The rekindling of Annie and Finn's relationship was a wonderful development. However, Finn's newfound closeness at times made Annie a bit withdrawn and hesitant. Having never been in a romantic relationship, let alone being physically close to a man, Annie struggled to adapt to Finn's sudden shift from being distant to gentle.For instance, this afternoon, Annie and Finn leisurely sat together on a swing, comfortably reclining on a soft cushion behind them. Annie lazily closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of each breeze caressing her ears and hair, as if blowing away the burdens of everyday life.They sat there well into the late afternoon, with the chilly autumn breeze bringing a shiver into the air. Annie wore a thin, long-sleeved dress, so her exposed legs felt a slight tremor in the cool air. She thought about getting up to fetch an additional blanket, and it seemed that Finn noticed her intention as he gracefully turned and gently urged her to remain seated.Subsequently, Fin
After rushing outside, Annie instinctively let out a sigh of relief. The tightness in her chest from earlier made her acutely aware of how fast her heart was racing now.She could vaguely guess that Finn might be teasing her, but she didn't dare to be entirely sure. After all, Finn's usual demeanor was cold and aloof-not the type to enjoy playful banter like that....Later that night, Annie lay lazily on the sofa, watching TV. She stretched her legs languidly while nibbling on the fruit Keelin had prepared for her. Though it was already late, sleep evaded her. The show she was watching grew increasingly engaging, and every now and then, a soft, amused giggle escaped her lips.Just as she stretched with a yawn and prepared to stand, the faint sound of footsteps reached her ears from the staircase above. She looked up to see Finn descending slowly.Almost unconsciously, she stepped closer to help him. Finn, for his part, accepted her support with ease, leaning slightly against her with
When work ended, Denis followed Annie to a nearby coffee shop and chose a table by the window. He felt a spark of joy at having some time alone with her, but he didn't expect her first words to strike him like a thunderbolt, freezing his expression in place."Denis, I'm already married. My husband and I love each other deeply and live together in perfect harmony," she began, her voice calm but unwavering."I'm not the right person for you to pursue right now."Denis's smile faltered, and an awkward stiffness took its place. He stared at Annie, utterly baffled by what he had just heard."What are you talking about? Married? When did you get married?"His eyes widened, his voice tinged with confusion and disbelief. From the moment he had met Annie, she had always seemed unattached, hadn't she?"You don't need to make such an excuse just to brush me off. If you don't like me, say it outright, Annie," he said, his tone tinged with both frustration and resignation."I won't cling to you or
Annie tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at the person who had just raised their voice. It was one of the individuals who had earlier stood beside the girl in the white dress, accusing her. They were all in it together.A group of malicious people intent on framing her.Annie yanked her hand free from the girl’s grasp, noticing that her wrist had reddened from being held too tightly. She looked at the girl, her voice still soft and composed.“What do you mean? What exactly did I steal?”“Do you have any proof?”Unprepared for Annie’s calm rebuttal, the girl momentarily froze. But within seconds, she puffed out her chest, raising her chin defiantly as she countered.“My word is proof enough. Now, get upstairs this instant!”“Apologize to my friend for your disgusting behavior earlier!”The woman persisted in accusing Annie, her voice growing louder and more commanding, drawing an increasing number of onlookers. Annie knew full well that this girl was deliberately trying to frame her,
In the video, everything was captured clearly.Very clearly.After Annie left, the corners of Lisa's lips curled into a mocking smile, quickly shifting into contempt. She scoffed softly, leaned over, and whispered something to Selena, causing the two to laugh.Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, Selena helped Lisa remove the elegant diamond necklace from her neck and discreetly hid it in a secluded corner of the hotel.Selena winked at Lisa, signaling that everything was in order, and then walked away.The video ended there, as the rest was already known to everyone. Selena accused Annie of being a thief and humiliated her with the most vicious words imaginable.After hearing Annie's account of the situation and reviewing the footage from the camera, Finn let out a cold laugh."So this is what you call a thief, in your own words, Selena? Such a masterful twist of the narrative.""And Lisa," Finn's gaze shifted, his voice sharp and unyielding. "You truly are clever, ar
And of course, not an angel investor. Mike doesn't have that much money and kindness.Hearing Finn's invitation, Mike was genuinely intrigued. After all, Lisa's father's company operated in an industry that had always piqued his interest-jewelry."How do you plan to do it?"Finn blinked thoughtfully, considering for a moment before outlining his plan to Mike. As Finn spoke, Mike seemed increasingly captivated, nodding along with visible enthusiasm. By the end of the explanation, he glanced at Finn with a meaningful smirk."I have to admit, for someone who built their company from scratch, you've got a decent head for this."Finn didn't respond, merely giving Mike a calm, indifferent look."Enough with the nonsense. When are you ready to start?"Mike arched a brow, his smirk widening."Anytime."Finn chuckled, saying he wanted to get started immediately. Mike nodded, signaling his agreement....A few days later.Annie was in the garden, watering her flowers when her phone buzzed with
Annie endured in silence as she took a seat across from Sofia."How have things been lately? Has Finn grown tired of that rustic face of yours yet?""Has he thrown you out of the house already?"Sofia's tone was laced with arrogance as she eyed Annie with disdain and curiosity."Never. Everything is fine.""Finn still hasn't realized that I'm just a stand-in for you."Sofia burst into laughter as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke."Then Finn really is a fool, isn't he? A noble lady like me is being replaced by a pathetic, ignorant girl like you for this long, and he hasn't even noticed a thing."Annie had no interest in entertaining Sofia's insults. She met her gaze head-on, her voice calm and indifferent."Why did you call me here today?"Sofia wasn't the least bit offended by the interruption. Instead, she smirked."Give me some money. Lately, my mom hasn't been as generous with my allowance, and it's hardly enough to take my darling boys on yacht parties like before."
