Before Anne could even grasp her own bewilderment, the three boxes were opened at once.
The metal bands inside gleamed, their warm light reflected in Kevin's tender gaze as his eyes spoke to
her in a silent question.
Anne could feel herself staggering under the intensity of his eyes. "Wh-what are you going to do with all
these rings?" she stammered, her eyes shifting back and forth from the rings to him.
She had already known that Kevin was no ordinary man. His character carried over to his actions, and
even now was a testament to that. Still, Anne couldn't help but think that taking three rings out at the
same time was stretching things a bit too far.
"Anne, you had already refused me twice before. Each time it happened, I put away the ring and kept
it. This is the third time now, and I will keep on doing it until you say yes."
To Kevin, these rings were not a symbol of failure, but his devotion. He wanted Anne to understand that
even when she had pushed him away, he refused to let go of her, and he would do it as many times as
it took.
As he fell silent again, Anne felt as if her brain had short-circuited.
Her hands went to cover her eyes and she bit back a scream. Burning red to the tips of her ears, she
answered,
"Give me a few days to think about it."
The state of her fluster amused Kevin, even as he longed to hear another answer. His eyes bore no
trace of displeasure. He had already been waiting for a long time. A few more days would be nothing.
He knew that there was no other person for him than this woman. As long as he worked hard to slowly
melt her heart, she would say yes one day.
"When the old town is rebuilt, I'll take you there, okay?" Kevin said simply instead.
He was not pushing her any further and Anne was grateful to his yielding. With a faint smile, she
answered, "Okay."
They entered the house where Anne had lived when she was a child. A small, unkempt yard stood,
with a small tap at the center. Moss covered the pool under the tap after years of people's absence.
It was as if Anne had been watching her old life unfold before her very eyes. She grew quiet, absorbed
in her own reverie. It was not until Kevin called her that she was pulled back to the present.
She looked up at the sky. The orange hues of dusk were quickly taking over daylight. 'Strange,' Anne
thought. In her reminiscing, time passed by slowly, but now it was already getting late. It seemed that
visits to the past always cost more time than the present.
"It's getting late. Why didn't you remind me earlier?" Anne said in slight dissatisfaction.
"You looked like you were lost in your own world," Kevin answered. She had looked peaceful as she
sank into her old memories, and he wanted to watch her for some more moments. "Don't worry. We will
go back soon. Are there any good places to eat here? You know this place well. Why don't you guide
me this time?" he asked next.
His question called a place to Anne's mind. "Yes," she started hesitantly. "But I don't know if it's still
there. It's a small snack bar, and the food is great. They make everything by themselves and you won't
find it in any other place."
The owners were already very old people in her childhood memories, and she did not know if they were
still alive after so many years. And even if they were, there was no telling if they were still here.
Still, there was nothing to lose to check it out. "Let's go and have a look," Anne said calmly.
They walked through the rows of alleys, and to Anne, everything had remained the same. As she
passed through, more memories had awakened, and she told these small stories to Kevin along the
way.
He listened to Anne quietly, content to just take in the light that shone in her eyes as she spoke of her
past.
Kevin could tell from the way that Anne told him these things that there was a different, much livelier
self that she used to be when she was younger. He felt a dull pang in his chest at the thought.
Anne was a strong woman—one of the strongest women he knew, but the years had dimmed some of
the light in her eyes. It was the cost of that strength, and Kevin knew that everyone had to pay a certain
price to survive in a world that grew colder and harsher as one grew up. His eyes never left Anne's face
and he said nothing in fear that one word from him would pull her back. A bittersweet yearning grew in
his chest. He wanted to let Anne be her old self, even just for a moment longer, and a silent promise
rose in him. He would be protecting her from now on, and then maybe, if she wanted to, she could find
the old pieces of herself back.
In the KIA Group.
The sun was well into its way, sinking across the horizon at half past six in the afternoon. A glimmer of
light penetrated through the pure black curtain, but the room remained dark.
The place was deserted—the employees having clocked off and long gone by this time. Ryan stayed
behind. He stood in the room with Nicholas behind him.
"Mr. Ryan, wouldn't you say that it's high time we teach Kevin a lesson?" Nicholas asked in a light tone.
At the mention of Kevin's name, there was another face that inevitably came to mind, Anne—the
woman he couldn't figure out.
He clenched his fist as he thought of her. For some reason, the woman made him uncomfortable.
"Yes," Ryan agreed, but then scoffed before he continued. "And as for you… Are you still not going to
tell the truth?"
Nicholas knew exactly what Ryan meant, but he feigned ignorance. "Tell the truth? When have I ever
lied to you? Just what is it that you're talking about?"
Ryan's eyes were icy as he turned around and looked at him. "I know nothing about your background
and identity. It's a little hard for me to believe you when I can’t find any concrete reason to. You see,
Nicholas, I've looked. Did you think I wouldn't find out? You're not in CY Group, so just who are you? I
have no time for these games."
