Bought For A Baby, Kept For A Lifetime-Chapter 266: Disabled Woman?
"Miss Thompson?" Anne jolted out of her thoughts when someone called her loud enough to shatter her thoughts.
She looked up to find several eyes pinned onto her in the meeting room of the team A office, Anne had almost forgotten that she was currently in a meeting, not with her heart racing so fast since she left the manor this morning, not with her mind racing with countless thoughts she couldn’t focus on one.
Among all those thoughts, one of them was louder, it rang in her mind like words enhanced sharp and clear in her head.
’He loves me?’
Her heart shook and her breathing rose higher.
"Miss Thompson, are you okay?" Ashley who was currently discussing her views about the upcoming strategies of the company outreach project noticed Anne seemed lost, even more so when Anne was asked a question but she hadn’t replied looking completely lost in thought.
All the team members noticed this too and the meeting room fell silent everyone waiting to hear if Anne was feeling alright.
She looked a little pale one second and the next her cheeks would heat up with color, so pink and adorable. It made people quite interested in hearing her thoughts so they focused on her.
"I’m... I’m fine." Anne stammered as she came back to her senses, tucking a stray hair behind her ears before lowering her head down to the open file in front of her to brush up her memory about what the meeting was actually about, but she had only read one line before that thought came up again.
’He loves me.’
Her heart suddenly skipped two beats at once, causing a shockingly warm sensation to flutter down her stomach, Anne closed her eyes for a moment to calm her breath, she could literally hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
’It could mean something else, don’t start getting delusional.’
She said to herself to calm her beating heart.
"Anne?" Ashley called softly this time to gain her attention and her eyes snapped open and once again she realized everyone was staring at her.
"Can we make it an evening meeting later, thirty minutes before work hours end. There are some other things I need to deal with." Anne said knowing she would get distracted again.
"Yes guys, let’s adjourn the meeting for now." Ashley added and all the members of the team nodded in agreement before grabbing their files and filing out of the room one after another.
When Anne got the chance to flee the meeting room, she entered her office closing the door behind her and then leaned against.
Her bag was sitting on her desk inside the office, Anne walked in and grabbed the bag opening it to bring out the three velvet boxes butler Jones had given her earlier.
Butler Jones had suggested to have the Porsche taken out for her for the day but Anne had politely refused him for the time being, in the end the driver had taken her to work in Andrew’s car as always.
Anne hadn’t accepted the gifts yet, but she couldn’t give back the boxes that carried these letters, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about them.
Anne opened them again and kept them side by side on her table, her fingers lightly caressing the fluffy bears which held the golden letters that made her heart chaotic.
I.L.Y
These letters....they could mean anything.
I loathe you...that could be one meaning, but even without thinking about it, she knew that wasn’t the case. Maybe around the time they had first met in the past, she might have agreed that he seemed to dislike her a little, but right now she could fully feel with all her heart that he didn’t dislike her at all.
I like you...it could be a friendly meaning, maybe be just liked her as a person.
Or it could also be that which her heart had been repeating over and over again since this morning.
Anne knew she had a habit of dampening down things sometimes for fear of getting hurt, she would rather choose to take the easier meanings in things so her heart wouldn’t be complicated or put in a situation of hurt.
She really didn’t want to dampen this one, she wanted to know what those letters meant to him, because to her, her heart was already...
Anne packed the velvet box back in her bag and whirled around then rushed out of her office.
Anne knew that the CEOs office was located at the very top on the seventy seventh floor, just as she was heading to the elevator, she passed by the entrance of the team B PR department office but by chance came upon a group of women fawning around Clara, flatteringly congratulating her.
Apparently, her marriage to Gabriel wasn’t hidden in the company.
"I’m so jealous, Gabriel Sterling is very attractive, and rich, I don’t think anyone can find a better husband. I heard he’s going to be appointed COO, you’re going to be like the queen of SE." One of the women flattered openly.
