Chapter 199: Chapter 551-560

“They’re my dad’s clients. Shouldn’t I be treating them well?” Anastasia was unsure of what she should do.

“There’s no need for that since all of them are more than happy to continue working with your father’s company.” Elliot curled his lips into a smile.

Anastasia clearly sensed the arrogance in his tone. After all, this man was the reason these people were here to seek a collaboration with Tillman Constructions.

Currently, the conference room was filled to the brim with all these people. As Anastasia sat in the foremost seat with Elliot by her side, each of the participants came up to her and introduced themselves briefly before they proceeded to discuss with the employees regarding their respective projects, such as the supply of materials and conditions for working together in the future.

Without lifting a finger, Anastasia watched the company come back to life. It was all thanks to Elliot that the company that was on the brink of bankruptcy was so full of vitality right now.

“Miss Tillman, are you satisfied with my pricing? You’d be pleased to know this is the highest price we’ve ever offered to any company.”

Since the man had already said this much, Anastasia nodded with a faint smile. “I am very satisfied.”

“Miss Tillman, I still have several properties under construction. I’ll be using your company for the building materials.”

“Miss Tillman, we will keep a close eye on supplying Tillman Constructions. As long as your company is in urgent need of raw materials, we will be the first to send them.”

Anastasia was all smiles as she listened to all these prominent figures. The managers of Tillman Constructions were no exception, as their smiles were even wider than that of Anastasia’s. They knew the company was not only saved but would continue to grow even bigger from now on.

“They’re my dad’s clients. Shouldn’t I be treating them well?” Anastasia was unsure of what she should do.

“I’ll leave the rest to you all.” Elliot had been patient in listening to all of them before he stood up and took Anastasia’s hand. “Let’s go take a break.”

Anastasia was speechless at what Elliot suggested, as she felt it was inappropriate for her to take a break when the company was having such an important meeting. Yet, the man continued to drag her out of the conference room without an explanation. “I am the president here, so I should be staying with them inside,” she said begrudgingly.

“We can’t waste time here, as we still have a lot to do,” Elliot replied.

When Anastasia saw they were heading to the finance department, she immediately realized it was time to recover the money Alex had embezzled from the company.

Although there were still Alex’s men in the department, each and every one of them wore a stern expression at the moment and dared not even take a deep breath. “Miss Tillman, do you have business with us?”

“Alex had made a transfer of 30 million. I want to see the records of that transfer.”

One of the men’s eyes lit up; that man was Alex’s only accomplice here. Alex would not let everyone know about the transfer with a sum that huge. Thus, he was the sole accomplice.

“You there, come here.” For someone as astute as Elliot, he managed to identify the accomplice with just one look.

“President Presgrave… Can I help you?”

“If you sort out all the evidence of Alex’s embezzlement, I will spare you for your wrongdoings,” Elliot said, his tone cold and hostile.

The employee in question immediately had his face grow white in fear. “President Hunter did indeed ask me to make a false account, but that money… that money is already in an overseas account and is completely untraceable. It’s impossible to get that money back.”

“I just need you to get the evidence ready.” Saying that, Elliot patted Anastasia on her shoulder. “I’ll go make a phone call.” He then left after Anastasia nodded in acknowledgment.

After Elliot left, Alex’s accomplice immediately came over to Anastasia with his fear clear as day. “Miss Tillman, I’m sorry. President Hunter forced me to do this. I had to do it for my family…”

“How much did you take?” Anastasia did not believe the man in front of her was innocent.

“I… only took a million…” The man hung his head sheepishly. “I’ll return the money to the company and sort out the evidence at once. So, Miss Tillman, please spare me. Don’t send me to jail.”

“That will depend on whether your atonement is good enough. Should you still have something you’re not telling us, I guarantee you will be going down with Alex,” said Anastasia resoundingly with her eyes clear and cold.

Overwhelmed with fear and awe, the employee hurriedly said, “Miss Tillman, I am also a coward by nature, which is why I’ve recorded the conversation between me and President Hunter. I’ll send the recording to you along with the evidence of his embezzlement.”

“Good.” As Anastasia said that, she looked at everyone in the room and announced, “I’ll hunt you down if any of you informs Alex behind my back.”

Instantly, everyone became tense. They could already guess how Alex would end up, so nobody dared to be on his side at this time.

“Don’t worry, Miss Tillman. None of us will inform President Hunter,” said one of the older employees.

Anastasia nodded after hearing his answer.

At this moment, Elliot strode into the room and told her with his eyes that he had gotten back the money that Alex had embezzled.

With the connections that he had, getting the money back was as easy as ABC. Now, Anastasia should also begin to prepare for Alex’s arrest.

“The lawyers that I hired for you are on their way here now. They’ll get ready with the procedures.”

