"Ah!" Eddy screamed out in a jiff and then stretched his arm to tweak Anne's dangling lobe. When his
soft fingertips grazed Anne's ear, she was surprised to feel something firm hit the back of her auricle.
She was never fond of earrings, so she was stunned to find out that she was wearing a pair that day.
Eddy gently fiddled with the gem and her earlobe. It seemed that he loved the dazzling jewelry in his
mother's ears. His lips were drooling as he stuck his tongue out, and his smile was full of satisfaction.
"Baby, can Mommy take off her earrings for a while?" Her mind unconsciously deduced that it must be
Kevin who slipped the precious trinkets into her lobes. No wonder why she felt something strange last
night. Was it a gift from him?
Anne regained her composure. She came to her senses after a second
because Eddy seemed to not want to let go of the earrings.
"Miss Anne, the young master likes your earrings very much. You should wear them more often in the
future. This is the most exquisite pair I've ever seen in my life. It's so elegant and lavish." The servant
took Eddy from Anne’s embrace as she spoke her praises. She took the baby for a walk to see other
places and improve his familiarity with the environment.
After they disappeared from her sight, Anne rushed to the bathroom and faced the mirror. When she
was about to take the glistening accessory off, she was in awe to see that the intricate design was a
broken wing.
Seeing the fallen pinion, she felt like her vision entered a tunnel of blinding spectrum of memories, and
landed in the past, back to the summer when she was seventeen years old.
In her reminiscence, it was still quiet in the classroom, and there were few people inside. This was just
what a noble school was like. The people in there were all children from wealthy families. Most of them
were destined for greatness and the future successor of their respective clans, so few of them would
really study hard at school.
Anne was one of the students admitted to the school. She didn't have many friends, and because of
Cherry slithering behind her back, everyone hated her.
Surprisingly, Kevin was also in the classroom which made Anne very curious. Why was he in the
classroom? Was he also a person who found the bustling joy amidst the deafening quiet?
When Anne blushed from the thought that they finally had something in common, another boy came
and interrupted her daydreaming.
The voice came from a boy who just came from a nearby school that was also sophisticated and
famous in A City. At first glance, you would know that this kid was a bully. He was unruly which was the
exact opposite of Kevin’s good conduct. When he looked at people, he was very aggressive and
intimidating so Anne was inexplicably scared of him.
"Mr. Qi, is there something that you can do better than me?" At that time, Kevin was not as fierce as he
was today, but he couldn't contain his arrogance when he spoke.
"You seem to be nervous. How could the heir of the Fu Family be afraid of being second to
something?" The man chuckled as he rolled a small stone in his hand.
Perhaps she liked Kevin very much and that was why she ultimately despised that boy's existence. She
never bothered knowing his name and the sight of him just made her sick.
But it was because of this man that Kevin came to know what she liked and sent her the gift.
"Why would I be afraid? Nothing about you scares me. You’ve got to be joking." Kevin stared at the
man with a bland and calm expression.
"We’re both the top-notch students our schools brag about. Why don't we leave the decision to her?"
As he spoke, the boy surnamed Qi leisurely walked towards Anne.
His wild and devilish laughter made Anne tremble like a handshake. "Tell me, what do you admire the
most?"
'Oh my God, Kevin’s looking at me,' thought Anne as her face blushed red like a tomato. Since she fell
in love with Kevin, she had been carefully piecing out the puzzle about his preferences. Everything
about him was so discreet that she could not afford to spill her secrets, but she had never expected
that the day would come for her to tell Kevin what she liked.
She felt so pleased that she remained quiet like a lifeless doll for a few seconds.
"Why aren’t you saying anything? No wonder why you are such a loner. You are a mute!" The boy
reached out and flicked her head with a perplexing expression in his gaze.
Hearing his words, Anne was deeply humiliated. At that time, she hadn't completely adapted to the
lifestyle on campus. She looked at Kevin and thought that they had at least talked to each other before,
so she expected that Kevin would stand up to help her,
but that was not the case. There was no manifestation of concern in his numbing eyes.
The high hopes in Anne's heart slowly pummeled on a downward spiral and disappeared into a pale
disappointment.
Why would Kevin save the damsel in distress? He was not her friend in the first place.
"I can talk. I’m not mute! What I like most are fallen wings like the broken pinions of an angel, aching
but magnificent." Suddenly, Anne lifted her tenacious eyes and porcelain face as she spoke for herself
with conviction.
The boy's countenance was baffled. He grinned, and said, "It seems like we’re up for a painting
competition. How about we draw vis-à-vis and let her choose the winning portrayal? The winner is
declared the best."
She quickly grew reckless in anticipation of seeing Kevin's work, but he had thought the other way. He
said coldly, "Why would you let this little fool decide such a verdict?"
Kevin stared her down from her eyes to her fiddling toes. Although Anne looked aloof, inside her chest,
her heart was throbbing in depression. In fact, she wanted to tell Kevin that she was good at painting
and her opinions were valid. In the end, she chose to keep her tongue tethered and swallow her pride.
"Kevin, you are really narrow-minded. If you believe in your work, everyone's comments would be the
same. Are you abstaining from this because you are not sure that you can defeat me?" said the bully
mockingly.
