"Okay, Kevin. Since you're busy with work, just leave the wedding to auntie. Don't worry about it," Rose
said with a smile before leaving.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, she lowered her head, hiding her disappointment with her
hair.
"Rose, what did Kevin say?" Selma asked expectantly.
At this time, Rose tried to appear normal. She smiled before she replied, "Kevin said that you could
handle it. We both think you can arrange everything well."
Selma didn't notice anything unusual. Thinking that everything was alright, she smiled and held Rose's
hand.
"Then let's head back. You need to talk to your parents, too. We have a lot of things to do."
Selma felt very nervous since there were only ten days left before the announcement of their
engagement.
"Yes, auntie. Take care."
After saying goodbye to Selma, Rose tried to call her parents.
Meanwhile, Anne was just about to finish cleaning up in MH Villa.
She wore her long hair tucked behind a headband, revealing her delicate ears. She had a faraway look
in her eyes.
She left soup boiling in a pot, which gave off a pleasant aroma.
After leaving Kevin, she missed Eddy very much. But she had to be strong.
To show her gratitude for being allowed to stay in the house, she also tidied up Ian's study.
The room was very unique. It was not decorated luxuriously, but it looked beautiful with red wooden
floor, antique desk, and plants on the table. There was a gorgeous view outside of the window and
natural light was sufficient.
The shelf was full of books, many of them rare and couldn't easily be bought in a store. It seemed as if
there was more to Ian than what met the eye.
With a faint smile, Anne looked around and saw a photo frame on the desk. It was put upside down but
she didn't know who put it there.
Straightening up the frame, she discovered a secret.
Instead of a photo, the frame featured a painting.
There were several clouds and an angel with broken wings. It looked very familiar.
"Why is this painting here?" Anne asked curiously.
Could Ian be the boy who competed with Kevin before?
Closing her eyes, she tried to recall the scene from that time, but realized that she could not remember
anything except for that man's arrogance.
"Could it be you, Ian?" Anne murmured to herself.
She picked Kevin's painting over that boy's at that time because she had a feeling for Kevin. She knew
it was so unfair to that boy and that was why she had always remembered this thing even after she
grew up.
Suddenly, her attention was called by the boiling pot, which had been overflowing. Putting the frame
down, she rushed to the kitchen to turn off the heat.
At this point, the huge TV screen in the living room lit up. It was set to automatically turn on at twelve
o'clock.
A report about Kevin was being featured in the news.
"The CEO of AN Group and the daughter of L Group are going to be engaged on November 27, two
weeks from now. Many people are excited about the union and it seems as if the whole country is
waiting for more updates. Let's see more in details."
Anne was at a loss. On the screen, she saw Selma smiling. She was with Rose, who gave off the air of
a socialite.
Anne turned off the sound. Seeing Selma smiling and happy, Anne thought that she should feel happy
for them but couldn't.
Annoyed, she turned off the TV, but the pain in her heart wouldn't fade away.
She thought she didn't care about it all anymore, so she decided to leave. But why did she feel sad
after learning that Kevin agreed to get married?
She placed her hand on her chest. She felt as if it was about to burst.
She tried to smile, but tears streamed down from her eyes without her control. It seemed as if her
strength was draining from her body.
"Anne, are you okay?" Ian asked after seeing her, but Anne did not respond.
Ian had learned about Kevin's engagement before Anne. Worried, he came back to the house to check
up on her. Sorrow flashed in his eyes when he saw the upset look on her face.
Her tears had stopped but she still didn't say anything. Even when Ian tried to help her up, she
resisted. She looked like a homeless kitten, which made him feel sorry for her.
"You should probably rest. Everything will be okay. If you want your child back, I'll help you. No lawyer
can defeat Mark. I will give you whatever you need. Just please, rest. Okay?" Ian sounded flustered.
Fortunately, Anne agreed to lie down and rest.
But she couldn't sleep well. As she lay down, she clasped her hands over her chest and frowned.
Regardless of what Ian did to make her happy, she would eventually feel sad again.
"What have you gone through all these years?" Ian asked.
His voice sounded very low. It seemed as if he was blaming himself instead of asking Anne.
