Bought For A Baby, Kept For A Lifetime-Chapter 104: If A Man Liked A Woman

Anne left the ladies room and entered the event where merriment was still in full swing.

She had thought and thought and thought about it, in the end she realized that there was no use contemplating something she could just confirm, it was her mistake the last time for not making sure.

She had once suspected that Andrew Sterling was the masked person but she hadn’t had enough proof to give herself then, this time she would undoubtedly make sure.

And how she would do that was already clear in her mind.

This time she would without a doubt see for herself if Andrew Sterling truly wasn’t the masked person.

Tucking all her thoughts into the back of her mind as she entered the ballroom.

For some reason, after she returned to the event she felt a strange foreboding as if something bad was about to happen. She felt like prey under the eyes of several predators and the sudden urge to flee began to rise within her.

Clara suddenly appeared beside her without warning, she hadn’t even noticed her approach.

"Oh, it’s you." Anne sighed in relief seeing Clara, this feeling she was having after returning to the ballroom made her feel uneasy.

Clara gave her a warm greeting smile, before beginning to talk conversationally "So, you and Andrew seem quite close." She suddenly remarked.

"What? No! What made you think that?"

Anne couldn’t believe someone would even think of something like that.

Her, close with the giant tornado? Impossible.

He was like a giant wall that kept everyone and everything out. How could she possibly get close to him?

Besides, in his eyes she was just an employee.

But then she suddenly recalled the sensual warmth of his lips against her own and her heart suddenly fluttered. Feeling blood rush up her neck Anne quickly lowered her head to conceal the inevitable redness that would color her face.

"I don’t know, he just seems a bit fond of you, which Is very rare." Clara said testingly. Her words were probing in a way that wouldn’t be too obvious.

"I don’t think so, if he seems to talk to me it’s only because my work is somehow connected to him, otherwise he mostly wouldn’t even talk to me at all."

Thinking back to all her interactions with Andrew, Anne didn’t see anything that made her seem special from any other employee at all, in fact if she was different in his eyes, Anne would say he disliked her more than other employees.

A trace of interest showed in Clara’s eyes, "Really? But I can vividly remember him calling you to his office, alone the other day, it seemed you two didn’t talk about work, I actually saw him smiling at you, he doesn’t smile at anyone."

As Clara said this, Anne made to speak up but stopped short when she remembered something. It made her begin to contemplate for a while.

Anne could remember that particular day, there had been a rare smile on his face, in fact she still couldn’t wipe the look of it out of her memory.

Though she wanted to explain that it was nothing like how Clara seemed to view it, she also couldn’t find anything to explain why he’d called her to his office that day, if she remembered correctly he made her sort files and do other things his secretary could have done, and the girl had been idle so he hadn’t necessarily needed her to do it, to say the truth, it had almost felt as if he wanted her to stay in his office for no reason at all.

"If I didn’t know any better..." Clara began noticing Anne’s silence, "I’d think he actually likes you."

Clara’s eyes betrayed a fleeting glimmer of resentment, though Anne didn’t catch it as she seemed lost in thought.

Clara’s words had struck Anne with a resonating shock, striking a chord that echoed loudly in her mind.

Andrew Sterling, like her?

Another impossible thought.

What would he possibly like about her? He disliked her, used to make her life difficult for no reason at all, would someone who liked her do all those things to her?

But then, thinking about it right now she seemed to realize he had begun to change around her lately.

There was that moment he’d suddenly come to shield her from humiliation when Valeria had put her up on that modelling stage.

Then there was that other time at the Sterling estate when she had almost been framed of being a thief. Without his silent help she would truly have gotten in trouble.

And then there was...

The memory of the kiss surged back and she shut her eyes letting the moment rush over her as if she were reliving it again, it made her heart begin to thump with a steady rhythm.

The smooth caress of his mouth, tender and caring. It didn’t feel like pure lust, nor did it feel casual, it felt heavy with unspoken emotions that made one’s heart warm up.

For a moment, she almost started to believe... could it be that, Andrew Sterling truly did feel something for...

No, what was she thinking, she really shouldn’t get ideas in her head.

’Do not begin to think you’re special, or that you’ve caught the great Andrew Sterling’s heart. You’re nothing but my employee...’

She seemed to imagine him saying and she was sure he would say just that if he came to know she actually entertained the thought of him liking her romantically.

That giant tornado had not a single romantic bone in his body, did he even have a heart for that?

As she thought that, she recalled the small smile she’d once seen on his face and she saw it again, that wounded lion keeping his wounds hidden by growling fiercely at everyone to keep them away, he did have a heart, he had a heart kept hidden from the world to see.

But such a heart, closed off, would it open up to care for her?

She truly was thinking too much. If she continued to dwell on it, she might truly get ideas she shouldn’t be having in her head.

She turned to Clara and gave her a smile, "I think you’re just reading too much into something normal. Mr Sterling doesn’t see me the way you’re thinking."

As she said that, silence descended between them. Clara no longer said anything to argue, but a look of contemplation had settled in her gray eyes.

If a man liked a woman, who best would know it more than that said woman herself? It seemed this girl was way too naive to see through the abnormality of the way Andrew Sterling treated her.

Anne couldn’t say why, but the grand ballroom suddenly felt oppressive, as if the ballroom had grown significantly larger with all eyes on her and hushed whispers floating through the air.

Feeling out of space in the ballroom Anne excused herself and found a quiet spot where she could be alone.

Clara watched her back as she walked away.

"You really should have just stayed home tonight." She said to herself as she glanced at Trish who was in the middle of a conversation and nodded a quiet signal at her.

The latter took the cue and disappeared from the event hall. The plan decided by the aristocratic ladies was something that wouldn’t lead back to them, but it would also frighten Anne to not ever think of coming into high society again.

A waiter carrying a tray full of bite sized Canapes stopped in front of Anne offering her to take a piece.

"I’d recommend you try the finger sandwich or the mini tartlets ma’am, they’re truly delicious." The man recommended with a kind professional smile.

However, a particular smell among the Canapes on the tray made Anne’s throat contract before she felt her stomach roil. The queasy and uncomfortable sensation in her stomach made her feel like everything in her stomach was about to rise up her throat, the smell continued to trigger nausea within her that she subconsciously covered her mouth, shook her head at the kind waiter and hurriedly excused herself.

Despite being away from the smell that had triggered it, the nausea didn’t reduce at all, in fact it intensified as a metallic, bitter taste rose in her mouth making her hurry her steps towards the ladies room.

She was almost too late in entering one of the cubicles and instantly bent over the toilet and deposited the contents in her stomach.

After about two minutes of retching and heaving, Anne finally stood up unsteadily controlling a bout of lightheadedness that hit her.

She really shouldn’t have come to this event.

Damn that giant tornado for making her come out.

When Anne exited the ladies room, she didn’t expect to find a man in a uniform of the hotel staff seemingly waiting for someone to come out. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Upon seeing her, he instantly approached her making her realize the person he had been waiting for was her.

"Mr Andrew Sterling is looking for you ma’am, please come with me, I’ll take you to him." The man explained.

"Looking for me?" She asked bewildered and the man nodded.

What did the giant tornado want from her now?

It was fine though, she’d go to him and ask for permission to go home, she really didn’t think she could remain at a loud event like this when she wasn’t feeling her best.

Nodding quietly, Anne followed the man who led her out of the ballroom unaware of the several ladies behind her who exchanged glances and snickered to themselves.