Anna’s POV
Marcus’s arms felt like steel bands around as he carried toward the elevator. My heart beat so hard I was certain he could feel it through my blouse. The warmth radiating from his chest made it difficult to maintain my composure, and I hated that my body betrayed this way.
"Put down," I said, my voice edged with irritation.
Marcus acted as if he hadn’t heard , striding directly into the elevator without breaking his pace. From the corner of my eye, I caught Joseph deliberately blocking Rachel and Clayton from following us. Rachel’s expression hardened, her protective instincts clearly kicking into overdrive.
She’d be furious about this—my safety was her top priority, after all.
The mont the elevator doors closed, I tried again. "Uncle Marcus, please put down. I’m perfectly fine now." After that bland rice porridge, strength had returned to my limbs. There was absolutely no reason for him to continue carrying like this.
"I’m not tired," he replied, his voice flat and distant.
I fell silent, rage building inside .
Who cares if you’re tired? That wasn’t the point.
"Are you doing this on purpose?" I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice. "If you were too afraid to face before, why put on this show now?" The mory of waiting six hours for him in Europe still stung like an open wound.
Marcus looked down at , his eyes unreadable. "Who said I was afraid?"
I laughed internally. Six hours. Six entire hours! What else could that an?
"Uncle Marcus, I know you’re a busy man, but surely you wouldn’t deliberately toy with ." I didn’t directly reference those unspoken monts between us, choosing instead a more subtle approach to express my frustration.
I tilted my face up, eting his gaze directly. My heart raced, but I forced a casual tone: "If you’re so brave, carry straight to the marriage registration office. Do you dare?"
His pupils contracted noticeably, and his face turned ashen. But I was beyond fear now, so I pushed further.
"Let’s make this interesting. The city hall opens first thing tomorrow morning. We could be first in line to register. Wouldn’t that be sothing?"
"Shut up," he growled, his low voice vibrating with barely contained anger.
My smile slowly faded. I had gambled that he would react differently, and I’d clearly lost. Bitterness flooded my mouth, but I maintained my façade of nonchalance, shrugging slightly.
"Opportunity knocks but once, Uncle Marcus. Think about it."
The elevator doors opened with a soft chi, and my heart sank with them.
Marcus strode out, still carrying . I turned my face into his chest, surreptitiously wiping the corner of my eye against his jacket. By the ti I looked up again, I’d reconstructed my bright, composed expression.
When he finally set down beside my car, I took a deep breath, determined to end this charade.
"Uncle Marcus, you’ve missed your chance," I said, eting his eyes with a steadiness that surprised even .
Marcus stared back, saying nothing.
I challenged his gaze. "So please stop with these gestures that could be misinterpreted." My chest ached, but I knew this clarity was necessary-for both of us.
He didn’t offer explanations. Instead, he reached out and gently touched the top of my head. "I’m returning to Europe tomorrow morning, so there won’t be opportunities for misunderstandings. Take care of yourself. If you encounter problems you can’t solve, go to my father."
His hand moved to my cheek, and I couldn’t help glaring at him. I could feel my cheeks puffing slightly with indignation, my lips pressed into a pout.
I noticed his gaze drop to my lips, and for a breathless mont, I thought he might kiss . My heartbeat stuttered as I waited for a kiss that might never co again. But he withdrew his hand, his eyes darkening as whatever impulse he’d felt was crushed by his iron self-control.
Suddenly, a white-hot rage tore through —the pain of rejection and dismissal burning my chest from the inside out.
"Marcus Murphy, you bastard!" I shouted, the volu of my own voice startling .
Catherine and Jasmine rushed over, shocked by my outburst.
Regret instantly followed my explosion. What right did I have to call him nas? I was carrying another man’s children in my womb— how could I justify being angry with him? This realization extinguished my fury imdiately.
A cool breeze swept past, clearing my head. He and I belonged to different worlds. From his words, I understood he would visit Skyview City even less frequently, perhaps returning once every few years as he had before.
A future Skyview City without Marcus Murphy. The thought cut like a knife, but I quickly composed myself and said with a dry voice, "Safe travels, Uncle Marcus."
When Clayton brought the car around, I hurried inside, desperate to escape this torturous goodbye.
Marcus knocked on the window. I wanted to ignore him, but the window automatically lowered.
"Sorry, Ms. Shaw. I pressed the wrong button," Clayton apologized.
I glared at Marcus standing outside.
Like an overprotective father, he launched into a litany of concerns:
"Don’t worry about the Skylake District project. I guarantee it won’t lose money."
"If you feel unwell, tell my father imdiately. He’ll make arrangents for you."
"Watch out for the Simpson family.
George Simpson wants to use Skylake District to climb the social ladder.
Since you’ve taken that from him, he won’t let it go easily."
"And that Logan Porter-avoid confrontation with him. He’s sowhat obsessive, and I worry he might harm you."
