The lobby of the Finest Hotel was lavishly decorated, and the neat, clean marble floor reflected the light.
Anthony sat on the sofa and looked in the direction of the elevator.
The management of the Hunts Hotel was strict, and the front desk refused to sell their clientsâ information. Therefore, he could only approach first thing in the morning to wait, hoping he could catch the woman.
His hard work paid off, and he finally found her.
He jumped to his feet as the graceful figure stepped carelessly out. With a bouquet of roses in her hands, she blocked his path in a way he found charming. âHello, gorgeous. What a coincidence, I didnât expect weâd meet again.â
Nora was speechless.
They had already called off their engagement, so why did this guy keep showing up in front of her again and again?
Anthony, who didnât notice her annoyance at all, said with a smile, âSince we seem to be destined, surely you should tell me your name now.â
Nora narrowed her eyes.
At first she didnât bother to pay attention to him, but when she thought about the fact that he had also been in the delivery room when she was giving birthâ¦. Maybe she could try probing him.
Her lips parted slowly. âIsabel Anderson.â
Anderson was her motherâs last name.
Anthonyâs eyes lit up. âAre you free, Miss Anderson? Coincidence is a wonderful thing. How about we go to the coffee shop next door and chat for a while?â
Nora nodded without much care.
Anthony eagerly stepped forward. âRight this way, Miss Andersonâ¦. By the way, whereâs your little sister?â
Nora raised her eyebrows. âMy younger sister?â
âYes, that little girl who left the airport with you yesterday. She looks like sheâs only in her early twenties; surely you canât have a daughter whoâs already that age, can you?â joked Anthony, thinking he was being funny.
ââ¦â Nora didnât bother to explain. Instead, she replied, âLetâs go upstairs.â
âItâs better that heâs not here. That way he wonât bother usâ¦. The pastries in the cafeteria over there are really good. You can bring some for your sister laterâ¦â
The way to chase a woman was to please everyone around her.
Anthony had plenty of experience in this.
Nearby, Justin, who had just inspected the hotel, was watching them coldly from the back.
Behind him, Lawrence, his assistant, curved his lip. âThat woman is too much, Mr. Hunt! Never mind that she deliberately approached Pete to please you, But is she really trying to play both sides?
And she even referred to your daughter as her younger sister when she was lying to someone else! I didnât even see her try that hard when she was lying to you!â
The bodyguard behind him had question marks all over his face . Was this really something to be compared?
Justinâs expression darkened. A sharp look crossed his deep-set eyes, and even the temperature of the entire lobby seemed to drop a few degrees.
He said coolly, âLook for her.â
âYes, sir.â
After entering the cafeteria, Nora found a table by the window. In a matter of a few words, she had gotten Anthony to turn the subject to the matter of their engagement.
Anthony was eager to explain, but his tone was mocking and horrible.
âIâm really not trashy, Miss Anderson. You donât know how ugly that fat woman is. Sheâs got so much flesh on her face that even her eyes are almost closed. When she walks, itâs like the whole place is shaking.
She even insisted on using the excuse that her obesity is due to hormone injections. She talks as if she would be a beauty if she slimmed down.
She is also mentally ill. She dropped out of elementary school in third grade, and has stayed home ever since, locking herself in her room every day. She doesnât even fuss when someone hits or scolds her, let alone retaliates.
Itâs unfair to force me to marry a fat, uneducated, illiterate, mentally challenged little fatty like her, isnât it?â
Nora almost nodded as she listened to him with her cheek in her hand.
She had known since she was a child that crying and making a fuss were useless in a home as biased as hers.
The reason she had not fought back in spite of the blows was that she had always been very mindful of her motherâs last words: she was to be simple and mediocre, not allowed to show her wit and wit before she came of age. She had said that was the only way to stay alive.
âI really hate the Smithsâ behavior. If it werenât for that company, I wouldnât be following Angela now eitherâ¦â
Anthony, who realized he had said too much, was quick to ask, âOh, what do I say such things for, where are you from, Miss Anderson?â
Nora casually made up an answer. âFrom New York.â
The Andersons from New York?
Anthony swallowed hard.That was a family of renown comparable to the Hunts!
Anthony fawned on her even more. âI didnât expect you to come from such a wealthy family. No wonder you have such a compelling presence and an air of elegance about you.â
Nora didnât mind his assumptions and continued to probe him.
His disposition seemed unconcerned, but his grip around his coffee cup had tightened slightly. âI heard that your fiancée gave birth to a child five years ago, but that it was abandoned. Iâm very curious: where did that child go?â
Anthony hastened to explain. âThatâs just a rumor, Miss Anderson! That chubby girl took the child overseas.â
What the Smiths announced publicly was that Nora had only given birth to a girl.
After all, they would incur the wrath of the town if anyone knew they had done such a thing as abandon a newborn.
Nora scoffed. âIâm just curious. Since you donât want to say it, forget it!â.
She set the coffee cup down heavily on the table and pretended to leave, vividly acting the part of a rich, spoiled princess.
Indeed, Anthony panicked. He reached out to grab it. âThatâs not what I meant. Donât be angryâ¦â
Nora subtly evaded him and raised an eyebrow. âSo, are you going to answer me or not?â
Her behavior did not raise Anthonyâs suspicions. After all, such secrets about wealthy families were what many people liked to idly discuss. Like gossip about celebrities, many people would find it interesting.
He spoke reluctantly. âUncle Henry-Henry Smith-was the one who took over then. I really donât know anything.â
Seeing that Anthony didnât seem to be lying, Nora lost interest immediately.
What a waste of time she could have spent sleeping.
She got up and left right away.
Anthony was stunned for a moment before he went after her. âI tell you the truth, Miss Anderson? Are you busy with something? In that case, why donât you give me your number? We can get in touchâ¦â
âI donât think so.â
Nora left only three words and walked straight out, jumped into a cab and drove off.
A confused Anthony was left behind frozen in place. His expression couldnât help but darken.
Were the temperaments of all girls from wealthy upper-class families this volatile?
She was too hard to conquer.
ð ð ð ð ð
Nora got some private investigators from California to try to look for clues. It wasnât until the evening that she finally dragged her tired self back to the hotel.
Beep.
As soon as she opened the door, she heard the conversation between Cherry and another child coming from inside:
âThe princess is here! Everybody, stand aside! The fool is going to escort her.â
â⦠Okay.â
âHeh, heh, you want to try my cannon? You little fool, tank the damage from the defensive tower, letâs go!â
âIâm out of HP.â
âHey, why are you running, tank the damage for me, and I can get the five kills!â
âIâm going to die.â
âAre you a man or not? Youâre such a coward even in a game, what are you so afraid of?â
ââ¦â
Cherry used to be very nice and well-behaved, but once she started playing, she would become very irritable and foul-mouthed. Her behavior today was already considered quite self-controlled.
However, whose child was that playing mobile games with her?
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