Chapter 4: The First Meeting

When they entered the room, Joyce and Isolde were engaged in a cheerful conversation. They turned to look as they heard footsteps.

"Mom, I brought lunch for you," Annie said with a charming smile, placing the lunchbox on the small table beside the hospital bed. Denis, by her side, also spoke up.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Annie's colleague. Today, I brought a little gift for you. It's quite a coincidence; I didn't expect you to share the hospital room with Annie's mom."

Isolde was a gentle and kind-hearted woman. She politely thanked Denis and invited him to sit down. Joyce, on the other hand, seemed pleased and somewhat amused.

After the initial greetings, the four people gathered around the small table for lunch, and the atmosphere was relatively warm.

Joyce seemed to have a fondness for Annie, constantly asking about her job and her relationship status. She even inquired about Annie's feelings toward Denis. In the face of such enthusiastic curiosity, Annie responded somewhat hesitantly, and Denis, noticing something unusual, also asked uncertainly.

"Mom, have you heard Annie mention someone recently?"

Annie and Isolde exchanged dreamy and unclear glances, and Denis hesitated while trying to explain. Lately, whenever he visited his mother and took walks with Annie, she frequently mentioned the patient's son, who shared the room with her mother. 

Joyce seemed so pleased and fond of this girl, constantly praising her for being obedient, adorable, and well-behaved. Denis had heard so much about her that he became curious about this girl, not knowing that it was Annie all along.

Joyce nodded happily, openly admitting to it. She smiled at Annie, sitting beside her, her eyes filled with affection.

"Annie, do you have a boyfriend? Denis is single, and if you're available, you should consider him."

Joyce's overly explicit words left Annie blushing, and she was about to open her mouth to explain, thinking of the deal she had with Sofia earlier. However, before Annie could say anything further, Isolde quickly responded.

"Not yet. Annie is a hardworking and compassionate young girl. She has to work tirelessly to earn a living because of my illness. Until now, she hasn't had a boyfriend."

Annie looked at her mother with a sense of despair, silently imploring her to stop, but the story continued to unfold, slipping out of her control. Joyce and Isolde continued to chat enthusiastically, introducing their children as if Annie and Denis were genuinely about to fall in love.

Denis, equally stunned as Annie, glanced at her with a mix of helplessness and confusion. Annie forced a faint smile and obediently ate her meal, pretending to be oblivious.

Joyce and Isolde talked fervently, and in no time, they discussed the possibility of Annie and Denis dating, expressing their wholehearted support and delight. In the end, Annie and Denis had to make excuses to leave the conversation, which had taken an odd turn. Both walked away with forced smiles and awkwardness.

"Please don't take what my mom said too seriously; she was just teasing," Annie assured Denis, avoiding eye contact.

Noticing Annie's discomfort, Denis refrained from pressing further and remained silent as he dropped her off at home.

As they bid each other farewell, they could see the awkwardness in each other's eyes, which was far from the comfort they had initially shared. Annie gave Denis an awkward farewell and hurried inside her home. She believed that the fewer people who knew about her deal with Sofia, the better. Therefore, she dared not get too close or distant from Denis to avoid hurting and disappointing him afterward.

With these thoughts in mind, Annie lightly patted her cheek to quickly forget the recent incident, refocusing her mind to prepare for what lay ahead.

…

The following morning, as per the agreement with Sofia, Annie was to move her belongings to Finn's house to make it more convenient to care for him at all times. Sofia drove to pick up Annie, providing continuous instructions during the ride.

"While Finn is blind, there are many people to help him at his home, so don't reveal any weaknesses that might affect my image."

"Also, you should reduce your part-time jobs and focus on looking after Finn to make people praise me for being responsible and kind. I will pay you extra money so you won't lose out."

"Later, I'll also buy you some expensive clothes and jewelry to wear when guests visit Finn or when you go out with him. Remember, when you are at home, you can wear your shabby clothes, but when you meet anyone other than Finn, you must dress elegantly like a noble lady to match me."

Annie silently noted all of Sofia's instructions without any complaints. After all, the amount of money Sofia had provided was substantial, so all her demands seemed reasonable.

When Annie arrived at Finn's doorstep, Sofia handed her a new phone and helped her call the maid to come and assist. Sofia then arrogantly drove away. Fortunately, the maid, Keelin, was a gentle and helpful woman. She enthusiastically helped Annie move her belongings inside.

As Annie stepped into the clean house wearing her fluffy slippers, she heard a deep male voice.

"You must be Sofia, right? Go back; I don't need your pity."

"You've also noticed that I'm just a blind man. I'm no longer the heir to power, so you can seduce Hubert instead of trying to win me over."

"I'm more than willing to help you announce the damn cancellation of this wretched engagement."

Listening to the cold and disdainful tone, Annie tilted her head to look at the man leaning against the sofa. He wore a simple hoodie and long pants. His face was handsome as sculpted with striking features: a high, straight nose, thin lips, and fair, captivating skin. However, his deep, unseeing eyes were intense. Based on Annie's deduction, this man was Finn, her younger sister's fiancé.

At this moment, seeing that Annie hadn't responded, Finn furrowed his brow, his hand on the sofa tightening as he spoke again.

"Don't you understand? I said, Go away; I don't need care, and I despise you."

Finn had met Sofia a few times in real life and had a sense of her personality: arrogant, money-hungry, and craving attention. She was definitely not the kind of person who would willingly help when he was blind.

The reason for her appearance was that if she abandoned him now, it would be bad for her reputation. Finn didn't need this pretense. Besides, he didn't like having strangers in his house.

"I won't go anywhere. I am your fiancée, so I should stay with you during this hard time. If you don't want to be bothered, I will always keep quiet and won't approach you."

Annie replied gently, trying to soothe Finn's irritability. In that situation, Finn could become sensitive and irritable, and Annie didn't want to provoke him into an argument. So she softly asked Keelin to help her carry her suitcase to the room opposite Finn's.

"Huh, pretending, huh? If you want to stay, stay. And if you can't, then leave. I won't hold you back."

Finn didn't bother saying more; he got up from the sofa and slowly went upstairs. Seeing Finn's slow and difficult steps, Annie gently sighed. It seemed that her life from now on wouldn't be easy. Finn's clear thoughts about disdain and resentment toward Sofia were evident, and Annie couldn't ignore them.