"I want to see Anne Luo. Do you know where she is?" Kevin asked optimistically.
His question made the managers frown. Indeed, the vice president had brought a woman named Anne
Luo today. They were already advised that everyone should take good care of the new valuable
designer, but the looming man in front of them was obviously up to no good.
"I'm afraid that there is no such person in here. You must have made a mistake."
However, as her presence was being denied, Anne ran into Kevin as Mark toured her to familiarize
herself in the workplace.
"Anne, why are you hiding from me?" Kevin was numbing especially when he saw that Anne and Mark
were closely laughing and having a good time.
The woman he missed day and night had perfectly adapted to a new-found life so soon while he
couldn't bear her absence and was constantly uneasy even in his sleep.
With a sneer, Anne knocked Kevin's hand to the side.
"And why would I hide from you? I owe you nothing. As you can see, I am here because I found a new
job and a fresh start while you found yourself a new fiancee. I think it is for the best if we mind our own
businesses and stop bothering each other from now on," said Anne coldheartedly.
Kevin froze in a chilling daze.
He knew that their relationship was already falling apart piece by piece, but it was far more
overwhelming when the reality they faced came from Anne's mouth.
With her sharp frank words, Kevin's heart sank.
"You can leave now. I don't need you snooping around here. The only bridge between us is our child,
so please take good care of him. I don't want to blame on anyone for what happened in the past," said
Anne candidly.
She might have appeared as tough as a rock, but she found out that she was not as strong yet. The
harsh words might have come from her tongue, but what it meant also choked her windpipe in pain.
From the towers of joy that she felt when she was about to marry, to the current tormenting grief that
she constantly fought off, she never expected them to make her give up in the end and succumb to the
misfortune that they faced.
Little did Anne know that Kevin showed up to tell her something else. He wanted to inform her of the
truth about Liam. But after arriving at her heated temperament, he knew that saying it would only make
her hate him even more.
"Anne, I never gave up on you, so why are you giving up on me now?" Kevin puzzled her with a feeble
smile. His tone was definitely more questioning this time.
Hearing his piercing bullet-like dispute, Anne was left with a hanging jaw. Did Kevin had no idea why
she left? How could he point the finger at her now?
Seeing the dubious expression on Anne's face, Mark knew that the height of the situation would only
trigger her to explosion if it continued.
"Mr. Kevin, if you have any questions, you can just come back some other time to ask them after you
figure things out. She is my colleague now, and she has nothing to do with you legally. So, if you barge
in through our doors again and cause a commotion, then forgive me because I would have to dismiss
you out of our premises. Mark gave his final warning with absoluteness.
Kevin was not at all fazed by Mark's threat. But when he saw Anne pale as snow, he was deeply
affected.
He glanced at Anne and thought that she didn't deserve to shoulder such a grave burden of worry in
her face. In his respect for her, Kevin left without saying another word.
In the Luo Family's residence,
the study was filled with the fragrant aroma of the freshly brewed dark tea that was steaming on top of
the red table. The cup was filled to the brim, but Liam hadn't touched it at all.
Ever since he found out the truth about Anne, he had been dragging a long face through night and day.
He had known enough about her daughter who suddenly reemerged out of the blue in his life.
She was not as gentle and tolerant as Kiana. She was stubborn and strongly independent!
Liam thought that it was unfair. Rose had never endured any suffering because she was well cared for
in the Luo Family like a princess while Anne had to bear through her troubles on her own. With this
boggling idea running around his head, he felt guilty for Anne's sufferings.
He was pulled back to reality when the phone rang abruptly. It was Kevin who was calling.
"Did you get any news about Anne?" asked Liam anxiously.
"She's in the M Group," said Kevin dismissively.
"Which M Group? I want to see her right away!" Liam couldn’t restrain his overflowing excitement as he
wanted to flee his place in a jiff.
Kevin suddenly flashed a silly grin and said, "Don’t you know that there is a massive Jewelry City in the
East District? You can still catch her if you go there now."
Kevin never had a good impression of Liam, but he didn’t want to deprive Anne of the truth about who
her biological father was.
Although Anne might not seek to know her lineage for the rest of her life, he was not the person to give
up.
"Thank you, Kevin," said Liam as he expressed his gratitude.
But before he could even say his final words, Kevin had already hung up on the other end of the line.
Valentina heard everything as she eavesdropped on the call. The Luo Family's residence had two
landlines, but both were connected in one server. After keeping herself up to date, Valentina collapsed
on the sofa as she was not ready for what went through her ear.
"Mrs. Valentina, are you okay? Are you hurt?" the servant hurriedly asked in serious worry.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Valentina's face turned pale as white smoke, but she suddenly burst into laughter
after a few seconds of recuperation.
She didn't expect that Liam was indeed the father of Anne. Although she agreed to let the poor girl
recognize her lineage, it didn’t mean that she was willing to put Rose in a tug of war over a man versus
the daughter of a woman who had been against her since the beginning.
However, Kevin was young and promising! His appearance satisfied her high standards very well. It
would be a pity if Rose gave up her chance so easily,
and let the public know that her daughter was not as good as Kiana's.
