Anne's eyes fluttered open. She finally woke up from her deep sleep and looked at the empty room.
She didn't remember when she had fallen asleep. Her body hurt; she was exhausted.
She rubbed her temples and pulled out her phone from underneath the pillow. It was almost evening.
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she remembered what had happened last night. She had
gone to her bedroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Kevin outside. She didn't know if he had
woken up or not.
She tied her hair to a bun and walked out of her room. Her eyes settled on Sally and Simon, who were
sitting on the sofa, watching the cartoon program. The two kids simultaneously turned to look at her.
"Mom..." they squealed and ran to her.
Anne pursed her lips and squatted down. She hadn't been home for three days and missed her kids
terribly. She didn't know how they were doing.
Sally and Simon threw themselves into her arms. Anne closed her eyes and wrapped them in a tight
embrace.
"Mom, where have you been? Simon and I missed you so much." Sally pouted and hugged her mother
tighter.
Anne lowered her head to meet Sally's eyes. The kids weren't aware of Eddy's condition. She knew
that they would make a fuss to go to the hospital, so she wasn't ready to disclose the information yet.
The three children were closely knit; they were fond of each other. Anne regarded them as the best gift
of her life. However, Eddy was more important to her now. And she didn't want the other two kids to
worry about him.
Anne had taught her kids never to lie. However, she had no choice but to hide the truth from them.
She felt guilty and didn't know how to explain the situation to them.
Simon looked at his mother's face and shook his head as if he had realized something. He tugged onto
Sally's dress. "Dad and Mom are busy with work. Have you forgotten that?"
Sally pouted and nodded. She wanted to argue that her parents had been busy before, but they had
never stayed away from home for a long time. Moreover, Selma had never left their side, but she was
with Eddy and Ella now. The little girl knew that no one would listen to her, so she chose to remain
silent.
Anne ruffled Anne's hair and smiled.
"Is Dad at home?" she asked, raking her eyes across the room.
"No, Dad left a long time ago. He isn't back yet!" Simon replied.
Anne nodded. She understood that Kevin must have been worried about his mother and Ella. He might
have left for the hospital to take care of them.
"Well, you two play at home. You must behave well, okay? I have something to do so I will be gone for
a while. Grandma will be back soon." Anne stood up to leave.
"Mrs. Anne." Mrs. Chen, the maid, stopped her.
She turned around and looked at Mrs. Chen, wondering what she wanted. "When Mr. Kevin left, he
asked me to make sure you eat something when you wake up," she explained.
Anne nodded her head helplessly.
She had spent the last three days taking care of Eddy. She hardly ate or slept. Her stomach rumbled
with hunger just after Mrs. Chen finished her words. The woman was right; she had to eat something.
Anne's heart skipped a beat. The tiny gesture reminded her about how Kevin loved and cared for her
all the time.
She felt special.
She walked to the table, sat down and looked at Simon and Sally. "Are you two hungry? Do you want to
eat something?"
Sally licked her lips as she raked her eyes across the delicious food on the table. However, Simon
spoke first. "We'll eat after Grandma comes back. Mom, you should eat first."
His father had told him that their mother worked very hard and that she should never skip meals.
Without further ado, Anne took a big bite. That was when she realized that she had been ravenous all
along.
She chewed slowly and remembered to go to the hospital so that Kevin could get some rest.
Anne hurried up to leave for the hospital. However, Selma and Ella came home on time.
The dark circles were evident under Selma's eyes; she looked tired. Ella followed the woman, yawning.
Simon and Sally exchanged quizzical glances. The kids couldn't fathom where they had been all this
while. Everyone looked sleepy and tired.
"Mom..." Anne called, worriedly.
Selma yawned, shaking her head, "Don't talk to me. I'm going to bed."
She looked at Simon and Sally tenderly. "My babies, be good. I'll play with you after I wake up."
The kids nodded obediently. Ella followed Selma without uttering a word.
Everyone looked sad and exhausted.
Anne let out a weary sigh and grabbed her bag to leave. But Selma stopped her, "Sam is also there.
Kevin asked you not to worry about anything. You better go to the company first."
Anne turned around to answer Selma, but the woman was on the way to her room. She didn't want to
disturb her.
Anne took a deep breath and decided to go to the company first.
Kevin loved his children more than anything else. If he wanted her to go to the company, there must
have been a reason behind it.
The moment Anne stepped into the company, she saw Rose walk out with an anxious look on her face.
"Anne, why are you here?" She was taken aback.
After the surgery, Kevin had asked Rose, Sam, and the others to go back to their work. Everyone was
relieved to find out that the little boy had regained his consciousness.
Since Anne was busy taking care of her ailing son, Rose had to deal with the problem between the LF
Group and the TS Company. She had planned to go to one of their designers' house and question to
find out the truth.
Eighteen designers worked for the LF Group. However, thirteen of them had already left the company.