"Who cares about what they say? Let's do it," Kevin said arrogantly.
The result was apparent. Sadly, that boy overlooked Anne's ulterior infatuation.
Kevin's artwork was an oil painting on canvas. The gorgeous colors contrasted the dark background
that lurked the fragmented but vibrant wings. The piece gave a magnificent sense of sadness that
instantly tickled Anne's interest.
The other young man's representation used graphite sketching as a medium. His portrait boasted
feathers scattered in chaos, a seeming teardrop of water dripping from the highlighted fallen wings, and
a few clouds in the rear sky.
The decision was easy. Of course, Kevin won the standoff. Anne liked Kevin and everything he did,
including his paintings at that time.
A gush of cold water knocked Anne back to her senses as she regained her peace of mind inside the
quiet bathroom.
If Anne was given the chance to choose again, she would have picked the graphite drawing without
hesitation. She admitted to herself that the sketch was far more commendable. It was just that it was
the other boy's masterpiece, not Kevin's.
It was hard to imagine that there was someone who seemed as tough as a boulder but had the most
fragile sentiments in his heart.
After his heartbreak, Anne never saw the boy again. He seemed to have barged in out of nowhere and
then vanish in a snap like he had never appeared.
She took the earrings off and examined the design which was the living images of the broken wings
that Kevin painted that day. She scoffed and put the earrings into the box and walked out of the
lavatory.
She didn't need the love she had outgrown for so many years.
In AN Group, Kevin was holding a cup of coffee, but he was not in a hurry to drink it. Instead, he
allowed the aromatic fragrance of caffeine to encapsulate the four corners of his office.
His eyes were deep like the pitch-black sofa at the other end of the room.
No matter how furious he was with Anne this morning, he still wanted to go back to see her.
"Mr. Kevin, the meeting with the senior executives of KIA Group is arranged. They need you to come to
the Starry Hotel this afternoon," the assistant reported the schedule to Kevin with urgency.
With a sudden turn, Kevin's bad mood became ghastly. He grimaced as his face darkened at the
thought of the past relationship between Anne and Ryan.
"Didn't the CEO of the KIA Group say that there was something wrong with the previous contract? He
did not plan to sign it before, so why did he come running back to our doorsteps?" Kevin asked frankly.
He got riled up at the indirect mention of Ryan.
"But Mr. Kevin, you have already agreed to this." Seeing that Kevin was steaming on both ears, the
assistant was speechless, but she still patiently reminded him of his commitment.
"I know. Let the KIA Group wait. I'll finalize my decision in a few days," Kevin said dismissively. The
assistant felt embarrassed about the sudden change of course.
Why didn't Kevin tell her earlier? Why did he alter his mind now that the people of the KIA Group had
been waiting for him?
"But Mr. Kevin, they had already arrived…"
The assistant struggled to even say a word the last time, but she was immobilized by Kevin's deadly
stare.
"Do you have the final say in this company?" Kevin asked again.
"Of course not, Mr. Kevin. It's all up to you," the assistant said cautiously knowing that any minute now
her boss might burst into flames.
"Well, since I make the final decision, don't talk so much nonsense, will you? You have done a lot of
similar work in the AN Group. I think you can handle this."
Kevin sat on the chair, turned around his seat, and looked at his assistant dead in the eye.
The oppressive gaze made the assistant more terrified.
"But of course, I don't bother if you are not familiar with how do deal with such things. It is a required
skill for the AN Group. I can send you somewhere to learn it if you want," Kevin said in a half-joking and
half-threatening tone.
"No, Mr. Kevin. I'll be right on it. Please wait for my good news." After saying that, the assistant
promptly walked out and closed the door, fearing that if Kevin expelled her from the company, there
would be no hope for the rest of her life.
The door fastened and Kevin still couldn't hold back his rage. He chugged half the cup of the cold
coffee in his hand, becoming soberer and severely irritable.
In the VIP room of the Starry Hotel.
The luxurious crystal chandelier kindled hundreds of lusters as if a handful of twinkling stars were
floating above everyone, making the room brilliantly golden.
The senior executives of the KIA Group waited meticulously around a big table that could
accommodate up to thirty-six people!
Last time, their CEO delayed the contract and they failed to go into a partnership with AN Group. So,
this time around, they were hoping to seize the rare second opportunity.
"Hello, gentlemen. I do apologize, but our CEO has some very urgent matters to deal with. I'm afraid he
can't attend today’s meeting. We will do our best to arrange his schedule next time and reach an
agreement with you as soon as possible." The moment Kevin's assistant spilled the bad news, the
executives' faces took a U-turn.
"What do you mean? We've been waiting here for hours. Are you going to stand us up? The AN Group
is taking this too far." The gentlemen complained which made Kevin's assistant feel nauseous.
"I'm sorry. Our company is in a financial crisis. As you know, if we cooperate with KIA Group, we will
have to put up a huge amount of money. No one wants to go bankrupt. So, let's wait patiently, okay? I’ll
keep everyone posted," said the assistant cleverly.
As expected, when it came to money, the executives became mute. They looked at Kevin's assistant
and said, "Well, we will go back and tell our CEO to make a decision next time."
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