Anastasia et la trahison Auteur Vanessa. K Chapitre 101-110

Chapter 101
“What do you mean? Last night you cupped my face and k*ssed me, so shouldn’t you have watched yourself too?” Elliot asked in a hoarse voice because Anastasia had taken quite the initiative last night.
Anastasia blushed as she struggled to explain. “Last night… I-I wasn’t myself. I don’t remember anything from last night.”
The man snorted. “Oh, really? Shall I help you remember?”
“No-“Before she could finish, the man had already made the decision for her. His thin l*ps began to tackle her red l*ps forcefully. Instantly, her mind went blank. If this man wanted to k*ss her, he should just say so instead of coming up with so many excuses.
However, for some reason, every time this man k*ssed her, she would panic and resist at first, but she would soon lose all sense as the man kept going. As her face and ears went a deep red, she could almost taste the happiness of a k*ss.
No… She absolutely refused to admit that k*ssing him was even a tad enjoyable. Finally, save for the k*ss, she had also felt a sense of danger from the man.
Anastasia began to panic, for if she allowed Elliot to go on, the consequences would be unthinkable.
“Mm…” Anastasia reached up and hit his back but found that his back was so hard that her own fists hurt.
Elliot broke the k*ss, but he didn’t get up to release her. Instead, he admired the woman with messy hair in his arms, for she looked like an alluring fairy. However, when he remembered how that jerk had treated her in a similar way, he felt the urge to kill rising within his heart.
Out of nowhere, Anastasia felt pain in her scalp, and she realized that strands of her hair were stuck on a button of the man’s shirt. The man realized it as well, so he lowered his head and gazed at her with a cunning look. “Undo it yourself.”
Anastasia’s scalp was getting numb from the pain. Soon, she proceeded to pull at her hair, but the strands wouldn’t budge. In the end, she would have to undo the button.
Hence, she could only blush as she undid the third button of the shirt. In an instant, her sight was filled with the man’s firm, honey-colored chest. She hastily averted her gaze, refusing to look.
“Are you satisfied with my figure?” the man asked in a teasing manner.
“No.” Anastasia provoked him on purpose as she humphed.
“Which part of it do you not like?” The man was still on top of her, and his eyes narrowed as he continued asking.
Anastasia’s breathing paused for a while, for this topic wasn’t quite family-friendly. She gritted her teeth and said, “All of them. Get off me.”
Suddenly, Elliot pressed against her, letting her feel his pride. He asked again in his hoarse voice, “Are you sure?”
Anastasia was going crazy at this rate. She reached out and pushed him forcefully before he finally allowed her freedom. He sat up, a suggestive tint still lingering on his handsome face.
“All right, we should get back to the company.” Anastasia let her hair loose, recovering her aura of a professional woman.
The man behind her took his phone and followed her out. Downstairs, Nigel had already left with a broken heart. Elliot drove Anastasia back to the company. Along the way, Anastasia didn’t offer to chat, but she made a mental note to never let this man into her house again instead.
“The results of the jewelry competition will be out tomorrow. Are you excited?” Elliot turned around to ask her.
Anastasia was excited, of course. She wanted to win the huge cash prize, but she wasn’t quite willing to tell him.
“What can I say? My rivals are all very talented, so I may not be able to win.”
“Have more confidence in yourself and just anticipate it,” the man said meaningfully.
Anastasia didn’t think too much about it. At that moment, she just wanted to get back to the company as soon as possible.
Just then, Elliot’s car phone rang, and the display indicated that the caller was Hayley. Anastasia frowned, somewhat furious when she remembered what the man had done to her just now.
“Elliot, I’m warning you. I hate Hayley, and I hate it more when you touch me.” Anastasia turned her head, having no regard for the fact that he was her boss.
Elliot frowned a little, but he didn’t pick up the phone.Chapter 102
Anastasia suddenly reached out and pressed the touch screen, answering the call for him. Elliot turned to look at her, but she simply glared back with glee.
“Hello Elliot, I’m at the company now. Why aren’t you here yet?” Hayley’s cutesy voice rang out.
“I’m on my way,” Elliot answered in a low voice.
“All right, I’ll be waiting!”
“Sure.”
“You haven’t forgotten your gift for me, right? It’s your fault for not accompanying me last night,” said Hayley in a spoiled manner.
Anastasia listened without any expressions while Elliot glanced at her, then told Hayley, “We’ll talk when I get back to the company.”
With that, he hung up. Anastasia noticed how fast he had ended the call, so she suddenly sneered. “Is there anything I shouldn’t be hearing?”
“We are just normal friends,” Elliot explained in a low voice. Ever since he found Hayley, he had maintained a certain distance between them because he simply wanted to compensate her. Other than that, he had no other thoughts of her.
Anastasia’s gaze went cold, disgust apparent in her eyes. “Don’t touch me ever again.”
Panic flitted across Elliot’s eyes. “Anastasia, I can’t change what happened in the past.”
“Everything Hayley touched is dirty to me.” This time, Anastasia said it loud and clear in person.
After her claim, Elliot’s expression fell. On the way back to the company, Anastasia ignored Elliot, and the latter’s expression was also terrible. From the way it seemed, her words had probably struck a nerve.
