There was a cloud of mist that moistened the morning in a drizzle, but the breeze was not as gentle as
the heaven's sprinkle. The weather finally felt a little cold.
With her hefty suitcase in her hand, Anne walked to the Luo Family's mansion and rang the doorbell. In
a matter of seconds, a servant opened the door.
"Miss, who are you?"
Today, Anne wore a loose black windbreaker, and her curly long hair was dampened by the subtle rain.
Her temperament mirrored the cold weather, and her eyes seemed to be able to pierce through
people's hearts.
"It's my sister!" said Rose excitedly.
Setting aside the matter of Kevin, Rose liked Anne very much. Even with the conflict between them,
she could never be indifferent to Anne.
"That's right." Seeing the easygoing smile on Rose's lips, Anne had no idea why she felt unwelcome.
Behind the grand door of the main house, Liam and Valentina stood side by side in the middle of the
hall.
Liam's eyes were beacons of joy and he looked as if he had just cried, while Valentina looked dead
serious. Her thoughts were a haze, and no one knew what she was thinking about.
"This is great!" Liam spoke with electricity as his enthusiasm overflowed.
"Your room is ready upstairs. Allow Rose to accompany you there," said Valentina as she frowned.
"I'm going to the kitchen and check if the meal is ready." Valentina strode off in a sultry walk into the
kitchen.
Rose's expression was anomalous, and she glanced at Liam without saying a word.
Even though Anne wasn't bothered by Valentina's timbre, Liam still felt sorry for her.
"Anne, she's usually kind and hospitable, but forgive her cheekiness. She's probably anxious. Don't
take her too seriously."
Compared to Liam's prudence, Anne was calm and collected. She smiled and said, "It's all right."
She had endured the wrath inside the Ye Clan for a long time, so how could she not sense that
Valentina was not delighted to have her? Her unsolicited behavior was nothing new to her. She showed
up not to please her nor anyone at all. She was here to fulfill the dying wish of her departed mother.
Anything belittling, she could ignore with ease.
"Great! Rose will take you to your room now."
The newly renovated room was decorated with the theme of pastel lavender.
The door-size mirror had an intricate lilac frame, and the amaranthine windowsill was ornamented with
a few black swallowtail butterflies. It was startling and beautiful which was in lieu of Anne's taste.
"Do you like it?" asked Rose curiously.
"It's good." Anne was not the type of woman who would express herself flamboyantly,
but Rose didn’t bother her bland reaction. She was in a good mood today!
"I knew you would like it. I carefully arranged it myself!"
The phone rang abruptly as they spoke. It was Emily, and Anne was quick to answer the call. She said
to Rose timidly, "I have to leave for a while."
"Oh, but the meal is ready," said Rose.
When she saw the wrought on Anne's face, she knew she had to accept her excuse. She said, "Just go
back after you're finished."
On the broad table of the dining, there were eight different dishes and one steaming soup. The feast
was colorful, but none of the people sitting at the tableside looked as festive.
"Look at her. She left on her first day. What does she think of our home? A hotel?" Valentina said
irritably.
Rose was displeased by her words and said, "Maybe the person she's going to meet is important."
Her coming to Anne's defense made Valentina even more infuriated. "What is more important than
family?"
Liam appreciated Rose's thoughtfulness and said dismissively, "Let her be. I know what's going on with
her. Since we're a family, I think it's unnecessary for you to be too strict with her. Tolerance is the key to
make things work."
He turned to Rose and said, "Your mother wasn't as angry when you didn’t come home. You have to
persuade her to not be too riled up. No matter what happens, Anne is part of our family. You are not
biologically related to her, but you shouldn’t treat her differently."
Liam stood up after finishing his words, and Valentina flushed red as she was even more furious.
"What do you mean? Haven't I done enough?" said Valentina as her face was painted with obscurity.
"Mom, do you think that just because Anne returned, Dad will care less for us?" Sensing the
overflowing care for Anne, Rose felt jealous of the attention.
Valentina snorted and said, "Don't worry, he won't. I am the heir of the Xiao family. I won't allow such a
terrible thing to happen."
In the Greenlight Forest.
the soft piano music made Anne feel tranquility. Her hand held a cup of coffee as she looked out of the
window where a myriad of droplets slid down like teardrops. The weather was calm as she reflected on
her thoughts.
"Anne, I heard that the chairman of the L Group is your biological father?" asked Emily with a hint of
envy under her tone.
The L Group was world-famous. Emily felt that Anne was so lucky to have a father who owned such a
marvelous enterprise.
To Emily's surprise, Anne smiled delightfully and said, "How about you take my place?"
She didn't want to go back to that house at all.
Emily blinked her eyes tightly and said in astonishment, "Don’t you like it there?"
"No."
Anne was frank to answer as she tasted her aromatic coffee.
