Ch. 1181..1185: Powerful Papa with Triplet Babies Chapter 1181-1185

Chapter 1181

“Ashlynn is just a shameless woman who clings onto Corentin! Don’t worry, Auntie, I can handle her,” Meredith said proudly. She would never let a woman from the slum overpower her. “How did you find out about this, though?”

Seeing how Meredith seemed to be in the dark, Beth said, “Ashlynn is pregnant.”

“What?!” Meredith paled and screamed, her perfect mask of composure cracking.

“I heard this from Anthony Marwood’s wife on my way out of the bathroom. I thought that you might be unaware and came to tell you,” Beth said as she studied the enraged look on Meredith’s face.

“I’m going to kill that b*tch! That shameless wh*re! She’s nothing but trash and she dares to try and take my man from me. I’m asking Corentin about this,..”

“Hang on.” Beth stopped her.

“Auntie, I can’t just turn a blind eye to this!”

“So what? If you go out there and cause a scene, you are just going to embarrass yourself. What you need to do now is be patient and plan your move.” Beth had been helping with the family business and was more composed than Meredith.

“What plan? If Ashlynn gives birth to that kid, that’s the biggest humiliation to me!”

“Just make sure she doesn’t give birth to it, then.” Beth narrowed her eyes viciously.

Meredith fell back onto the couch and gritted her teeth.

Beth sat down next to her and asked, “where is this Ashlynn? In Corentin’s mansion?”

“Yeah…”

“I will find a way.” Beth took Meredith’s hands caringly. “I will settle this for you behind Corentin’s back, so no one will know.”

“Auntie…” Meredith whined.

Beth held her close. “You grew up under my wings and I’ll definitely help you. No one can stop you from being happy. Once you get out of here, pretend like nothing has happened, okay?”

After exiting the powder room, Meredith regained her composure as though nothing had happened, but was still furious when she spotted Anne eating with the triplets.

In her eyes, Anne and Ashlynn were on the same side and she even suspected that not only did Anne know about Ashlynn’s pregnancy, Anne might be the one who taught Ashlynn to get pregnant. After all, that was how Anne managed to enslave Anthony with her triplets.

Meredith still knew that she was far more superior than Ashlynn, or Corentin would not have chosen to get engaged with her. Anyone could do the math and see which option was more beneficial to them.

The party ended at night, and Anne and Anthony left with the triplets by helicopter.

Once all the seniors of both families left, Meredith went into Corentin’s Bently. Inside the car, she leaned her head against Corentin’s shoulder and muttered, “Corentin, I feel dizzy even though I didn’t drink that much. I don’t think it’s because of the alcohol, but because I’m too happy.”

“Send Meredith home first,” Corentin commanded the driver.

Meredith instantly sobered and looked up. “What do you mean, Corentin? I thought we were going back to your mansion together?”

“I still have things to do at work. I can’t go back.” Corentin glanced at the time on his watch.

“I still want to stay the night at your mansion.”

“Sure.”

‘He wants to go back to spend time alone with Ashlynn?‘ She thought. ‘Today’s the day we got engaged. I won’t allow that!‘

Once they arrived at the mansion, Corentin did not even get out of the car and left straightaway, leaving Meredith stranded with a dark expression.

Since Corentin had left, she decided to look for Ashlynn, wondering how Ashlynn would react to the news of their engagement.

 

Chapter 1182

She went looking for Ashlynn, but the butler said she was not around.

“What do you mean? She’s been living here, right?”

“She’s already moved out of here half a month ago,” the butler said.

Meredith suppressed her anger at the realization that Corentin had moved Ashlynn to another place after she had gotten pregnant, which meant that she had no clue as to where Ashlynn was and Corentin had left to find Ashlynn, not to work.

Since neither Corentin nor Ashlynn was in the mansion, there was no reason for her to stay, so Meredith turned to leave.

Corentin arrived at the mansion and spotted Ashlynn feeding the fishes by the pond. As soon as she threw the fish food, the fishes crowded around.

She heard the car approaching and knew who was here, but did not react at all as though nothing mattered to her anymore.

Corentin sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Are you bored? We can take a walk around when I take you to get an ultrasound two days later.”

Ashlynn paused and turned to look at Corentin. “I’m just one–month pregnant. Are you seriously going to keep me here for ten whole months? I can still work and my job isn’t all that hectic to begin with. I can go to sleep in your office if I get tired, right?