Elliot had already handled everything for her as he wanted Alex to be thrown behind bars more than she did.

Most importantly, each and every one of his lawyers were experts, so they would definitely have Alex in prison for the rest of his life.

A grateful Anastasia hugged Elliot around his waist. “Thank you. I really don’t know how to return your favor.”

He kissed her on her hair before saying, “That’s what I’m here for.”

In fact, the reason why he did all these was not only because of her, but he was also repaying the Tillmans for being the reason for her mother’s death.

“Good.” As Anastasia said that, she looked at everyone in the room and announced, “I’ll hunt you down if any of you informs Alex behind my back.”

At this moment, Anastasia decided in her heart that she would always be by his side for the rest of her life, no matter what happened.

On the other hand, Alex was having an intimate moment with Hayley in the apartment. With this money, he could bring her abroad and enjoy themselves there in no time.

Although she was not really into traveling abroad, she wouldn’t let this chance slip when he had this large amount of money in hand. “You’re really impressive, Alex! Now, Erica will definitely go down with Tillman Constructions!” she said with a smile tugged on her lips.

“She’s really an idiot. I don’t think she can accomplish anything in her life.” Alex greatly despised anyone like Erica. Meanwhile, Hayley was so proud that she could enjoy herself with Anastasia’s father’s money without her knowing!

“Let’s start our vacation at the beach first and enjoy our life to the fullest,” he told her while hugging her.

“Okay, whatever you say. My job is only to have good food, have fun, and make you happy,” she declared happily.

“By the way, do you know Erica’s sister, Anastasia?” Alex asked her as he was always curious about this.

“Anastasia?” Hayley pretended to recall. “I met her a few times a long time ago. Why?”

He started to look at her face closely as though he was trying to find another woman through her. “You truly look like her.”

Hearing that, she felt bitter on the inside. Why does every man that has met Anastasia get obsessed with her? Elliot is obsessed with her, and so is Alex! Why am I always her substitute?

“Don’t tell me that you like me because I look like her.” She pretended to be jealous and turned her head to the side.

“What? No. I don’t give a damn about her. She’s already another man’s toy.”

“Whose toy?” A surprised Hayley thought, Is there anything else that I don’t know about her?

While grinding his teeth in anger, Alex replied, “Elliot Presgrave.”

“Elliot Presgrave? Isn’t he the president of the Presgrave Group?” She knowingly wore a puzzled face.

Then, a contemptuous Alex grunted, “Other than all the dirty money that he has, he’s actually nothing!”

Looking at his furious face, Hayley mocked him in her mind. Is he honestly saying that when he’s the one who is ‘nothing’? In her heart, no matter how many Alex’s there were, they couldn’t compete with one Elliot.

However, she still needed to look at him with her face full of affection. “I don’t care who Elliot is. I just know that I love you, and don’t you dare say I look like anyone again. I don’t like that.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t.” He embraced her in his arms, but deep down, he always treated Hayley as Anastasia’s substitute because she really looked like Anastasia most of the time.

Meanwhile, at Tillman Constructions…

When Anastasia heard from Rey that Alex was in his apartment with Hayley, she knew that she should tell Erica about it.

She needed to let her know who was the one constantly pestering Alex, spending her money without her knowledge, and making her get the cold treatment after her marriage—her best friend, Hayley.

If she revealed everything to her, she expected to see a heated argument between these two best friends. Although she couldn’t be there in person to see it, she wanted to let Hayley know the consequences of stealing another person’s man.

With that in mind, she took her phone and called Erica.

“Hello, Anastasia? What’s the matter?” Erica was a little nervous when she picked up the phone.

“Although I hate you, I still need to tell you this. Alex has been together with Hayley throughout your marriage with him. They are now together in his apartment. You can go there and see it for yourself.”

“What? Hayley? Are you sure?” As expected, Erica was shocked. From what she knew, there was zero interactions between Hayley and Alex!

“See it for yourself if it’s Hayley or not. I’ll send you the address.” As soon as Anastasia said that, she sent the address to Erica.

At this moment, Erica was actually preparing to go home, but when she saw the address, she navigated to the apartment immediately.

While on the way, she was screaming inside her head, How is that possible? Hayley and Alex are together? But when? Don’t tell me that she was with him for all those ‘outstation’ nights that he told me about. And what about the money he withdrew using my card when his bank account was frozen? Was it for Hayley? When Anastasia heard from Rey that Alex was in his apartment with Hayley, she knew that she should tell Erica about it.

Her mind was going crazy as she recalled that Hayley had only gone to Tillman Constructions once with her. Did she hook up with Alex that day? If that’s the case, then they’ve been together for nearly three months!

