To a certain extent, Anne was inclined to see Ryan. After all, his existence might help her get out of
here.
But she remembered clearly that he was dead. How could he appear in front of her alive? Also, he
seemed to know her very well.
"Anne, it seems that you're living a good life," said Ryan with a sincere smile.
"Compared to me, you're the one who has a better life, right?" The truth was, the fact that he was still
alive surprised her.
Before figuring out what happened, Anne had to make sure that Ryan would not figure out what she
was thinking. Otherwise, her plan would be futile.
"I think it's neither good nor bad. Besides, you should know that Kevin is against me all the time
because of you."
Anne had not heard Kevin's name for a long time. Hearing it now caused an inexplicable feeling in her
heart. After all, she could not pretend that nothing happened after all this time.
"Actually, I haven't seen him for a long time."
Two years had already passed. Nobody expected that things would turn out like this. They had no idea
how many people were affected because of that conspiracy.
But Ryan seemed very relaxed as if he had nothing to do with it. If he had not planned with Kim, it
would not have been easy for Kim to kidnap her.
As time went by, the resentment in her heart gradually lessened. Most of it had turned into mere
helplessness, which was obvious especially when facing Kim.
"Kevin has been looking for you all these years. Sadly, he is on a par with Nicholas. He can't take you
away."
Anne was unsure why Ryan said this. Was he trying to dispel her hopes? Perhaps he just wanted to
stir things up and break the peaceful relationship between her and Kim? Despite this, what she really
wanted was to use him so she could leave.
"Even if he's looking for me, what else can I do? Look at me. Does it look like it's possible for me to
leave this place?" She deliberately lowered her voice and feigned hopelessness. Besides, she had no
idea if Kim would be alerted by Ryan's sudden arrival.
After all, this was his place. With his vigilance, he would not allow any mistakes to happen for what he
had done, especially in this case that the person was one that he had killed. Perhaps Kim was aware
from the beginning that this person was not the real Ryan.
Kim must have only kept him alive because he was useful.
Anne's consideration was reasonable. Based on her understanding of Kim in the past two years, he did
not like things that could cause problems in the future.
"I don't think so. Maybe he'll think things through and let you go one day. Besides, you should know by
now that it's not easy to oppose Kevin."
As Anne heard his words, her lips curled in to a smile. "Do you still remember what Kim did to you that
day?" she suddenly said without a warning.
Ryan was stunned at her words. He looked at her in confusion, unable to understand what she was
trying to say.
Anne did not believe that he had an amnesia after being shot. Did he have a concussion some time
later?
Obviously, the problem was not here. His confused expression confirmed Anne's suspicion that the
person in front of her was not the Ryan she knew, but an impostor.
The way he portrayed Ryan was believable. Perhaps there was someone behind him who taught him.
But now, she could not care much.
Anne was not sure what the man in front of her was going to do. Honestly, she was impressed that his
expression was no different from that of Ryan. There was even a hint of joy in his eyes when he looked
at her.
But his actions were too obvious and deliberate. When did he start imitating Ryan? Perhaps this man
had known Ryan a long time ago when Ryan was still uninfluenced by greed. He was a good man
before.
If only nothing happened, she would have been ecstatic to meet her old classmate. She even might
have a crush on him. But now, it seemed as though this was a dream.
People were selfish. It was hard to believe that Ryan did not hesitate to let her and her child die for the
sake of his interests.
"Do you know why I came to see you?" In his eyes was a trace of tenderness. He must be trying to
convince Anne to believe him more.
Anne shook her head in response. After going through a lot, she was a little uncertain. The only
explanation why this person guarding her said that he knew Ryan was because he was instructed to.
Could all this be another trap?
Compared to her old self when she was still pregnant, maybe he thought that a mother of two children
was easier to manipulate.
"You must know what Nicholas did to me, right?" As he spoke of Kim, his mood obviously changed.
"Kevin's suppression of the KIA Group has put the company in jeopardy. Instead of helping me,
Nicholas added fuel to the fire and wished that I would be a complete loser. I suffered a lot thanks to
him."
