Grace Gordon was chatting idly with the person next to him when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annabelle Winters walk in, arm in arm with John Cook. His pupils froze for a split second.

But he quickly regained his composure.

Annabelle Winters wasn't his possession. She had already left Gu Corporation—where she chose to work was her freedom.

He had no right to interfere.

For some reason, the seating arrangement ended up with Annabelle Winters sitting right between Grace Gordon and John Cook.

Wouldn't this make their business talk pretty awkward?

She shot John Cook a look, but he seemed utterly oblivious.

With no other option, she could only sit there quietly.

She still didn’t know much about the company, so tonight, she was just there for the food.

Not long after, John Cook issued a command: "Executive Assistant An, pour a glass of wine for Mr. Gordon."

"Of course."

"Mr. Gordon looks like he’s in a bad mood today, so he should drink more. They say a drunken night washes away a thousand sorrows. Executive Assistant An, fill his glass to the brim!"

Annabelle Winters picked up the baijiu from the table and, feeling Grace Gordon’s stare, filled the glass all the way up.

The little baijiu glass wasn't large, so filled to the top it was just a couple of ounces.

"Not bad at pouring, Executive Assistant An," Grace Gordon said, tapping his finger on the table. "But if you only pour for me, what will the others think? Go around the table."

"Sure," Annabelle Winters replied instinctively, rising to pour for the others.

"Mr. Gordon, she's my secretary," John Cook interrupted, grabbing her wrist. "Sit down!"

His people only needed to follow his orders.

Caught between the two, Annabelle Winters’s wrist tightened in his grasp, and she slowly sat down again.

After John Cook let go, a faint red mark bloomed on her fair wrist.

"President Huo, you’ve just come back from abroad—are you really this stingy? You’re not willing to let your secretary pour everyone a drink?"

"Of course. She’s not just my secretary—she's a close friend. We've known each other since junior high." John Cook let his words hang in the air, making sure everyone could sense the special bond between him and Annabelle Winters.

Their history was clearly deeper than whatever Grace Gordon had.

Grace Gordon only ever saw Annabelle Winters as a stand-in.

But John Cook didn’t.

To him, Annabelle Winters was his white moonlight—an unattainable yet eternal crush.

Since junior high? Grace Gordon thought. Annabelle Winters was full of secrets. After more than a year of knowing her, he had never found that out.

Grace Gordon grew quieter and more withdrawn, his face cold as stone, as if everyone at the table owed him millions. He left early, unable to bear it.

John Cook was inwardly triumphant—he’d gotten exactly what he wanted out of the evening.

After the dinner, John Cook drove Annabelle Winters home.

Gathering her skirt up, she headed upstairs, unlocked the door, and found the lights on. Her younger brother was still doing his homework.

"Sis, you’re home."

"Not asleep yet?"

"Too much homework."

In truth, Annie Winters finished all his homework at school but waited up because he never felt at ease until his sister was safely home.

Only now that she was back did he get ready to sleep.

"Sis."

"Hungry? Want to eat something?"

Annie Winters shook his head. "My classmates said... Dad has been looking for us. Do you think he’ll come here to the capital?"

They had all changed their phone numbers by now, but Annie Winters kept in touch with his friends back home. According to them, their dad had even caused a scene at the school.

"Don't worry about that. Your only job right now is to study. Leave everything else to me," Annabelle Winters said tiredly. "Go get some sleep."

She headed for the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Even if their father tracked her down, she wasn’t going back.

A few days later.

After finishing a meeting, Grace Gordon was approached by his assistant, Fu Zhu. "President, Miss An’s father is downstairs, demanding to see her."

"He’s making quite a racket, demanding that Miss An come down. I already had someone escort him to a lounge for now."

"That man doesn’t deserve to be called a father."

"Tell him Annabelle Winters has already resigned; we don't know where she is. If he keeps making trouble, have security throw him out!"

Annabelle Winters didn’t need Grace Gordon’s protection anymore.

She had John Cook now.

And there was no way he’d ever let An’s father find out where she was. If the old man had managed to find the building, that only proved how much Annabelle Winters wanted to disappear.

"Understood!"

Downstairs, An’s father was escorted out of the building. He crossed the street to wait—he was determined!

He didn’t believe a word his daughter or the company said. How could anyone willingly quit such a good job?

And given her history with Grace Gordon, there must still be something between them.

He waited from day till night as people trickled out of the company. He hardly dared to blink, afraid to miss her.

When hunger struck at night, he just bought some food and kept his vigil.

By one or two in the morning, company lights still burned in those massive buildings.

Was Annabelle Winters seriously staying overnight at the company?

Fine—let’s see how long she could hide.

For days, An’s father kept his post outside Gu Corporation, but never caught a glimpse of Annabelle Winters.

This couldn’t go on.

Some jobs were best left to the professionals!

He refused to believe that, with enough money, he couldn’t find those siblings.

A few days later, a tip came to An’s father at his hotel—the siblings had been found.

Annabelle Winters was at work, so he decided to go to Annie Winters’s school first.

The school had tight security, not allowing parents to wander in. He waited until after evening study hours before finally spotting Annie Winters in the crowd!

He rushed forward. "Annie Winters!"

The boy broke into a run at the sight of him.

An’s father gave chase, but weeks of idling and indulgence had left him breathless and slow—he was no match for a high schooler.

And last time he’d gotten caught, he’d spent all his savings just to make bail.

This time, if he couldn’t drag Annabelle Winters back home to marry or force her to find a rich son-in-law in the capital, his future was doomed.

Annie Winters fled all the way to a taxi.

He never expected his father would find them so quickly.

When he reached home, the apartment was quiet, except for the sounds coming from the kitchen.

"You’re late today. Have some instant noodles," Annabelle Winters said.

The siblings sat down with their bowls, each with an egg and sausage. Annie Winters’s bowl had two eggs.

He devoured it in no time flat—his portion double hers, yet he finished first.

"No wonder you’re a high schooler. You eat incredibly fast."

"Sis, I saw him today…"

Annabelle Winters paused but kept eating her noodles. "I’ll take care of it."

"Sis…"

"Trust me!"

But Annie Winters couldn’t relax. Their father was like a ticking time bomb—ready to explode at any moment.

After the dishes were done, Annabelle Winters lay on her bed.

To be honest, she still didn’t know how to handle someone as troublesome as their father.

Especially since he was her own flesh and blood.

How had he gotten out? Weren’t the police supposed to keep him locked up?

Restless and anxious, Annabelle Winters couldn’t sleep and ended up late for work the next day.

"Executive Assistant An, President Huo wants you in his office after the meeting," someone informed her.

"Okay," she replied, drooping at her desk.

Sigh.

Elsewhere, at Annie Winters’s school, their father couldn’t find him at the main entrance, so he made his way to the flower boutique where Annabelle Winters worked part-time.

Actually, Annie Winters had used a different entrance to slip into school.

"I’m your boss’s father! Let her come out, or I’ll wait right here forever!"

The manager stayed calm. "I’ll call the boss right now."

As the call connected, An’s father snatched the phone. "Annabelle Winters! Get over here right now! I’m your father and you changed your number to hide from me! If you don’t support me in my old age, I’ll sue you in court!"