At that moment, the phone rang. Finn impatiently picked up."What is it? Make it quick."His voice was a mix of irritation and impatience, startling even Mike. What had he done to provoke Finn?"Hey, who ruffled your feathers today? Or is it trouble in paradise with your fiancée, and I'm just the unlucky punching bag?"Mike shrugged innocently. Finn clenched his fist, his patience wearing thin."I'll give you three seconds to say what you need, or I'm hanging up."Mike quickly pleaded for him to wait, then hastened to explain."To celebrate the successful acquisition of Lisa's father's company, I want to invite a few close friends to the bar for drinks. So, how about it? The man who suggested this golden opportunity to me and my business partner-are you interested?"Ordinarily, Finn did not incline these gatherings and would refuse outright. But his mood was foul today, and perhaps a few drinks would do him some good.So, he agreed."What time? Where?"Mike was taken aback by Finn's a
The next morning, Annie originally planned to make a cake for Finn as an excuse to approach him and apologize. However, to her surprise, Finn had already left early.Hearing this from Keelin, she was momentarily stunned."Why would he go to the company? Finn never goes to the company, does he?"Ever since Annie had known Finn, she had never once heard of him setting foot in the company. If there was business to discuss, his assistant would usually come to his house, or they would handle everything over the phone.There had never been an exception.That was why the news of Finn going to the company left her somewhat shocked."That's right. He even said he'd be there all day and have dinner with his assistant in the evening. He won't be coming back."Keelin finished speaking and, noticing Annie still lost in thought, asked with concern, "Is something wrong, Sofia? Do you want me to pass a message to Finn?"Annie snapped out of her daze, shaking off the lingering thoughts clouding her mi
Annie listened in silence, her breath hitching as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Regret weighed heavy in her chest. She hadn't known. She hadn't understood Finn's fears at all.She had always claimed she wanted the best for him, that everything she did was for his sake.But in the end, she had been nothing more than a fool-one who only made things worse.And Finn... Finn was the one left to pick up the shattered pieces of her mistakes.What she thought was helping had only made things worse.Her voice trembled as she gazed at him, eyes brimming with sorrow."I'm sorry, Finn... I was reckless. I didn't think things through.""I was ignorant-I am ignorant. This is all my fault."She could barely choke out the words. If today hadn't happened, maybe Finn wouldn't have been forced to relive his pain. Maybe the wounds he had worked so hard to heal wouldn't have been torn open again because of her."I'm sorry. Truly... I'm so sorry."Because what else was there to say?Finn let out a sl
"Finn, wait for me. You’re walking too fast, I can’t keep up," Annie weakly called out, struggling to chase after him. Yet, Finn pressed forward without hesitation, his pace so swift that Annie could barely keep up. For a fleeting moment, she even wondered if he was truly blind.He moved like the wind, effortlessly dodging every obstacle in his path, his reflexes sharper than even those with perfect vision—sharper than hers.But Finn showed no sign of hearing her. He continued straight ahead. The only indication that he acknowledged her presence was the slight loosening of his grip on her hand, just enough to ease the discomfort she had felt moments before.Once inside the car, Finn sat beside her in the passenger seat, crossing his arms in silence. Annie, of course, knew he was upset—so upset that he didn’t want to speak to her. She barely dared to breathe, shrinking back into her seat, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, not wanting to irritate him any further.Ste
At Hubert's house,Annie followed closely behind him, her face filled with wariness."Where is this place? Why did you bring me here?"She kept a cautious distance from Hubert, her eyes brimming with suspicion. Stopping in her tracks, she waited for his response.When Hubert turned around, there was nothing but a harmless smile on his face."What do you mean? I brought you here to see the renowned eye specialist I mentioned."He sighed, looking utterly innocent as he gestured toward the upper floor."He's waiting for you in my study. Do you need me to take you up there, or would you rather leave right now?"His nonchalant attitude, as if Annie’s excessive wariness was completely unwarranted, made her feel a little guilty. She rubbed her nose sheepishly."Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were using this as an excuse to trick me into coming here."Hubert merely shrugged, maintaining an air of righteous indifference, while Annie pursed her lips. For a moment, she genuinely believed
