Calling Him
“What happened to Grandpa?”
“It’s nothing serious. He’s just stressed out.”
“In that case, please tell Grandpa to take care. I want to see him tomorrow.”
“Sure. I’ll bring you over to see him tomorrow.” Anastasia decided it would be a good idea for Jared to
cheer her father up.
“Mommy, I think Mr. Presgrave is a good man. You should consider being his girlfriend,” suggested
Jared as he blinked his eyes. He looked and sounded exactly like a worried old man to Anastasia.
Meanwhile, the woman was amused to see her son acting like a grown-up, so she chuckled and ruffled
his head. “I don’t want a boyfriend for now. All I need is you.”
“What if someone else snatches Mr. Presgrave away, though?” Jared asked anxiously.
“If he truly likes me, no one else will be able to have him. Likewise, if someone else can snatch him
away, that means he doesn’t like me,” answered Anastasia meaningfully.
Upon hearing that, Jared seemed rather confused. He couldn’t understand his mother’s deep meaning
behind those words, so he mumbled, “What if Mr. Presgrave really likes you and not anyone else? If
you don’t marry him, won’t he have to wait for a long, long time? Won’t he feel lonely?”
Anastasia was rendered speechless.
A child’s words could sometimes hit hard, and that made Anastasia silently wonder whether Elliot really
liked her.
Was he truly interested in her, or was he just doing this to repay her? There was no way for her to find
out, and it felt like everything he did was out of gratitude.
“Jared, the adult world is complicated. You’ll learn as you grow. Hurry up and finish your spaghetti!”
“Okay,” answered Jared. He then wondered to himself, Mr. Presgrave likes me, and I like him too. Why
can’t Mommy understand that, though?
After Jared went to his room to play, Anastasia cleared the table and sat on the sofa, feeling conflicted.
The phone was right next to her, but she didn’t dare to call Elliot.
Her phone rang at that moment, and it gave her a shock. When she saw that it was her father who was
calling her, she quickly answered the phone and said, “Hi, Dad.”
“Anastasia, have you called Young Master Elliot? What did he say?”
“Uh… I-I haven’t called him,” Anastasia stammered.
“Ah! I know it must be embarrassing for you to talk to him. Let me do it instead!” Francis no longer
wanted to make it difficult for his daughter.
“No, Dad. I’ll ask him. You just have to sit back and rest. I know him better than you, after all.”
Anastasia didn’t want her old father to beg him, and she thought it was more appropriate if she did it.
“My company depends on you now. Give me a call after you ask him, okay? I want to know his opinion
too.”
At first, Anastasia wanted to stall for some time, but now that her father had asked her to call Elliot
immediately, she could only obey her father’s instructions. “Okay, I’ll let you know after I speak to him.”
Anastasia felt tensed as soon as she hung up the call. Her whole body went numb, and she still
couldn’t figure out how to bring it up to Elliot.
Now, begging him was even more difficult than accepting death.
After she grabbed her phone, she went into her room and shut the door. She sat beside her bed and
took several deep breaths while looking down at her device. Finally, she found the courage to dial
Elliot’s number.
When the call went through, Anastasia’s mind was still blank. Suddenly, a deep yet gentle voice
sounded over the phone. “Hello.”
Elliot knew that it was her, so he deliberately sounded gentler than he usually would at the office.
Anastasia’s mind was in a mess as she greeted, “Good evening, President Presgrave… Did I wake you
from your sleep?”
“It’s not even 9.00PM yet, and I haven’t gone to bed yet.”
Anastasia couldn’t help but roll her eyes, wanting to slap herself. She couldn’t bring herself to talk to
him about the issue.
“Well… I… I’ve called to ask you for a favor,” said Anastasia as she stuttered.
“Is it about the acquisition of your father’s company?”
“Yes, it is. You were right; someone is targeting his company, and the acquirer came to my dad’s office
to have a discussion today. However, my dad’s blood pressure went up and triggered an acute heart
attack, so I…” Anastasia pursed her lips.
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