The car had just pulled up at the underground car park when Anastasia opened the door and left right away. Elliot followed behind her, and when the elevator was about to close on him, Anastasia didn’t hold the door open for him. She didn’t want to be on the same ride as him, but the man’s slender arms still reached her. Sensing an object in the way, the elevator doors opened again, allowing Elliot to enter. There was a pressuring aura about him, as if he were a sharp, brandished blade.
Anastasia crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. She could see Elliot’s complex and deep gaze in the mirror, sharp as a crouching beast in the forest. His fiery eyes were trained on her.
Finally, the elevator door opened. Anastasia walked past him in order to leave, but the man held her waist and spoke in her ear through gritted teeth. “No matter how dirty I am, you mustn’t despise me.”
Anastasia broke free from his grasp and left the elevator, snorting inside. I’ll still despise you, anyway. So what?
When Elliot returned to his office, Hayley was already sitting on the couch waiting for him. She had dressed up meticulously for the occasion, and she was indeed prettier than she used to be. Everything she wore was branded, and she had spent a lot of effort on her makeup as well.
Regardless, Elliot could care less. A woman who could attract him would do better than look pretty on the surface; she must also possess an innate charm that reached the depths of his heart.
“You’re here, Elliot.” Love and admiration spilled forth from Hayley’s gaze as she got up to welcome him.
Elliot nodded, then made a call to Rey through the internal phone system. “Bring the present.”
The disappointment was evident in Hayley’s eyes. Why? Why didn’t he go in person to choose the present for me? Why did he ask the a*sistant to do the work for him?
Soon, Rey walked in with a set of jewelry before handing it to Hayley. “Miss Seymour, is this to your liking?”
Hayley opened the box to see a three-piece set, and the design and diamonds were absolutely stunning. In the end, she pursed her l*ps and smiled. “I love it, thank you.”
Hayley looked back to see Elliot lost in thought, completely overlooking her existence.
“Elliot, I made reservations at a restaurant tonight. Let’s have dinner together!” Hayley took the initiative to invite the man, but he raised an eyebrow and declined. “Hayley, I have an appointment at night. I can’t cancel it.”
“But I really want to have a meal with you,” Hayley begged with a pleading look in her eyes.
“I have to meet a very important client tonight, so I can’t cancel. We’ll do it next time, all right?” Even though the words sounded normal, when Elliot spoke them, his voice would carry an undeniable power with it.
None would dare to defy his wishes.
Hayley bit her red l*p, but she could only nod pitifully. “If you say so.”Chapter 103
“Just go back first. I still have work to do,” Elliot continued.
Hayley looked at him longingly. Every time she visited him, she would come with joy and expectation, but she would always leave in disappointment. Remembering how he had gone to save Anastasia without another word, she felt Anastasia must be more important to him than anyone else.
Meanwhile, Anastasia returned to her office, void of all inspiration. A sense of annoyance stopped her from working, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Just then, a figure strode out of the elevator, and it was none other than the man himself-Nigel.
Nigel was about to go to Anastasia’s office when he bumped into Alice. When Alice saw Nigel, she immediately smiled and greeted him. “Hi, Handsome. Here to see Anastasia?”
“Yes. Is she in her office?”
“Handsome, a word of advice. Anastasia’s relationship with our boss is kind of suspicious. As her boyfriend, you have to be careful.”
Nigel’s handsome face froze as he spoke to Alice. “Tell me. What sort of unspeakable relationship does Anastasia have with your boss?”
Alice immediately pointed toward the deserted pantry. “We’ll talk there.”
Nigel followed Alice to the pantry out of curiosity. Alice gazed at him with a pitiful look as she said, “Handsome, you probably don’t know this. Anastasia joined a jewelry competition, and our company has prepared a cash prize of 1 million for the winner.”
Nigel had heard Anastasia mention it before; it was something along those lines.
“In order to win the prize, your girlfriend is doing everything she can to suck up to our boss. They were flirting in the office, and she even went on dates with him quite often. They were so intimate, and I’m only telling you this because I can’t stand it anymore. Handsome, you have to be careful in case your girlfriend gets stolen.” As Alice gazed at Nigel’s handsome face, she felt that it was too unfair.
Where did Anastasia find such a handsome boyfriend?
Nigel emerged from the pantry and went straight to Anastasia’s office. Anastasia was still occupied with her troubled thoughts when she saw Nigel walk in all of a sudden. She was stunned for a few seconds.
“Nigel, what brings you here?” Anastasia smiled as she got up to welcome him.
Nigel looked at her, unable to believe the scenes he had witnessed today. He smiled. “Nothing much, just thought I’d drop by to see you.”
“Do you have time tomorrow? I can treat you to a meal.” Anastasia still felt guilty about canceling her plans with him today.
“Anastasia, I heard some rumors in the office just now. It’s about you and my cousin,” Nigel said on purpose.
Anastasia tensed up. “What did you hear?”
“I heard that you seduced my cousin just to win the jewelry competition. Is it true?”
“What are those people saying? How could I do such a thing?” Anastasia thought it ridiculous. Of course, she wouldn’t appeal to Elliot just to win a prize.
“Do you honestly don’t have those kinds of thoughts about my cousin?” Nigel earnestly locked his gaze on her as he asked.
Anastasia said without hesitation, “Of course not! I’m just his subordinate.”
Nigel bit his thin l*p, then asked again, “Then were you really having lunch in the company this afternoon?”
“I… I wasn’t. I treated someone else to lunch. I owe him a lot, so I had to treat him.” Anastasia was honest now because she couldn’t lie when she looked into Nigel’s pure eyes.