Clara seemed to raise her gaze amid smiles at this time, catching sight of Anne who was about to pass by then immediately said,
"Oh what are you saying? I heard the CEO is married too, there’s no way I can outshine his wife."
"No need to be so humble Clara, you’re so gorgeous and smart, plus you’ve been working for SE for so long, nobody knows who the CEOs wife is and even if she walks into SE someday, she’ll only be known as the CEO’s wife, she definitely won’t be able to match up to you in this company."
Clara smiled humbly.
"That’s too much high praise Jane, I don’t think I’m that wonderful. But one thing I’m curious about is why the CEO won’t announce who his wife is to the public. Every successful man I know is proud of showing off his wife, but it seems different in his case, it makes me wonder if he’s trying to hide something bad about his wife that’ll ruin his reputation." Clara said in a harmless way, however she had deliberately planted a gossiping mystery into their heads.
The woman exchanged looks and seemed like they had just realized something.
"I just thought of something. You know how he wasn’t supposed to be CEO but he was suddenly made CEO last minute? What if he made a compromise and married the ugly daughter of some wealthy family to back himself up to the position, and now he won’t announce her because she’s ugly and he can’t stand being seen with her."
"Wait, that actually makes sense. There was a big conflict for the position of CEO and I’m beginning to think he married into a big family who supported him into becoming CEO. You know some of those rich heiresses might be blessed with money, but they unfortunately don’t have the kind of natural beauty. Look at Clara, she’s naturally gorgeous and she definitely fits the ideal of a wife to a Sterling. Of course rich heiresses can have plastic surgery with all their money but it doesn’t even come close."
"What if it’s even worse than beauty? What if she’s permanently disabled, blind or crippled?"
This made the women laugh.
"Impossible! Andrew Sterling would never marry just anyone so he could become CEO, we know he has higher standards than that."
"True, we were just speculating. Whoever his wife might be, I’m certain she won’t be able to outshine Clara here. That’s the whole point I’m trying to make."
When Clara noticed Anne didn’t seem to be paying attention to them and was actively walking away, she deliberately stopped her.
"Hi Anne, I haven’t seen you in a while. Have you heard the good news, I got married." Clara said raising her finger to show a diamond ring like a happy bride announcing her wedding to friends.
"I’m so sorry, we were in such a hurry and events take a long time, you know when you’re sure you want to spend your whole life with someone you just can’t wait, so Gabriel and I got married. But we’ll definitely be having a little banquet and you all can come to celebrate with us." The way Clara was talking to Anne like a friend, the ladies by her side expected Anne to enthusiastically congratulate her. But Anne’s words were dry as she said,
"Right, congratulations." Anne was about to rush away knowing Clara was deliberately puting her on the spot, she didn’t know who those women were and she didn’t care what Clara wanted to do, so she made to walk away again but Clara was very determined to get to her,
"Oh I’m so sorry, are you having mood swings again? I remember you said the pregnancy makes you experience them sometimes. I know it’s really hard on you being on your own, single handedly nurturing a child in your belly without any support from it’s father, but always know you have a friend here to help okay? Come to me if you need anything, no matter how little."
Anne was still walking when she heard Clara’s words, she suddenly stopped, her eyes turning sharp.
Clara just didn’t know when to stop did she?
Anne hated when Clara played her little games but she could ignore her, however Anne really couldn’t stand it whenever she included her pregnancy.
When Anne stopped walking, she heard low whispers from one of the women saying to another,
"Some girls these days are just so promiscuous, look at how pretty this girl is but she let herself get knocked up by some guy. That’s why the rates of single mothers have been rising so alarmingly these days."
Anne suddenly turned on her heels striding back to where Clara and the women stood.
Clara smirked secretly when she noticed Anne approaching.
A/N: I know one Chapter is not enough and I’m sorry I can only release a Chapter a day for now, just for the rest of this week and we’ll resume the daily two Chapters again. Thanks for all your support, and votes!!!
