Ethan's POV I dropped my phone after sending the last text. She finally replied to the order I sent from my fake account days ago. I almost forgot I even dropped a message. I had my secretary send the money from her personal account because I didn’t want my name to appear on the transaction.It’s evening already, and I should be on my way home, but I just wish the day didn’t end. I badly don’t want to go back to that lonely house. Getting to sleep was a hard thing last night. I ended up doing half of today’s work in the middle of the night, and I still didn’t sleep until morning. It feels like a hassle even going home when I can just stay here overnight. I had to drag myself up and walk over to the door.I met Lucas on my way to the elevator. He had just stood up from his seat.“What are you still doing at work?” I asked, raising one of my eyebrows. We both got into the elevator, and he pressed the button for the ground floor.“I was rounding up some things. To think that I was on m
Annelise's POV I woke up with one intention on my mind, I needed to see my father concerning my mother. I've thought about it all night and I came to the conclusion of talking something out with him.I did my morning routine quickly and decided to make breakfast today since Esther was still sleeping, so I settled on making waffles. I mixed the ingredients and soon put everything in the waffle maker. I sipped on my tea as I waited for it to be done with my back resting on the kitchen's cabinet.I had thought about it all night and have decided to carry out an investigation myself on the person that hit my mother and the events that really unfolded.This is because the more I think about it, the more I get convinced that it wasn't just an ordinary hit, it all looks planned.The waffle was soon done and I brought them out, putting Esther's on a plate too because I know she's going to come out of her room anytime soon, I've heard sounds coming from her room already.I sat down to eat my
Annelise's POV The door was pushed open from inside, and I tried my best to appear normal. I wasn't going to act like I was nervous so as not to look weak.It happened to be Anastasia who answered the door, her eyes going straight to my protruding stomach. It was almost as if she didn't know that I was pregnant.“This is the reason I've not been seeing you everywhere with him again! And I thought you guys divorced or something." She used her hand to cover her mouth as if to suppress a gasp and shock.“Can I come in?" I asked instead, getting annoyed by her fake shock already. There’s no way she doesn’t know about it.“Of course, I can't keep the carrier of a Harrington standing." She stepped aside for me to come in.I walked into the house eventually, my father sitting on the big couch, sipping coffee and scrolling through his phone. I guess I did successfully wake him up."Good morning, Father,” I said as I walked further into the house."Annelise," he said curtly as he took his eye
Mr Simon“No."Her face contorted in a frown with how sharp my response was but I cared less. That's the only leverage I have over her at the moment and I'm not going to let it go just like that.“Why are you even doing this? I'm paying the bills now just like you wanted, but you still won't tell me where my mother is being held, it's just not fair." That did nothing to crack me, it just can't. I still have one last step before I drop her case, but right now, I can't tell her where her mother is so she won't act as the obstruction to the plans I've been on for more than a decade. "I'll tell you on my own accord, what you should be doing now is sending the hospital bill and nothing more. Your mother is responding to treatment and fine." I said.She stood up with anger evident on her face, she looked so furious right now but I kept a straight face, not moved by her facial expression at all.“I wish my mother never met you so I wouldn't have to be your daughter in the first place, it's
Annelise's POV I ran out of the house with a racing heart, I had no idea that this morning would be a disastrous one. I had only gone back to get my phone because I found out that I had forgotten it.Hearing him say he wanted to transfer the company's real ownership made she stop myself from opening the door because I wanted to hear everything.But what I heard next was even worse, the person I grew up to know as my father isn't even my real father.I didn't know if I should be happy about that piece of information, or I should just be heartbroken. I feel so indifferent right now, I got into the cab I hailed before.“Sorry for keeping you waiting." I said to the driver as I got in. We were at the end of the street when I realized that I didn't take my phone.I was lucky to have seen the cab when it was dropping off someone before I waved it down, that's the main reason I didn't notice my phone wasn't with me earlier.It was when I wanted to bring out the phone to make a call that I r
Annelise's POV I couldn't hold back the tears, I didn't even try to rein them in, I just let them flow freely from my eyes.The last day I saw her was at that party we both went with my fa- Simon, that was also the last time I felt the feeling of being in a family, it has been a lonely life since then.I walked over to her side and sat down on the chair, I held her hand in mine and it just felt all right again. Her hands that used to caress my face and wipe away my tears since I was a kid.It felt like I was holding onto a really valuable substance, which it was. The oxygen mask on her nose and the monitors with other engines around her were the only things supporting her right now.Then I knew how dangerous it was when she was here with only Simon knowing where she was. He could come in here and disconnect the machines. Someone who's capable of pretending to be my father is as crazy as that.“Mom." The word came out of my mouth like a whisper. It's been long since I said that one w
