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
Annelise's POV We talked about random things on the drive to the place Ethan wanted to show me. I was surprised when the name of a popular cemetery came into view.Ethan parked the car and almost ran around to open the door for me. I got out, looking around with an analyzing expression.The cemetery was quiet, almost eerily so. If it wasn’t for the sound of our footsteps and our breathing, there wouldn’t be any noise at all.“Why are we here?” I asked.“This used to be the place I came to whenever I needed to be alone," Ethan started, looking into the distance as we walked. We were heading to a spot I didn’t recognize.Did he have a close relative buried here? He stopped suddenly at one of the cremated stones. I hadn’t noticed the name until he told me to look.Marie Simon. That’s my mother’s name. This was the tombstone that made Ethan believe she was dead. Everything inscribed on it was so accurate that I wondered what lengths Ken had gone to.“I thought my life was over when Ken
Ethan's POV I dropped Annelise at her friend's apartment after promising to return in the evening so we could visit her mother at the hospital once more. Then I drove back to the office, where Lucas had called to inform me that my private investigator was there to see me. The man looked like he had something very important to tell me.I arrived at the office in no time and asked the investigator to come in with me.“What did you have to tell me?" I asked him straight away.“It's about your wife. I found out that she was at the event that night. She came in around eight pm with her father. She left in the morning, but she had some kind of disagreement with Amanda before leaving.”A disagreement with Amanda? That was surprising. It meant Annelise had met Amanda even before the wedding. What was even more surprising was that Annelise had actually attended the event. Why had she lied to me about it?“What else did you find out?" I asked him.“You both were together that night."A frown
Annelise's POV Esther entered Ethan's car too so she wouldn't waste her car's gas because we were all going to the same place.Ethan entered the car first while Esther and I followed suit. I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but Ethan looked angry; the way his hand was on the steering wheel confirmed that, and I frowned. Was it a problem at work? He didn't say a word till we got to the hospital. The look on his face wasn't a friendly one at all. He got out of the car first, then came to open my door with that sullen look on his face. I wasn't the only one who noticed; Esther did too.“What's wrong with him? He's acting really weird,” she asked after Ethan had gone ahead, walking really fast."I don't know either. He hasn't said a word to me,” I whispered as we both walked directly behind him.We all got into the hospital and put down our names with the lady at the desk.I led us to the room my mother was being held in, with nervousness and anxiety building up inside me again.
Ethan's POV “Bring him in!" I ordered my men over the phone. I sat on my office chair with a stony expression on my face. It was the morning after I went to the hospital with Annelise.I had instructed my men to go after Simon and ensure he was brought to me. I didn't care how they did it; all I knew was that they were currently at the parking lot with him.I waited almost impatiently for him to be brought in. Minutes later, they came in, dragging him by the collar. His hands were bound, and a cloth was placed over his mouth.“Thank you. You can all wait outside while I deal with him," I told my men, and they left me alone with Simon.I stood up from my chair almost immediately after they were gone. I was furious, and all I wanted was to bash his face in, but I needed to ask him certain questions first. Then I could decide what to do with him if he didn't comply.I removed the cloth from his mouth, and he yelled immediately. I laughed at how stupid he was.“Are you this dumb, or can
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