Kevin smiled helplessly at the sight of Anne burrowed under the quilt. He knew she was sulking.
"Honey, don't be angry."
Anne squirmed a little at the words. She had not expected him to call her that way, and it made a
strange and slightly uncomfortable feeling grow in her.
Kevin didn't miss the stiffening of her figure and his smile grew. Emboldened by his effect on her, he
reached out to pat her back and continued, "What is it honey? Are you in a bad mood?"
Anne had almost turned around to respond. She fought off the urge to squirm. He knew exactly what
he was doing, and she would refuse to give him the satisfaction of playing her. In her mind's eye, she
could almost see the self-satisfied look on his face, even as his voice remained gentle and seemingly
innocent.
"Honey," Kevin persisted. "I'm sorry. I won't ask the servant to call you Mrs. Anne from now on. You can
ask them to call you whatever you like, okay?" If he kept calling her that, she would combust. Anne
tightened her grip on the quilt and drew a steadying breath. 'Don't give in, Anne. You can do this…' she
reasoned with herself.
"Got it. Can you leave me alone now? I'm trying to sleep," she said in the most leveled voice she could
muster.
"Are you really sleepy?" Kevin pressed, his amusement now all gone from her aloof response.
With her condition, the last thing he wanted was for her to harbor unpleasant feelings.
"Yes, I'm sleepy," Anne said, her voice thick with drowsiness.
It wasn't a lie when she said she wanted to rest. After being pregnant, Anne had noticed that she would
often feel tired and fall asleep from time to time. It was one of the conditions that came with her
pregnancy. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy and she succumbed to the pull of sleep.
Kevin watched as she settled into a peaceful slumber. He had not known that it was possible for his
heart to swell with happiness just at the sight of her softened features. She was with him now, from her
own choosing. That knowledge comforted him and magnified his joy.
He settled down next to her and closed his eyes, falling asleep with his arm around her.
Some time during the night, Anne had woken up. It was another change that she had noticed about
herself. Her body had become unpredictable. At times, she would be feeling was very sleepy, but then
she would also be woken up for no apparent reason. As her mind slowly stirred into consciousness,
she felt a warmth in her stomach. Kevin had put his hand high on her waist—an uncomfortable
position, and one that made sure his arm would feel strained when he woke up. But Anne had
instinctively known why. Kevin was probably afraid of hurting the child accidentally when he fell asleep.
It was as if the gentle weight of his hand was telling her and the baby that he would protect them.
Slowly, so as not to wake him, she placed her own hand over his and smiled.
The night stretched over them like a warm blanket. Anne wished that it would last just a little longer, if
only for tonight.
In the KIA Group.
Several documents and the clutter of crumpled sheets were strewn over the desk. On the floor, broken
ceramic and shards of glass spread out. The lights in the office were lit, glaring down at the carpet dyed
of spilled wine the color of rage.
Ryan sat on the sofa with a look of hatred that had turned his face almost revolting. Just now, news
came from outside that Kevin had perfectly smashed their plan, sweeping over the mess they made
cleanly until everything was spotless.
"Damn it!" The table shook from the force of his fist. A thin stream of blood flowed from his closed
hand.
"Relax. This is only the beginning. Think of it as Kevin's appetizer. When I move forward with the plan,
his suffering will be much greater," Nicholas said, seemingly unfazed by Kevin's victory.
But his words did nothing to quell Ryan's grudge. He didn't know what Nicholas was about to do next.
He knew nothing about this man in front of him and what was going on his mind. The sight of his
calmness made him even angrier.
"Are you sure about that? Because this grand plan of yours is starting off as a splendid failure. How can
I be sure that the next one wouldn't be the same? Kevin has already read our actions. The bastard has
brains. He would be able to counter with his own moves. Now we just gave them the perfect
opportunity to show themselves off!"
Nicholas had not expected it. He had initially estimated that the M Group did not get along well with
Kevin, but it seemed that people were truly unpredictable. Why would Mark help Kevin?
"I admit that I didn't expect Mark to help Kevin out. Don't worry, I'll be getting to the bottom of this and
find his weakness."
Mark was not a dangerous opponent as Kevin, but Nicholas had not yet figured out what chess piece
he was in this game. He was a complicated character, and it would not be easy to dispose of him when
he had not yet found the chink in the man's armor.
"Well, what should we do next?" Ryan calmed himself down and asked.
Nicholas had only smiled and said nothing.
Summer had waltzed in the East Mountain Villa.
The lemon trees danced with the wind, scattering their fragrance.
Anne was lying down on the chair, basking in the warm sunlight. The sight of the lemon trees brought a
smile to her face, and she inhaled the fresh scent they gave off.
Kevin had given the servant instructions to check on her from time to time, explicitly telling her to make
sure that she would always be in a good mood. He had heard that pregnant women were likely to be
upset at the smallest things, and he didn't want Anne to be in low spirits. It wouldn't be good for her or
the baby.
But it seemed that he had nothing to worry about. The servant had found Anne all smiles every time
she checked. Later on, she figured that it was most likely due to the lemon trees.
"Mrs. Anne, the trees in the garden were planted by Mr. Kevin himself," the servant said
enthusiastically.
As Anne heard this, her brows furrowed slightly. How come she had only found out about it now?
She vaguely remembered hearing before that the garden was being decorated for a time, but nothing
else.
"When did he plant them?" she asked.