“Then where did you bring him for lunch?”
“Home. I cooked for him.” Anastasia didn’t want to lie, so she came clean.
“Why don’t you eat out? Do you really have to go home and cook?” Nigel asked.
“He probably thought my cooking was good,” Anastasia answered without overthinking it.
At that moment, Nigel instantly realized something because Anastasia couldn’t possibly seduce his cousin. On the contrary, his cousin had fallen for her, and he was trying to win her over in his own way!
“Do you want some coffee?” Anastasia asked him.
“It’s fine. I’m leaving for a while to get something done.” With that, Nigel left right away, leaving her confused.
Where is he going?Chapter 104
Where else would Nigel go? Of course, he went upstairs to see the man who was trying to get his woman. No matter who they were, Nigel wouldn’t allow anyone to touch Anastasia.
The door to Elliot’s office was pushed open before someone entered. Elliot looked up to see Nigel walking in with the aura of a young cheetah ready to attack.
Elliot narrowed his eyes as he looked at Nigel. “What brings you here? You should’ve told me you were coming.”
Nigel placed his palms on the desk, his eyes full of warning. “Elliot, are you trying to court Anastasia?”
Elliot’s fingers that were typing away on the keyboard came to a pause, after which he said calmly, “What are you getting at?”
“Anastasia is the woman I set my eyes on. You’re not allowed to take her away, and you definitely mustn’t get involved with her in the name of work.” Nigel defended his prey with all his might. No one will get near her, not even Elliot! No!
Elliot glanced up with a distant look as he said calmly, “She doesn’t belong to anyone. Everyone has the right to pursue her.”
Nigel’s handsome face froze as he instantly sensed an oppressive aura. If any other man were to pursue Anastasia, he wouldn’t be so stressed out. However, if it were Elliot, Nigel would be overcome with the panic that came from having a tricky rival.
There was a certain sense of helplessness and frustration in Nigel’s heart. If he succeeded, Anastasia would be his wife. If he failed, she would be his cousin’s.
No, he definitely wouldn’t give up.
Nigel wasn’t one to admit defeat easily, even if his rival was his own cousin. At that moment, he decided that he would do everything in his power to get Anastasia’s hand. He no longer had eyes for any other woman; his heart was already full of Anastasia.
Nigel looked at the man on the chair, who was exuding a certain mature charm. He took a deep breath and said, “Fine, let’s compete on fairgrounds and see who gets her in the end.”
With that, Nigel turned and left.
Elliot narrowed his eyes, for he had never thought that he and Nigel would fall for the same woman at the same time. In reality, Elliot wasn’t anxious at all. If Anastasia really loved his silly little cousin, he wouldn’t fail to woo her for two whole years.
The events that happened to Anastasia had caused her to avoid men as much as she could. She guarded herself heavily with thick armor, and she wouldn’t entrust her heart and b*dy so easily to any man.
As long as he knew this, even if Nigel pursued her with everything he had, it would just be a waste of effort. It wouldn’t be easy to move this woman’s heart.
In the office, Anastasia’s phone suddenly rang. Instantly, she lifted her phone to see that it was a call from Harriet, so she immediately answered the call.
“Hello, Old Madam Presgrave.”
“Anastasia, are you busy?” Harriet’s gentle voice asked.
“I’m all right. I’m not too busy right now.”
“If you are, just tell me. I’ll get Elliot to decrease your workload. You still have a child to take care of, so don’t overwork yourself.”
“It’s okay, Old Madam Presgrave. I’m not overwhelmed at all. Do you have something to tell me?” Anastasia didn’t want to bother Elliot, much less get special treatment from him.
“Are you free this Friday? I’d like to invite you to a charity banquet under my name.”
Anastasia was dumbfounded. Attend a banquet?
“Anastasia, many VIPs will be attending this banquet, so it will be very helpful for your work in the future. I can help you establish connections with people of a higher cla*s and expand your network. This will help you a lot in your future circle.”
Anastasia knew Harriet meant well, and it would be rude for her to decline.
“Yes, I’ll attend the banquet,” Anastasia agreed.
“All right, I’ll see you there. I’ll send you the invitation card later.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Old Madam Presgrave. I’m honored.”
“Okay, see you. Take it easy, and just ask Elliot to help you if you run into any problems.”
“All right. Thank you for your concern, Old Madam Presgrave,” Anastasia said with a smile.
When the call ended, Anastasia couldn’t help but sigh in relief. She decided that when the day came, she would just hang around the banquet for a bit before leaving.
After all, she didn’t like such occasions.Chapter 114
Did he not send me home? Did he bring me to his house instead? Anastasia immediately checked herself to make sure that her clothes were still on. It didn’t seem like it had been taken off, either. She hastily got off the bed to find that her shoes were gone, so she had no choice but to walk barefoot on the clean ground.
She glanced at the clock beside the bed to see that it was nearly 4.30AM. The skies were still dark outside. Did this man just get me to sleep in his house? What about my son? Is my dad at home with Jared? Anastasia quietly walked down the stairs. There were wall lights that surrounded the whole villa, so it made her feel like she was a lost princess that was walking around in a grand, luxurious castle.
Finally, she found her bag on the couch downstairs. She immediately checked her phone to see the text that she had sent her father and her father’s reply. Phew. At least Elliot knew to tell my dad to take care of Jared. Anastasia fixed her messy hair as she thought, I have no choice but to stay here since it’s now the middle of the night. Hmm… The room I was in earlier seemed like the master bedroom. Then where did Elliot sleep?
