Ben carefully examined the photographs in the newspaper. His face turned pale as he recognized a few of the big shots on them.
His brother persisted in questioning him, “Hey! What on earth are you doing? I’ve already told you that those small companies will not pose threats to us! So, you don’t have to make things difficult for them!”
Ben then said, somewhat awkwardly, “I’m so sorry! | had no idea Anna knew so many famous people! Ada told me that she was just Wayne’s ex-girlfriend. So, | thought she was just an ordinary woman.”
Surprised, Ben’s brother looked at him and inquired, “Ada? Are you still seeing that actress? Jesus Christ! Are you f*****g. insane?!”
Ben’s brother interrupted his defense by saying, “Ben, you don’t come to work these days. You should reflect on what you’ve done!”’
The man then exited the office, slamming the office door shut behind him.
Furious, Ben ripped the newspaper into pieces and threw it in the trash can. At that moment, his phone rang.
When he saw who was calling, his face darkened, and he answered it immediately.
He asked impatiently, “Have you not seen the news, Ada? Why do you still have the nerves to call me?”
Ada froze for a moment before saying sweetly, “Don’t be so mad at me! You see, you now know who is supporting your competitor. Actually, | believe this is a good thing.”
Ben grunted before saying, “What? Do you believe this is good? Don’t be ridiculous! For God’s sake, I’m not that stupid! My brother yelled the s**t out of me just now!”
“Well, you shouldn’t get mad about that! See, you’re scolding me right now, but I’m still cheering you up, aren’t I?”
Ben froze when he heard her words, and then smiled as he was delighted.
He apologized to her by saying, “Sorry, | was in a bad mood just now. Ada, where are you now? I’ll pick you up later.”
“I’m ina bar close to your office. Don’t worry, | already have a booth reserved for us. I’ll sit here and wait for you, okay?”
Ben was beaming as they hung up their phone call. He was totally different from when he was enraged and upset moments before.
Ben then grabbed his jacket and walked out of his office.
Ada’s great strength was knowing exactly what she had to say.
Plus, she could make men smile with just a few words. And she was extremely good at coaxing men into doing what she wanted. Ben had taken a loss this time, but he was glad to do it because he was doing it for her.
After the press conference, Ryan sacked the few traitors in the company, including Oscar, for Anna.
Although this shambles had already sparked heated debate over the city, it was only the beginning.
Anna invited everyone who had helped her to dinner at a nearby restaurant in the evening. After dinner, Anna dropped Selina home.
On the way, Selina expressed concern for her and said, “So, if you want to solve the problems of the Gabriel group, you can do as you like. | know I can’t stop you no matter how much I don’t want you to. But, | have to make it clear to you that the Gabriel Group is now like a worm- eaten tree, and the senior staff are pure evil. So, | believe the first thing you should do is fire all of them.”
Anna glanced at Selina, knowing her aunt didn’t want her to deal with the group’s problems.
However, she knew it was the only way to make everyone believe that she wouldn’t go back on her word, Besides, she didn’t have any other options.
Anna was deeply touched after hearing Selina’s heartfelt words, and she reached out “Okay, | got it, thank you. Auntie Selina, thank you for helping me today. I used to be very resentful of you. And I’m really sorry for that.”
Selina had kicked Anna out of the hospital and thrown all her belongings in front of Frank’s house that night of her grandfather’s death, So, whenever Anna thought of Selina over those years, she felt that this woman was her worst nightmare. However, Anna later realized that her aunt had been the one who had suffered the most.
The fact that Frank cheated on his wife had led to many tragedies. Olivia died during delivery, and Selina lost her only child and could not have children again. As a result of these tragedies,
Anna’s grandfather became depressed and he died soon after. Even though Frank, Anna’s father, the man who caused all this mess, had died, Anna didn’t want to forgive him.
Selina responded, “You don’t have to apologize to me, Anna. | think Frank and his mistress should be feeling sorry for me. If your mother had been as strong as you, those tragedies would not have occurred.”
