In the Well Hotel.
The bed looked so inviting with the fluffy, white sheets draped over it.
Rose lay on the bed, looking anything but well-rested.
"No, no, let me go." With a scream, Rose swiftly sat up on the bed.
Her eyes were instantly filled with panic when she saw that she was in a hotel. After a while, she came
back to her senses and realized that this was her room.
"Mr. Mark, what are you doing here?" Rose asked in horror.
When she recalled what had happened yesterday, she remembered that she had run into a terrible guy
at the bar and Mark had saved her.
"Good. You're awake I'm leaving now," Mark said coolly.
He had only stayed because he was worried about Rose. Now that he could be sure she was fine, it
was time for him to leave.
"Don't go yet," Rose pleaded, still traumatized from the events of yesterday.
Mark stopped in his tracks as a bitter smile formed on his mouth. In all honestly, he didn't want to stay
because she was Kevin's fiancee and he didn't like Kevin. He also thought that it wasn't a good idea to
be in the same hotel room with someone who was already engaged. Unfortunately, he wasn't the type
to refuse people.
"Miss Rose, are you still scared? Do you want me to ask Kevin to accompany you?" He felt that what
Rose needed more now was Kevin.
A momentary confusion flashed in Rose's eyes. She was almost certain that Kevin wouldn't come even
if something serious had happened to her.
"It's fine. I'm sure he's very busy. I was just a little shaken up. If you have something to do, you can
leave now. I'm sorry for bothering you," Rose said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.
She clutched her legs against her chest and rested her chin above it, a blank look on her face.
Mark's heart softened as guilt welled up inside him.
"Well, I guess I can stay for a little longer. I can leave at around six." He glanced at his watch—it was
only five in the afternoon.
"Only an hour..." Rose mumbled, sighing.
"Well, I'm glad to have someone with me." After all, if Mark insisted on leaving, she could do nothing to
stop him.
"Mr. Mark, why are you being so kind?" she asked in curiosity.
"Well, I'm not always so patient, you know. Maybe I just got used to my brother bullying me that I
eventually developed a good temper." Mark smiled gently. While he liked teasing his brother, he was
very close to him.
"It must have been fun to have a brother as a child. I probably have a sibling but I've never met him or
her. I don't know what he or she looks like either," Rose said worriedly.
Although Mark didn't know what she was talking about, he merely nodded with a smile in response.
In the AN Group.
Kevin's office had been closed. He looked tired and absent-minded as he perused through documents.
Suddenly, a knock came on the door. Kevin grabbed the remote control by his side and pressed a
button that removed the door screen. His assistant then came into a view holding a piece of paper.
His assistant came in. Distress laced in his tone, he said, "Mr. Kevin, you've already postponed all the
work. We only have until next month. This is the contract of the KIA Group. We need to sign this right
away. It's already been delayed for more than a year. The KIA Group is quickly rising. We need to
establish good relations with them. We can't alienate them right now especially considering their rapid
progress."
"Postpone it." Kevin was in a terrible mood. He couldn't care less about the KIA Group right now.
"Got it. I'm leaving now, Mr. Kevin," his assistant said.
As his assistant turned to leave, Kevin suddenly stopped him.
"Do you know where Anne is?" It was typical of Kevin to be cold and distant. Most employees were
already accustomed to this.
"Not yet," his assistant responded nervously.
The disappointment in Kevin's face was undeniable at the mention of Anne.
He had been working for Kevin for about three or four years now. As far as he could recall, Kevin
despised Anne. Thus, seeing Kevin so concerned and worried about Anne now came as a surprise to
him.
"I'm doing all I can to find her. I assure you I'll locate her, Mr. Kevin," his assistant said affirmatively.
"You can leave now." Despair filled Kevin.
Previously, he'd always been able to find her. But things seemed different this time around—it was
almost as if she disappeared without a trace, nowhere to be found.
"Anne? Where the hell are you?" Kevin cried in anguish.
He was slowly losing motivation to go on with his life. Even then, he knew that none of this would be
happening if it weren't for his own mistakes. All of this was his fault. He never would've lost Anne had
he treated her better.
In the office of the KIA Group.
The documents that had been returned lay on the white leather sofa.
"What's going on?" Ryan asked coldly as he gestured to the documents.
"The AN Group returned them. They said they were going to discuss it at a later time," the assistant
said cautiously. Recently, business wasn't going well which could explain Ryan's bad temper. The
assistant was visibly shaking in his knees—one wrong word from him and Ryan could explode.