Ethan's POV I was busy with work when a call from an unknown number came through. I ignored it at first, but the caller was persistent, so I picked it up out of frustration.“Hey Ethan,” said a familiar voice.“Who is this?”“This is Esther, Annelise's friend.”“Oh, hi Esther. I hope there's no problem. You've been really persistent with the calls,” I said.“It's Annelise.” I stood up immediately, alarmed by her tone."What's wrong with her? Is something the matter?" I bombarded her with questions.“I don't know if she's okay,” she replied.“What do you mean by you don't know?” I asked, my face etched with worry.“I've been trying to reach her, but her line isn't reachable. I dropped her off at her father's this morning. I just called him, and he said she left hours ago.""Did she tell you she was going anywhere else?” I asked, running my hand through my hair."If she did, I'd be at that place right now."True, but I couldn't think of anything at the moment. Annelise isn't the type t
Annelise's POVI was on the phone with Esther when I saw Ethan walk in. A smile adorned my face the moment I saw him. I almost didn't believe him when he said he was nearly at the hospital.“Can we talk later? He's here," I said to Esther, who agreed to call me back.“Hey, you're here already," I said as I dropped my phone. Ethan looked like he wanted to hug me but kept his arms to himself. I could tell from the way his hand twitched.“Yeah, I did tell you I was around the corner, right?" If it wasn't that he rarely smiles, I'd have called the expression on his face a little smile, but knowing Ethan, this is the most he could manage.“You did…” I trailed off.“What are you doing here, by the way? This is a specialist hospital," he asked, looking around.“I came to see my mother. My father eventually told me where she’s being treated, and that happens to be this hospital,” I said.The little smile on his face disappeared almost immediately, and he looked suddenly serious.“Have you see
Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Five: AnneliseOne Month LaterMy life had finally returned to how it was in the beginning before everything started, but now it felt more peaceful. I remembered the discussion I had with my mom when I asked about my real father, and she finally told me the truth.My biological dad had passed away, and she had remarried to avoid bringing disgrace to her family. She hadn’t told me because she thought everything was fine. I sat on the kitchen counter, enjoying kiwi and peanut butter. I hummed excitedly, swinging my legs gently. It was the most delicious thing I’d eaten.“Want some?” I offered Ethan, who looked at it with disgust.“No, I’m good.” Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes. Ethan’s widened in panic.“I was just kidding. Of course, I want to eat it, but I’m worried it’s not enough for you,” he said hastily.I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you sure? Or do you just not want any?”“Of course, I’m sure,” he replied, his face breaking into an uncharac
Ethan's POV Lucas had called me urgently this morning, informing me to be at the company. He didn’t elaborate much, and I was left wondering what was happening.I stood in the elevator, which was taking me to the top floor. I don’t know why, but I felt something was about to change. The soft chime of the elevator door sounded, and as it stopped, the door slid open. I stepped out and walked down the hallway into the conference room.Opening the door, I was greeted by the eyes of the board of directors, including Amanda’s. What was she doing here? I saw Lucas come forward to meet me.“What is happening?” I gritted out.“I don’t know either. Madam Amanda called me this morning, telling me we should be present at this sudden conference meeting she had called.” I nodded at him and walked to the front where an empty seat, clearly meant for me, awaited. I sat down.“Most of us know why we are all here, and we have all heard about the scandal. Now, I want to transfer all my shares to Ethan,
Annelise's POV I caressed my bulging stomach gently, with love shining in my eyes. Suddenly, I felt a soft kick against my belly and giggled at the sensation. I could feel my baby's feet pressed against me.Pulling up my top, I exposed my stomach and smiled at the tiny feet. "Naughty baby," I scolded gently. I heard chuckling behind me and turned to see Ethan staring at me with love and admiration in his eyes. I blushed at the sight—it was overwhelming.“Why are you chuckling?” I asked.“It’s beautiful seeing you scold our little one with such love,” he answered, sitting beside me. His gaze shifted to my stomach.He placed his large, cold hand on my belly. As if recognizing it was his father’s touch, our baby kicked hard, causing me to flinch. I shot Ethan a glare. He chuckled sheepishly before sighing. I sensed immediately that something was wrong.“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking his hand in mine.“Amanda has been calling me. I haven’t picked up because honestly, I have nothing to s