As to why Alex would fall for Hayley, it was just a simple question—her face, which she did plastic surgery on to look exactly like Anastasia. With that face, it would be an easy task to lure him, who had been longing for Anastasia all this while.

When Erica reached her destination, she strode right into Alex’s apartment with some other people and pressed the 18th-floor button in the elevator. Just as she reached the 18th floor, she saw a janitor carrying out her duty.

So, she asked the janitor, “Madam, can you do me a favor and knock on the door of that room?”

“Miss, don’t you have your hands yourself?”

“My husband is inside with another woman. If I knock on the door, they definitely will not open it. Can you help me, please?” She put on a sorrowful face.

Hearing that, the kind-hearted janitor answered with a righteous expression, “Okay. I’ll knock it for you.”

Then, she went to knock on the door while Erica was hiding beside the wall.

When Hayley heard the knock, she stood up from the couch and looked through the peephole, only to see it was the janitor. Then, she reached out her hand to open the door and asked unpleasantly, “Yes?”

However, the janitor just ignored her and turned around, walking away. Just as the puzzled Hayley wanted to close the door, someone busted open the door forcefully and dashed into the apartment right away.

When the two women faced each other, Hayley was in total shock, while Erica was glaring at her in a fury, as she didn’t expect it to really be Hayley.

“Erica, why…” Hayley took a step back with her hand over her mouth. At this moment, Erica was like an enraged tigress.

“It’s really you… Did you hook up with him when I was in a relationship with him? And did you continue living with him even after I married him?” A raging fire could be seen in Erica’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Erica… But I can explain… I…” Despite how smart Hayley was, she was unprepared for this moment and lost her skills to defend herself.

“Explain what? You’re really shameless, Hayley. Are you even human?” Erica’s anger was not only because of their affair, but she also felt that she had been fooled all this while. When she and Alex were just boyfriend and girlfriend, she would show affection toward him in front of Hayley all the time, telling her how much this playboy loved her and cherished her. But it turned out that they were all just jokes in Hayley’s eyes.

Hayley definitely had a good laugh at her from the beginning. As she humiliated her, she went behind her back to be lovey-dovey with Alex!

“I’m gonna f*king kill you, Hayley Seymour!” Erica bellowed. Right then, she threw her purse and went forward to grab Hayley’s hair.

Meanwhile, Alex, who had just fallen asleep in the main bedroom, suddenly heard noises of women fighting and screaming outside. He even heard someone shouting for his help. “Save me, Alex…” It was Hayley’s voice.

Hearing that, he quickly jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room, only to see two women yanking and kicking each other on the floor. One of them was Hayley, and the other one was Erica.

He froze in shock after seeing Erica there. Why is she here?

“Stop it, Erica!” he bellowed before stepping into the fight to pull Erica away from Hayley and push her onto the ground.

With her reddened eyes, Erica glared at Hayley and snapped, “You shameful wh*re! I’ll make your life miserable!”

Hayley, on the other hand, was tidying up her hair and touching every part of her face furtively as she was afraid that Erica had displaced the implants on her face.

“Are you okay, Hayley? Are you hurt?” Alex asked her with concern.

Although Erica abhorred Alex, he still used to be her husband. So, seeing him showing concern for another woman with her own eyes still incited hatred in her.

“Alex Hunter, you’re both not fit to be human! You’re just a sc*m and a b*tch! Rot in hell, you two!”

“Are you done, Erica? Get lost if you’re done. My relationship with Alex is none of your business,”

Hayley said while grinding her teeth. She just wanted Erica to leave the place at once, since Erica is totally worthless in her eyes now. Meanwhile, Alex, who had just fallen asleep in the main bedroom, suddenly heard noises of women fighting and screaming outside. He even heard someone shouting for his help. “Save me, Alex…” It was Hayley’s voice.

“Haha! Alex, are you so in love with her because she looks like Anastasia? Let me tell you—”

“Shut up, Erica.” Hayley glared at her, warning her.

Ignoring her, Erica smiled with a smug look on her face and looked at Alex before saying, “Do you know that her face is fake? She went for plastic surgery and had her face done based on Anastasia’s face. I guess you’ve definitely not seen how ugly she was last time! Let me show you what she looked like.”

As soon as she said that, she took out her phone and started to search through her album. Even though Hayley dashed to her, trying to grab her phone, Erica still found one photo of Hayley’s face before the plastic surgery and showed it to Alex. “Take a look! Now you know how fake her face is. She has spent a few million on it!”

At this moment, Alex was completely stunned. He grabbed Erica’s phone from her hand and saw the face in the photo. The person in the photo had a square face, which looked completely different from how Hayley looked now.

“Is this really you?” he asked Hayley, whose expression was turning mad.

Hearing that, Hayley heaved a sigh. “You said you wouldn’t care about my past, Alex.”