He looked into her eyes. “You are all mine until you give birth to our baby.”

“Corentin Lloyd, are you sick in the head?” She stood and tossed all the fish food in her hands into the pond, causing all the fishes to leap and splash.

Ashlynn crouched before him and grabbed his hand. “Salvatore, the life you lived is in the past. You should see yourself as Corentin, marry Meredith and have your own children. You will have everything you want, so what’s so bad about that? Why do you have to keep me here? I’m begging you…I can even get down on my knees…”

She kneeled before Corentin and he remained sitting as he narrowed his eyes coldly.

“Salvatore, I’m begging you. Just end this already. I won’t tell anyone else about your past no matter what. I really can’t give birth to your child…” Ashlynn had never knelt to Corentin even back when he was Salvatore, but she had run out of options.

Corentin tilted her chin up. “I’ve gotten engaged today.”

Ashlynn did not understand why he had to mention that as it did not seem to be related to their child.

“Looks like you already knew. Isn’t there something you wish to say?”

“I…I don’t want to give birth…”

Corentin ignored her and said, “Getting engaged to Meredith Hilton is just to keep the old man entertained. To me, you will always be the one and only Mrs. Lloyd.”

She snapped and shoved his hand away. “Have you been listening to me at all?”

His face twitched as he reached out to grab her by the jaw again. “And have you been listening when I said that I’m keeping this child? How many times do I have to repeat myself?”

She widened her eyes and glared at him in tears, not because of the bone–crushing pain around her jaw but because of the despair that overwhelmed her.

He let her go, before lifting her up and setting her down on his lap. He rubbed her knees and asked, “Doesn’t it hurt to kneel. Don’t do that again.”

Ashlynn looked up resentfully, to which he ignored and simply proceeded to wipe her tears away. “Who will our baby look like? If it’s a son, he would probably look like me. Charlie looks exactly like Anthony as well.”

She shot him a cold look. “And how do you know that it’s a son?”

“It’s my seed, so of course I know. The first one was a boy, too, right?”

Her expression darkened. “No.”

He rubbed her stomach. “This is definitely going to be a son as well.”

Ashlynn felt as though the hand on her stomach was reaching into her organs to touch the embryo. Not only was she being crushed by the pressure placed on her by Corentin, she felt physically violated as well.

She had not told the truth, but Corentin was right; their first child was a boy.

Her son died and it would forever be the worst pain she had been through, so she never wanted the same thing to happen again.

Two days later, Corentin took her to the hospital for an ultrasound.

“There’s one embryo, about thirty days old,” the doctor said.

Ashlynn listened gloomily.

On the contrary, Corentin was in a great mood and his expression softened. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Ashlynn shot him an odd look for asking such a question.

“We won’t know until she is three months pregnant.”

Corentin kept the ultrasound photo in his hand as though he was holding his son.

Not wanting to look at him, Ashlynn said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“I’ll take you,” Corentin said.

Ashlynn went inside the bathroom, washed her hands and was about to exit.

“Ashlynn, right?”

She turned around and saw a short–haired woman stepping out, but she did not recognize the woman before her.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a Hilton, Meredith’s aunt. I’ve been waiting here for you to give you a piece of advice.” Beth scanned the young woman before her, noticing how innocent and beautiful she was despite what despicable things she had done. “Get rid of the baby you are bearing and stay away from Corentin.”

Ashlynn was stunned to learn that the Hilton Family found out about the pregnancy.

“Can you do it?” Beth asked. “Just name your price and we can afford it. This will be a trade between the two of us. No one else will know.”

Ashlynn looked away, knowing that she had no rights to make any decision on her own. “You should talk to Corentin directly!”

“I know what you are thinking. Landing yourself a handsome guy like Corentin who has the most power in Athetin means that you won’t ever have to work hard again. Right now, this is still all under the table, but once the truth is out, you should know that he won’t be allowed to keep you around. People like you disappear from Athetin every day,” Beth threatened. “I’m sure that you don’t want that to happen, do you?”

Ashlynn understood that it was a threat to take her and her child’s lives. Like Jeremy had said, his mother loved Meredith to the extent that she had come all the way to seek justice for Meredith.

