The AN Group was safe now, but Kevin still hadn't been found. Even Kim, who was sure that Kevin had
died during the duel couldn't help but feel nervous now.
Although Mount YS was a dangerous place, there were no beasts or wild animals that might have
eaten the corpse. He couldn't understand why they hadn't found Kevin's body yet.
Late at one night, Kim was standing on the top floor, sipping on red wine. A frown lined his forehead.
It had been two weeks since Kevin had gone missing, but Sam and his team hadn't stopped their
searching spree. They were still looking for him everywhere.
Kim's plan would end in vain if the man was still alive.
The thought frightened him. He took out the phone from his pocket and called Anne.
The woman had been suffering from insomnia ever since Kevin had gone missing -- she couldn't sleep
even for a second. Anne was staring at the ceiling, thinking about her husband. Just then, her phone
blared, breaking her train of thoughts.
She frowned, wondering who would call her at this hour.
The name on the caller ID sent a shiver down her spine. Her body stiffened.
Kim hadn't contacted her after she had promised to marry him. However, his unexpected call at this
hour made her think of the worst.
She rubbed her forehead and finally answered the call.
"Anne, I have given you two weeks. I can't wait any longer. We will register our marriage in three days!"
Kim said menacingly, without any room for discussion.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Anne asked in shock.
"I have given you two whole weeks to look for Kevin, but there is still no information about him. It has
been two weeks since the man fell off the cliff. Do you think he would have come to you if he were still
alive? He is dead! Don't you understand that? I can't wait any longer!" he barked.
Anne's heart sank. At first, she was sure that everything was Kevin's plan. However, the man hadn't
tried contacting her.
Anne loved Kevin with all her heart, and she knew that he loved her too.
Kevin knew that she would be worried to death if he went missing for a long time.
She couldn't understand why he hadn't bothered contacting her. Why was he hiding?
"It has only been two weeks since Kevin has gone missing. The Civil Affairs Bureau won't file a
divorce," said Anne. "It will take at least two years."
Kim guffawed as if he had heard the stupidest thing in the world. "A golden key can open any door. You
don't need to worry about all that. I'll wait for you at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau at 9 a.m.
tomorrow!"
He hung up the call, leaving no chance for her to answer.
The mayor had accepted Brandon as his son-in-law. The people in the city respected him. With the
boy's help, Kim could get whatever he wanted without any hassle.
Anne clutched her phone and closed her eyes. Her body began to tremble as fear wracked her nerves.
However, she didn't shed a drop of tear.
'Kevin, did you hear what he said? If I don't marry him, Kim will acquire our company and tear it apart.
I'm afraid that he'd do something crazy. I have no choice but to marry him.
Where on earth are you now? Will you come back to me or not?' Anne could only cry to herself. A
thousand questions swarmed her head every day, but she couldn't find the answer to any.
Anne sighed and poured herself a glass of brandy. She opened the curtains and looked out of the
window.
The sky looked pitch black. Thick foams of cloud hid the stars. However, the bright neon lights
illuminated the streets, dispelling hope and terror.
'Are we under the same sky?' she wondered.
Anne shook her head and laughed at her fate. She took a sip of brandy, feeling stupid. The drink
burned down her throat and stomach.
She had been drinking for the past two weeks to ease the pain in her heart. However, she could feel
nothing but pain and despair. The silence of the night killed her. However, listening to people talking
about her husband's death broke her heart even more. Every day was torture.
"Kevin, it has been two weeks since you left us, but I still believe that you are alive. I don't care if it is
two weeks or two decades. I will still wait for you to come back!" Her fingers loosened, and the glass
fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Rage and madness blazed in her eyes.
Kim wanted to get married to her. Anne had no choice but to agree to him because her decision would
affect the company and her children.
But she would never give herself to Kim. If he forced her, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
Anne could never let another man lay a finger on her.
The night elapsed as the sun peeked out -- it was dawn again. However, Anne was still standing in the
exact same place, staring out of the window.
She was ready to face whatever came her way.
Her phone rang again. Anne looked at the screen and found that it was Kim again.
Anger and disgust crossed her face. She stared out of the window like a stone statue.
A few seconds later, the phone stopped ringing. Soon a message flashed on the screen.
Anne let out a weary sigh and checked the message. "Don't challenge me. I think you know what I am
capable of doing!"
She looked at the ceiling, feeling numb.
A knock on the door forced Anne to stop thinking. She trudged forward and opened the door. Selma
was standing outside.
Her hair had turned grey; she had lost a lot of weight in two weeks.
The woman looked at Anne with teary eyes.
Anne gathered herself and wiped the tears on Selma's face. "Mom, don't cry!"
She had sent a message to Selma at dawn, informing her that she was going to marry Kim.
Selma shook her head and swept Anne into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Anne. I'm so sorry. Everything
is my fault. I'm so sorry. Don't listen to him, Anne. The company isn't as important to us as you are. We
can't afford to lose you for the sake of the company. You don't need to suffer like this. Please don't
marry Kim."
Selma couldn't watch her daughter-in-law marry a heartless monster.
The fact that they hadn't found Kevin's body yet ignited a spark of hope in her heart.
Maybe Kevin was still living somewhere in this world, and it was her responsibility to protect Anne and
the children for him.
"Anne, please listen to me!