“Haha! Her past is really splendid. She has slept with almost every man she met. You should ask her how many she has slept with before you.” Hayley went over and took her phone back from Alex’s hand.

“Get out, Erica!” Hayley shouted while pointing at the door.

“Why should I get out? I still haven’t asked you to return my money yet! When his bank account was frozen, he withdrew 40,000 for you, right?”

“You…” Gnashing her teeth, Hayley answered, “Ya. I spent it all. So, what?”

“You’re really shameless. I’d like to see how long you can keep your fake face on. Are you planning to get Alex’s money so that you can go fix your fake face?” Erica shouted at her.

“You shut your f*cking mouth!” Hayley’s face was turning ferocious.

Meanwhile, Alex just looked at them calmly from the side because, at this moment, he realized how spurious Hayley was. Now, he had a change of plan—he wouldn’t be sharing a penny of his money with her anymore.

“Both of you get out! This is my house. Hayley, pack up your stuff and get out of here.” Alex was a hard-hearted person who knew the right timing to cut losses early.

Instantly, Hayley’s face paled, and she was growing anxious. “Don’t listen to her bullsh*t, Alex. My face is fine, and it will stay the same for the rest of my life.”

She had poured her heart and spent so much time trying to get this man, but she had not gained any money from him yet! So, she didn’t want this relationship to end this way.

“Get lost! I feel disgusted whenever I see your face.” Alex was furious all of a sudden and looked at Hayley with his eyes full of hatred.

Erica picked up her bag and told Alex, “You think that I’ll be doomed, right? I’ll tell you this. I won’t be saddled with debts.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’ve passed all my shares to Anastasia. So, Tillman Constructions is hers now,” she announced proudly. “I still have my way out.”

“What?” Alex’s expression instantly changed after he heard her. He went up to Erica, stopped her from leaving, and asked, “Anastasia took over Tillman Constructions? When was that?”

“This morning.”

Instantly, he turned to his room and grabbed his phone, dialing a number.

All of a sudden, a furious Hayley held Erica’s arm. “Who sent you here?” She thought Erica would never find out about her relationship with Alex because she was hiding it really well.

Erica swung her hand and scoffed, “Anastasia told me about it. Don’t you think it’s really ironic?”

“What?” Hayley’s face took on a ghastly expression once again. It’s Anastasia again? Why is she always going against me?

Just then, Alex shouted from his room, “Why is my money gone?!”

Hearing that, Erica immediately realized something was up with Alex, so she spun on her heels and left the place. At the same time, Hayley noticed something as well.

Since Anastasia had taken over Tillman Constructions, the large sum of money that he embezzled would definitely be recovered, and he would need to bear the consequences.

Now, Hayley didn’t want anything anymore; she just wanted to cut ties with Alex completely.

Disregarding everything, she was ready to leave too. Erica picked up her bag and told Alex, “You think that I’ll be doomed, right? I’ll tell you this. I won’t be saddled with debts.”

At this moment, all she heard was Alex cursing in rage, noises of him breaking things, and his bellows about his missing money.

This man was nothing to her anymore. With coldness in her eyes, she took her bag and left the place, as she was also tired of acting for such a long time with him.

As Erica was going downstairs, she met a few men who were going up, and she was a little surprised by that. When she came out to the parking lot, there were several patrol cars and a few men there watching over the place. Curious, she sat in her car and wanted to see who they were arresting.

After a while, she also saw Hayley coming out of the apartment in dejection and leaving from the opposite direction.

She stared at Hayley, desperately wanting to hit her with the car when she realized how blind she was previously to be best friends with her all this while.

Come to think of it now! It’s so sickening that since I got married to Alex, I’ve been sharing the same men with her. She felt nauseous thinking about it.

On the other hand, Alex was still anxiously calling the bank to check why his money was missing. The banker, on the other side, told him frankly that his transaction had been found to be illegal and that the bank would halt the process of recovering the money from overseas.

Just as he was raving, he heard someone break into his apartment. Shocked, he rushed out of his room, and the plainclothes police, who broke into his apartment, jumped on him and immediately pressed him onto the floor.

“Alex Hunter, you’re under arrest for embezzlement. You’ll need to follow us back to the station for further investigation.”

At this moment, Alex’s mind froze for a moment, and something came through his mind all of a sudden.

It’s a trap. It was a trap that Anastasia set for him to purposely let him embezzle that money after seeing his greediness and tricks.

He was in deep regret when he realized he had fallen into Anastasia’s trap and had jumped into the abyss with his own feet.

The thirty million, together with the three million that he had embezzled previously, could get him a sentence of more than 10 years in prison.

Within 15 minutes, Erica saw a few plainclothes police coming out of the apartment with a person arrested, and that person was Alex.

