In the old house of the Fu Family.
Rose sat in front of the vanity table, browsing her WeChat moments as she carefully applied a delicate
face mask onto her skin.
At that moment, a knock came from her door. Quickly, she took of her mask and went to see who it
was. Upon opening the door, she saw Selma's scornful face.
Seeing Rose's face still wet and unkempt, Selma let out a sigh. "Rose, you and Kevin have already
been engaged. Yet why does it seem like you don't even care?"
The accusation took Rose aback as she blinked in surprise.
"Kevin is very busy with his work," Rose defended. "In fact, he might be in the middle of negotiating a
contract right now. How can I disturb him at a time like this?"
Even though she said this, she really did not know what Kevin was doing as he wasn't so keen on
telling her anything.
Narrowing her eyes, Selma crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh really? And how can you be so sure
that that's what he's doing?" Selma frowned and said.
"What else would he be doing then?" Rose countered. In her eyes, she saw Kevin as a busy man
devoted to his work.
Hearing this, Selma slightly raised an eyebrow at her. "If you must know, I found that Kevin had grown
quite close to Anne," she said matter-of-factly. "Don't forget that I've agreed to your marriage with my
son because I was hoping that you would take good care of him. You better live up to those
expectations, and make sure he doesn't fall out of love with you."
'What?' Rose thought, her heart sinking at Selma's words. 'Was Kevin... really seeing Anne?'
The sweet smile on her face faded away as her eyes darkened. "Don't worry, mom," she said solemnly.
"I'll make sure Kevin doesn't leave me."
"Good. Remember, it's all up to you. If you get hurt by the end of it, then it is no one's fault but yours."
Then Selma left.
Slowly, Rose closed the door and went to sit back in front of her vanity table. There was a restlessness
stirring in her heart as she gazed upon her reflection.
'Anne better not get too comfortable with my man. I won't allow it.'
All this time, she didn't think that anything was wrong with her relationship with Kevin. As long as Kevin
still came home to her, she couldn't care less about what other people said.
In the AN Group.
It was office hours, and everyone set about with their tasks in a disciplined and orderly manner.
Rose had decided to pay Kevin a little visit. For the occasion, she decided to dress up with a white
gauze dress and a thick, mink coat. Everything about her exhumed beauty and luxury.
"Stop. What is your business here?" the security guard at the door asked.
Before Rose could say anything, he recognized her at the next second and bowed his head.
"Apologies, Mrs. Rose. Please, come right in."
With a small smile, Rose walked in and went straight to the CEO's office.
Upon getting there, however, she found that the office was locked.
"Where's Kevin?" asked Rose.
Looking around her, she saw the employees glancing at her with fear in their eyes.
"Mr. Kevin is not here. What can I do for you?" the assistant asked.
"Where is Kevin?" Rose's imposing manner immediately came out. Although she had a sweet
temperament, she was very intimidating when she had to be.
"We don't know. Mr. Kevin left early today. I think he might have had a meeting," the assistant replied
with his head down.
But Rose knew that this was not the case. If Kevin really was on a business meeting, the assistant
would've known about it.
"Okay." With a shrug, Rose turned around and left.
Although there was anger boiling up inside her, she said nothing more and walked out of the building.
'Selma was right,' she thought, clenching her teeth. 'I'm sure Kevin's with Anne right now.'
Meanwhile, in a western restaurant.
Waiters in sleek, black tuxedos walked from table to table, expertly attending to all of the customers'
needs. A string quartet played in the corner, adding to the elegant ambiance of the restaurant.
Sitting opposite to Kevin, Anne didn't say anything nor did she look up to meet his eyes.
Soon enough, their food arrived. Taking a deep, resigned breath, Anne picked up a knife and fork and
slowly cut through her steak she ordered.
A pang of pain surged up Kevin's heart. Anne had always been shutting him out, and it was not easy
for him to ask her out this time.
"So have you thought about what I said?" Kevin asked.
All of a sudden, Anne froze. Carefully, she laid back her fork and knife back on her plate, looking up to
sneer at him. "Do you really think I can accept this, Kevin? Rose is your fiancee. After you get your way
with her in bed, you want to come back to me? Don't be so naive."
Sure enough, he understood that it was indeed because of what Rose had said to her that her
resistance to him was so resolute.
"That's because my mother drugged me. I was caught off guard." Even though he tried to explain, Anne
shook her head, not planning on listening to another word he said.
"Sorry, I don't want to hear any more excuses. All I know is that the damage has been done. Please, do
not bother me again." Standing up, she grabbed her bag and quickly made her leave. Cussing under
his breath, Kevin slammed his fist on the table. Leaning back on his seat, he rubbed his forehead,
trying desperately to keep his temper.
Night befell upon the city.
Even though it was growing late, the lights in the old house of the Fu Family were still on.
Rose had been waiting for Kevin to come home.
A while later, she heard a car pull up at the driveway. Excitement filled her heart as she quickly came to
greet Kevin. 'He's back! Of course he's back! This is his home, after all,' she chirped in her thoughts.
"Welcome home, Kevin," she greeted him in a loving voice, as soon as he stepped out of his car. "Have
you eaten dinner yet? I can ask the cook to make your favorite dishes."