She figured that she would tour his house since he was asleep. When she went up to the second floor, she suddenly realized that there was a room with its lights turned on. She wanted to ask him why he brought her home, so she quietly turned the doorknob to push the door open. She found herself in a study room, where a man was sleeping on the couch with his head resting on his arm.
Anastasia froze. Is he actually sleeping on the couch? On top of that… He’s just wearing sweatpants. She was so shocked that her hand sl*pped off the doorknob. A loud bang sounded as the door moved back and hit against the door stopper. She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth-a comical gesture considering that it didn’t serve any purpose.
The man’s thick lashes fluttered before he opened his eyes. Even though he had been awakened from his sleep, he had the same mesmerizing look in his eyes. He curled his l*ps into a smirk as he stared at the woman by the door while sitting upright. “Are you awake?” He narrowed his eyes as he smiled.
She felt rather bad for waking him up, but she proceeded with the question she had for him. “Why did you bring me to your place? You should’ve sent me home.”
“Do you have any idea how bad you look when you’re drunk? What would Jared think if he saw his mother getting drunk like that?” He didn’t bother to sugarcoat his words. She immediately knitted her brows into a frown. Did I go crazy after getting drunk? Fine. I guess I agree with what he said. It’s true that my son shouldn’t see me like that. She tugged on the door to close it as she spoke to Elliot. “You can continue sleeping! I won’t disturb you anymore.” Then, she shut the door before walking down the corridor. She was going to wait in the hall until sunrise.
Since she woke him up, Elliot no longer felt like sleeping. He returned to his room and washed up before putting on some clothes and walking over to the hall. Anastasia had gone to the fridge to get herself a drink, and she was just feeling rather creeped out by the large hall when she heard footsteps coming from behind. She instantly spun her head around to find the man with one hand stuck into his pocket. He strolled over with a lazy look on his face.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” she asked while looking at him.
“I can’t sleep anymore,” he replied flatly. Then, he walked over to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of beer. He sipped on it as he walked back to her. She felt nauseous just at the sight of alcohol. “Why are you drinking in the middle of the night? It’s not good for your stomach,” she uttered in a confused tone.
“Do you care about me that much?” He sat on the couch beside her and gave her a faint smile.
“I don’t care about you; I’m caring about myself. I’m afraid that you might get horny after you’re drunk.” Anastasia didn’t bother to be nice to him either. The man had a history of doing such things, after all.
He let out a scoff as he couldn’t believe what the woman just said about him. “Are you that confident about my interest in you?” He put on an offended expression.Chapter 105
Elliot was going through some of Presgrave Corporation’s documents when his phone rang. “Hello, Grandma,” he uttered after reaching to pick it up.
“Elliot, I told Mark to pa*s you one of the invitation cards for the party, and I want you to pa*s it to Anastasia on behalf of me.” Harriet’s voice came from the other end of the line.
“Are you inviting her?” Elliot’s eyebrow went up a little as he spoke. “Yeah. She agreed to come. I’m trying to create opportunities for you here, Elliot; you need to make good use of them. I’m not asking Hayley to join us,” Harriet said.
Naturally, Elliot didn’t wish to disappoint his grandmother after seeing how much the old woman was trying to put Anastasia and him together. “Okay. I got it,” he replied. Mark came over with the invitation card about an hour later, but he didn’t send it directly to Anastasia-he sent it to Elliot’s office instead.
After getting the invitation, Elliot used the landline to make an internal call to Anastasia. “Hello, Anastasia speaking,” the woman said through the phone.
“I want you to come to my office,” Elliot ordered in a deep voice.
“Is anything the matter?” she asked.
“Collect your invitation card!” He ended the call right after that. Anastasia had no choice but to let out a sigh before walking out of her office and toward the direction of the elevator. She knocked on the door once she arrived. “Come in,” the man said.
She entered the room to see the lanky man crossing one leg over the other where he sat on the couch. “Give it to me!” she muttered after glancing at him.
“Don’t forget about dinner tonight,” the man said while he took the invitation card out from his stack of documents. Anastasia froze for a moment. Last night, she had been the one who promised to buy him both lunch and dinner. “I’m not free tonight, so I won’t buy you dinner.” She refused to pay for him.
“What happened to keeping your promise? Are you changing your mind now?” Elliot stood up and edged closer to her all of a sudden as if he had been seriously offended by what she just said. She instinctively took a step back before speaking in a sheepish tone. “It’s just dinner, isn’t it?”
“I don’t like people who go against their words.” Elliot looked her in the eye. “You have to buy me dinner tonight.”
“Fine! I’ll see you at the restaurant downstairs.” Anastasia decided to buy him dinner, but she also made a mental note not to owe him anything in the future. It was too hard to repay a person like him.
“Did Nigel ask to see you?” Elliot asked out of nowhere.
“What’s this? How is our relationship any of your business?” Anastasia uttered in a rather displeased tone.
“I’ve told you this before. You shouldn’t give him hope if you don’t like him. I don’t want you to play with his feelings,” Elliot warned. She frowned as she thought, Isn’t he just sticking his nose into other people’s businesses? Nigel and I are just friends.
“Nigel and I are just friends. I’m not playing around with anyone’s feelings,” she retorted.