Annelise's POV “What are you saying, Annelise?” Ethan asked me.“I'm saying that it was the sex we had that night that made me pregnant. I was confused at first because I didn't remember what really happened that night.”“You're saying that the sex that night led to this pregnancy?” he asked, with a shocked expression on his face.“Yes, Ethan,” I replied, assessing his face to gauge his reaction. He had been happy before at the idea of us having a baby, even though he initially thought it might not be his.The confused look on his face quickly turned into happiness, which was contagious, and I smiled brightly too.He hugged me tightly and showered my face with kisses.“Thank you so much for this beautiful gift, Annelise,” he said."You're welcome. Now give me my food; I'm famished,” I commanded him with a strict look on my face.“Right away, your majesty,” he said as he opened up the plate himself. He started feeding me, and I happily ate the food.I finished everything on the plate
Annelise's POV I jumped on Ethan the moment I saw him at the entrance. His arms were waiting for me already, though my big stomach didn't let me hug him as much as I wanted to.“I missed you so much. When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me that you were coming?” I bombarded him with questions as tears streamed down my face out of happiness."I don't have my phone, remember?” He chuckled close to my ear."Yes, but still,” I trailed off, hugging him even more. I had to break the hug when someone cleared their throat behind us—it was Lucas and Rex.“Welcome back, man,” Lucas said as he patted Ethan on the back.“Thanks, and I appreciate you for helping out with everything,” Ethan replied, and they did that weird men hug.“You don't even know if I helped her out with it or not,” Lucas chuckled.“I know you'd always turn up for things like this. I don't need to hear it before I do; you're a real one,” Ethan said to Lucas."You're always welcome,” Ethan replied, and Rex greeted him t
Annelise's POV It's Monday now, and I have everything I need for revealing the truth ready. I was assisted by both Lucas and Esther, and I just want the DMZ meeting to be over so I'll have Ethan back.It's time for the event to start, and I didn't bother to disguise to enter the building even though paparazzi were outside in abundance.It's just a plus that I decided to come with both Max and Lucas, and since they're both registered in the company, they were allowed to go through the backdoor.It's afternoon at the moment, and I have anxiety churning in my stomach. I kept reminding myself that I was doing this for Ethan, and I didn't need to think about the crowd that I'd face.“I'll be there with you in that conference room so you'll have a familiar face with you. You don't need to be scared of anyone; just do your thing and let the media do the rest,” Lucas said before we got out of the car.“Thank you so much for everything you've done, Lucas. I really appreciate you, and I'm sure
Ethan's POV Annelise and I woke up to news about me flying around. It's the same thing that Ken has been using to threaten me before. It was the cuss word from my mouth that woke up Annelise.Though it's still afternoon, we both slept off hours after coming back from the hospital as we didn't sleep overnight normally.She sat up on the bed almost immediately after I cussed out loud, with her eyes still partly closed. She used her hand to wipe her eyes as though she was trying to wipe the sleep away.“What happened?" she asked as her eyes came clear.“Uh, it's… nothing. You can go back to sleep. I'm going to take care of it now.” I rushed out of bed, and she rushed behind me too.“Ethan, did anything happen with anyone? That didn't look like nothing back there at all,” she said behind me, successfully following me into the bathroom.I sighed out loud. "It's Ken. He released the news about me hitting someone, and it's everywhere on the internet now," I rushed out the words to her.“He
Ken's POV I've been reeling with joy since I was announced as the new highest shareholder of the company, automatically making me the owner of some sort.I honestly expected more from Ethan in terms of competition for the contract and all, but he seemed to be focused on another thing other than anything concerning the company these days, and that worked in my mercy.It could be because he's now separated from his wife, but I didn't care. All that matters now is that I'm way higher than him in rank, and he's below me.I've been trying all my life to achieve that, but he always manages to be one step ahead of me each time I try to surpass him.He was married to someone I like, and he's known by more businessmen and people as the one with the brains for business, while I'm the trophy grandson.I wonder how he feels right now with his most prized possession not with him anymore; he's probably about to commit suicide.A cruel smile came up on my face at the last thing I thought; dying is
Annelise's POV I was able to get to the hospital in no time, signed the final documents for the transfer, and it was all processed quickly.It wasn't that stressful because my father had already signed me on as one of her guardians, so it wasn't hard for me to arrange her move to another facility.All that's left is the actual moving, which is scheduled for tomorrow. I was told it couldn't be done today as all the paperwork needs to go through the final stages to reach the desired hospital.When I was done at the hospital and had spent some time with my mother, I went to the car dealership as I had told Ethan. I've been keeping him updated on everything that's been happening.He was replying to the messages up until the last one I sent, which I took as him ignoring it because of the argument we had about it last night.I went there and made inquiries on some of the budget-friendly cars they had. I ended up with a nice car that had some great features and was within my price range.Th