CHAPTER 7: Sorrows are blessings but half understood

Anna got up extra early every morning so that she could get in a workout at the gym before heading off to work. After putting her AirPods in her ears, she grabbed her duffle bag and walked out of her penthouse. It was five o'clock in the morning when Anna entered the elevator. However, as she is about to enter the parking lot to fetch her car, a LaFerrari pulls up in front of Anna. Annalia let out a hiss as she came dangerously close to being hit by it.

"What the hell? Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Annalia is greeted by the driver, who can be seen smiling proudly through the open window. Furious, Anna kicked the wheel of Adam's LaFerrari and stumped away. He was very close to hitting me!

"Ms. Davis, I was ordered to fetch you for the gym!" Adam yells from his car. Annalia ignores him and continues to find her BMW. While Adam keeps pestering her, Anna is trying to find her BMW, but to her annoyance, she cannot find it inside the parking lot.

"Where is it?" Annalia cursed under her breath.

"Your car? They took it," Adam stepped out of his car. In a fit of annoyance, Annalia cocked her head to the side and simultaneously shut both of her eyes. To be in such a terrible mood at this hour of the morning is ridiculous.

"They?" She asks in a chilly tone while avoiding Adam.

"Your father," Adam briefly answered. Anna can already see him shrugging his shoulders as if he has nothing to do with them taking her car. She moved past Adam in silence as she was about to leave the parking lot and went outside to find a cab. But before Anna could make a move, Adam stood in her way, obstructing her path with his absurdly broad shoulder and wide chest. 

"It's not a good idea. There are press waiting for you outside the building," Adam solemnly stated while looking down at her due to the size disparity between them. Annalia lets out a deep sigh as she suddenly recalls that she hasn't discussed the events the previous day with the public. Annalia called Donovan, although it was still early in the morning, to inquire about her schedule.

"What?  It is the wee hours of the morning, Ann," Donovan greeted with a voice that sounded drowsy.

"What's my schedule for today?"

"I just emailed it to you the day before yesterday. Please make it a routine to check your email and respond when appropriate." Donovan scolded. Anna gave a frustrated groan before hanging up the phone. On the other hand, Adam was doing nothing more than patiently waiting for her while Anna was occupied attempting to check her email. She has an interview scheduled with the SS talk show. It's best that later is the appropriate time to open up the incident. She did not waste any time and turned her attention to Adam after she put down her phone.

She remarked to Adam in a stern tone, "You're still not my personal bodyguard, but since you took my car, you're accountable for it." Adam had stolen her vehicle. As Anna was walking toward his car, Anna purposely bumped up against his arm.

They make their way to Anna's regular gym, where she works out in complete privacy. Even though Anna has her AirPods, the environment around them is relatively quiet as they are traveling. After three years, Anna found it extremely unsettling to be in such close proximity to him and have the natural tendency to have a casual conversation with him. Seeing that Adam appears so relaxed and at ease infuriates her immensely. In the meantime, the mere fact that he is there has caused her heart to beat at an embarrassingly rapid rate. Even though it's been three years since they've seen each other, he still has this impact on her. She despises it to such a degree! When Adam stopped the car, Anna was in the middle of soothing her heart and head when she was interrupted.

Adam immediately asks casually, "So, how have you been?" There he goes, doing the same problem again!

Anna retorted in an attempt to appear impolite by saying, "Don't talk to me." This always works in her favor when she acts incredibly rudely to someone to get them to quit talking to her. Nevertheless, Adam is obviously of a different breed. He does not show any signs of being intimidated and instead laughs heartily at her.

"It has been quite some time. I'm simply asking." Anna can still see him saying that with a grin on his face, regardless that she cannot see his face.

"I'm your boss. It is not professional behavior."

"Hm? I was under the impression that I was not your personal bodyguard."

The fact that Adam continues talking back to Anna only serves to aggravate her further.

She gave him the side-eye for a split second before responding in a monotone voice, "My Father hired you, and you're still working at the company under my family's ownership." After that, she turned her attention to the traffic lights. Why does it take so long to get the green light?!

Adam retorted snidely, "But that doesn't count you as my boss," as though he was enjoying taunting her increasing irritation.  Anna could not contain her annoyance for a moment longer. She turns her back on Adam, which she momentarily regrets because his face is so gorgeous, it's distracting her concentration, but she quickly pushes the thought out of her mind.

"Just drive, Adam, and keep your mouth shut."

"Feisty," Adam mutter and chuckles, "However, if you allow me to be your personal bodyguard, it is something that can be altered. I may treat you differently going forward," he continues on further.

Anna mumbles and scoffs while rolling her eyes and muttering, "Over my hot body."

Adam teasingly responds, "True," once more. Annalia is so flabbergasted by his holier-than-thou attitude and arrogance that she can only shake her head in disbelief.