The servant thought for a moment before answering, "When you moved out last time, Mr. Kevin had
always been depressed and seldom went to the company. Most days he just stayed here, and it was
during that time that he had planted the lemon trees. We were actually worried that he was going crazy,
but now we know that it was because you like them." The servant smiled as she explained, her eyes
lighting up with admiration. What a truly fortunate woman Anne was.
"I see," Anne answered absentmindedly, lost in her own thoughts.
Things had truly changed between her and Kevin. She didn't know if it was because Kevin was different
now, or if it was her who changed that she was willing to know what he had done for her.
It was as if the invisible but ever-present gap between them was slowly getting shorter, now that the
two of them were taking steps towards each other one at a time. She could not be more satisfied. This
was the life she wanted—the two of them living together without secrets.
"Mrs. Anne, I'll leave you to rest. I'm going back inside to do some work," the servant said thoughtfully,
then left.
On the top floor of KIA Group.
The city lit up with the flash of neon lights at nighttime. An occasional wind blew into the office from the
open window. The stars had remained engulfed in darkness, eclipsed by the city lights.
At the top floor, Ryan had an overwhelming sense of altitude, as if he could see everything stretch into
endlessness.
However, when he thought of Kevin and how he had gotten away unscathed, he felt puny and
powerless.
Just when he was mulling over his frustrations, his phone vibrated in his pocket. The screen showed
Nicholas' number.
"What is it?" Ryan said, not bothering with greetings. He was in no mood to be polite.
"Kevin is reconstructing an old district of the city. Keep an eye on it," Nicholas answered.
A frown came to settle on Ryan's face. He was confused. "What now? Does an old district of the city
have anything to do with the plan? You're even more useless than I thought,"
Ryan spat, but Nicholas had only chuckled at him in a way that was almost derisive.
"Ryan, oh, Ryan, have you forgotten the place where you and Anne lived when you were young?"
Nicholas asked.
At this, Ryan was stunned. It was true. He had lived in the same place with Anne when they were
children. Was Kevin rebuilding the old district for her?
His hands clenched into fists at the realization. It was a massive project that would take a lot of
resources. He grit his teeth, the feeling of being dwarfed by Kevin's gesture quickly growing. However,
Ryan was a proud man. He would not let him win Anne over without putting up a fight.
Although Ryan had remained quiet on the other line, Nicholas had already seen through him. He felt as
if he was looking at a petulant child who refused to do anything and yet felt entitled to get what he
wanted. Nicholas' distaste grew at the thought that he had chosen such a despicable man as his
partner. He could imagine the reason why Ryan couldn't get the woman he liked.
"Well? Would it be alright if we use Anne next?" Nicholas said, his voice taking an amused lilt.
As Ryan heard his mockery, his face hardened. "Why the hell wouldn't it be? Just go ahead and do
what you need to. Just make sure we win. That's all that matters," he answered.
Nicholas' smile grew wider. Bullseye. He had known exactly what Ryan's answer would be. Still, he
couldn't resist getting his amusement out of him.
"I just thought you might feel bad, so I asked for your opinion. In any case, it's settled now." Nicholas'
words made Ryan's throat tight. The thought of harm coming to Anne made his gut clench
unpleasantly.
In order to hide his uneasiness, Ryan forced a smile and said, "I'm a little concerned about her, but she
is with Kevin and not with me. That makes her the enemy."
Nicholas had almost cackled at his answer. Little did Ryan know that he already had him read inside
out, down to his repugnant innards.
Nicholas had almost felt sorry for Anne, but this was quickly replaced with thoughts of how to use her
for his next move.
Early in the morning, the sunlight passed through the window and scattered its rays on the smooth
floor, giving the room a pleasant glow.
When Anne woke up, her intuition had told her that it was already late. The sun was already high up
outside. It was probably around eight or nine o'clock in the morning.
She had always been an early riser, but she had slept through the first light of morning and woke up
much later than usual. Kevin was beside her.
He was still asleep. Anne turned over gently and faced him.
She hadn’t gotten a chance to look at him so carefully for a long time. There were dark circles under his
eyes, but they did nothing to mar his handsome features.
His eyelashes were even longer than hers. She almost felt jealous. How could a man be so beautiful?
He slept quietly, as if nothing in the world touched him.
Anne touched his face softly, a gentle smile on her lips.
As she was quietly taking in the atmosphere, a hand suddenly grabbed hers and caught her by
surprise. Two eyes were wide open, staring at her with a mischievous glint.
Anne immediately came to her senses and escaped with her embarrassment under the quilt. However,
Kevin did not plan on letting her go so easily.
"Take a picture. It lasts longer," he said, chuckling lightly.
Then, he pulled the covers away from Anne and continued, "Or better yet, keep looking. I won't
charge." He cupped her face and drew her head towards him. When their eyes met, Anne's ears were
burning red. It was Kevin's turn to be at a loss for words, quietly admiring her flushed face.
The intensity of his gaze made Anne feel uneasy. When she was about to break away, a pair of lips
descended on her own and held her captive.
Outside, the sun gave off its light, bathing the world in the brightness of the morning.
When Kevin finally let her go, Anne's face was impossibly redder. Kevin had felt a familiar heat travel
through his skin, but the sight of the slight bulge on Anne's stomach quickly doused his desire.
He had to put up with it for now for the sake of their child. Kevin breathed deeply and willed his tense
body to relax. Anne had immediately understood and had all but fled the room, giving him space to
calm down.
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