"Anna, were you really feeling unwell yesterday?"My hand holding the spoon suddenly froze, and I instinctively looked at Zac.His emotionless gaze held no clues.I offered a subtle smile and replied, "Mom, yes, I was genuinely unwell.""Since you were unwell, you should go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. It's been two years, and my old friends have all become grandparents. Anna, why haven't we heard any news from you?"Although it seemed like my mother-in-law was addressing me, her eyes kept drifting toward Zac.Zac was not oblivious to the underlying message.He put down his fork, grabbed my hand, and displayed genuine concern in his eyes."Mom, don't worry. I'll bring Anna for a check-up."In that moment, I felt a little dazed. It turned out one could genuinely feign concern for someone.After Zac dropped me off at home, he handed me a delicately wrapped gift box."Thank you for helping me out today."I reached out to take the gift box and opened it to reveal a bracelet. O
I sat in the pantry, watching the busy employees in the office, feeling somewhat nostalgic.A few years ago, I was just like them, tired but happy.After waiting for a few minutes, Stella came over with some documents.She smiled radiantly, and the top buttons of her white shirt were undone, revealing ambiguous marks on her neck.I glanced unconsciously and felt my heart constricted as if invisible hands were squeezing it, making it hard to breathe."Zee couldn't make it, so he asked me to deliver the documents."Zee... She called him so affectionately.I reached for the documents to leave but was stopped by Stella.She moved closer, her lowered eyelashes casting a heavy shadow on her eyes, her expression full of unshakeable jealousy."Anna, don't you want to know what kind of person you are in Zac's heart?"I clenched my fists tightly, my fingertips digging into my palm, forcing out an ugly smile."I'm sorry. I'm not interested."I stepped back, my expression icy.She paid no heed and
As soon as I got home, I could no longer support myself. I sat down against the wall, and tears streamed down uncontrollably as a wave of despair rushed over me.I knew that Stella did it on purpose. I understood it the moment she grabbed my wrist and tore off the bracelet. But so much had happened in that moment that I couldn't react in time.Tears kept flowing, dropping in beads onto the broken bracelet. Just when I had managed to overcome the emotions of losing my parents, the bracelet shattered, and with it, my parents' only keepsake, disappeared completely.In that moment, it felt like I had lost everything.I don't know how long I cried, or perhaps I cried until exhaustion, but I lay on the couch, staring blankly at the shattered bracelet. I didn't even notice when Zac returned. "Anna, don't think that just because my mom likes you, you can do whatever you want."Don't play tricks on her, she can't outwit you. If this kind of situation happens again, I'll...""What will you d
After that day, it seemed that Zac had undergone some changes in his attitude towards me and started to show more concern. However, he still hadn't realized that I had moved back to my own home.In the car, I turned my head to ask him, "Why do you need me to accompany you this time?"The implied meaning was quite clear - why not bring Stella?He didn't answer immediately and remained silent for a while before speaking, "I was wrong about what happened before. I'm sorry."I lowered my gaze, my heart unaffected. In the past, I might have been elated for days because of this apology.I didn't respond but kept my gaze straight ahead.During the journey, Stella called, but Zac rejected the call."Why didn't you answer?" I asked."Anna, can we not mention her today?""Okay."After this conversation, no one spoke again, and we remained silent throughout the journey.When we entered the venue, all eyes turned towards us. Zac held my hand and walked to the center of the hall, taking the microph
I don't know how I left there, and I forgot whether Zac tried to stop me. But it didn't matter anymore.This time, I had truly let go of him.When I returned to my home, I found Zac standing downstairs. He saw me and immediately hugged me, his voice hoarse, "Anna, don't leave me."I wanted to push him away, but he held me tightly."Zac, who are you putting on this act for now?" I closed my eyes and said softly.His embrace noticeably stiffened.I continued, "I liked you for many years, you know that. But now I'm tired, and I don't want to like you anymore. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"I'll talk to your mom; she's always been good to me. I wish you both happiness." I slowly pulled away from his embrace, smiling. The day after parting with Zac, I went to the Jacobs family's house.As soon as I got out of the car, I saw his mom waiting for me.In that moment, I couldn't help but throw myself into her arms and cry.His mother gently stroked my head, full of love. "My dear Anna, I a
As the New Year approached, I gave all the employees in the company a short vacation.In the vast company, there was only me.There was a mailbox in front of the company gate that had been abandoned since the postal workers went on strike.I leaned against the mailbox, and before long, the postal worker who went on strike miraculously appeared."Is Miss Anna Quinn from this company?" he asked.I stood up straight and nodded, "That's me."The postal worker held his hands in relief and said, "Great, someone entrusted me to deliver these letters to you and specifically instructed that I must deliver them to you in person."I took the letters, and there were dozens of them.I walked by the seaside, opening each one, and they were all from Zac.The latest one had only a few lines written by him."Are you doing well over there? Today marks the two hundred and third day since you left, and I miss you very much."The new year is about to arrive, Anna, I wish you happiness."I was in the south,