"So the reason you came to see me is to have revenge on him?"
For the past two years, Anne looked more peaceful as though she had already got used to this life. But
deep inside, her heart had never changed.
She was glad that Ryan wanted to cooperate with her. This was the reason why she wanted to see him
back then.
Assuming that he was a greedy man, she could use him to achieve what she wanted.
Anne had no idea if she had become the person she never expected she would be. She had no choice
anyway. She had to plan for her own sake, even if it meant making other people bear the
consequences of her actions.
"Don't you want him to pay for what he did? Think about what he has done to you. Are you going to let
him go easily?"
Rather than retaliate against Kim, it was more accurate to say that Anne's purpose was to leave this
place. After all, Kim had never hurt her. Every time Simon and Sally were sick, he would send doctors
to tend them right away.
If she had fallen into Ryan's hands, she would not have been treated like this.
Obviously, she could not tell Ryan her true intentions, at least not right now. She wanted to be sure first
that this man was on the same side with her.
"Of course I won't let him go. I want him to experience the pain I've suffered in the past two years. Isn't
he always confident? I'd like to see what he'll look like when he becomes a prisoner."
"In that case, I think we have a common goal."
"Can you take me out of here?" asked Anne full of hope. She finally revealed her one and true purpose.
Her eager look was exactly what Ryan wanted to see. A person with a weakness was easier to
manipulate.
"We need to think about this carefully. I won't let you wait too long," he promised.
At that exact moment, Kim suddenly came, making Anne and Ryan stunned. He did not even bother to
knock on the door. For a moment, the three looked at each other. The atmosphere in the room quieted
down in an instant.
Ryan was the first one to react. "Mr. Nicholas, long time no see," he said politely.
Kim looked at him from head to toe. Thankfully, Ryan did not seem to arouse any suspicion.
Meanwhile, Anne's fists were clenched and her heart was pounding.
"Are you talking about something?" Kim asked silently.
Obviously, he was talking to Ryan, but Anne felt that this was a warning to her.
"It's just a conversation with an old friend," answered Ryan indifferently. He did not seem to be affected
by Kim's imposing manner in any way.
It seemed that Kim was not surprised to see that Ryan was still alive. Well, at least in Anne's eyes.
But this just made her more confused. Was she just overthinking? Was this Ryan in front of her the
same Ryan she knew?
At the thought of this, Anne had no choice but to quietly observe the interaction between the two men.
Sadly, Ryan proposed to have a private talk with Kim, excluding her.
"Anne, I'll see you again when I have a chance."
Although he said these words comfortingly, it was not exactly reassuring to Anne. When the two left,
Anne paced around the room anxiously. Would her plan be thwarted again?
In the study, Ryan wore a solemn expression.
"Mr. Nicholas, there might have been a misunderstanding between us before. It was wrong to have
opposed you. I've thought it over and I regret it now. If you don't mind, I hope our cooperation
continues."
Ryan expressed his intention without beating around the bush. He did this so that he could gain Kim's
trust. He even mentioned what he did two years ago to sound more convincing.
However, Kim did not respond. He was aware that Ryan was cruel, but not smart enough. But he could
also see that Ryan had changed over the past two years.
"Do you know what it means to cooperate with me?"
"That means we are on the same boat. The previous lessons you've taught me have made it very clear
that I must follow your ideas. I swear I won't make the same mistake,"
promised Ryan ambiguously. Although his words made Kim confused, he did not press him further. In
his mind, Ryan might have some tricks under his sleeve, but it also depended on whether he had the
chance to play them. If Kim was able to make Ryan fail once, he could do it again.
"Keep in mind what you said. I don't want to be betrayed by you nor our relationship be ruined."
"You're right. Now I know better than before what I want in the end." Ryan ignored the threat hidden in
Kim's words. "It's a great honor to have been given your second chance."
Kim did not believe that a person could change so easily without a reason. Even though he was
dubious, he still agreed to cooperate with Ryan. He wanted to see with his own eyes what Ryan would
do next. That way he would decide how to deal with him reasonably.
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