Shocked, she saw him having his head pressed and entering the patrol car. Instantly, her brain started to figure out what was going on. Why is Alex arrested? What did he do?

He’d told me about a thirty-million sum of money previously, and he divorced me a few days after that.

Since he was in the finance department and he also had a record for embezzlement, did he embezzle that thirty million too? And he’s arrested now because Anastasia found out about it?

At the side of a car not far away, Hayley looked at Alex getting arrested in the patrol car with a cold gaze. Her eyes were emotionless as he was just a cash machine to her.

As Hayley recalled how Alex reacted when he saw her older pictures, she was irked by his exaggerated expression. As expected, he only liked her because of her resemblance to Anastasia.

“Anastasia, why are you constantly on my tail?” Hayley grumbled.

After the policemen left, Erica became anxious. She suddenly had an urge to go to the spot where she pushed Wanda down. She wanted to verify whether Wanda was still near the reef. In order to peace her mind, she hurried over there.

Is Mrs. Garner dead?

On the contrary, Wanda survived. Although she was a vicious person, she was fortunate enough to survive the fall. After she was pushed into the sea by Erica, she was swept to the shore by the waves.

When she was found, she had been submerged in the sea for a long period of time and was sent to the nearest hospital. Even though she had been resuscitated, she had fallen into a coma.

As Erica stood by the sea shore and glanced at the vast ocean, which seemed like the perfect burial ground. Mrs. Garner might have perished. She stayed there for a while before leaving.

Back then, when Tillman Constructions was in the news, it was about the company being on the brink of bankruptcy and how they were in arrears with their employees’ pay which made the headlines. The media somehow heard rumors about it and released the news in order to boost traffic and readership.

On that day, news about Tillman Constructions’ revival made the news. All of their employees were well compensated, and some of the biggest names in real estate had signed collaboration agreements with them. Instantly, Tillman Constructions was regarded as one of the most promising companies within its industry. As Hayley recalled how Alex reacted when he saw her older pictures, she was irked by his exaggerated expression. As expected, he only liked her because of her resemblance to Anastasia.

The incident regarding Naomi and her daughter’s online article that had caused a frenzy and put Anastasia in a bad light was overturned because of this. Subsequently, the incident of Naomi being suspected of murdering her husband and robbing his inheritance was revealed. At the same time, Anastasia’s efforts to save her father were also reported.

Anastasia’s reputation had instantly improved and she was viewed in a good light by the netizens. They praised her for her good looks, her acts of filial piety, and her new status as Tillman Construction’s current president.

She only found out about the news while she was on her way back from the hospital. The news amused her, and she believed that it was the doing of Elliot. In actual fact, he was the one that bailed out Tillman Corporation, but he gave her all the credits. She had won praise for being a savvy president who had successfully redeemed her reputation. Although Anastasia was never bothered by how others looked at her, those nasty comments in the past did hurt her feelings.

In the hospital, Francis was pushed into the ward after the doctor performed checks on him. After being in a coma for a month, he finally regained consciousness.

The nurse who came into his ward noticed that his eyes were open and she walked over surprisedly.

“Mr. Tillman, you’re awake.”

Immediately, she ran out to get the doctors. Two of the doctors entered the ward and performed some regular checks on him.

“Mr. Tillman, do you feel any discomfort?”

“How long have I been unconscious?” Francis asked with a hoarse voice.

“You have been unconscious for 31 days.”

“What? It’s been a month?” He suddenly sat up but had to lean on the headboard as he felt weak.

“Where’s my daughter and wife?”

“Mr. Tillman, please wait for a moment. I’ll inform Ms. Tillman to come over now.”

As Francis shut his eyes, the voices that he had last heard rang in his ears. Those voices were like a nightmare to him. The fact that Naomi and Erica tried to kill him brought him misery.

When Anastasia stepped into the hospital hall, the nurse at the reception informed her delightedly, “Ms.

Tillman, your dad is awake.”

“For real?” With a bag in her hand, she dashed over to the elevator as she couldn’t wait to head upstairs, and rushed all the way to her father’s ward. When she saw him sitting up, she fought back the tears of excitement and walked in. “Dad, you are awake!”

“Anastasia, you’re here.” Francis seemed tired, but he desperately wanted to ask her something.

“Doctor Leonard, how is my father’s condition after he has regained consciousness?” Anastasia looked at the doctor and asked.

“He is doing well. Besides the lack of physical strength from not taking in any food for a prolonged period of time, he’s not feeling any discomfort. We will enhance Mr. Tillman’s nutrition intake.”

“Doctor, may I speak to my daughter in private?” Francis asked.

“Of course, you can.” The doctor made everyone leave the room after that.

The look in Francis’ eyes tugged her heartstrings. Did Dad discover something before he got into a coma?