“I know who you are. You are Jeremy’s mother,” Ashlynn said, “aren’t you afraid that someday, your own daughter is going to be bullied like this as well?”

Beth’s expression darkened at the realization that Ashlynn knew about the worst trauma she had been through in life. “My daughter would never do something as disgusting as this.”

Chapter 1183

Ashlynn stared at her reflection in the mirror, knowing that underneath the cold expression on her face, she felt lost.

The child she was bearing was no longer just her issue, and the situation became more complicated as more people were involved. Everything could have been resolved if only Corentin was willing to get rid of the child.

“Aren’t you afraid of Corentin finding out about this? Or that I might tell him what you are trying to do?” Ashlynn asked.

“What can he do even if you tell him? I’m from the Hilton Family and he won’t dare to do anything to me. I’m only doing this in secret to preserve your pride.”

‘My pride?‘ Ashlynn thought sarcastically. ‘Meredith’s pride, you mean,‘

“Take this.”

Ashlynn turned around and saw a box of pills in Beth’s hand. “What is that?”

“Take it, and you will lose the baby.” Beth had come prepared. “Don’t worry. I will compensate for your loss.”

“With money?” Ashlynn asked.

“I will pay you handsomely.” Beth knew that this was a tempting offer to anyone. It was a fair trade as most women break up with their partners without any compensation.

Ashlynn stared at the pills, desperately wanting to grab it, hide it in her pocket and take it at night. No matter how many surveillance cameras there were inside the mansion, they would never make it in time to save her child.

That might put an end to the nightmare that she was in…

However, after staring at the box for a minute, she looked away with a lack of interest and said, “Don’t ever do that again. Corentin will make you suffer if he finds out.” With that, she turned to leave.

Beth clenched her fists at Ashlynn’s rejection.

Once Ashlynn walked outside, she found Corentin’s towering figure blocking the way. He did not seem nervous as though he did not worry about what Ashlynn might do.

“You took your sweet time.”

“Why didn’t you go inside, then? Aren’t you worried that I might do something to the baby?” She asked.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered into her ear. “You won’t dare to.”

Her heart was instantly filled with despair as she thought to herself, ‘That’s right. I won’t dare to, or that box of pills would be in the pocket of my coat by now. Corentin has everything under his control, including the minds of people around him.’

Beth did not exit the bathroom until after Corentin and Ashlynn were gone.

The box of pills she was holding earlier was no longer in her hand.

She had gone through the medical records before coming and found out that Ashlynn had yet to undergo an ultrasound check. All she needed to do was check with the doctor, find out when Ashlynn was coming and wait.

Beth had not expected Ashlynn to be so shameless, and at the same time, it only seemed to make sense as only a shameless woman would be with another woman’s man and get pregnant.

‘Getting married before marriage,‘ she thought, ‘how cheap.’

“What? She didn’t accept?” Meredith shouted, her heart sinking as Beth called to deliver the news to her.

“I guess she thinks that staying with Corentin means a better future for her,” Beth said.

“That’s right. She’s pregnant and is clearly coming after my man! Auntie, what should I do?”

“Don’t panic. She’s just one–month pregnant and we don’t know if she can carry the baby into full terms yet. We still have months! Ashlynn is nothing but a rat that ran out of the slum she grew up in. You need to remain calm, do you understand?”

Chapter 1184

After hanging up, Meredith could not settle down. She stood before a mirror and wondered how Ashlynn was better than her in terms of looks or figure.

Corentin’s obsession with a woman from the slum was the biggest insult directed at Meredith.

Her phone rang again and she noticed Bianca’s name on the display. Knowing what Bianca must be calling about, she picked up. “Bianca, what is it?”

“Are you engaged to my uncle?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry. I should have invited you, but something happened, and I…” Meredith shuttered on purpose.

“I know. Anne probably said something to Anthony or the Lloyd Family, or my grandpa or uncle would have invited me,” Bianca said.

It was a family celebration and the fact that Bianca was not invited meant that she was not being valued.

“Congratulations, anyway,” Bianca calmed herself and said.

“Thank you. I like you, so I hope that this doesn’t affect our friendship.”

“I won’t. It’s not your fault, anyway. It’s Anne’s fault. I want to warn you, though. Don’t lower your guard just because you got engaged to my uncle. Don’t repeat my mistake,” Bianca said gloomily. Despite how happy she was when she was engaged to Anthony, she still suffered in the end.