“But Nigel’s feelings for you are real, and you’re going to hurt him someday.” Elliot’s expression was calm, but there was a deep, mysterious look in his eyes.
“Okay. I’ll keep our relationship the way it is, and I won’t hurt him.” Anastasia turned and left the room after making this promise. Elliot narrowed his eyes upon hearing her words. He had a much clearer view of the situation as a third party, and he could tell that Anastasia would never fall for someone like Nigel. So, Elliot figured that the only way to protect his cousin was to get him to give up on Anastasia. The more involved Nigel got in this relationship, the more he would get hurt, anyway. After what happened to Anastasia, it was hard for her to fall for any man too easily.
Anastasia felt a little overwhelmed when she thought about how she had to buy Elliot dinner. It was time for her to get off work, but she had to pick her son up in a while. She was even more troubled when she recalled how much her son loved Elliot. She took a look at the time. I don’t want Elliot to send me home, so I have to go down earlier to hail a cab before leaving
After packing up a little, Anastasia headed out of the office a little earlier than everyone else. As she stood by the lobby entrance and waited for a cab, she saw from the corner of her eye the nuisance of a car that seemed to follow her everywhere. When she saw the Rolls-Royce Phantom, she jogged out of the building and away from it as if she were running away from something. She could hear the engine starting behind her.
Right then, a gray sports car zoomed in from the entrance, and it directly sped past the Rolls Royce before going after Anastasia. She was shocked, so she jumped aside to hide away from it. The sports car screeched, and it came to a firm halt before the man in the driver’s seat stepped out. The man was none other than Nigel, of course.Chapter 106
“Nigel?” Anastasia couldn’t help but stare at him dumbfoundedly. Nigel gave her a boyish smile as he held the pa*senger’s door open before pulling out a bouquet of roses and handing it to her. “Here. It’s for you.”
“Why are you giving me these flowers?” she asked in a rather clueless voice while she took the bouquet from him.
“Do you like them?” He gazed at her longingly. “Let’s have dinner tonight!”
“Tonight? Um… Okay!” Right after Anastasia finished her words, she intentionally turned to glance at the luxury car with its oppressive presence. Nigel turned and pretended that he had only just noticed the car. He smirked before walking over to greet the person inside.
The car window went down, and Elliot turned to meet gazes with the other man. “Are you done with work, Elliot?” Nigel greeted him before changing the topic intentionally. “I’m here to pick Anastasia up for dinner. We’ll leave now.” With that said, Nigel walked back to Anastasia before he put an arm over her shoulder in a practiced manner. He opened the pa*senger’s door, and his b*dy leaned close to hers as he helped her into the car.
Anastasia sat in his pa*senger seat with the bouquet of flowers still in her hand. Once Nigel got in, he stepped on the accelerator and sped off. Nigel’s plan had been to drop by to snatch the woman away from Elliot, and he was surprised that his plan had actually worked.
Elliot’s black car slowly made its way out of its parking spot. The tinted gla*ses made it impossible for anyone to look through the windows, so no one knew the expression that Elliot wore on his face as he drove off. However, after the black Rolls-Royce drove for a while more, it sped up and weaved between cars on the road as if the driver was raging.
Meanwhile, Anastasia felt an odd sense of relief as she sat in Nigel’s car. Now that Elliot knows I’m having dinner with Nigel, I’ll have a reason not to buy him dinner. She pulled her phone out to drop the man a text. ‘I don’t have time to buy you dinner tonight. You can eat on your own!’
“How have you been?” Nigel asked.
“Not too bad!” she uttered while rubbing her brow.
“I’ve decided to rent an office building near your workplace, Anastasia. I’ll be moving my office over, so we’ll be really close to each other in the future,” he said.
“Are you renting an entire office just to be closer to me? Do you have too much money to spare?” Anastasia let out an amused laugh.
“That’s not the whole story. I don’t like my father’s office—it’s a little too old-fashioned for me. So, I figured I’d renovate a whole new space for myself. Then, for the sake of being able to have lunch with you, I decided that I would pick a place nearer to you!” Nigel had made up his mind to give it his all in chasing after Anastasia.
“A regular woman like me can never understand what rich people like you think,” she muttered
flatly.
“Come on. Let’s pick Jared up before we go for dinner.” Nigel had already been driving in the direction of the kindergarten. While Anastasia went down to pick the little kid up, Nigel waited at the front gates. Soon enough, all three of them went to a restaurant nearby for dinner.
Anastasia stole a look at her phone to see that Elliot hadn’t responded to her-she wasn’t even sure if he had seen her text. After dinner, Nigel brought Jared to shop for presents as usual. Anastasia knew better than to stop Nigel from doing such things. As Nigel held Jared in his hand, it seemed like Nigel was an uncle who was bringing his nephew around. Nigel was a little too young to seem like he was a father.
After they were done at the mall, Nigel sent them to the entrance of their residential area. When he recalled how Anastasia and Elliot had brought groceries back home earlier that day, he decided that he wanted to visit Anastasia’s house too.
“Can I go to your place for a while? I need some water,” he said.
“There’s a convenience store just there,” she replied while pointing in a direction.
Nigel couldn’t care less about the convenience store. “I want to drink it in your house.”
She smiled. “Okay! Let’s go, then!” It was Nigel’s first time in Anastasia’s new house, and he looked all over the place as if he were searching for some sort of clue or evidence.
