Anna’s POV
Three pairs of eyes locked onto with laser focus, their gazes so intense that I nearly squird in my seat. The champagne in my glass suddenly seed like the most fascinating thing in the room as I desperately tried to avoid their scrutinizing stares.
"What?" I asked defensively, taking another generous sip of champagne.
The question hung awkwardly in the air. I couldn’t bear another second of this interrogation. Grabbing Catherine’s wrist, I pulled her to her feet.
"We need to check on Paisley," I said, the excuse sounding flimsy even to my own ears. "Birthday girl duties and all that."
Catherine’s knowing smirk made want to dump my champagne over her head, but I maintained my composure as we fled the scene. The mont we were out of earshot, she erupted into a fit of giggles.
"My uncle is absolutely smitten," she wheezed between laughs. "I’ve never seen him so... obvious about anything!"
I shot her a withering glare. "This isn’t funny. You know exactly who brought him back, don’t you?"
Catherine’s laughter intensified, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "Was it deliberate or genuine emotion?
Either way, it’s absolutely brilliant!"
My irritation flared. "You’re still laughing? Who invited him back?"
Watching Catherine nearly doubled over in amusent, my frustration only grew. She finally wiped away tears of mirth. "I just wanted to give Uncle Marcus another chance. If he hadn’t co back, I never would have known he had this side to him. Oh god, • Maybe you should just accept him?"
I snapped, my temples throbbing painfully. "Don’t you know I’m already seeing soone?"
Catherine dismissed this with a scoff.
"Your mysterious hookup? Just end it!
Is he really better than my uncle?"
I snagged another cocktail from a passing server, taking a small sip while calculating my next words. "Let be straight with you—I genuinely see your uncle as an *uncle*. Getting together with him would be... inappropriate, wouldn’t it? Besides, we’re completely incompatible in every way. This is the last ti, okay? Stop interfering."
Catherine finally surrendered with a reluctant nod, though I could tell this wouldn’t be the end of it. My mind kept circling back to Marcus. His aggressive pursuit suggested he wouldn’t give up easily.
Paisley bounded over, lifting her dress slightly to move faster, and threw her arms around us like an enthusiastic puppy. Sothing about this increasingly clingy girl softened my heart.
As we chatted about Paisley’s school life and her adorably innocent "dating" problems, an unwelco interruption cut through our conversation.
"Co with . I need to ask you sothing." Jack’s cold voice sliced through our laughter.
I didn’t even bother looking up, annoyance rising in my chest. "I don’t think we have anything to discuss
anymore."
Unexpectedly, he grabbed my wrist and yanked to my feet. Seeing Paisley and Catherine rise in concern, I quickly waved them off. "Stay seated.
I’ll just talk to him briefly." The last thing I wanted was to create a scene in front of all these people.
The mont we stepped into the garden, the frigid air assaulted my exposed skin like a thousand tiny needles. "Are you insane, Jack? Do you know how cold it is out here? Are you trying to freeze to death?" I shouted, my entire body instantly covered in goosebumps.
Seeing him hurriedly remove his suit jacket and wrap it around my shoulders slightly dampened my anger, though I remained wary. Jack gazed at with those deep eyes that once ant everything to , seemingly full of words unspoken, yet ultimately asking only: "Anna, do I really have no chance?"
In that mont, profound weariness washed over . This feeling reminded of my teenage years, clearing my desk of endless love letters and unwanted gifts. So affections were simply burdens to . What I didn’t want, I absolutely wouldn’t accept.
When I didn’t answer, Jack’s emotions intensified. "How can you stop loving soone just like that? Anna, do you even have a heart?"
I looked at him wearily. "Do you know what you look like right now? A desperate, lovesick fool. Can you please stop clinging to ? It’s pathetic."
Watching this once-dignified man reduced to this state left confused and disappointed. Wasn’t he the one who divorced so decisively? Wasn’t he the one who despised right after our divorce? Why had he transford into this persistent stalker?
When Jack finally released my hand, I saw defeat and self-loathing in his eyes. Though still annoyed, I kept his jacket against the biting cold.
"I’m going back inside. Get your jacket from one of the servers," I said. As I turned to leave, he called after , his voice regaining so composure.