“I know. Don’t worry.”

After hanging up, Meredith stared at her phone thoughtfully.

She did not know that Bianca was not coming at first, but had heard that Bianca’s name was not in the guestlist. If Meredith insisted, it would be easy to invite Bianca. However, it seemed far more interesting to deepen Bianca’s resentment toward Anne, as Meredith despised Anne as well.

Anne was about to head to the new factory and went down the floors to the underground parking lot. Her way was blocked, however, as soon as she stepped out of the elevator. She stared coldly at Bianca, who came to ambush her since she could not enter the office. “You are in my way.”

Bianca studied the face mask she was wearing and asked, “Doesn’t it feel stuffy to wear that?”

“How is this any of your business?” Anne tried to walk around her.

Bianca stepped in her way again. “What’s the hurry? You haven’t answered my question!”

Anne simply stared at her expressionlessly.

“I’m just curious as to why you are wearing a mask. Is that so wrong? Let me guess, have you caught a cold? Or…maybe Anthony hit you?”

“I wear it because I want to, and it’s none of your business. Get out of my way!” Losing patience, Anne shoved her aside, not expecting Bianca would reach for her mask.

“Ah!” Anne tried to stop Bianca, but she managed to tear Anne’s mask away, revealing the horrifying scar underneath it.

Bianca exclaimed, “Dear god, you look horrendous!”

Anne hastily covered her cheek and roared, “Give it back!”

“So that’s why you are wearing a mask. Did you wear a mask to Uncle’s engagement party? I supposed you did, or everyone else would vomit from how disgusting you look. That would ruin the party,” Bianca mocked, determined to make Anne suffer since she was not invited to the party.

Anne was furious, but did not have the courage to put her hand down. She knew what she looked like and that people would be disgusted by her face; she would not even show her face in front of her children, as she worried that she might scare them.

 

Chapter 1185

“Aren’t people curious as to why you have been wearing this mask to the office? Do you show that ugly face to Anthony and the triplets? You probably don’t have the courage for that, huh? You look horrible. If I were you, I would just kill myself,” Bianca mocked as she played with the mask in her hand.

Anne darted up to grab the mask, but Bianca instantly backed away. “I think that people should be more truthful, you know? Good or bad, you should hide yourself regardless.”

“Bianca, I’m warning you!”

“Warning me about what?” Bianca said fearlessly, “I killed your dad and here I stand. Anthony loves and protects me, so I’m not afraid of anyone, especially you. Don’t think that you have won simply because you married him!”

Anne’s hand on her cheek started to tremble.

The murder of her father would always be the darkest trauma that haunted her.

‘That’s right!‘ She thought, ‘Why should I care about a mere scar, when I’ve lost my own father? The murderer is right in front of me and I can’t stand it!‘

“You want the mask back? How about this? You can trade it with the ring on your finger.” Bianca stared at the wedding band on Anne’s finger, her heart pierced by devastation whenever she laid eyes on the ring.

Anne lowered her gaze to look at the ring on her finger, feeling like it was nothing but a chain to keep her down.

She had never taken it off again since Anthony warned her; she did not have the courage to do so, not in the past, nor in the present.

Anthony had transformed into a sensitive beast that could be a disaster when triggered, so Anne could not afford to cross him.

Just as she hesitated, the elevator door opened and two employees came down to take their cars. When they saw Anne, they greeted, “Ms. Vallois!”

Anne remained quiet with her hand on her cheek and Bianca took the opportunity to shout, “Ms. Vallois here is upset because her face is ruined. Half her face is destroyed. If you don’t believe me, ask her to lower her hand and show you.”

The two employees froze and turned to look at Anne.

Everyone in the office had been wondering why Anne was wearing a mask and most had thought that she was sick, but according to Bianca, it was because her face was ruined.

Anne glared daggers at Bianca.

“What? I’m just telling the truth. You had it coming because of what a vicious b*tch you a-” Bianca continued smugly when she saw Anne dropping her hand.

In the midst of her shock, Anne darted closer and slapped her in the face.

“Ah!” By the time Bianca realized what had happened, Anne had already taken the mask back. She stormed up to Anne furiously. “Anne Vallois, you b*tch! How dare you hit me…”

She raised her hand, but was stopped by the driver.