“What are you looking for?” Anastasia asked as she handed him a gla*s of water.
“This is just a reminder, Anastasia, but you shouldn’t bring random men back to your place! You’re a girl, so you need to ensure that others don’t take advantage of you,” he said.Chapter 107
Anastasia’s smile stiffened for a few seconds before she let out a light cough. “Of course I know that.”
“Anyway, you shouldn’t trust any other guys apart from me.” Nigel was tempted to just state Elliot’s name explicitly
“I got it.” Anastasia nodded. Right then, Jared accidentally knocked into her bag on the couch, and a bunch of things fell out. Among the items were her keys, her l*pstick, and an invitation card.
Nigel’s sharp eyes immediately caught sight of it, and he picked it up. “Did you receive my grandmother’s invitation as well? My grandmother’s the one who is hosting this charity dinner.”
“Oh! Yeah.” Anastasia pressed her l*ps together into a smile. She didn’t want to mention that her mom had once saved Elliot. Nigel was elated to hear this, and he quickly gave her a reminder. “You have to come! I’ll be there too, and I can introduce you to my mom and dad.”
“Okay!” Anastasia nodded thoughtfully. She had already told Harriet that she would be there, so she had to attend the dinner. “Oh, by the way, I’ll prepare an evening gown for you,” he offered.
“It’s fine.” Anastasia immediately rejected him. But Nigel didn’t want to be rejected, so he continued insisting on his wishes. “I’ll show you how good my taste is! Trust me. I’m leaving now.” Anastasia sent him to the elevator. “Drive safe,” she uttered.
He turned around to give her another stern reminder. “Promise me that you won’t bring other men home, okay, Anastasia?” For the sake of rea*suring him, she gave him a firm nod. “Okay, okay. I know you care for me. I’ll take note of what you said.”
Once he got into the elevator, she heaved a sigh of relief before returning home to give Jared a bath. She read a book with him before she went to shower. When she came out of the shower, she heard her phone ringing, and she rushed over to see Elliot’s name on her screen.
“Hello?” She picked up the call.
“Are you home?” The man’s voice was deep and thick, which made Anastasia’s ear tingle. She knew that it was wrong for her to have stood him up, but she didn’t have much of a choice. It’s not my fault that Nigel showed up all of a sudden, right?
“It’s nearly 10.00PM. Of course I’m at home,” she replied.
“What’s going on between you and Nigel?” The man’s voice carried a hint of distaste as he questioned her. “We’re more than good friends,” she replied.
“I told you not to fool around with his feelings. If you don’t want to get married to him, then you shouldn’t give him hope.” The man gave her a stern warning.
Anastasia felt like he was too much of a busyb*dy, so she rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with us being friends? Furthermore, you are in no position to warn me about my relationship with Nigel. What are you going to do if I fall for him and decide to marry him?”
“Do you want me to tell him about how you forcefully k*ssed me twice?” The man’s voice
sounded extremely sinister all of a sudden. She was taken aback by his words, and she immediately let out a cry. “Don’t talk nonsense, Elliot!”
“What? Does he know about how the lines are blurred between us?” he asked.
“There are no blurred lines between us. Things are clear between you and I-there’s nothing going on between us at all,” she replied with a determined look in her eyes.
“You owe me dinner. You have to make up for this in the future.” The man scoffed before ending the call. Anastasia held onto her phone and gritted her teeth in anger. How can there be a man as annoying as him? He’s really sticking his nose into all aspects of my life.
Anastasia lay on her bed for a while, but she couldn’t seem to fall asleep as she knew that the prizes would be revealed the next day. Furthermore, there was going to be an award ceremony at 3.00PM. If she won a prize, she wouldn’t just get the trophy; she would also win a cash prize of 1 million. Anastasia needed the money, so she naturally hoped to be the lucky winner. Such thoughts made it hard for her to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, Hayley was also losing sleep in her luxurious villa. Ever since she took up her fake identity of being Anastasia, she had been enjoying her life as a rich girl. However, she still felt empty with just materialistic pleasures-she didn’t have the relationships she desired. She desperately wanted her relationship with Elliot to blossom. Ideally, she’d be able to get physical with him.Chapter 108
If Hayley got another child, she would be able to better secure her position as Mrs. Presgrave. But how am I supposed to get Elliot into bed with me? Even though he’s nice to me, he has never given me the chance to get close to him. If I didn’t initiate hugs with him the past few times, he would have never been the first to hug me. Ultimately, Anastasia’s the only one he approaches willingly. Ever since they slept together five years ago, he has been searching for her. It’s obvious that he fell for her the first time their bodies touched. I have to find a way to get Elliot drunk so that I can get my chance. Maybe I should bribe one of the people around him to help me with this. But would any of them listen to my orders?
A cold look flashed in her gaze. She had done all sorts of things in the past, and she had dated a few men, so she was far from being a pure, chaste woman. Elliot had a male a*sistant, Daniel, who had delivered items to her in the past. This male a*sistant was an educated man who had good looks and a well-built figure-he was much more qualified to be her boyfriend than all her previous boyfriends.
Hayley’s ultimate goal wasn’t just to conquer Elliot’s heart, but also to own the entire Presgrave Corporation. So, she was willing to take all sorts of risks just to achieve this. After taking a glance at the time, she gave Daniel a call.
“Hello, Miss Seymour.” Daniel sounded rather surprised to receive her call.