The ones who had quit were either not at home or hiding from others. Therefore, the last five designers
were their last resort. Only they could help the company thrive.
"Kevin is at the hospital, taking care of Eddy. I'll go and take his place later." Anne took the name list
from Rose and frowned. "Let's go together."
Anne held a more powerful position in the company than Rose. She could deal with the problems more
efficiently.
Rose nodded in agreement. The two set out to find the designers right away. They planned to meet
their lead designer, Cora, first.
The two arrived at Cora's house. Rose took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A moment later, a
middle-aged woman opened the door. "Who are you looking for?" she asked in an unfriendly tone.
"We are here to see Cora. Is she at home?" asked Rose.
"No!" The woman snapped and tried shutting the door.
However, Rose stretched out her hand in time. "Ouch!" she yelped in pain.
Anne's eyes widened as Rose's finger got stuck between the door and the frame.
The woman was equally surprised; she didn't think of hurting her, so she quickly opened the door. Rose
used the opportunity and broke into the house.
Anne took the cue and followed her inside.
Although she and Kevin had started the LF Group, Rose had also put a lot of hard work into building
the company. She couldn't let anything happen to it.
"What the hell are you doing? How could you break into my house? Get out of here, or I'll call the
police!" The woman screamed, trying to push Rose away.
Anne stepped forward and stopped her.
"Well, we won't leave until we see Cora, Auntie. We are here to find the truth!"
Anne said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Who do you think you are? This is my home. I am giving you a last warning. Leave now, or I will call
the police!" The middle-aged woman grabbed her phone to threaten them.
"Go ahead and call the police. I'd like to see how the police will deal with it!" Your daughter is an
employee of the LF Group. But she has colluded with the TS Company during her contract period. She
has betrayed us by giving our design ideas to our rivals. The LF Group is in an embarrassing position
because of her. It is high time the police intervened in the issue, so you'd only be doing me a favor by
calling them.
An honest person has no reason to fear."
The blood on the woman's face drained in an instant. "Stop blabbering shit!" she barked. "My daughter
quit your company because she doesn't like working there. She has chosen to work for another
company. Is that a crime?"
"No, certainly not! Your daughter can work anywhere she likes. But disclosing the company's
confidential statement is a crime. She is indeed guilty." Anne took a deep breath and continued, "We
haven't called the police yet. But if your daughter doesn't come out and meet us, we would be left with
no choice but to call them and take legal actions against her.
Think about what might happen to your daughter's career if the police file a complaint against her. No
company will hire her in the future. I think you should rethink your decision."
Cora's mother shuddered; she took a step back. Anne had a point; her daughter might lose her career.
"I have come here to see Cora only because we consider her as a talented designer in our company.
I'm doing this for old times' sake. If she isn't going to cherish this opportunity, then things might get
nasty.
I am giving you the last chance. Ask Cora to come now, or I will call the police right away," Anne
remarked, waving her phone at the woman
Cora's mother frowned. Her anxious eyes deceived her calm demeanor.
As a mother, she couldn't let her daughter go to the police station.
However, the woman's threats frightened her. Her body stiffened.
She stole a glance at the ceiling before letting out a weary sigh.
Anne noticed the movement and immediately followed her gaze.
Hidden cameras were installed on the ceiling.
Anne sneered. 'Kim is good at playing tricks!'
She turned to look at Rose; the woman had noticed everything too. Anne walked past Cora's mother.
The woman was shocked; she lunged forward to stop her. However, Rose held her back.
"Don't you understand that evil can't defeat the righteous?" Rose smiled.
Sweat beaded on the woman's forehead.
Anne took a chair and slammed it against the camera, breaking it into pieces.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and began to sob hysterically.
"We had no intention of betraying you. But he threatened to kill us. We had no choice but to listen to
him." The woman looked at Anne with apologetic eyes; she felt guilty. "Cora has told me that you are a
good boss. She is grateful to work in your company. My daughter would never think of betraying you.
But we are ordinary people. We had no other choice. We only want to earn money to make ends meet
and live a peaceful life. But..."
Cora's mother choked with sobs.
Anne shook her head as tears pricked her eyes.
Her anger and hatred towards Kim intensified. The man was torturing everyone around her. She would
never forgive him for his demonic deeds.
Anne clenched her fists and walked up to Cora's mother. She held her hands and sighed. "I understand
your situation. Don't worry; I won't call the police. Now that I am here, I have an idea to protect you!"
The woman looked at Anne as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was lost for words. After all,
Anne and Kevin were the most powerful people in the city.
"Anne," called a faint voice.
Anne looked up and saw Cora. The woman was standing b by the bedroom door, looking at Anne with
guilty eyes. Her face was ghastly pale.
She respected Anne and was always indebted to her. She was a loyal employee. However,
circumstances had forced her to betray her boss. The woman regretted her decision every
day.
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