They arrived at the private gym at precisely six in the morning, and fortunately, she was the only other person in the facility at the moment. Because this gym is geared toward prominent celebrities and other high-profile individuals, ordinary people are not permitted to enter unless they first obtain a membership card from the facility. Annalia set her duffle bag down, retrieved her workout clothes, and changed into a different gear. On the other hand, Adam was not doing anything more than waiting outside the building because he was not permitted to enter the gym. That is to Anna's advantage because she does not want him to come in just to watch her work out. That would be a very uncomfortable situation. After exercising for close to an hour, Anna took a shower and changed clothes to a collar wrap romper and chunky heels inside the gym for the rest of her day's schedule.

"Tell them not to come here. I already give an order, Sullivan."

As Annalia left the building, she was greeted by a frustrated Adam waiting outside. When Adam first noticed her, he immediately put the phone down and focused his attention on her simultaneously. When Annalia saw the sudden change in expression on Adam's face, she couldn't help but frown. It was almost as if no one else could see it shifted.

"Are you done?" Adam inquires with a softer tone than he had used earlier in the conversation.

"Yes," Anna responds, her voice dull. She decided to disregard what had just occurred and not pry about it further. Although Anna didn't hear it very clearly, Annalia could tell by the change in tone in his voice that something had happened. She jumped into the car without wasting any time.

While they were on their way to the company, Adam suddenly mentioned, "I heard what happened." He then looked in her direction. The arch of Annalia's eyebrow slightly rises as if she were asking him something but not actually saying it. Adam may notice that she's listening, so he continues.

"The kidnapping." Anna is uncertain how to respond now that she is alert that he was aware of what happened during that incident. Why is that? He was in Switzerland. Adam continued his line of questioning by saying, "Well, I saw on the internet, and your father informed me." Anna lets out a long sigh before turning her gaze to him.

"Why are you doing this? You don't need to get a job when you're already wealthy; you don't have any financial obligations," Annalia bluntly said. She is oblivious of his goals for either the company or her personally, and she has no desire to learn more about them. However, what he is doing is both confounding and absurd in nature.

Adam stated matter-of-factly, "Well, I need money for my own purposes."

"If this is about the "owe" thing you're trying to pull off, quit it. I'm not interested, Adam," The statement was made by Annalia, who sounded incredibly agitated. If Adam keeps up this absurdity, then a lot of troubling things could take place.

Adam gives a brief response, saying, "It's not." Anna simply rolled her eyes before stopping herself from continuing to speak. After that, there was complete silence until they arrived at the company. Anna observed that there was media press yet again dispersed outside the building. She mutters a curse under her breath. Okay, so this could ultimately be it. When Annalia was just about to open the door, she heard Adam open his door and slam it loudly as he approached her. Adam was heading in her direction. When Annalia realized that the press could see him opening her door, her eyes widened with terror. What is the name of all that is holy hell is he doing?! As was to be predicted, Adam opened the door for her. The attention of the press immediately shifted to the two of them.

"Let's go," Adam said in a calm tone. What is wrong with him?! He always acts this way, doing something unexpected that cannot be avoided anymore! 

"Adam, what the hell are you doing?! Are you attempting to get me into some sort of trouble here?!" Annalia clenched her teeth and spoke to him in a hushed tone while holding back her noises.

"We arrived at the company, Ms. Davis," Adam purposely stated so the press could hear them. Annalia gave a menacing gaze to his face, one that composed no expression other than glacier eyes. She can never read this man. Anna lets out a sigh while gritting her teeth in annoyance. The two of them being together inside a luxury car is another problem for her.  However, she has no choice but to let him accompany her. She reached out and grabbed Adam's arm and held onto it. Annalia can pick up on the mutterings of the people in the area until the point where one person musters the courage to ask.

"Are you Adam Delatorre from the Delatorre house?" Adam did not provide an answer to the question but instead gave another response.

"Could you please make room for Ms. Davis to enter the building? Your queries will be answered in a bit more detail later on. So kindly allow us to enter the building without causing any damage," Adam spoke flatly. Everyone obeyed him as if he had some magical power, but some seemed confused and clearly puzzled about why they were together. Annalia exhales deeply before being the first person to enter the building.

"Annalia! God, you're here. Let's get you ready. The SS talk show will be aired an hour from now," Donovan greeted her, panting.

Annalia followed Donovan to the elevator, but before they could get away, she peeked momentarily to see if Adam was following them. When Annalia saw Adam enter the building alongside the several security guards who were stationed both inside and outside the company, she experienced a strange but pleasant sense of relief. A smile passed across her face almost unconsciously. It's possible that Adam being her bodyguard wouldn't be such a bad thing. However, she must first find out what her father has in store for Adam about his plans. Despite Anna's unexplainable has for him, Annalia knows that certain boundaries should not cross. Her suffering at the hands of Adam's father is not easy to be forgotten and deemed worthy of forgiveness. The things that bring her the most pain may also be the things that bring her the most joy. Perhaps her sorrows are blessings, but they will never fully be understood.