Even before Ryan spoke, Nicholas had already known what he would say, but Ryan had only been half
right. It was true that there was no information about him in the CY Group, because everyone knew
about the man who went by the name of Kim.
Nicholas was but another alias. He, Kim, was the most feared in the CY Group. But this was something
he had no intention of divulging to Ryan. He had been in this side of the world long enough to know
that trust was an empty word—one that a lot of people liked to play around for their own convenience.
You had no ally but yourself.
"I see. Mr. Ryan, I think you are overthinking this," Nicholas sighed in mock disappointment.
"Overthinking or not, what happens next is not up to me. It depends on what you would do next," Ryan
said, his voice taking the hint of a threat.
In truth, Nicholas had always thought that Ryan was just like a spoiled child—fussy, and whined at
these smallest things. On the outside, he might look imposing, but other than that, there was nothing
else to him. From the beginning, he had already lost in this negotiation.
"You wouldn't be able to find information about me. There is a secret team in the CY Group. It's the one
responsible for making decisions for the whole group. Naturally, their identities are well-protected, but if
you're able to infiltrate deep enough, you will know that there is more than one core member in the
company."
Nicholas' answer seemed to have satisfied Ryan. The tension in his face relaxed and he started to talk
about their next move.
"Well, let's start now. But can you guarantee that we will succeed?" Ryan asked.
"Like anything else, nothing is 100% sure, but the odds of it are high. You know this yourself, but there
is no perfect plan. However, all things considered, this one is very likely to work out."
Ryan understood what Nicholas meant. In business, no matter how well-thought out a plan might be,
everything was a gamble. If they won, they gained much, but if they lost, they would have to pay the
price.
Still, he agreed that Nicholas' plan had a high chance of success.
If you wanted to defeat someone, the best and easiest way to do that was to find the chink in their
armor. Even powerful people had weaknesses. And as for Kevin, it was Anne.
Ryan snarled at the fact that his beloved woman had been taken away. At first, he had dismissed it,
thinking that his career would always be the most important thing. However, he grew more unsettled as
the days passed. Thoughts of her filled his hours, and his obsession only grew day by day.
As Ryan thought of this, his face darkened.
"As long as we get what we want."
In AN Group.
A dull light was reflected on the table as a laptop sat open, the screen showing a page with the latest
data analysis of the AN Group.
Because of its scale, the company had its own unique analysis system.
At this time, the figures were erratic. Kevin read the news, and as expected, their enemy wanted to
throw dirt on them through spreading rumors about their raw materials.
An anonymous reporter had revealed that there were fakes included in the jewelry sold by AN Group.
The company was one of the most well-known in the country, and so the topic quickly blew up and filled
the headlines. Kevin sneered as he looked at the disparaging comments about the AN Group online. It
seemed that people really ate up scandals, without thinking of the authenticity of information.
That aside, there were more pressing matters. He had already known that Ryan and Kim were working
together. He didn't take any action and just waited for them.
A wry smile appeared on Kevin's lips. Ryan had been so stupid. He didn't even know that he had
deliberately put his company in danger when he agreed to cooperate with Kim. On the other hand, Kim
had probably thought that he would be able to take over the KIA Group unscathed, just as he had done
many times before. This time, however, he would be let down.
"Mr. Kevin, news ..." The assistant pushed the door open and came inside in a hurry.
"Hold a press conference and get ready." Kevin appeared to be not the slightest bit concerned, as if he
was already expecting it. His assistant looked at him in quiet shock. At times like this, the company
wouldn't know until the news came in. How could Mr. Kevin have known?
Could it have been a hunch? Even so, he seemed a little too calm for the head of a company who was
just thrown into the middle of a huge scandal.
Half an hour later, the press conference was ready.
Reporters and other press members were abuzz with excitement. This was a major scoop, and people
would surely be keeping track. All of them were curious as to how Kevin would respond.
He was wearing a black suit, with one long leg folded elegantly over the other as he looked at the
crowd without a trace of apprehension.
The reporters wanted to know more about how the news came out, but before they could start digging
deeper, Kevin had called for a press conference and everyone rushed here.
"Mr. Kevin, we all know that AN Group is one of the top companies in the country, but not once had it
been embroiled in such a scandal. Is this all for the sake of marketing?" one of the reporters asked.
Everyone's attention was fixed on Kevin and the air thickened with tension at such a direct question.
Kevin smiled confidently and answered, "With the current status of the AN Group, would there be a
need to resort to that? Genuine gold fears no fire. The AN Group doesn't need that sort of publicity
when our products sell themselves."
Kevin's answer was clear and steady, and everyone in the room got the message.
"Then, if it is as you say and this is not the company's doing, are you suggesting that it was a plot
against the AN Group? Who do you think is behind it?" the reporter asked again.
Kevin's smile did not leave his lips. He already knew that it was Ryan, but it would be useless to
expose him now. Besides, the public would then accuse him of slandering the KIA Group next. It was
better to keep the competition quiet, at least for now.
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