“Who do you think you are? Let me go!” Bianca was enraged that not only did she fail to hit Anne, her arm was grabbed by a lowly driver.

“You cannot hurt Mrs. Marwood.” The driver refused to let go.

“And you can hurt me?” Bianca struggled to escape.

The driver did not respond, but did not let go either.

Failing to escape the driver’s restraint, Bianca glared at Anne fiercely, desperately hoping to tear Anne into shreds.

“Ms. Vallois, please get into the car.” One of the employees came over to help.

Anne knew that her employees had seen her face. She had thought that they would be terrified and did not expect them to come over.

Perhaps it was because she was their boss, but she still applauded their courage in doing so.

Chapter 1186

Anne watched as Bianca was restrained and reached her hand to show off the ring on her finger. “I bet you want this, don’t you? It must feel horrible to watch someone else get what you’ve wanted your whole life, huh? So what? I got this with ease and I didn’t even try. Maybe I can borrow it for a few days?”

“Who wants to borrow yours?” Bianca’s face twisted with rage.

“Alright then, if you don’t want it.” Anne turned to head back into the car.

Anne Vallois, stop right there, you b*tch! You troll! You are disgusting Anthony by staying next to him! Anne Vallois…” Bianca cursed.

Seeing how Anne was inside the car, the.driver shoved Bianca aside and went into the car as well, closing the door behind him without hesitation.

“Don’t leave! Anne Vallois, you faceless sh*t…” Bianca darted over to kick at the car door, but the car swiftly moved backward. Startled, she stumbled and sprained her ankle. “Ah!”

The car did not stop and disappeared into the distance.

“My ankle…” Bianca wanted to get up and felt a sharp pain in her ankle.

The other employees saw her, but ignored her and left as well.

Bianca struggled to stand up, gritting her teeth with resentment. She had come to mock Anne, and had ended up making a fool of herself.

“Anne Vallois, just wait! I won’t give up that easily!‘ She thought.

Anne went to the new factory to check on the garage with other managers, before leaving. As soon as she got into the car, she received a call from Anthony.

She glanced ahead with confusion and noticed that the driver was looking away guilty. She immediately realized that the driver had said something to Anthony, likely about her conflict with Bianca in the parking lot.

“Hello…”

“Is it over?”

“Yeah, I’m on my way back.” Anne looked outside the window and noticed that it had started raining. The raindrops hit the window like beads, broke apart, before scrolling down the window. She trailed her fingers through the little streams of water and said softly, “we need to prepare the supply, so I will need to work overtime. I’m not sure when I can go home. Can you go back to stay with the kids?”

“You can’t leave it to others?” Anthony questioned darkly.

“I want to do it myself.” Anne paused for a moment, hearing nothing but silence, she added, “I won’t go home too late.”

“Alright.”

Anne’s fingers in the window began trembling as soon as she ended the call.

Anthony had not mentioned Bianca in the call, but that did not mean that Anne could simply head back to the Royal Mansion without a care in heart.

She had no clue as to what might happen when she faced Anthony and working overtime was her only excuse to delay the inevitable.

Her heart sank as the rain outside intensified; the raindrops landed onto the car with deafening noises, and her heart raced along with it.

“You are my driver, and you report everything to Anthony?” Anne asked, as she looked outside the window.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Vallois…” Rick said.

Chapter 1187

“Instead of saying sorry, I’d rather you don’t sell me out,” Anne said, “you should know what’s best for you. If you upset me and I decide to fire you, Anthony won’t move a finger to help you.”

Rick came to a realization and said, “I’m sorry, Ms. Vallois. I get it now.”

Anne decided not to press further seeing how Rick understood what she meant. After a while, she asked, “Are we far from the Aesthetic Clinic?”

“About twenty minutes away,” Rick said.

“Go there.”

“Yes.”

Anne pulled her mask down.

The sky was gloomy from the rain so her reflection on the glass window was not as clear, still, she caught sight of the distinct scar on her cheek.

The stitches had already been removed, but the scar remained bruising red in the most terrifying manner.

‘I’m all broken inside anyway,‘ she thought, ‘how could I look fine on the outside?‘

She had not obsessed over the removal of her scar as she felt that perhaps the scar could repel Anthony in some way. However, she was reaching out to the Aesthetic Clinic because she did not want to scare others.