“Are you free to come over, Mr. Lancaster? There’s a huge rat in my house, and I’m a little scared,” she lied.
“What? Okay. I’ll come over right now.” It was Daniel’s duty to fulfill all of Elliot’s orders, and taking care of Hayley was one of his jobs. He arrived at her house 30 minutes later, and Hayley already had a S**y nightgown on under her shirt. When Daniel saw how Hayley looked, he twisted his expression into one of panic. Hayley told him to ch*ck the master bedroom, and he walked in obediently while Hayley stepped aside to get him a gla*s of water.
Daniel gulped down the whole gla*s as he was thirsty from all the nervousness that he felt. After he was finished with the water, he felt like his whole b*dy was on fire. When Hayley leaned forward to hug him, he was afraid for a few seconds, but he allowed her to take over him just moments later. They had a heated session in Hayley’s master bedroom.
It was about 5.00AM by the time Daniel held his head in his hands and sat by the edge of the bed. He was filled with regret and self-criticism. Right then, a soft arm wrapped itself around his waist. “I belong to you now, Daniel. You have to take responsibility for me!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Seymour. I made a huge mistake.” He pushed her aside hastily. Her gaze darkened as her voice turned cold. “Do you think Elliot will forgive you if he finds out that you slept with me, Daniel?”
He stared at her with a look of pure helplessness in his eyes, so she softened her voice a little as she continued speaking. “Daniel, the two of us are the only ones who know about this. However, from now on, I want you to obey me. You will do whatever I tell you to do, okay?”
“I won’t do anything illegal,” he uttered.
“I don’t need you to do anything illegal. I just want you to tell me all about Elliot’s daily schedule and the women he interacts with,” she ordered. Daniel didn’t want his life to be ruined, and he
was fine with whatever Hayley wanted him to do. “Okay. I’ll tell you exactly whatever President Presgrave does every day.”
“Well, tell me-have there been any important things that Elliot has been up to lately?” Hayley lay down on the bed like she was a queen, glaring at the man as she questioned him.
“I can’t tell you about his work-related stuff, but he will be attending the family’s charity dinner this Friday. You will be able to see him,” he replied.
“What? This Friday? It’s already Wednesday-why haven’t I received an invitation?” Hayley frowned.
“I heard that all the invitations have been sent out. Didn’t you receive anything?” he asked.
“No! Who’s hosting it?” she cried.
“It’s a charity dinner hosted by Old Madam Presgrave. You should have received an invitation!” he replied. A resentful look flashed in Hayley’s eyes. It seems like Old Madam Presgrave values Anastasia more than she values me. I can’t believe she didn’t invite me to such an important event. I bet she invited Anastasia, didn’t she?Chapter 109
Does she think I won’t go just because she didn’t invite me to it? Well, that makes me want to go even more. “Great. From now on, I want you to tell me everything about Elliot. Also, I want you to keep an eye on Anastasia. If she has any intimate interactions with Elliot, I need you to tell me immediately.”
Daniel held a relatively important position in the company, although he wasn’t as powerful as Elliot’s head a*sistant, Timothy. Regardless, Daniel still had access to most of Elliot’s daily schedules. After Daniel left, Hayley still felt too furious to go to bed. What does Old Madam Presgrave mean by this? Is she looking down on me? Does she want me to stay away from Elliot? Hayley was especially furious because of the unfair treatment .
The next morning, Anastasia rushed to her office after sending Jared to school. Today was a day she had been looking forward to. When she arrived at the office, Grace opened the door and came over to give Anastasia some words of comfort. “Don’t mind all the nonsense that they say about you, Anastasia. I trust that you and President Presgrave are innocent.” Anastasia could no longer be bothered by these things-she felt that there was no point in clarifying such matters, and that she shouldn’t be living her life based on others’ comments.
It was about 10.00AM when Anastasia’s landline rang. “Hello?” She picked the call up.
“You need to come for a meeting, Anastasia. I have the list of winners with me.” Felicia’s voice came from the other end. Anastasia felt her heart skipping a beat. Is it out already? I thought it’d only be out by the afternoon. She headed to the meeting room with a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through her veins.
The rest of the staff members from the design department were already there, but Felicia had yet to arrive. Alice shot Anastasia a cold glare as Anastasia sat down opposite her. Anastasia merely cast her an uninterested glance.
“I wonder if it’s Alice or Anastasia who won the prize! I’m so excited! That’s 1 million worth of cash right there.” One of the junior designers made the atmosphere tenser on purpose.
“We’ll find out once the director arrives,” another person replied. Right then, Felicia walked into the room and glanced at the two competitors before taking a seat at the table. “The sponsored meal that you guys have been waiting for has been approved. Would you guys like to eat together tonight?”
“Of course! We’d love a feast, Director Evans,” someone cried. Both Alice and Anastasia exchanged glances. Judging by the look on Felicia’s face, they could tell that someone in the company must have won a prize. The winner had to be one of them.
A look of jealousy flashed in Alice’s gaze. It’s obvious. It has to be Anastasia. “Alright! Let’s organize dinner for tonight! Well, I’m going to proceed with announcing the winners and the prizes that they will receive. Firstly, I’d like to congratulate the champion of this jewelry design competition
-Anastasia! You’ve won a total of 1 million!”
Anastasia heard a loud ringing sound in her ears before Felicia even finished her sentence. Me? Am I the winner? Does the 1 million belong to me? Her heart was filled with joy at that moment-she had finally gotten the money she needed for her son.