If only he had come back earlier, she would not have suffered so much.
Her tough appearance always hid her fragile heart. Although she looked strong on her own, he wished
he could protect her, even if it was not appropriate and even if she did not agree.
After all, she was the woman that he longed for all of his youth.
The exterior of the Starry Hotel had been renovated in order to properly welcome Rose's parents.
Even the rooms were fitted with expensive lights and furniture.
The food and wine had been served, but there was still an ongoing chatter outside.
"Welcome, Mrs. Luo," Selma greeted and held Valentina's hand.
Valentina looked proud and beaming. The marriage was a happy event for the L Group.
"Well, where is Kevin?" she asked.
Behind her was the shy girl, Rose. Despite her timid nature, she was graceful and well-educated.
Selma admired her very much.
"I think he's still dealing with some work. Kevin has been very busy lately. But let's sit down first." Deep
inside, Selma complained about Kevin not remembering the time of their meeting. How could he be late
for such an important event? But she had no choice but to welcome Valentine and Liam on her own.
"Don't be angry, mother, father. Kevin is the most hardworking man I've ever seen. He's always busy,"
Rose assured them.
What Rose said made Selma even fonder of her. She thought her a kind, comforting woman who knew
where she stood and how to behave in different situations.
"Yes, the AN Group is well-known in business, but I don't want my daughter to suffer from an absent
husband. After all, she is the daughter of the Luo Family," Liam said.
"Of course, every parent loves his own child."
Selma smiled. But she could easily tell that while Liam looked laidback, he was not going to be easy to
deal with.
"I want to know about Kevin's previous marriage," Valentina said tentatively.
Selma didn't want to talk about Kevin's past since she didn't like Anne very much.
"Of course." She had to reply to her guests.
Much reluctant to bring up such a topic, she couldn't say no to Rose's parents, especially during their
initial meeting.
"I heard that Kevin has a child with his ex-wife. What should we do with the child in the future? Rose
can raise the child, but what will others think of her?" Valentina remarked unhappily.
"Don't worry about that. When Anne and Kevin got married, they didn't have much of an emotional
bond. He liked her cousin, Cherry Ye, but he married her because of her blood type. I never agreed to
the match, which is why I'm happy to have found a suitable girl like Rose. How lucky!"
Selma could tell that she didn't have to say anything. The Luo Family had likely known everything.
"Do you mean to say that her bloody type is special and that she has a cousin whose surname is Ye?"
Liam asked curiously.
At this point, Valentina felt nervous. She worried about what Liam could ask next.
But Selma thought that he was asking about how Anne and Cherry met. She frowned and said, "The
Ye Clan was not famous at the time. Their daughter had gotten pregnant and disappeared. When she
came back, she brought back a child. That was Anne."
At this moment, Liam clenched his fists under the table. He felt that the answer he was seeking was
about to come.
But underneath the table, Valentina pressed his hand, cautioning him not to speak.
In Liam's eyes, the matter of the child was important. Valentina had already made a great concession
to accept it though. She didn't want anyone whose identity had not been confirmed to ruin the
happiness of her own daughter.
"Oh, I see. Well, I've learned everything I need to know, and yet Kevin's still not here. We've been
waiting for him for so long, but it seems as if we're not going to meet him," Valentina said with a frown.
"I'm so sorry. I'll ask Kevin to apologize to you personally. But why don't we have dinner first?" Selma
apologized.
Both sides didn't have a pleasant meal, but Rose was happy to hear no objections from her mother.
After leaving the Starry Hotel, Selma got into her car to head home. Even Valentina and Rose had
gotten into their car after saying goodbye. But Liam looked like he was in deep thought as he asked
them to go back first.
"Mom, what's wrong with dad?" asked Rose.
"It's probably nothing. Let's go back and ask the driver to pick him up later. Your father probably has
something urgent to deal with." Unwilling to let Rose know what happened, Valentina decided to take
her home.
Liam's face darkened. He hadn't seen Anne and yet, he was afraid. He had come to look for his other
child. Could Anne be the one he'd been searching for?
He sighed after making his decision. Regardless of everything, he was going to find out who Anne was.
He would have to deal with other matters later.
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