I have never asked you anything before; this is my only request to you. Please don't do anything
stupid." Selma grabbed Anne's shoulders and began shaking her repeatedly.
Anne trembled with fear. She threw herself into the woman's arms for comfort.
She didn't want to marry Kim either. She hoped that there was another solution to the problem.
However, Anne had no other choice but to obey him.
"Mom, do you have faith in me? Do you trust Kevin?" Anne held Selma's shoulders and stared into her
eyes.
The woman sucked in a big breath. She knew the meaning behind her words.
Anne was asking Selma if she would accept her as her daughter-in-law if she returned to the Fu Family
after Kevin came back.
Anne had been through a lot; she had sacrificed herself for the Fu Family. Selma would never drive her
away.
"Anne, I'm not a heartless woman. I know what you have done for the family. Don't worry. You will be
my daughter-in-law as long as I am alive."
Anne's body visibly relaxed. She hugged her tightly as tears continued to stream down her face and
drip onto Selma's neck.
A wave of gratitude washed over her. Anne had been worried about what Selma might think, but the
woman understood her decision and why she was doing this.
It was Anne's responsibility to take care of the family and the company. She had to solve all the
problems before Kevin came back.
Anne took a deep breath, stepped out of Selma's embrace, and left. She had already wasted a lot of
time wondering what to do. However, she realized that fighting her enemy was the only solution to the
problem.
Anne had lost a lot of weight; she looked skinny. Although her body had grown weak, she was mentally
strong.
Selma closed her eyes. Her heart broke a little more with every step Anne took away from her. 'Anne,
no matter what the future holds for us, you will always be my daughter-in-law. No one will ever replace
you in my life.'
Brandon was waiting outside the Fu Family's residence in his car. Anne got inside and rested her head
on the seat, dreading what was about to happen.
Brandon glanced at the woman through the mirror, with a sneer at the corners of his mouth.
'It doesn't matter whether you are willing to marry my boss or not. You have to!' He sneered. Brandon
was happy that the arrogant woman had no choice but to marry his boss.
His respect for Kim intensified as he had managed to make the woman oblige to his orders.
"Anne." Brandon turned around and smiled at her. "Congratulations on your marriage with my boss."
Anne's body began to tremble. She clenched her palm and glared at him.
The smirk on his face annoyed her. She knew that the boy was trying to provoke her.
"Shut up and drive the car!" she snapped.
Brandon arched his brows and studied her face before laughing. "You are my boss's wife now. I will
definitely listen to you."
Anne looked out of the window and continued to ignore him.
Brandon was bored. He turned the music on and drove to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
The place was relatively vacant; only a few people were standing outside. Tears prickled Anne's eyes
as she looked into the office.
'Kevin, I have to divorce you first in order to marry Kim. Do you know that?' Anne hated the fact that her
life was spiraling out of control. She didn't have the heart to divorce Kevin -- her heart belonged to him,
and it always would.
"Let's go inside." Kim smiled at Anne, ushering her in. The tenderness of his voice infuriated her.
She gritted her teeth and followed him.
A permanent smile was etched on Kim's face. Although he knew that Anne had agreed to marry him
only for the sake of the company and family, he was happy that she would be his wife soon.
However, an unexpected problem killed his happiness in an instant.
A glitch in the data bank caused a problem in retrieving the data. Anne couldn't get a divorce today;
therefore, Kim couldn't marry her either.
Anne closed her eyes and silently thanked God for saving her at the last minute.
"When will it get fixed?" Kim asked impatiently.
"I'm sure we will get it fixed by Monday!" the staff assured.
Anne suppressed a smile that was fighting to break out. 'Today is Friday, and they don't work on
weekends. I still have three days to escape from this marriage.'
Anne knew that escaping from the marriage was next to impossible. But she prayed for some miracle
to save her from the vindictive man.
"I'm going back." Anne turned on her heels and left.
Kim's face reddened with rage. He pounded the table with his fist and followed her.
The man had waited all his life to marry Anne. Therefore, he didn't bother waiting for three more days.
Anne didn't want Brandon to drop her home. Therefore, she took a taxi to the Fu Family's residence.
Selma had been restless from the moment Anne left the house. She had been waiting at the door. Her
racing heart returned to normal when she saw Anne.
"Anne? Are you okay?" Selma asked, holding her arm.
"Yeah. There was a problem with the data bank. They asked us to come on Monday," she answered,
smiling weakly.
Selma's eyes lit up with joy. "I didn't think there would be any problem at the Civil Affairs Bureau. But
this is great!" she exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief.
Anne nodded. She had never heard of such a bizarre thing before. However, it had worked to her
advantage. She still had three days to think of something.
'Kevin, where are you now? Can you come back in three days? I can't escape if you don't come to save
me by then.'
Anne held Selma's hand smiled. "Mom, let's go inside."
Selma followed her, praying for Kevin to come back soon before it was too late.
Anne was both physically and emotionally drained. She decided to go to her room and rest. They had
discharged Eddy from the hospital. The boy was resting in his room.
Moreover, keeping the children's safety in mind, Anne barred Simon and Sally from going out. The two
kids were bored -- they stayed with Eddy at all times.
On her way to the bedroom, Anne stopped at Eddy's room. The door was half-opened, and the
children's conversation was audible from outside.
She couldn't stop herself from listening to what they were talking.
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