That night, Annie could hardly sleep.She wasn't used to sharing a bed with another man, so with Finn lying beside her, her heart pounded uncontrollably, as if it had a will of its own. She tried to breathe as lightly as possible, afraid that the rapid rhythm of her heart would somehow disturb Finn, who was sound asleep next to her.Fear kept her frozen; she didn't dare shift even slightly, only lying stiffly on her back, listening to the steady rise and fall of Finn's breaths. Unlike Annie, he seemed to be resting peacefully-his breathing even, his face relaxed, utterly at ease. In the darkness, she watched him, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts, unsure how she could lull herself to sleep.Suddenly, Finn shifted.Annie tensed, holding her breath, remaining utterly still.She hadn't expected him to do more than turn over, but to her shock, he instinctively pulled her into his arms, his hand resting naturally against her back in a gesture far too intimate. Annie's mind went utterly blan
"Of course, it's because I love you."Annie tilted her head, playfully blinking at Finn. Though she knew he couldn't see it, her gaze remained filled with deep affection."If not for love, I wouldn't have been so kind as to take care of you for so long, with such devotion. I'm not that good of a person, you know."Finn pondered for a long moment as if trying to discern whether Annie was telling the truth or merely trying to comfort him. Gently, she stroked his cheek again and softly asked,"And what about you, Finn? Do you love me?"Her sweet voice lured Finn into a daze, drawing him into the warmth of his own heart. Dazedly, he nodded, obediently."What do you think?"Finn mimicked her teasing tone, throwing the question back at her. Annie pouted."How would I know? You've never told me anything about it before."She huffed, lips pursed in feigned annoyance. Finn found her utterly endearing, as her childish tone made him cup her face, lean in, and deepen their kiss-so much so that An
As Annie returned home, she happened to run into Mike just as he was coming down the stairs. With a gentle step, she approached him, her voice filled with concern."How was Finn's therapy today? Do you think there's a good chance he'll regain his sight completely?"Mike stroked his chin, pretending to be deep in thought."The treatment is going well. There's been some progress.""But lately..." He paused deliberately before continuing, "I've noticed that Finn's mood hasn't been great. He seems distracted, even during therapy."Mike carefully observed Annie's expression, and when he saw the flicker of worry cross her face, he felt satisfied. Then, with a grave tone, he added,"You're his fiancée, aren't you? Do me a favor and take care of him more, will you? If he's in good spirits and cooperates with the treatment, he'll recover his vision sooner."He even cleared his throat for emphasis, as if the matter were of utmost importance. Annie nodded earnestly, promising to be more attentiv
Annie never expected that Finn would confront her like this, in the end. She blinked at him, unable to grasp the mocking undertone laced with sarcasm in his words.She also couldn't understand why he suddenly seemed so angry.Annie was stunned."What do you mean? Boyfriend? What boyfriend?"She had assumed Finn was upset because he knew about her dinner at Denis's house with him and his mother. But his words only deepened her confusion."Don't play innocent, Sofia. I know everything."Finn had no intention of arguing with Annie, but her feigned ignorance only fueled the fire inside him. He pressed on."My friend saw you with his own eyes-having a romantic dinner with your so-called boyfriend on a yacht. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"Annie blinked, momentarily unable to process what Finn was implying. She had no idea what he was talking about. Facing his sudden outburst, the only emotion she felt was bewilderment.Then, a thought flickered through her mind, offering a vagu
"This is impossible. Finn, don't be too greedy."Ryan growled in fury, slamming his fist onto the table with a force that left no room for negotiation. His stance was firm, uncompromising. Yet Finn showed no sign of wavering. He remained seated, unruffled, as if he hadn't even heard the outburst.Instead, he gently patted Annie's arm, a silent reassurance against the hostility directed at them."Then so be it. I have no intention of negotiating further."Finn rose from his seat, motioning for Annie to do the same."If you can't agree to these terms, then consider this discussion a failure. In that case, Sofia and I won't waste more of your time. We have other matters to attend to."Without sparing another glance at the two men, Finn grasped Annie's hand and strode away, ignoring the calls from Hubert and Ryan urging him to stay.The purpose of today's meeting had been achieved. He saw no reason to linger any longer.As they stepped outside, Finn casually draped an arm over Annie's sho