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
"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
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
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
"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
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
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
Thinking that way, Annie still couldn't stop the ache tightening in her chest. After all, she had once trusted Finn so much.She stepped into the house, looking utterly dazed, her feet carrying her aimlessly into the kitchen. She was so lost in thought that even Keelin grew concerned upon seeing her.“What is going on, Sofia? Weren’t you supposed to bring Finn his dinner at the office?”“Why did you come back looking like this?”Annie let out a small "oh" in realization, placing the lunchbox on the table before replying.“Oh, when I got there, Finn wasn’t at the company. He was probably out having dinner with his secretary.”“Help me clean up, will you? And don’t mention this to Finn—he might overthink things.”Seeing Keelin nod in agreement, Annie finally calmed herself and went upstairs. But once she reached her room, she couldn’t suppress the trembling in her heart. She slid down against the wall, collapsing onto the floor.For Annie, it was a nearly sleepless night.The next morni
Although Finn tried to appear composed and indifferent, his expression betrayed him. His eyes were distant, shadowed with nostalgia, and even his reactions lagged behind their usual sharpness.Sofia had finished speaking for quite some time before he finally let out a dazed "Oh."She sneered."Don't bother pretending with me Do you want to see Annie?"Her voice dropped lower, almost conspiratorial."I can arrange a little accidental meeting."Sofia gave a casual shrug, but it was precisely that nonchalance that made Finn suspicious. Narrowing his eyes, he asked her,"Can you really?"Under his probing gaze, Sofia nodded confidently and lifted her chin defiantly."Why not? Don't forget-no matter what's happened, Annie is still my sister. You think she'd refuse to meet her ownflesh and blood?"The question left Finn without a comeback. But he wasn't so easily fooled-he knew Sofia wasn't the kind of person to do favors out of kindness.His lips curled into a faint, cynical smile."So, wh
Half a month slipped by quietly, and at last, the day came for Annie and Isolde to return to Country B. From the break of dawn, they were already up, preparing and packing their belongings with care.There wasn't much to take home-everything unnecessary, especially things easily bought back in their homeland, had long been given away to neighbors and acquaintances.Just as they finished, the crisp chime of Annie's phone rang out."Annie, are you and Isolde ready? The taxi I booked is waiting just outside your home." Amber's cheerful voice came through, full of anticipation, as if she had been eagerly looking forward to this journey.Annie glanced around one last time, a soft smile playing on her lips."All done. We're heading out now."Ending the call, she turned to Isolde with a gentle look, and together they carried their things outside."Ready for a new life, darling?" Isolde asked softly as they stepped through the front door, her voice light and relieved.Annie nodded."I'm ready
With a gentle voice lingering in the air, Annie looked up at the young man who had just arrived-Nathan. Her eyes sparkled with unmistakable delight."What a coincidence," she said lightly. "Did you have plans here today too?"Nathan held her gaze without blinking, the corners of his lips curving into a smile as he casually adjusted his cap, revealing a pair of captivating, deep-set eyes."I'm meeting a friend for dinner," he replied with an easy charm.Then, as if noticing John sitting across from Annie, Nathan tilted his head slightly, his tone taking on a hint of curiosity."And who's this? Your boyfriend, Annie?"He added a playful wink, grinning as he teased,"Didn't you always say you were single? Hiding a boyfriend from everyone now, are you?"Nathan's lighthearted humor instantly put Annie at ease. She didn't notice the stiffness in John's expression and shook her head gently."Boyfriend? Don't be ridiculous. This is John, my neighbor. He knew I was returning to country B soon,
Sofia pretended not to notice Finn's silence, and even added with a sly smile, "Annie's been bragging about how she's always surrounded by admirers overseas. Not to mention, she just broke up with some boyfriend after only a few months of dating.""Who knows, maybe this time when Annie comes back, she'll bring her boyfriend along. And in that case, I could generously keep pretending to be your fiancée-so that you don't lose face."Her tone was teasing, deliberately mocking him.Finn remained silent from beginning to end, clearly unable to stomach the blow. He couldn't believe that Annie-the girl he had been searching for all this time-could so easily forget him and fall for someone else so quickly."Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Are you heartbroken to the point you've lost your voice?"Sofia goaded him, her voice deliberately rising in pitch."Don't fool yourself into thinking Annie would wait around forever just because you two had some sweet memories. It's been two years, Fin
