Bought For A Baby, Kept For A Lifetime-Chapter 56: Sold Myself

When Anne stirred from sleep, she didn’t fully register that she’d fallen asleep in some office locked up with the arrogant Andrew Sterling. All she felt was comfort.

She was draped in something extremely soft and comfortable that she almost dozed back into sleep. But before the sleep fully took her, she opened her eyes a tiny fraction, tossing on whatever she was sleeping on when that small moment of opening her eyes had led her to get a glimpse of her surroundings.

With a frown, she had a feeling this wasn’t home. In an instant, everything washed back into her and she quickly sat up at once with a gasp.

She looked around the office—no one was here with her. And she was currently lying on the couch.

She clearly remembered scooting far away on the other side of the couch as someone was sitting on this particular spot.

The lights in the office were on again and her phone, along with her bag, were kept on the glass table.

She looked down at the soft, black yet thick blanket that had covered her warmly.

Where had the blanket come from?

And how had she suddenly been lying down on the couch when she’d fallen asleep sitting?

She couldn’t have tossed in her sleep, right?

If so, where was the man?

She rose and searched through the bathroom, but he wasn’t in there.

Then she went to the office door to find it unlocked. While standing, she suddenly realized her ankle wasn’t hurting anymore.

Looking down, she found a white handkerchief tied around her ankle. She sat back down to inspect it, wiggling her foot but feeling no pain at all.

Had that man... done all this for her?

He tied up her aching ankle, laid her down, and covered her up in a blanket.

She suddenly felt something warm flutter in her chest.

Or perhaps she was still sleeping and dreaming of the impossible.

That arrogant Andrew Sterling doing something this nice...? Impossible!

But despite pinching herself, she still wasn’t awake from the so-called dream.

She really wasn’t dreaming.

Anne couldn’t figure out why he suddenly did something nice for her when he was angry at her for locking him up with her in this office.

The office was silent and she was all alone—he’d already left.

She let out a sigh and stopped thinking about the motives behind his actions, she could never understand him anyway.

That bipolar, arrogant man!

Picking up her phone, she realized it was five-thirty in the morning. It would be bright outside soon. She grabbed her bag and made to leave but stopped short at the door, looking back at the blanket on the couch.

She remembered feeling really cold at some point. Who would have thought that man would actually cover her up with a blanket? It really was a nice thing to do.

But associating him with the word nice felt so wrong—that was because she didn’t believe he could have a single nice bone in his body.

Perhaps he’d somehow taken pity on her and had covered her up. So he was capable of feeling sympathy for someone?

That was definitely new!

Anne walked back to the couch and picked up the blanket before leaving.

When she arrived at her apartment, she turned on the lights and crashed on her couch, deciding to wash the blanket and perhaps return it back to its owner when all of a sudden...

"Ahem."

She heard someone clear their throat behind her.

She gasped and turned around sharply to find Jasmine standing with her arms crossed.

Anne let out a sigh of relief.

"Jass, you scared me!"

"Well, you deserve that for turning your phone off for the whole night. I came here again last night thinking we could have dinner together and discuss if you liked Jeff or not, only to be left waiting and waiting for you. I only realized at like midnight that you’ve probably gone for another one-night stand again, or whatever it is you’ve been doing, which is very unsafe by the way, and you really, really need to—"

Before Jasmine could finish her whole rant, Anne sighed and grabbed her hand, drawing her to sit next to her.

"Jass, there’s something I have to tell you."

"Well, you better. Who have you been meeting with for a naughty night, and how long has this been going on?" Jasmine queried sternly like a teacher interviewing their student.

"You’ve been asking about Kristen since your return and I haven’t been able to tell you where he is."

"Isn’t he studying in H.U? He’s always wanted to stay in the dorms, right? I even bought some nice shirts I found at the mall the other day so we can go visit him together this weekend. I figured you didn’t want to talk about Kris since you’ve missed him so much and..."

As Jasmine spoke, she noticed the glistening liquid that had gathered in Anne’s eyes. She instantly stopped talking, feeling a sinking premonition.

Had she assumed wrong?

She’d automatically assumed Kristen was in college since she returned because she knew how firm that boy could be when it came to what he wants. If he had a goal, he would do everything to achieve that goal, and for the longest time he’d always said he wanted to attend Hartfield University.

The first and only time Jasmine had asked Anne about him was a day after she returned, and if she remembered correctly, she saw a flash of sadness cross Anne’s face, so when the latter had taken too long to reply, she’d changed the topic thinking Anne had missed him since he’d gone to college but...

Something didn’t feel right.

Had she been too presumptuous?

This look on Anne’s face—this sheer look of broken heartache.