“Dad, a lot has happened during this period of time,” she said as she sat in front of him.

“Tell me about everything that happened after I went unconscious.” He was eager to find out about everything.

With that, Anastasia told him everything in detail, starting from when he got admitted into the hospital.

She even told him about how shameless Naomi was without reservations. Her heart ached when she saw how upset her father was. However, in order for him to see Naomi’s true colors, she did what had to be done.

“Dad, don’t be too upset about it. If she had the guts to hurt you, it only means that she doesn’t have any feelings for you.” Anastasia consoled him.

As he held back his tears, he sniffled. “I’d never think that she would do that to me since we have been married for more than twenty years. Anastasia, I’m a fool for not being able to tell apart who my foes are among those that are close to me. Naomi, Erica, Alex, and Colin are the people closest to me, but they wanted me dead.” “Doctor Leonard, how is my father’s condition after he has regained consciousness?” Anastasia looked at the doctor and asked.

“Dad, you still have me.” Her heart broke for him as she knew that he was agonized by the episode.

After he heard his daughter, a glimmer of joy could be seen in his eyes. “That’s right! I still have you.

I’m fortunate to have a filial daughter like you.”

“Dad, so what do you plan to do? There’s solid evidence to prove that Naomi tried to harm you and that Erica is her accomplice. It is also an undeniable fact that both of them tried to amend your will.”

Upon hearing that, he was in so much distress that he shut his eyes and his breathing got heavier.

“Dad, let’s not think about it for now. Let’s wait until you’ve recovered. If you can’t bring yourself to punish them, I shall do it for you.”

Francis nodded. He was surprised but impressed at how artful and calm Anastasia was since she managed to apprehend Naomi and got Alex arrested while he was unconscious. Everything she had done was to seek revenge for him. He thanked the heavens for endowing him with a great daughter.

Just then, a tall figure was seen standing by the door. It was Elliot who rushed over from the Presgrave Group upon hearing news that Francis was awake.

“Mr. Tillman, you’re awake,” Elliot said delightedly.

“Elliot, this is all thanks to you. Anastasia told me that you’ve hired medical professionals to treat me, and it was because of it that I could regain my consciousness.” Francis looked at the young man gratefully.

“This is the least I could do.” He shot a glance at Anastasia, and she turned around and met his gaze.

It was as if she could sense the excitement behind his smile, which made her blush.

“I’m so sorry for delaying your engagement. If not for my accident, both of you would have gotten engaged.” Francis felt guilty for ruining his daughter’s big day.

“Mr. Tillman, please don’t feel bad about it. The most important thing is your health. We can always pick another date for our engagement.” Elliot consoled him.

Francis really liked Elliot as his son-in-law. Regardless of his wealth and capability, his love for Anastasia was evident, which made him a good man.

Soon after, the doctor brought some nutritious porridge over. Seeing that, Anastasia fed it to her father while Elliot waited outside. After Francis finished eating his porridge, the doctor came in, and Anastasia left the room.

Looking at the poised man who was leaning against the wall opposite her, she couldn’t hide her gratitude toward him. He was instrumental in helping her father regain consciousness, and at the end of the day, he deserved all the credit.

“Thank you.” Anastasia thanked Elliot.

“I’d have to punish you if I hear you say those words again.” As he tugged her arm, she fell into his arms, and shortly after, she felt his arms around her waist.

“There’s no need for you to thank me since that’s the least I can do for my fiancee.” He pecked on her red lips right after that.

Their public display of affection caught the attention of a few nurses that walked past them. All of them blushed as they were captivated by his domineering disposition, which they found mesmerizing. They were envious of Anastasia’s beauty and how lucky she was to end up with someone like Elliot. She must have done a lot of good deeds in her previous life to deserve him.

After Anastasia found out that they were being watched, she blushed as she buried her head into his chest and covered her face using his suit.

As Elliot tilted his head down and looked at the girl in his arms, he couldn’t help but kiss the crown of her head. “Since your father is awake, we could discuss our marriage.”

“There’s no rush for that.” She blinked her eyes.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “But I can’t wait any longer.”

Upon hearing his affectionate confession, she pursed her lips to hold her laughter. “There’s nothing you can do even if you’re impatient.”

“You’re heartless.” He sighed, feeling disappointed.

“Thank you.” Anastasia thanked Elliot.

“I’d have to punish you if I hear you say those words again.” As he tugged her arm, she fell into his arms, and shortly after, she felt his arms around her waist.

“Alright, we shall discuss it after my dad’s condition improves.” She giggled.

“Sure.” He nodded.

Meanwhile, in a public hospital by the seaside, Wanda, who almost drowned, woke up on the same day. She lay on the bed, still in a state of shock from her near-death experience. Her face was as pale as a sheet.