"That news about you partnering with Samuel Griffin isn’t true, is it?"
Of course. That’s what truly concerned him. "Who I partner with is my business. All you need to know is that it won’t be with Simpson Group."
"I’m just warning you-Samuel is too calculating. You’re no match for him," he said, his words frad as concern but feeling like an insult.
But I was too cold and too tired to continue this pointless conversation.
All I wanted was to return to the warmth inside.
Jack’s POV
I watched Anna’s retreating figure as she disappeared back into the warm glow of the Sanders mansion, leaving alone in the biting cold. Her parting words echoed in my mind:
"Who I partner with is my business.
All you need to know is that it won’t be with Simpson Group."
Sothing inside crumbled as I stood there, the freezing air numbing my exposed skin. I’d just lost my jacket and any remaining dignity I might have possessed. When had I beco this pathetic? This desperate?
The Anna I’d just encountered wasn’t the woman I’d married. This Anna was harder, colder, more calculating— with edges sharp enough to draw blood. Her eyes, once warm when they looked at , now held nothing but weariness and disdain.
*Had she always been this person and I just never noticed? Or did I create this version of her?*
Each ti I’d said those words, sothing in her eyes had dimd a little more, but I’d been too blind to notice.
The image of Anna standing beside Marcus Murphy at the party earlier flashed before my eyes. She’d looked so different with him-softer sohow, more attentive. The way she’d listened when he spoke, the slight curve of her lips when he made so dry comnt. It was like watching a different woman entirely.
Pax’s voice pulled from my thoughts as he draped my spare jacket over my shoulders. He hesitated, then added, "They’re discussing the East Lake property. Ms. Shaw joined them."
My interest piqued imdiately. "The land that’s been bought but never developed?" Internal alarms started ringing. That property had been on my radar for years.
"Yes, sir. Apparently, developnt is finally moving forward," Pax confird.
I straightened my back, determination replacing self-pity. "Who else is there?"
"Mr. Marcus Murphy is present as well," Pax added carefully, watching for my reaction.
*Marcus again.* A bitter laugh nearly escaped my lips. Was I supposed to avoid every gathering he attended?
Skulk around like so heartbroken teenager?
Anna’s final words from our encounter stung freshly: "What you look like right now? A desperate, lovesick fool."
She was right. I had beco exactly that-clinging, desperate, pathetic.
This wasn’t the Jack Simpson who had won her heart years ago. That man had been confident, steady, soone she could lean on during her darkest hours after her father’s death.
"I understand," I said, adjusting my jacket and smoothing my hair. No more of this. No more acting like an abandoned spouse.
I strode toward the n’s lounge area with purpose, my steps asured and deliberate. This ti, I wasn’t going to create a scene or confront Anna. This ti, I would remind her-and myself —of the man I used to be. The man who handled business with expertise and confidence. The man she had once loved.
Anna’s POV
The whispers rippled through Paisley’s birthday party like a stone thrown into still water, stirring up the surface calm of champagne flutes and polite conversation.
"Did you hear? They’ve broken ground next to the Shaw historical building in Skylake District."
My ears perked up instantly. For years, that plot had been a mystery— purchased by an unknown buyer and left dormant. Now suddenly construction was starting? I sipped my champagne slowly, carefully maintaining a calm expression despite my racing thoughts.
The conversation around shifted seamlessly to the upcoming Skylake District auction, voices dropping an octave as if sharing state secrets. I remained quiet, observing. In Skyview City’s elite circles, what remained unsaid was often more important than what was spoken aloud.
When Jack Simpson entered, the room fell silent so abruptly it was almost comical. He paused in the doorway, scanning faces with that self-satisfied smirk that made my skin crawl.
"What are you all talking about?
Everyone got quiet the mont I walked in," he said, clearly enjoying the effect his presence had.
Soone finally broke the awkward silence. "Any word on when the Skylake District papers will be finalized, Mr. Simpson? Any insider information you could share with us?"
Jack’s lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Of course."
Hours later, as the party wound down, Catherine and I stepped outside only to find ourselves facing an unexpected tableau. There, arranged like so bizarre receiving line, stood Marcus Murphy, Jack Simpson, and Logan Porter.