"I must say, the L Group is quite a big deal, but I don't want to go there either. The company of our
family may not be as founded as theirs, but I have no ambition of outgrowing where I belong." Emily
giggled to hide her embarrassment and slowly took a sip of her caffeine as well.
"That's good to hear." Anne smiled as she gazed at the reckless bright beam on Emily's expression.
Besides, it was undeniably joyful to see other people be happy and inspired, right?
She had evolved from what she used to be. She tried her best just to get whatever she desired no
matter how much hardship she had to go through.
She also succumbed to the idea that many things were destined to happen. Sometimes, some things
were always meant to be yours, and sometimes things were fated to be out of your life. he efforts one
gave might be useless if one fought for the wrong thing. Defying fate would only cause her suffering.
"Since you don't like that place, why did you go back? I heard that stepmothers are all evil. Did she
make things difficult for you?" asked Emily worriedly.
She was most concerned about Anne's well-being more than anything else.
"Not really, she is a kind woman," said Anne.
Compared to Wendy's and Cherry's viciousness, Valentina was indeed pleasant. After all, it seemed
that the Luos were not accustomed to plotting dirty tricks to frame the people they despised.
"That's good to hear, but I'm still fretting. Just try not to stress yourself and start a feud with her. I'm
very worried about you," said Emily as fear crept into her sentiments.
"You don't have to. I'm not looking for any conflict. I just want Eddy to recover soon. But let's stop
talking about me. How about you? When do you plan to get married? Plus, in two months, you'll
celebrate your twenty-fourth birthday!"
Emily's face was set alight with joy. She said, "Oh my god! You actually remembered my birthday! I'm
so happy!"
As she held her hand, she seemed to have a lot to say to Anne.
"Don't be silly! Many people remember your birthday. I bet a lot of people are anticipating it!" Anne
reassured calmly.
Emily interrupted her comfort all of a sudden. She said, "That's different! It's either they remember
because I'm beautiful or they put it on their calendars for business purposes. The real friends are those
who are willing to spend their time with you, even if they will get nothing from the occasion."
Looking at Anne, Emily felt that she was sincere. She was strong and competitive. She could finish the
job of a hundred people herself! It seemed that she was a force of nature in the industry, so she never
needed anyone's aid.
"You see through people very well." Anne was relieved as she let out a satisfied gleam.
Suddenly, Emily's merriment turned into a long face in a flash.
"I don't know when Sam will return. He's been gone for more than a month now. I wonder if he'll make it
just in time for my birthday," said Emily.
"He's away studying in the medical field and talk business. For the study, I'm sure he could just buy the
needed authentic books and ask a few questions, but the business meeting would probably need more
time," Anne teased Emily as she took a sip of her coffee.
However, Emily was deaf to her joke. She nodded seriously and said, "You're right. I wonder how the
business is going."
Anne heaved out a silly face and said, "I told you to see the news more often! You didn't listen to me
again? I'm telling you, the Feng Group has bagged an agreement with the R Group. If things go
according to plan, it will take a week at most for the cooperation to work. That is to say, Sam will
probably come back after ten days at least."
"Really?" Emily was so pumped from the pleasing news that she abruptly stood up from her seat at
once!
"Anne, why didn’t you tell me earlier? I've been melancholic for days!" Emily complained.
Anne found that she was being funny. "You didn't ask me, silly! I thought you were still angry with Sam,
so I didn't dare to mention his name in front of you."
Hearing Anne's explanation, Emily clenched her fists fiercely. "What? Are you making fun of me? How
could I be angry with him? He doesn't seem to have any feelings for me. I just miss him, that's all."
Anne beamed and said nothing as Emily explained her side.
Those who were destined to be together would eventually cross paths with each other. It was useless
to force the bridge between them. It still depended on how Sam felt about Emily.
"I'm not, Emily! If you ever try to meet more men, you'll find out that Sam is not the golden boy that he
is, said Anne profoundly.
However, Emily lowered her head and said, "You also want me to give up on him? Believe me, I know
I'm hopeless. It's impossible for us to be together because it seems that he's not interested in me
anymore. But before he makes it clear that he doesn't want me, he is still the apple of my eye. I don't
want to see anyone else! This time, when he comes back, I will ask him about us. I won't waste my
time going around the bush anymore."
With her eyebrows raised to the roof, Anne suddenly felt sad that she had recalled her bitter past. If she
had been as decisive as Emily and just let go of Kevin as soon as she found out that he was not
interested anymore, perhaps she would have had a better ending.
"I support you no matter what your decision would be." Anne caressed her shoulder as she expressed
her solace.
There was a hint of alleviation in her numbing eyes. Although it was not obvious, the subtlety was
enough to show that Emily could always bring out the warmth in Anne.
Emily also felt a sense of accomplishment in her bosom. She realized that Anne had gradually
regained her humor. Did this mean that she had forgotten about the torment she had gone through in
the past?
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