This was the first time Zac Jacobs had brought Stella Williams to such a business event, and it was the first time the heir of the Jacobs family had appeared with a female companion.Zac was well-known in the business world as a cold young man with a volatile temper, a rare and unique temperament among the wealthy gentlemen. At this moment, his face darkened, and there was an imperceptible aura of anger in his eyebrows and eyes. I knew this was a sign of his anger.On the television screen, Stella Williams stood behind him with teary eyes, continuously sobbing, and her pitiful appearance made me feel sorry for her.I snapped back to reality, and my phone screen was still lit up, showing my chat with Zac.At the very bottom was a message from Zac sent half an hour ago."Stay at home tonight. Don't go out."Those few words felt like a barrage of tiny needles piercing my heart.I had always known that my relationship with Zac was nothing more than a contractual one. I loved him. I had bee
Zac extended his hand, and the chilling aura emanating from him silenced everyone in the vicinity.Stella Williams lowered her head and hurriedly walked behind Zac.Zac raised his head, and with a contemptuous look in his eyes, he scanned the reporters who had just asked questions, as if scrutinizing a criminal."Miss Williams, she's my invited companion. My wife is feeling unwell today and couldn't attend the event. It was my mishandling of the situation that caused some misunderstandings, and I hope everyone can forgive me."As soon as he finished speaking, the reporters and guests who had just spoken began to defuse the tension.Keen observers all understand that you shouldn't provoke Zac Jacobs.Going up against him is a one-way ticket to disaster.The livestream had already ended, but the last words spoken by Zac still echoed in my mind.I was not ill. I could have attended the event.It was just that Zac didn't allow it.For so many years, very few people had truly seen me. I nev
As the New Year approached, I gave all the employees in the company a short vacation.In the vast company, there was only me.There was a mailbox in front of the company gate that had been abandoned since the postal workers went on strike.I leaned against the mailbox, and before long, the postal worker who went on strike miraculously appeared."Is Miss Anna Quinn from this company?" he asked.I stood up straight and nodded, "That's me."The postal worker held his hands in relief and said, "Great, someone entrusted me to deliver these letters to you and specifically instructed that I must deliver them to you in person."I took the letters, and there were dozens of them.I walked by the seaside, opening each one, and they were all from Zac.The latest one had only a few lines written by him."Are you doing well over there? Today marks the two hundred and third day since you left, and I miss you very much."The new year is about to arrive, Anna, I wish you happiness."I was in the south,
I don't know how I left there, and I forgot whether Zac tried to stop me. But it didn't matter anymore.This time, I had truly let go of him.When I returned to my home, I found Zac standing downstairs. He saw me and immediately hugged me, his voice hoarse, "Anna, don't leave me."I wanted to push him away, but he held me tightly."Zac, who are you putting on this act for now?" I closed my eyes and said softly.His embrace noticeably stiffened.I continued, "I liked you for many years, you know that. But now I'm tired, and I don't want to like you anymore. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"I'll talk to your mom; she's always been good to me. I wish you both happiness." I slowly pulled away from his embrace, smiling. The day after parting with Zac, I went to the Jacobs family's house.As soon as I got out of the car, I saw his mom waiting for me.In that moment, I couldn't help but throw myself into her arms and cry.His mother gently stroked my head, full of love. "My dear Anna, I a
After that day, it seemed that Zac had undergone some changes in his attitude towards me and started to show more concern. However, he still hadn't realized that I had moved back to my own home.In the car, I turned my head to ask him, "Why do you need me to accompany you this time?"The implied meaning was quite clear - why not bring Stella?He didn't answer immediately and remained silent for a while before speaking, "I was wrong about what happened before. I'm sorry."I lowered my gaze, my heart unaffected. In the past, I might have been elated for days because of this apology.I didn't respond but kept my gaze straight ahead.During the journey, Stella called, but Zac rejected the call."Why didn't you answer?" I asked."Anna, can we not mention her today?""Okay."After this conversation, no one spoke again, and we remained silent throughout the journey.When we entered the venue, all eyes turned towards us. Zac held my hand and walked to the center of the hall, taking the microph