Felicia turned to Alice before she continued speaking. “The company decided to also provide some rewards to those who were selected, so Alice gets 20,000 as a consolation prize.” Alice curled her l*ps up into a sarcastic smile. A consolation prize, huh? What a joke.
Right then, the room erupted into applause as Anastasia found herself drowned by a bunch of wishes. She hastily thanked the people who congratulated her before turning to thank Felicia. “Thank you for your encouragement and support, Director Evans.”
“You got this because of your own skills, Anastasia. Continue to work hard, okay? Alright, the meeting’s over. You guys can decide on a place to have dinner tonight.”
Felicia stepped out of the room, and Anastasia was just about to leave when Alice crossed her arms and let out a scoff. “Don’t you feel any shame for taking this 1 million, Anastasia?”
“Why should I feel ashamed?” Anastasia asked in return. She was confident about her own work.
“I don’t think you should thank Director Evans. Maybe you should thank President Presgrave instead-I bet you only got this prize because he put in a good word for you. He was the one who gave you this 1 million. I wouldn’t have the nerve to take this money if I were you!”
Alice let out a scoff and walked out after finishing her sentence. Anastasia was the only one left in the meeting room after that, and her mind went blank for a few seconds.Chapter 110
Could there have been a hidden reason I got this prize? Did Elliot help me win this? Did I not win this with my own skills? The cash prize had been increased from 10,000 to 1 million-outsiders might see this as the company’s generosity, but it doesn’t seem that simple to me now. The more I think about it, the more this seems to be one of Elliot’s acts. He intentionally raised the cash prize, and he intentionally gave me the chance to win this. He’s indirectly trying to repay me.
Anastasia felt her face turning hot as a mixture of shame and anger filled her insides. She grabbed her phone from the table before leaving the meeting room. On the way out, a bunch of people congratulated her. Anastasia often got things her way in the company, and she was close to the boss, so none of the staff members had the guts to trigger her. Instead, all of them tried to suck up to her.
Once Anastasia walked into the elevator, she pressed for the eighth floor without any hesitation. That was the level Elliot’s office was on. She bumped into Rey right after the elevator doors opened, and she immediately questioned him. “Is Elliot inside?”
“President Presgrave is…” Rey was about to ask for a reason Anastasia wanted to meet him, but she had already pushed the door open.
A handsome man was seated on the couch, and he shifted his gaze up to see a woman walking while panting. With a calm, unfazed expression, he looked into her eyes. “Is anything the matter?” he asked.
“Tell me-did you have anything to do with the International Jewelry Design Competition?” she asked in an interrogative tone. Behind her, Rey shot Elliot a nervous look. However, Rey turned and shut the door behind him after exchanging glances with Elliot.
“Felicia told me that you won first place in it. Congratulations.” Elliot narrowed his eyes for a moment before speaking. There was only one thing Anastasia wanted to know then. Did I win first place with my own skills? If this guy arranged for me to win it, then I wouldn’t feel accomplished at all. There would be no meaning to this title.
“Don’t you have any confidence in yourself at all?” He curled his l*ps into an icy smirk.
“Of course I have confidence in myself… But-“Anastasia fixed her mesmerizing eyes on him. The man cut her off before she could finish her sentence. “Do you think I have nothing better to do, Anastasia? Do you think I would mess around with such tiny competitions? If you don’t want the money, the company can always save it instead of handing it to you.” He spoke in a domineering and arrogant tone that allowed him to take full control of the situation in the room.
Anastasia felt herself losing the courage she had earlier after he threatened to withdraw the cash prize. She desperately needed the money-she didn’t want her father to worry, and she wanted Jared to go to a better school. “Elliot, you’d better give me the cash prize if you’re sure that you didn’t meddle with the results.” Anastasia turned to leave right after finishing her words.
The man curled his l*ps into a thoughtful smile after she left. Once Anastasia got back to her office, Felicia walked over to congratulate her. Felicia got Anastasia to attend the award ceremony and told her to place the trophy among the rest of the showcased items in the company.
Anastasia nodded obediently. At 3.00PM sharp, she brought her a*sistant, Grace, to collect the
trophy before setting it at the most conspicuous spot on the shelf. There was even a picture of Anastasia on the trophy which made it more eye-catching than ever.
That evening, the staff members discussed and agreed on a location to have dinner together. Alice was the only one who didn’t attend the dinner, while Anastasia was the main highlight of the night. The dinner was mainly organized to celebrate her win, after all,
Anastasia requested for Felicia to take some money out from her cash reward to pay for the dinner, but Felicia rejected this idea immediately. Before the dinner celebration, Anastasia had phoned her father and asked if he had the time to pick Jared up. “I have a dinner that I have to attend,” she explained. It had been a while since Francis saw his grandson, so he gladly agreed to pick Jared up. Perhaps it was due to his age, he was increasingly appreciative of having a grandson to care for.
The company dinner was hosted at a restaurant nearby their office. More than 10 of the staff members gathered at a long table, and the restaurant served all sorts of dishes that filled the table. None of them had to worry about the price of the food they ordered since it was all paid for by the company.
Anastasia sat beside Felicia, and they talked about the competition that had just pa*sed. There had always been great competition among the jewelry companies in their local industry, yet none of the more established businesses managed to win any prizes this time. All of the designers were furious when they heard that Anastasia was the one who won the prize!