Jasmine warmly placed her hand on Anne’s shoulder.

"What is going on? Please tell me."

In a long time, Anne no longer bothered to tell another soul about her brother’s condition, not after everyone she’d told dismissed her without regret.

She recalled the snowing evening of Christmas when she’d gone to her uncle’s home and knocked repeatedly.

She’d knelt on the cold floors and pleaded with them then.

"Please... help me save him and I’ll do anything, please... he desperately needs surgery."

Her tears had almost been freezing on her face as they fell, but no matter how much she pleaded, her uncle had snorted down at her.

"What concern of mine is your useless brother’s life? For all I know, living as a scum rat on the streets might have turned him into a criminal. You both have cut off from us for over five years now. That boy, who might have become a serial killer—his death will do the world a favor."

Her heart had already shattered when she’d suddenly received a call that her brother was in critical condition, but hearing her own uncle’s words, the piece remaining of her heart seemed to break even more.

But this family was her only hope to be able to save Kristen. When her aunt and uncle had been about to go back inside, she’d clutched her uncle’s pant leg, crying and heaving despite her voice cracking, threatening to leave her.

"I swear Kristen isn’t a bad kid. He’s a very noble person and he would never hurt anyone. He’s grown really well and he doesn’t deserve to just die. Please, I’m begging you—help me save him. He’s your blood too. He’s your nephew. Please don’t let him die!"

Her uncle had snatched his pant leg from her grip. He was still looking down at her with that disdain in his eyes.

"Haven’t you figured it out by now? I don’t give a damn about my late brother’s useless children. If your brother dies, that is only his destiny. The sooner you start to accept it, the better it’ll be for you. Get lost before I send guards to throw you out!"

Disbelief clouded her tear-stained face.

Inhumane!

That was the only word she could find to describe this person who called himself her uncle.

He was heartless and lacked any form of empathy.

Her gaze turned sharp before he left, and this time when she held him back, she’d gotten off her knees and grabbed his arm tightly.

"Don’t forget the money you used to become who you are today—you stole all our father’s money. Back then, we didn’t have any power to fight it, but I will never let Kristen die like that!"

Mark Thompson turned to her with a sneer on his face.

"So what will you do? Take me to court if you can prove I stole a dime from you. Aren’t you old enough to know that money rules the world? If you plan to use those people at the investment firm to prove your damn case, just know that I’ve already paid for the names in that document to be changed from your father’s to mine.

I knew a day would come when you and your damn brother would come knocking on my doors for that money, and you both won’t be getting a dime from me. I’ve taken that money as compensation for all the times my brother overshadowed me. That bastard always made me feel like crap! So let his kids live like crap and see how it feels."

His wife stepped forward and smiled, the expression dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh dear, Annelise is all grown up now. My husband is right—even if you take this to court, you can’t prove anything. Besides, it was my husband’s hard work that turned that money into millions—enough for us to live in luxury. Don’t try to covet what we have."

"Aunt, I don’t want any luxury. I just want to save Kristen. Please, if you can help me save his life, I promise I’ll never show my face to you again."

Hannah sighed and asked a servant to bring her purse.

Anne, for a moment, saw a ray of hope before it was dashed when Hannah picked some coins out of her purse and placed them in Anne’s palm.

"We’re not as heartless as you think, Annelise. Take this as a little donation from us if it’ll do anything to help feed you while you mourn your brother."

The fake smile on Hannah’s face had faded away, now replaced by a grimness.

"Don’t ever come back here again!"

The doors were slammed in her face.

Anne had stood in the cold, freezing to the bones, lost and all alone.

Anne had been desperate when Kristen’s condition began to worsen. She’d then searched for her aunt—her mother’s half-sister, Jenna, who lived in North Seville. But as Anne reached the woman she’d always feared her whole life, she’d been turned away.

"What? Kiera’s kid? Didn’t someone say they both died in a ditch due to starvation? Don’t try to scam me—get lost!"

Anne had been thrown out hopelessly, and no matter how hard she tried to meet the woman again, it was to no avail.

Anne had asked for help from her boss, but he’d also politely declined her request for a loan.

Anne had stopped telling people about her struggles because no one cared. No one cared until she had to sell herself.

Now, seeing Jasmine’s sympathetic eyes, she broke down, opening up about it again for the first time in a long time.

"Kris had an accident on his first day of college. Someone ran him over and... and he’s been in the hospital ever since. He needed surgery but I could never afford it. He might be dying if I didn’t do anything, so I did the only thing I could... I sold myself. I sold my body to a stranger..."

Jasmine felt a chill engulf her. She couldn’t move or say a word as she heard what Anne said.