"Valentina, I'm going out!" Without saying anything more, Liam walked out of the house at a hurried
pace.
"Are you going to reveal your relationship with that girl? Aren't you thinking about how Rose would
react to this now that she is nearing her wedding?" asked Valentina forcefully.
"You are a very reasonable woman, but I'll tell you one thing. Let's forget about the marriage between
Kevin and Rose." Liam was bold with his straightforward words of decision.
Valentina didn’t know where the sudden gush of strength came from as she stood from her seat.
"Do you mean you would sacrifice Rose's marriage just to win over Anne?" Valentina asked
deliberately.
If both of my daughters have an affair with Kevin, what will everyone say about us? Besides, Kevin
already has a child with Anne, and Rose is an exceptional woman! Why are you afraid that we won't
find a far more befitting man for her?" Liam disputed his deducing with authority.
But on this matter of contention, Valentina was relentless and was unwilling to give in to his dominance.
She yelled, "This is all your fault! I don't care anymore! You can go ahead and reunite with Anne, but
the engagement can't be canceled, or else, I will never consider Anne as my daughter!"
"We'll talk about it later when I come back. I'll go now." Liam dismissed the argument as he swung the
door open and stormed off in the distance.
Valentina's face was painted with obscurity, but she didn't want to complain anymore.
In the Claire Jewelry City,
the featured jewelry design of the M Group was under the shine of a thousand spotlights as it
glimmered fresh and exquisite.
Wearing a reputable corporate suit, short skirt, and nude colored silk stockings, Anne seemed to have
far more alluring slender legs that gave her a strong stance. Her posture was a beacon of pride and
honor, and with the picturesque face of Venus, she was no less than a goddess. When Anne inspected
the intricate design of her works, she had managed to bag several deals for Claire Jewelry City as well.
"If I had known from the beginning that I could earn a profit just by leaving you here, I wouldn't have
bothered luring you in our company," Mark teased with a bright beam on his face.
"It's great that you took me in, but please don’t make fun of me." Anne was in her usual meticulous
state when it came to her work.
"I won't, but you used to be the vice president of the AN Group. Now, you humble yourself to be a
designer here. I feel sorry for the lost seat of power, but I will give you a promotion as soon as the
opportunity presents itself," Mark promised.
Anne shook her head gently to his word of honor. She gazed at him with a hefty sense of disapproval in
her eyes.
As she rolled her eyes, a middle-aged man came in with a pair of luxurious sunglasses and he seemed
to have kept a low profile. He kept asking for something, yet he never bought a piece of trinket.
Sensing the peculiarity of the man, Anne requested Mark to accompany her to have a look.
"Excuse me, are you Anne Luo?" When Anne stood in front of him like a feisty phoenix, the man took
off his lenses slowly to reveal his identity. It was none other than Liam himself.
"Hello, nice to meet you. If you need to ask anything, just tell me right away," said Anne professionally
as Mark cheered her from behind.
"Alright, then I need to have a word with you." Although Liam's face reached the pinnacle of sincerity,
Anne despised this type of men to her bones.
"I'm sorry. I'm here to talk about my works, not to chitchat about personal affairs. I don't even know who
you are," Anne uttered superciliously.
She loathed the fact that she was very stunning and beautiful. Now and then, there would be wooers
who came to accost her because of her looks, and that made her feel very disgusted.
Seeing the distasteful reaction on her face, Liam understood what she meant and said, "I'm here for
something far more serious than the thing you worry about."
She took a glance at Mark. Seeing that his eyed were full of anxiety, she ought to refuse, but on the
second thought, why would she retreat from a man when she had always been fearless?
"Well, mister, please follow me."
Anne guided Liam to the lounge, and the latter was quick to remove his stoic disguise as he held his
tears on the verge of falling from his gloomy eyes.
"It's nice to meet you, Anne. My name is Liam Luo, the chairman of the L Group, and your real
biological father."
Liam spoke with a rainstorm of sincerity, but Anne didn’t say anything. She just sat there in a daze as
her eyes were filled with doubts.
"I don't believe you. Mister, please leave now." Hearing the improbable claim, Anne did nothing but
frown.
"I'm not lying to you, Anne. Kiana was my first love, but her family remained lowly in the past, so there
was nothing we could do to bend the fate of our separation. In the end, I had to leave your mother.
When I knew about your existence recently, I hurried to come back to you! I hope you don't condemn
me for what I have done. I am still your father, Anne."
Not only did he feel guilty for his daughter's tragedy, but also begged to profess his love for Kiana
through Anne.
"What's there for me to say? My mother is already gone, and I have grown up to be a strong and
independent woman that I am today. I'm sorry, but I can handle myself, and I don't need a father to
come to my aid." Anne intensely abominated Liam's audacity to show up today.
If it weren't for him, her mother wouldn't suffer from depression and spend her final days lying down
sick on a life-draining hospital bed. If he never left, then Anne wouldn't be bullied in her childhood,
watch her mother die as she held her stone-cold hands, and cry to her detriment!
When she was most vulnerable, Liam never owned up to the responsibilities of a father. That was why,
today, when he appeared in front of Anne, he was nothing but a troublesome burden to her eyes.
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