"Get out," Ryan ordered, his voice dripping with wrath.
After the assistant left, Ryan pounded his fists on the table.
"Kevin, are you purposely retaliating against me? Is this still about what happened last time?" He
smoldered with resentment.
This was just the tip of the iceberg. As a child, he had always liked Anne. Since she wasn't financially
capable to help him, he had to turn to others for help. Now that he was doing great, Kevin had already
taken Anne away. How could he not hate Kevin?
"I will find a way to defeat you, Kevin. Just wait and see." He balled his hands into fists. Donned in his
black, he looked strikingly somber.
In the Greenlight Forest.
Every now and then, a few customers would come in. The old-fashioned chairs were arranged neatly
inside. The coffee shop was serene—never having too many customers that would disturb its peace.
Each table was provided with a soundproof door made of glass.
Anne had agreed to meet Mark here.
"Anne, over here." When he glimpsed Anne, he walked out of his booth and waved at her.
"Sorry, I'm late," Anne said.
"It's fine. I only waited for a bit. It's quiet in here. You seem energetic today," Mark commented.
"Thank you. So what's up?" Anne was curious because Mark seemed a little anxious when he called. It
wasn't like she could help him in any way.
"Here's the thing. I think you're getting bored spending all your time alone. Our company needs a new
series of designs. I was thinking if you could help us with the designs. We'll pay you well," Mark said
bashfully.
In this regard, Trey was a perfect business man. If it would help his business, Trey wouldn't hesitate to
do it. Mark wasn't like that.
He saw his friends as people he could turn to for help—not for business. This could explain the
embarrassment on his face as he pitched the idea to Anne.
Anne smiled. "Is this your idea, Mark? I'm good. I'm not struggling financially or anything. I have funds."
"No, no, no. It was my brother's idea. He was the one who told me to invite you. Your designs are
amazing, you know," Mark praised her generously.
In reality, he was concerned about Anne. He figured if he invited Anne to work, she would be
preoccupied enough to not dwell on her sad thoughts. Likewise, he was also worried about her
financial situation.
Her shares had just arrived this year and dividend checks weren't due until the end of the year. She
couldn't use that money yet. If she did, Kevin would be able to trace her location.
"Well, I'll try my best and I won't let you down," Anne agreed.
Mark heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
The two enjoyed their coffee. Anne then asked, "Why didn't you come yesterday? I thought we were
going to talk."
Mark had initially wanted to talk about Rose but since she was Kevin's fiancee, he decided against it.
"I had something urgent to deal with. I got home late. I'm sorry, Anne. Today's coffee is on me," Mark
said shyly.
"It's not a big deal. But you'll never find a girlfriend with that attitude," Anne teased.
Even though she was the same age as Mark, she always thought him to be someone who was simple
and easygoing. Meanwhile, she had experienced too much trauma already. She was jaded. She might
be young but her heart had grown old and weary from all that she had gone through.
"Anne, don't make fun of me. I like someone already," Mark said timidly.
"Who is it? Have you told her already?" Anne couldn't help but be curious about the lucky lady that
Mark had set his eyes on.
"I don't know yet. I don't know if I should tell her or not. Let's wait and see." As Mark spoke, he carefully
studied the expression on Anne's face, fearing that she would figure him out.
"That's good. But if you like someone, it's best if you should tell her as soon as possible. What if she
likes you back? Then you two could be together. If she doesn't like you back then you don't have to
fawn on her anymore. Otherwise, you might end up like me—miserable and all that." Smiling, Anne
took a sip of coffee.
Although she missed Eddy very much, she was growing more and more optimistic.
"I'll think about it. She's going through something right now. I only want to talk to her about it when
she's in a better place. Oh, I found these books for you. It's about custody over children. You can read
them. It should be helpful for you."
He then took out several books and placed them on the table.
"Thank you." Anne was deeply touched.
At that moment, she realized that she was surrounded by friends—Emily, Sam and now, Mark and Ian.
She reflected on how fortunate she was. If she could just forget about Kevin then her life would be
better.
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. Feel free to call me anytime," Mark offered.
"I'll do that. I'll never give up on my son." Anne clenched her fists in determination. The look on her face
had drastically shifted.
If Emily was there, she'd be astounded at the lengths people were willing to go to just to help Anne.
The usual arrogant queen in her eyes could actually look so sweet.
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