officially close in three days. All submitted designs are currently under review. The list of designers advancing to the third round will be announced after the evaluation process concludes.]My thumb stopped moving.Three days.The comment section was already exploding.“The first round eliminated over ten thousand participants. Out of the remaining 1,532 designers, how many do you think will survive this round?”Replies poured in beneath it.“Does anyone remember how many contestants reached the third round last time?”“Only two.”The reply instantly gathered hundreds of reactions.“Which means 1,530 people are probably getting eliminated.”“This competition is absolutely brutal.”Another comment quickly climbed to the top.“Is t
Andrew’s POVHale’s Mansion.The chatter around the dining table was unsettling, yet tonight it didn’t distract me as much.Because,A bigger distraction occupied my mind, causing me to lose focus on the meal in front of me.Annalise’s return.Mason’s death.How could the two events be related?“You’re not eating, Son? Isn’t the food to your liking?” Mom called my attention.She sat beside Dad across the opposite end of the table.I returned to the present, then stared at my plate.The meal was barely touched.“I can ask the chefs to prepare another meal,” she offered. “Or I can make it myself. Which one do you prefer?”“No need.” I pushed my chair back and stood.Eating was the furthest thing from my mind. Instead of sitting here in a daze, battling endless speculations, I’d rather be somewhere else to analyze the problem properly.As I turned to leave, Mom’s worried voice followed behind me.“Andrew.”I paused.She looked at me with concern. “Is something bothering you?”Before I c
In the evening,I returned to the hospital after a long day of handing over Camille to the authorities and providing evidence to prove my innocence against her allegations.When I stepped inside the VIP Ward, I found Tania sitting in the same spot I’d left her. But she was no longer holding the teddy bear.In fact, the teddy bear had seemingly been tossed across the room and was now lying face down in a corner,While Tania’s deep focus was on the phone in her hand.Whether she noticed my presence or not, I couldn't tell.Her brows were drawn together in a deep frown, her eyes dancing with fury.“The heck is wrong with these guys? The truth is obvious! Do these netizens have sense or what!?”I walked forward, dropped the fruit basket I'd brought, and sat on the chair beside the bed. “What’s the matter?”“This!” She showed me the screen. “I just found out online that you got Camille arrested, which serves her right. But someone made a lousy post and exaggerated everything. They failed
I only glanced at the device once then went about my morning routine.After I was done, I picked up my phone to find several messages piled up.[Annalise, where are you? Why aren't you answering my calls?][Where did you sleep last night, Annalise?][What is going on between you and Alexander Sterl
My fingers instinctively tightened around the phone, hearing Tania’s words.I didn't hear her wrong, did I?“I checked your marriage certificate, Anna. It was fake!” Tania groaned. “Don’t tell me the scumbag tricked you!”Tricked me…Aiden himself asked me to marry him.Three years ago, he’d knocke
Cassandra pointed at me, her soft voice echoing in the hallway. That was when Aiden peeled his gaze from her, and the tender look on his face was instantly gone.But instead of appearing confused, only fear and frustration flashed in his eyes.He quickly let go of Cassandra, While Cassandra tremb
The next day, I discharged myself from the hospital.Standing across the bustling street outside the hospital’s skyscraper, my eyes squinted at the burning sun.For thirty minutes, not a single taxi stopped.Then, suddenly, a convoy of black luxury cars swept onto the street, instantly drawing ever