“Erica, I won’t let you go. I will let Francis know about your true identity, and I look forward to your demise,” she grumbled.

“Madam, we have paid for your medical bills, so you can leave the hospital now.” One of the volunteers walked toward her.

“Thank you. You’re all kind-hearted people.” After being saved from drowning, Wanda was beyond thankful.

“Avoid going to the beach next time, as you’re more prone to accidents due to your age.”

“I didn’t fall into the sea. Someone pushed me down!” Wanda was exasperated.

“Then you should quickly find out who that person is and get them apprehended!”

A guilty conscience flashed in Wanda’s eyes again since she was the one who brought the whole matter upon herself. She got greedy and threatened Erica for a million. Besides, she would be put in a tough position if Erica revealed what she did.

However, she was determined to let Francis know about Erica’s true identity to strip her of her title as the second daughter of the Tillman Family. If she gets punished, I’ll feel so much better. Wait, I remember she has shares under Tillman constructions! She’s not even a Tillman, so she doesn’t deserve it, but it’s okay because I shall strip her of her fortunes!

After she left the hospital, she got on a public bus. While on the way home, she thought that Erica would never have imagined that she was alive, and she didn’t plan to make things easy for her. As soon as she got home, she took out the yellow pages and purchased a new mobile phone and a sim card. While she stood at the corner of the shop, she dialed Erica’s number.

“Hi, who is it?” Erica sounded impatient as she answered the call.

“Erice, don’t you recognize my voice?” Wanda scoffed.

“Are… Are you Mrs. Garner?” Erica’s voice was shaky.

“Hmph! Erica, your true identity will be revealed very soon! I will let Francis know that you are Naomi’s illegitimate daughter and that you’re not of the Tillman bloodline.”

“Mrs. Garner, Mrs. Garner… I’m very sorry. I’m begging you. Please don’t let them know. I’ll pay you a million immediately.” Her words were muddled up.

“I don’t want your money anymore. I just want to see your downfall.” After Wanda’s near-death experience, she was thankful for the volunteers’ help and had made up her mind that she would be a good person from thereon.

“Mrs. Garner, please don’t. Mrs. Garner…”

Without heeding Erica’s plea, Wanda hung up the phone. Even though she didn’t have Anastasia’s phone number, she knew that Anastasia would definitely be at Tillman Constructions, and she could find her there.

After Erica received the call from Wanda, her blood ran cold. She was so terrified that her face turned pale as she slumped on the couch, as her biggest fear about Wanda still being alive came true. She couldn’t believe that she had survived the fall!

What worried her most was the repercussions that would follow. Besides the revelation of her true identity, she might also be charged with attempted murder. Both incidents would be the worst things that could happen to her.

“No, I’ll never let Mrs. Garner meet Anastasia.” Her face contorted with rage.

As she squinted her eyes, she started scheming to stop them from the meeting. Erica knew Wanda didn’t know Anastasia’s contact number and house address. She wouldn’t know about Presgrave Hospital either. Thus, the only way for her to meet Anastasia was to go to Tillman Constructions.

She was determined to stop both of them from meeting as a murderous intent flashed across her eyes.

Since she had attempted to kill Wanda before, she was ready to do it again. While she was scratching her head, trying to think of the perfect candidate to execute the plan, her birth father came to her mind.

He’d be willing to do it if he was paid for it because his source of money would be cut off if Erica lost her status as the second daughter of the Tillman Family.

“Mrs. Garner, please don’t. Mrs. Garner…”

Without heeding Erica’s plea, Wanda hung up the phone. Even though she didn’t have Anastasia’s phone number, she knew that Anastasia would definitely be at Tillman Constructions, and she could find her there.

When she left her house, she was hoping that she could meet her birth father as soon as possible. The next moment, he was seen getting down from the public bus at a bus stop not far from her house. It felt like the heavens had answered her prayers. He was rather startled to see her because he was there to ask for more money from her.

He was a total failure since he was unemployed and addicted to gambling. The other time when he got money from Erica, he gambled them away, and now that he had no one to turn to, he came looking for his daughter to ask for help.

Feeling embarrassed, he walked over and asked, “Erica, the thing is… I’m in need of some money.

Could you please…”

“Come in. There’s something I need to discuss with you.” She invited him into her house.

Feeling flattered by her invitation, he rubbed his hands and asked, “Can I really go in?”

After they were in the main hall, she questioned him curiously, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Patrick Newman. Hasn’t your mother mentioned my name before?” After letting out a self-

deprecating smile, he continued, “I must be so useless that your mother is embarrassed to even bring up my name.”

As Erica glanced over at Patrick, she had no intention whatsoever of acknowledging him as her father.

She then told him about the sticky situation she was in.

“What? You almost killed your maid? And she’s still alive?” His eyes widened with bewilderment.