"Annie.." he began again.
I couldn’t bear to hear more, my heart constricting painfully. I cut him off:
"Uncle Marcus, I managed perfectly well without you before, and I’ll continue to do so. Thank you for your concern. Get so rest. Goodbye, Uncle Marcus."
Then I instructed Clayton: "Drive."
Rachel quickly got in, and Clayton pulled away. Through the rearview mirror, I watched Marcus standing motionless, his expression unreadable.
I knew he had more to say, but perhaps so words were better left unspoken.
Anna’s POV
On the ride ho, Marcus’s warnings echoed in my head. That man-why was he fussing so much when he wouldn’t even be around? Who did he think he was to ? Yet in that mont, 1 could have sworn he wanted to kiss . That familiar yet foreign feeling had my heart racing in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
I woke the next morning to Catherine’s text-Marcus had left. Sitting up in bed, I found myself glancing out the window, an inexplicable emptiness settling in my chest. From the Phoenix project onward, he’d been my unexpected ally. Without him, I wouldn’t have secured Skylake District, and this project wouldn’t be launching so quickly.
It hit suddenly that Id grown dependent on him. Now that he was gone, I felt unsettled, almost lost.
_This isn’t good. Get it together._ I ran fingers through my hair, irritated at my own weakness. _I’m Anna Shaw. I don’t need Marcus Murphy to thrive in Skyview City._
I’d barely made it downstairs when Elizabeth waved over to listen to so classical music.
appearance alone.
After the ceremony, I changed into a looser, more comfortable dress for the reception, collapsing onto a sota from exhaustion.
Catherine eyed with concern. "Why don’t you head ho? Samuel and I can handle things."
I shook my head firmly. "How could I?
Samuel doesn’t know half the partners here in Skyview City, and you-I’d be grateful if you didn’t cause chaos."
"I’m not *always* a disaster," Catherine protested. "You should be thrilled I’m helping. I don’t even attend my family’s own events."
"Yes, yes, the great Catherine Murphy graces us with her presence. I’m eternally grateful," I mocked.
Mid-sentence, I felt a strange fluttering in my abdon. I yelped, quickly covering my mouth.
Catherine’s eyes widened in panic.
"What is it? Don’t scare like that— you’re not going into labor, are you?’
"Your kids are born at five months?
Shut up," I snapped, slapping her arm lightly. But inside, I was overco with an indescribable sensation.
"I misspoke, sorry, sorry! What happened? Why are you freaking out like that?" Catherine hurriedly apologized.
My eyes filled with wonder and emotion. "Just now, they... moved." An unprecedented maternal joy blossod in my heart. This was the first ti I truly felt my babies presence, that miraculous blood connection making my heart lt. The miracle of life— they carried my blood, and in this world, only I could feel their existence.
How extraordinary!
As I entered the reception, my loose but lightweight dress revealed my pregnant state as I moved. The n might not have noticed, but won’s eyes miss nothing. Soon, whispers spread through the corners:
"Anna’s pregnant, isn’t she? Look at that belly—must be several months along." "Pregnant? Who’s the father?"
"Who knows? She’s been with so many n. But definitely not Marcus Murphy’s. When Marcus made that grand gesture with the old mansion, we thought they had sothing, but apparently we were wrong. I knew Marcus wouldn’t be interested in a divorced woman."
These malicious speculations reached my ears, but I decided to face them head-on. Samuel approached, looking exasperated. "You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Choosing today to announce it to the world."
I placed one hand on my belly, deliberately striking a very pregnant pose, making no attempt to hide my pride and determination. "Yes, I did it intentionally. My children don’t have a father. From now on, I want everyone to acknowledge their existence, so no one’s shocked when they suddenly appear." I raised my voice deliberately -I wanted everyone to hear that Anna Shaw didn’t care about their idle gossip.
Samuel pointed at , surprised.
"You’ve got guts. Aren’t you worried people will say you’ve lost your mind?"
hand." I knew I was getting away with sothing while playing innocent, but that was a necessary skill in business.
Samuel still harbored doubts about our investnt. "Did Marcus really tell you Skylake District couldn’t fail? With such a large investnt, what if—"
I narrowed my eyes, interrupting him confidently. "Marcus didn’t tell anything. My source is confidential, but trust —we won’t lose." -
_Trying to trick information out of ? I’m not that easily fooled.
Seeing he wouldn’t get anything more, Samuel walked away with his drink.
Just then, a familiar voice ca from behind :
"Anna."
I turned to see Logan Porter. The entire Porter family had co, but earlier I’d only noticed Oscar and Doris. I hadn’t expected him to show up. Nearby, Rachel and Clayton stood on high alert, watching us vigilantly.
"Mr. Porter, thank you for coming," I acknowledged politely, raising my glass while feeling a touch of unease.
Logan’s gaze fell to my abdon, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
"Whose is it?’
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