She walked inside with the mask on and spotted a few past employees. Lucia was the only one who recognized her and said, “Anne, is that you?”

“Yeah. I need to see the doctor,” Anne said.

Lucia did not know why she needed a doctor, but took Anne inside anyway.

Anne sat down in the doctor’s office and before the doctor could say anything, Anne removed her face mask without a word.

Stunned, Lucia covered her mouth. “Your face…what happened?”

The doctor scowled at Lucia for the lack of professions.

Lucia knew that her reaction was forbidden in a plastic surgery clinic, but had forgotten herself for a moment because Anne was someone she knew.

“It’s fine,” Anne said, “I just want to do a consultation to see if the scar can be removed.”

“Let me see.” The doctor studied her face intently. “Your wound has just healed and isn’t fully recovered yet. There are a lot of methods for removing scars. Yours is deep and has destroyed the subcutaneous tissue. We will have to do a skin graft.”

“But a skin graft will leave traces, right?”

“There will be some visible marks, but it’s better than not doing anything, won’t you say?”

Anne was satisfied with what she was told as all she wanted was to not startle others. She proceeded to ask about details on the procedures along with the price.

As her wound was not fully recovered, the doctor did not recommend that she undergo the procedure immediately.

Anne had only come for a consultation and was still contemplating if she needed the procedures.

Once they were out of the doctor’s office, Lucia asked, “How did you get so badly injured?”

“Accident.” Anne did not go into details. A scar on her face was nothing compared to her near–death experience.

Lucia was sharp enough to know not to ask any more questions. “You haven’t made up your mind, right? There’s no hurry. You still need to wait for your wound to heal, so you can take your time. Call me if you need anything.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me? I’m already really happy that you don’t look down on me for working a job like this,” Lucia said.

Anne was surprised by how little Lucia thought of herself, as she had never looked down on Lucia. She wanted to say something, but Tommy walked in at that very moment.

“Anne, why are you here?”

Anne felt confused as it had been a long time since she last saw Tommy. “Why are you here?”

“I drove past this place and saw your car.” Tommy pointed at her face. “Why are you wearing a mask here? Don’t tell me you are here to visit your friends.”

Anne did not explain, and left with Tommy after saying goodbye to Lucia.

Lucia turned around and walked past the mirror in the lobby. She could not help but stop to study her own reflection. She knew that she had never been a beauty, but she looked above average.

Chapter 1188

She even once thought that she had a similar face shape with Anne.

It was a shame that Anne’s beautiful face was ruined, Lucia wondered what happened and if that was going to affect Anne’s position in Luton.

“If only I can look as pretty as Anne…‘ She thought.

“I’m going back,” Anne said while standing in front of her car.

“It’s been so long. Don’t you want to chat with me?” Tommy asked, “You haven’t told me why you are wearing a mask.”

“I got hurt and there’s a scar,” she said.

“Don’t you have anything that you want to ask me?”

“What are you busy with lately?”

“Business trips, work, and staying home.”

Anne recalled the conflict between Tommy and Anthony and figured that Tommy had let it go. It had been a while and a lot had happened to her, but she was still thankful for Tommy who tried to help her.

The staff of the Aesthetic Clinic drove Tommy’s car over, and Tommy grabbed Anne by the hand to drag her over. “Let’s take my car.”

“I have my own…”

“Your car can’t be better than mine.” Tommy shoved Anne into the car, and circled around to get into the driver’s seat.

Anne stared at her car and the driver standing by the car dazedly. Knowing that her driver would not mention this to Anthony, she relaxed slightly.

The car raced off into the distance in rumbling noises.

“Are you taking me back to the Royal Mansion?” She asked.

Tommy’s expression darkened without a word.

“You should send me back to my office.”

“I don’t want to get you into trouble. I just want some time alone with you.” Tommy focused ahead.

Anne glanced outside the window and though the rain had eased slightly, it was still raining relentlessly.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Is Anthony bullying you?”

“No. The scar on my face has nothing to do with him.”

Tommy glanced at the ring and watched on Anne’s hand darkly. “Are you staying with Anthony from now on?”

“That’s the best choice, I suppose. We have three children, after all,” Anne said emotionlessly.

There were plenty of choices in one’s life and no one was truly free, everyone’s decision was shaped by marriage, career, or love in one way or another.

“I’m asking about what your heart wants.” Tommy asked.