"Wow, your love life is suddenly very crowded," Catherine whispered, amusent evident in her voice.
My throat tightened as panic blood in my chest. Why are they all here?
Could they be any more obvious?
Logan spotted us first, breaking into a warm smile as he approached. "Anna, it’s getting late. Let drive you ho."
I grabbed the lifeline he’d unwittingly thrown. "Thank you, Logan. I appreciate it."
Marcus didn’t move toward us, rely stating in that maddeningly calm voice of his, "Don’t forget dinner with William tomorrow."
I nodded, simultaneously relieved and strangely disappointed as he turned and walked away.
Jack’s eyes locked with mine for a long, uncomfortable mont before he left without a word, that penetrating gaze making feel uncomfortable.
Once they’d dispersed, Logan turned to . "So, do you really want to take you ho?"
"Actually, I’ve got so things to take care of," I said. "I’m not going back to Shaw Estate tonight."
Back in my room at Sapphire Sky Hotel, I paced the floor, Catherine’s outrageous suggestion echoing in my mind. Those three n, plus my mother and grandmother’s relentless pressure about marriage and children -I was truly cornered.
"T’ll do it," I whispered to the empty room. "This is the only way out."
My hands trembled slightly as I made the preparations in Room 3303, but my resolve remained unshaken. Once I’m pregnant, these n will back off.
And my family will have their precious heir-problem solved.
The next day, I approached Murphy Estate with a strange mix of anticipation and dread. Before I even reached the main house, a harsh squawk greeted .
"Troublemaker’s here! Troublemaker’s here!"
I narrowed my eyes at the parrot perched on a low branch. "Well hello, Einstein. Long ti no see."
"Troublemaker! Troublemaker!" the parrot insisted, flapping its wings dramatically.
"Einstein, Einstein," I mimicked back.
"He still rembers you."
I froze at Marcus’s voice, my playful smile evaporating instantly. How long has he been standing there?
Marcus gestured toward a nearby pavilion where he’d set out tea. "Co sit."
"Where’s William?" I asked, scanning the grounds suspiciously.
"Still inside practicing calligraphy. He’ll be out soon." When I hesitated, he added, "Don’t disturb him, or you’ll get scolded. I just got chased out myself."
I reluctantly took a seat across from him, tense and hyperaware of his every movent.
"Am I really that frightening?" he asked, a note of irritation coloring his voice.
I abandoned pretense. "Yes, you are.
And frankly, any man who wants a relationship with is frightening right now. I really don’t have ti to deal with this."
To my surprise, Marcus let the subject drop. "I heard you’re planning to partner with Samuel Griffin?"
I sat up straighter, instantly curious.
"Uncle Marcus, care to guess if that rumor is true?"
He poured more tea with practiced ease. "Currently it’s false, but the future is uncertain."
"How uncertain? What do you think— will I partner with him?"
"You want to, but you have reservations," he stated matter-of-factly.
My eyes widened slightly. How does he know exactly what I’m thinking?
"I’ve had soone look into Samuel Griffin thoroughly," Marcus continued.
"The man may be calculating and constantly scheming, but he’s undeniably capable."
Hope flickered inside . "Are you saying I should partner with him?"
"Of course."
"Can I handle it?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Why couldn’t you?" His gaze was surprisingly gentle. "You just finished getting your revenge. Why the sudden lack of confidence?"
I swallowed hard. "If I partner with Samuel, I’ll essentially be investing almost all of Shaw Corp’s resources. In all my ti running Shaw Corp, I’ve never undertaken a project this massive. I’m not sure I’m ready."
Marcus unfolded a map of Skyview City, circling an area with his finger.
"This area-Nestling Crest Bay-will soon beco Skyview City’s most prosperous comrcial district, without question."
I frowned. "Nestling Crest Bay? Uncle Marcus, why are you so certain? I haven’t heard of any new developnts there."
Instead of answering, he pointed to Skylake District. "Once Nestling Crest Bay develops, this entire area, especially Skylake District... if you can partner with Samuel Griffin, you absolutely won’t lose."
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