And so, over two months,Sofia and Finn played the role of passionate lovers before the public eye. Most of the intimate "sightings" reported by the media were, in fact, discreetly leaked by the two of them.From lavish dinners at upscale restaurants to glamorous appearances at elite high-society parties-everything was carefully orchestrated to convince the world that they were hopelessly in love.During that same period,Sofia pulled every string she could, tapping into her network of friends to secure a new job and a place to stay within the country. After all, if she was going to break away from Calliope entirely, she needed to meticulously arrange every detail."A whole month's gone by. At the very least, don't you think you owe me an update on Annie's situation?"Only when the fabricated romance had grown convincing enough to fool the public into believing they were madly in love, did Finn begin to let his guard down. He looked at Sofia, displeasure written clearly across his fac
In the private lounge of the bar,bathed in the warm glow of amber lights and wrapped in a tranquil atmosphere,Mike clinked glasses with Finn, the sound laced with unmistakable excitement."So? Feel any better now that you've beaten Hubert?""Well, someone had to teach that idiot a lesson-make sure he knows better than ever to try hurting you again."Mike looked thoroughly pleased. He had watched the media gradually turn against Hubert, relentlessly pressing him for explanations about his recent troubles. Yet Hubert remained silent.And rightly so.He had originally planned to strike first with a press conference, hoping to catch Finn off guard. Then, after Finn launched his product, he would plant stories accusing Finn of plagiarism and theft.But in the end, Finn countered brilliantly, delivering a blow Hubert couldn't recover from.Hubert, ever the arrogant one, had never even considered a backup plan. He was too confident that he could crush Finn.Watching it all unfold, Mike cou
Finn went ahead with the press conference as if nothing had happened. After all, he knew perfectly well that Hubert was watching him with smug satisfaction, hoping to see him fail.Unfortunately for Hubert, he would be disappointed.The press conference was conducted swiftly and efficiently. The host merely greeted the attendees, gave a brief introduction to Finn's company and the purpose of the event, then invited Finn to the stage to speak.Finn casually adjusted his collar, stepping up with a composed air. The camera flashes lit up the room like a storm of starlight, a clear sign of just how much attention the journalists were paying to this conference. He narrowed his eyes, waiting until the photographers had had their fill before offering a faint smile and beginning his speech."Good afternoon, everyone..."He opened with a calm, steady voice, slowly recounting how he and Kay had begun collaborating to craft the first designs and eventually moved on to bring the project to life.
Sometime later...After announcing the project, Finn became engrossed in his work, preparing for the upcoming product launch press conference. He was so busy that he barely paid any attention to Hubert. However, Hubert's absurd antics were impossible to ignore.Manipulating the media, continuously steering public attention toward his own product launch, and-most audaciously-scheduling it exactly three hours before Finn's company's event.The intention was obvious.Hubert was laying a trap.Convinced of his own superiority, he believed he had already secured victory. That was why he deliberately set the timing this way-so that when Finn discovered the leaked project plans and realized that Hubert's new product was a replica of his own, it would be too late to react.A flawless scheme-if only it hadn't been flawed from the very beginning.Finn, however, was in no rush to expose the truth. There was still a week before the press conference, and in the meantime, he remained focused on wha
Hubert put on a sycophantic smile, carefully laying out his plan to Sofia."What do you think about becoming my fiancée after Finn fails this project? Although we don't have real feelings for each other, we can always build them over time."He gazed at Sofia, trying to appear deep and affectionate."Not to mention, I'd love to see Finn crumble under everyone's scrutiny. Losing such a crucial project and his fiancée simultaneously-now that would be a devastating blow."Hubert reveled in the thought, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. His excitement grew, his voice rising unconsciously-completely oblivious to Sofia's expression, which had turned from indifferent to outright disgusted.She regarded Hubert with unveiled contempt."If that's your plan, then forget it. I have no interest in playing a fake couple with you."At the very least, Finn was handsome and wealthy-pretending to be his fiancée would at least have some prestige to it. But Hubert? He had absolutely nothing going for h