“Why overthink this?”

“Anne, I want you to choose Anthony because he makes you happy, not because of something else,” he said.

“I can’t say that, but you can think that I’m happy if you want to. Don’t step between me and Anthony again.” Anne turned her face to look outside the window again.

If Tommy got involved again, both Anthony and Tommy would fight until one of them drop, and Tommy was likely the one who ended up taking more damage.

Anne did not want that.

Tommy tightened his grip around the steering wheel as though he was about to crush it.

He did not want Anne to be with Anthony, but there was nothing he could do. It was not as though he could simply take Anne and leave.

Chapter 1189

Tommy could not help but look at Anne.

He drove the car into the parking lot and after saying her goodbye, Anne got out of the car and walked toward the elevator.

The elevator door closed slowly and was stopped by a hand that suddenly appeared.

Anne watched as Tommy squeezed his way in and asked, “Why are you coming in?”

“What, are you scared that Anthony is going to see this?”

Anne remained quiet because Tommy was right.

“His car isn’t in the parking lot,” he said.

“I need to work. What are you doing here?” Anne wanted him gone.

“I want coffee.”

Anne did not argue any further.

Leonora was talking to her mother at the moment and lowered her voice. “I’m really working overtime. Why would I lie to you? I’m twenty–seven, can you stop with the curfew already? Anyone would laugh at me if they find out. Stop treating me like a child…” She spotted Anne walking over and said hastily, “My boss is back. I need to go.”

Anne reached the main door and Leonora hurried over. “Welcome back, Ms. Vallois.” When she noticed that Tommy was next to Anne, Leonora froze.

“What do you want?” Anne asked.

“Are you making anything?”

“I can only boil water. Do you want water?”

“Anything you make.”

Anne turned to look at Leonora. “Make him a cup of coff-” She paused when she noticed the nervous look on Leonora’s face, and wondered what Leonora was nervous about.

Anne turned around to look at the office door. She could not see anything, but the tension in the air seemed to have trapped them and she felt as though she was suffocating.

Her heart raced as he threatened to leap out of her chest.

Anne immediately recovered from the initial shock and glanced at Tommy. “I just remember that we ran out of coffee. Go home. I’m busy, so I don’t have time for you.”

Tommy took the hint and glanced at the door. “I just dropped by to see you. Who would know that you don’t even have coffee. I guess I’ll get going.”

Anne watched as Tommy left anxiously and thought to herself, ‘What’s wrong with him? Why did he say that he is dropping by? If Anthony looks into it, he will know that Tommy is lying right away because the Authentic Clinic is run by the Archduke Group.‘

Eventually, she had to open the door, so she tried her best to calm down and walked into the office. On her way to the desk, she stilled when she spotted Anthony sitting on the couch, there was a glass of tea in front of him that remained untouched.

“Why are you here?” Anne asked, “Leonora didn’t say that you were here.”

“You put on quite a show.” He stared at her dangerously.

Anne’s pulse sped as she started to lose strength in her legs, knowing that Anthony had seen right through the conversation she had with Tommy.

“Is he really just dropping by? Should I look into it?” He questioned sharply.

She took a deep breath, before explaining, “I ran into him at the Authentic Clinic and he drove me here. He just came up for a cup of coffee and I didn’t know you were here…”

“You would have gone somewhere else if you knew I was here, right?”

“It’s not like that. I just didn’t want you two to fight again,” she explained.

“You actually believe that you just ran into him by accident?” He questioned sharply.

Though it seemed to be too much of a coincidence, it was an unexpected event to her. “I’m telling the truth…”

Before she could finish, he flung the glasses on the coffee table across the room. The glasses shattered on the ground and the water splashed everywhere.

“Ah!” She shouted in fear and paled as she stared at the shattered glass. Sensing that he was approaching, she backed away. “Are you really suspecting that something is going on between Tommy and I? Why do you have to be so paranoid about me and other men…ah!”

He grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall.

“Umph!”

“If I didn’t show up here, what were the two of you going to do here? Hm?”

Feeling as though her neck was going to snap, her face was flushed from the difficulty to breathe. “No…let go…of me…”

“I told you not to be near any man, did I not? Why won’t you obey?”

“He…is…your cousin…” Anne feit like her head was about to explode from the lack of oxygen.