As soon as I got home, I could no longer support myself. I sat down against the wall, and tears streamed down uncontrollably as a wave of despair rushed over me.I knew that Stella did it on purpose. I understood it the moment she grabbed my wrist and tore off the bracelet. But so much had happened in that moment that I couldn't react in time.Tears kept flowing, dropping in beads onto the broken bracelet. Just when I had managed to overcome the emotions of losing my parents, the bracelet shattered, and with it, my parents' only keepsake, disappeared completely.In that moment, it felt like I had lost everything.I don't know how long I cried, or perhaps I cried until exhaustion, but I lay on the couch, staring blankly at the shattered bracelet. I didn't even notice when Zac returned. "Anna, don't think that just because my mom likes you, you can do whatever you want."Don't play tricks on her, she can't outwit you. If this kind of situation happens again, I'll...""What will you d
I sat in the pantry, watching the busy employees in the office, feeling somewhat nostalgic.A few years ago, I was just like them, tired but happy.After waiting for a few minutes, Stella came over with some documents.She smiled radiantly, and the top buttons of her white shirt were undone, revealing ambiguous marks on her neck.I glanced unconsciously and felt my heart constricted as if invisible hands were squeezing it, making it hard to breathe."Zee couldn't make it, so he asked me to deliver the documents."Zee... She called him so affectionately.I reached for the documents to leave but was stopped by Stella.She moved closer, her lowered eyelashes casting a heavy shadow on her eyes, her expression full of unshakeable jealousy."Anna, don't you want to know what kind of person you are in Zac's heart?"I clenched my fists tightly, my fingertips digging into my palm, forcing out an ugly smile."I'm sorry. I'm not interested."I stepped back, my expression icy.She paid no heed and
"Anna, were you really feeling unwell yesterday?"My hand holding the spoon suddenly froze, and I instinctively looked at Zac.His emotionless gaze held no clues.I offered a subtle smile and replied, "Mom, yes, I was genuinely unwell.""Since you were unwell, you should go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. It's been two years, and my old friends have all become grandparents. Anna, why haven't we heard any news from you?"Although it seemed like my mother-in-law was addressing me, her eyes kept drifting toward Zac.Zac was not oblivious to the underlying message.He put down his fork, grabbed my hand, and displayed genuine concern in his eyes."Mom, don't worry. I'll bring Anna for a check-up."In that moment, I felt a little dazed. It turned out one could genuinely feign concern for someone.After Zac dropped me off at home, he handed me a delicately wrapped gift box."Thank you for helping me out today."I reached out to take the gift box and opened it to reveal a bracelet. O
Early the next morning, I carried the gift and went to Jacobs's residence.Just as I was about to enter the door, I heard Zac's voice from behind."Anna."I froze in place. Zac's voice was unusually gentle, as if time had rewound to the year when love first bloomed.He parked the car, took the gift from my hand, and placed one hand familiarly on my waist, his thin lips slightly parting."Thank you."I looked at him, and he appeared completely different from the Zac Jacobs I had seen on the live broadcast yesterday.The hands resting on my waist felt devoid of any warmth.His expression was cold, and his entire demeanor exuded a sense of detachment.I didn't say anything, just followed his footsteps."Yesterday, I'm sorry."Although Zac didn't say it explicitly, I knew he was apologizing to me for what happened last night when Stella Williams intentionally called."You don't have to apologize. The title of 'Mrs. Jacobs' rightfully belongs to her."I lowered my head, my tone somewhat ind
The phone on the other end was turned off, and I sighed. I sent the edited message and wearily closed my eyes.My mother-in-law called to tell me that she would like to have dinner with Zac and me tomorrow.It seemed like Zac wasn't planning on going.I ordered a gift and flowers according to my mother-in-law's preferences. She had always been kind to me, treating me like her own daughter, especially after my parents passed away.I didn't want to disappoint my mother-in-law, so I bought the gifts to excuse Zac.Unconsciously, my fingers tapped into the girl's Instagram.Stella Williams documented every aspect of her life with Zac.Her first Instagram post related to Zac was from three years ago.In the photo, the girl was beaming, and the man's handsome eyes were fixated on her, overflowing with love.When Stella Williams wanted to go to the library, Zac would accompany her.If she desired French food, Zac would promptly arrange for it to be delivered.In his eyes, Stella Williams was
It was raining outside.I had called Zac several times, but he didn't answer.Just as I was about to send a message, he called me back.I pressed the answer button, but before I could speak, a woman's voice came from the other end."Zee, I said the wrong thing today, I shouldn't have responded to the reporters. I'm sorry."I paused for a moment; it was Stella.Before I could react, Zac's voice came through."Stella, you don't need to apologize. These years, I've made you suffer. You know, the person I've always loved is you."I stared at the phone in astonishment.Until there was silence on the other end, followed by uncomfortable and ambiguous sounds.Over the past two years, I have witnessed countless such scenes.It was Zac who had initially proposed the business alliance marriage.Two years ago, my father's company faced betrayal, and the financial stability suddenly crumbled. Panic and unrest gripped everyone in the company.It was Zac who extended a helping hand to assist the Qui