“Right now, she must be planning to expose my true identity. I’d be done for if she meets Anastasia. I would be kicked out from the Tillman Family and won’t be able to give you money in the future,” Erica exclaimed.

Of course, Patrick was reluctant to put his daughter through it. He was actually proud to see that his daughter had the disposition of a young lady from a wealthy family.

“Erica, how do you want me to help you?” He looked at his daughter, wanting to help her out.

“I need you to make sure that Mrs. Garner is silenced forever. I need you to stop her from meeting Anastasia.” She scowled.

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll get some men to bring her somewhere, and you will have to kill her for me.”

He never expected his daughter to be that ruthless. “Erica, isn’t there another way to solve this issue?”

“Are you willing to help me or not? If you don’t help me out, I’ll be done for,” Erica coerced. She didn’t feel bad about using him to solve her issues.

Upon hearing that, he was flustered and confessed. “I-I don’t have the guts to.”

“After my mom gave birth to me, you were never here for me. Don’t you feel sorry for me? If you want me to acknowledge you as my father, you’ll have to do this. If you don’t, I won’t acknowledge you till the day I die.” She threatened him.

As Patrick stood in front of his daughter, he sympathized with her and longed to hear her call him ‘dad’.

“Sure. I’ll get rid of her for you,” he said through gritted teeth.

Seeing how he agreed to do it for her, she smiled as she had finally found a scapegoat and replied, “You’re the best dad I could ask for.” Upon hearing her call him ‘dad’, he was elated.

Based on the authority that Erica had, she could command the security guards of Tillman Constructions. She immediately made a call to the surveillance room and informed them that if a woman named Wanda Garner asked to see Anastasia, they would have to inform her immediately.

Then, she would get them to bring her to a location within the vicinity.

The security guard agreed to her request, knowing that she was Francis’ second daughter.

In order to stop Wanda from meeting Anastasia, Erica immediately drove over to Tillman Constructions to scout for a suitable location to execute her plan. Finally, she found an abandoned warehouse next to the company.

Since it was Patrick’s first ever up-close encounter with his daughter, he couldn’t hide his excitement seeing how capable Erica was and that she would inherit Tillman Constructions.

He knew that Francis had two daughters but had no sons, so he was confident that each daughter would inherit half of his inheritance.

On the other hand, Wanda planned to look for Anastasia early tomorrow morning after getting some rest. Unknown to her, Erica had set up a trap for her.

As Patrick stood in front of his daughter, he sympathized with her and longed to hear her call him ‘dad’.

Meanwhile, in the Presgrave Hospital, Old Madam Presgrave was happy that Francis had regained consciousness and brought Jared over to visit his grandfather. Seeing that Francis was awake, Jared happily accompanied him and refused to leave his side. However, after Francis got to know that Anastasia had been separated from Jared all this time while he was in a coma, he felt bad, so he asked her to go home to rest and not worry about him anymore.

At 9.00PM, Elliot brought Anastasia and Jared back to the mansion. It was almost midnight after they had taken a shower. Jared had been sleeping on time, so he had gone to bed at 10.30PM.

However, both of the adults weren’t tired just yet. After her father had regained consciousness, her stress level went down, and she felt more relaxed. When she walked to the main hall, she saw Elliot sitting cross-legged on the couch while looking at the laptop that was placed on his lap. It seemed like he was glowing as the lights were cast on him.

She sauntered toward him in her pink pajamas and sat next to him, with her freshly washed hair draping down her shoulder. She propped her chin up and stared at the screen. It was a long email in Chinese with lots of corporate jargon, which made her head spin.

Elliot shifted his attention from the screen to her. From his angle, she looked feminine, with glowing skin, and her red lips were playfully pouted. Suddenly, he closed the laptop and set it aside.

“But you’re not done typing!” Anastasia blinked her eyes as she thought that she might have interrupted his work.

“Compared to work, I’m more interested in you.” Right after, he pulled her into his arms.

Her heart fluttered as she leaned in his chest while enjoying it.

“When my new yacht arrives tomorrow night, I’ll bring you and Jared out to sea.” He ran his fingers through her long silky hair.

“Sure!” She wanted to go out and get some fresh air too.

“Let’s get engaged after your dad’s condition gets better.” This matter had been on Elliot’s mind.

“Sure.” Anastasia agreed since they were supposed to get engaged earlier on.

“You smell nice.” He picked up a strand of her hair and sniffed lightly, but his eyes were locked on her.

The atmosphere instantly became romantic and sensuous.

“I’m… having my period,” she said shyly.

Upon hearing that, he was speechless since his timing was bad. “Do you plan to be mine if you’re not having your period?” He giggled, trying to get himself out of the awkward situation.

“I’ll eventually be yours.” She smirked.