Anna realized that whenever anyone mentioned Olivia, they would describe her as a gentle and kind woman. On the other hand, it was these traits of hers that made it impossible for her to withstand too many blows.
Selina then asked, “By the way, have you found Shirley yet?”
Anna replied with a shake of her head, “Nope. Actually, the police are not looking for her right now because there is no problem with the taxes. Maybe she’ll return after a while when she realizes the group is doing fine and that she can take advantage of it”
Selina looked upset when she thought about that woman and said, “Geez! She’s such a scourge!”
“Selina, let’s not talk about her anymore, okay? You know, it will only make you feel worse.”
The car pulled up in front of a red villa at that time. The man in the driver’s seat then said, “Okay. We’ve arrived.”
Selina looked out of the window and then said to the man, “Thank you very much, Wayne. Bye.”
Anna waved goodbye to her. After that, she and Wayne went straight back home.
As soon as they arrived home, they noticed Ryan standing in the doorway, looking at them with desperate eyes, and reaching out his hand, asking, “Hey! Where’s my dinner?”
Anna and Wayne exchanged confused glances and asked each other, “Huh? What?”
Ryan immediately expressed his displeasure and said, “My dinner! You guys told me to go home and look after the two kids, after the press conference was over. Wayne, you promised to bring me something for dinner! I’ve been starving all night. Don’t tell me you didn’t bring anything for me!”
“What’s going on? Wayne, | remembered that you told me Ryan didn’t want to go to the dinner tonight with us,” Anna said to Wayne.
Ryan glared at Wayne and then said in displeasure, “I knew it! Wayne, you’re not stepping into this house today. I’m sure you’ll do something even more out of the line to me later!”
Wayne looked at Ryan calmly and said, “Oh, well, blame me as you want. Gabe had asked a few Military Academy students to keep order at the conference. In fact, these students are majoring in surveying and reconnaissance…”
Knowing that Wayne was about to expose his true identity, Ryan immediately became alarmed, interrupted him, and said, “| was just joking with you. You know, I’m not that hungry.”
Anna looked at Ryan suspiciously and said, “What’s going on? What the hell are you doing?”
Ryan said, somewhat awkwardly, “Oh, nothing. I’ve just been playing with the two kids for too long. So, Ineeded to talk to adults to keep my mind clear. | was really just joking with you guys. Wayne put on his slippers as the two of them talked. As he walked past Ryan, he shoved a bag of stuff into his arms and walked off towards the living room. When Ryan looked down, he saw thatit turned out to be a bag of food.
Ryan twitched his mouth and mumbled, “It turns out you brought me dinner. So, why didn’t you tell me sooner, Wayne? Geez!”
With that, Ryan turned around and noticed a few dishes and a bowl of pasta on the table. Then, he was touched right away.
It was getting darker and darker. The dark blue velvet night sky blended with the bustling Birmingham city, making the lights look as bright as the stars.
As Anna stepped out of the bathroom, she noticed a man standing in her room.
She then stopped and then thought to herself. Damn! Why did | forget to lock the door?
Anna was exhausted from her long day. She’d been through too much and had thought about too many things. So, as soon as she walked into the bedroom, she went straight to the shower, forgetting to lock the door.
Alarmed, Anna said, “Wayne! What are you doing in here?”
Wayne was sitting on the sofa on the balcony at the time, holding a book called A Brief History of Time . t was the book Anna usually read before going to bed.
He looked up, put the book down, and said, “This is a fantastic book. Anna, you have excellent taste.” “No, it is not what you think it is. Every time | read this book, | fall asleep very quickly. In a way, it’s my sleeping pills” Anna responded. She then folded her arms and turned to face Wayne.
She added, “Come on, | think you should go to Ryan’s bedroom instead of checking what I’m reading before | go to bed. Otherwise, you’ll have to sleep in Matthew’s bed again.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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