“No one at all!” Anthony roared before throwing a punch at Anne’s direction.

Anne could not even scream and instinctively closed her eyes when his fist flew toward her as she prepared for the strike.

‘Maybe I will die from this punch…‘ She thought. ‘Maybe that’s for the best…‘

Her ears hurt from the deafening sound and she heard nothing but statics for a moment.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed that Anthony landed his fist on the wall and exhaled in relief.

He let go of her neck and she slid down onto the ground in tears, while Anthony stood to stare down at her coldly.

Tommy’s appearance and his conversation with Anne had placed Anthony in a bout of rage. He ignored the blood on his fist and dragged Anne toward the couch.

“Ah! Let me go. Let go… Master, stop it. I didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you doing this to me…” She struggled, but failed miserably under Anthony’s overpowering strength. She was soon tossed onto the couch. “Ah!”

When Anthony moved closer, she lost all ability to think and instinctively reached for the tray on the coffee table, before throwing it at Anthony.

Anthony dodged it and she took the opportunity to run out of the door, almost bumping into Leonora on her way out. As though she had found a lifeline, she hid behind Leonora and watched as Anthony walked out warily.

“Come here.” Anthony walked closer.

“No…no…” Terrified, she muttered in tears.

Leonora did not know if she should move and froze in place. Terrified at Anthony as well, she wondered what would happen to her if Anthony decided to vent his anger on her.

“Don’t make me repeat myself!” He roared darkly.

Chapter 1190

Seeing how Anthony ignored Leonora and darted toward her, Anne was startled into running away.

She would need to wait if she took the elevator, even if it was a private one, and that would be of no help for Anne at the moment.

She stormed through the door to the fire escape and raced down the stairs swiftly, all the while hearing the footsteps that followed behind.

“Ah!” As soon as she reached the last stair, she was grabbed by the back of her neck and pinned against the wall.

“I told you to come here, did you not understand? Hm?” Anthony’s breath caressed her skin and her blood ran cold.

She shoved him away and resisted. “Let me go! Anthony Marwood, you can’t do this to me. Go away…”

“I will let you know what happens when you cross me…” Anthony muttered, before pulling her mask away and pressing his lips against hers.

“Umph!” Anne widened her eyes in fear. Her hands were pinned against the wall as though she had been nailed onto a cross; she could not move and the slightest movement hurt.

The clothes on her body were torn from her shoulders and as her skin came into contact with the cold air, she froze in shock and forgot to resist for a moment. Realizing what Anthony was about to do, she broke down in tears. “No…umph!”

‘How can he do this here? We are in the stairways!‘ She thought.

Anthony did not care about her feelings and did not hold back his strength to sooth the irritation boiling within him. Like a hungry beast, he devoured his prey, leaving nothing behind.

Meanwhile, Leonora was standing by the entrance of the stairway, not daring to go inside.

‘Is Ms. Vallois going to be okay?‘ She thought.

“What are you doing here?” Ken walked over.

Leonora shushed him and immediately heard strange noises along with Anne’s cries from the stairway. She flushed and pulled Ken away from the entrance. “It’s… Ms. Vallois and Mr. Marwood…” She said in embarrassment.

“So I heard. That’s why I’m here,” Ken said.

“Are they going to be okay? Mr. Marwood is such a beast and just started at the stairway…” Though Leonora was already twenty–seven years old, she had never seen a man so desperate and realized that perhaps the couple would set all conflicts aside after this.

“We are in no place to interfere with that.” Ken’s expression darkened. He was Anne’s employee and was loyal to her. However, as much as he wanted to help, he could not interfere with the affairs between a married couple. He could only hope that Anthony would show mercy to Anne.

After all the chaos the two had caused, no one dared to step in Anthony’s way.

An hour later, Anthony carried Anne out of the stairway, covering her upper half of the body and face with his black jacket.

The two took the elevator and left, while Ken and Leonora saw them off, both realizing that it would be days before they saw Anne at the office again.

Anne was carried onto the Rolls Loyce and the car drove off.

She rested in Anthony’s arms inside the car, still dazed and trembling as though she was still processing the torture she had been through.

“I told you to obey.” He caressed her cheek with his finger tips and narrowed his eyes obsessively.

Anne turned her face away from his touch.

She had not woken up and had merely moved out of instinct; driven by fear, every touch from Anthony felt painful.