However, Kevin simply walked past her coldly. "No," he answered bluntly.
There wasn't a time wherein he didn't act so callously towards her, and this was making her more and
more disappointed. Before going up the stairs, he looked back at her with his deep, black eyes. "Come
up to the bedroom with me. I have something to tell you."
Seeing the angry look on his eyes, she couldn't help but feel a bit worried and scared. But she knew
that she didn't have much of a choice but to follow what he said. With a frown, she followed behind him
obediently.
The warm lights made the bedroom look nice and cozy. However, it was not enough to soften the harsh
look on Kevin's face. Rose closed the door behind her, waiting for him to say something. "Kevin?" she
finally said, breaking the silence. "What did you want to tell me?"
"Did you tell Anne that something happened between us?" With his back still towards her, she could
only imagine the aggrieved look on his face at that moment.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulder. "Yes, I did," she said bluntly. "Why, did I say
something wrong? We're engaged now, Kevin. Your mother has already given us her blessing. Why are
you still insisting on being with her? I've made so many compromises for you already. What else do I
need to do?"
"It's none of your business, Rose!" He turned around and towered over her, his nostrils flaring in anger.
"I'm warning you one last time to stay away from Anne. If you know what's good for you, then don't
interfere ever again."
"So that it's then?" A sarcastic smile formed on her thin lips. "You're so willing to just toss me aside for
Anne? Just please tell me what I did wrong for you to treat me like this!"
"I don't like you. I never will." Turning around, he walked up to the bed and sat at the edge of the
mattress, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
All of a sudden, Rose felt as if she were in an ice cave. She had made so much effort to make her
relationship with Kevin work, yet it was still not enough.
If there really was no room for her in his heart, there was really nothing she could do that was right.
Rose dropped to the floor, feeling her body go numb. Still, Kevin didn't care for this woman in front of
him. Standing up, he walked past her and left the house as quickly as he came.
It was as if his arrival was a short gust of wind, coming in one window and out another. But the damage
had been done. Rose's heart was shattered in pieces within the few minutes he was there.
His words kept ringing in her thoughts as she sat in the bedroom all by herself. 'Anne, why did you
come between us again and again? I will let you quit eventually,' she said to herself.
She loved Kevin so much that she determined to keep him in her life. 'If I can't have Kevin, no one can,'
she thought determinedly.
The night grew deeper, easily hiding all the remorse and resentment in people's hearts.
In the M Group.
Since the new design was going to be displayed in France, one designer had to go there and draw
inspiration from the city to make their cooperation with the S Group as prudent as possible. This was
the biggest project M Group had had yet.
The only problem now was for the designer team to choose who would go on the business trip to Paris.
Of course, everyone inevitably wanted to go abroad and get exposed to other forms of designs,
especially from a city as reputable as Paris. However, the design was due in a month's time. On top of
that, the new domestic designs were set to come out soon.
As long as the company had enough exposure, they would finally be recognized as a first-class
establishment in the country. However, the cooperation with S Group was an opportunity that did not
come too often. Although there was no guarantee that this project would become a success, it would
certainly pay off as it would give the company an international spotlight.
"I think it's better to let Anne go," Trey said carefully as he looked thoughtfully at Anne.
"Are you sure about that? Even though her works are really famous here in this country, we can't
guarantee if she could handle this project just as well," Mark argued. In truth, he was rather worried
about the idea of Anne being in a different country all by herself.
"Look, I know you're worried," Trey said. "And I know that we can't just abandon our domestic
reputation. But this could be a really good thing for our company. Besides, Ian has an upcoming
business trip to France. I'm sure he won't mind taking care of Anne while she's there. From what I've
heard, they're rather good friends."
Mark blinked in surprise. "They knew each other before? Why didn't I know about this?"
Seeing the look on Mark's face, Trey couldn't help but sigh. It was so easy to see what was on Mark's
mind, the same was it was easy to see what was on Ian's. The little girl that Ian often mentioned in the
past was none other than Anne.
Otherwise, why else would Ian go out of his way to help this woman again and again?
"Well, he didn't say this to me exactly. Sometimes it just not that difficult to figure some people out.
Anyway, it's done. Tell Anne later about the news so she can prepare to leave."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Mark walked out of the office. A frown appeared on Trey's face. Even
though he knew that Ian and Mark had only a single woman in their minds, there was no need to
expose it at the risk of ruining their friendship. Moreover, at the state things were currently, no one had
a chance of getting what they wanted either way.
He knew this much since he was an outsider in these people's messy and tangled lives.
Leaning against the chair, he lightly rubbed his temples, trying to ease the headache he was having.
It was impossible to tell for how long he could hide things from her. But Anne was a master of her work.
Only she could find a new way if she went to Paris. The other designers weren't as flexible and
innovative as she was.
"Anne, the faith of this company is in your hands now."
Trey clenched his fists, his eyes full of expectation and determination.
In her office, Anne admired the small, succulent plants on her desk. They were cute, and offered a
rather calming atmosphere. She couldn't remember who had given them to her, but she felt happy in
her heart nevertheless.
'It's so much easier to be in the company of plants than with people,'
she thought, smiling to herself contentedly.
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