Chapter 869

Chapter 869:

? ? ? ? ?

The room was silent as a ghost. Not a single sound stirred the air.

If it hadn't been for the faint woody fragrance that clung to the pillow where Erick slept, one might think that Elin was alone.

Elin turned slowly, extended her arms and placed her hands on the place where Erick had lain, her palms slowly coming together. It was almost like she was hugging him.

As the warmth left her hands, the sadness in her heart began to grow, enveloping her completely.

Memories washed over her like waves, past events cold and unyielding like the sea.

In her youth, Elin knew what it was like to have a happy life. His family was not rich, but it was quite well off.

Elin's father held an executive position at a large company, and Elin's mother, Annis, worked in finance at the same firm. Worried that she would not be able to take good care of Elin, Annis hired a nanny after she was born.

With her income at the time, paying a babysitter's monthly salary was a piece of cake.

But those good times didn't last. A senior executive at the company became interested in Annis, using work as an excuse to harass her. Trapped by their working relationship and his authority, Annis endured his advances in silence.

Interpreting Annis' silence as submission, the executive became more aggressive and ended up luring her to a nightclub to take advantage of her.

Annis fled desperately to the bathroom and called her husband, who ran to rescue her. He was unfazed by the executive's high status and decided to defend his wife from any threat.

The incident escalated and Elin's father called the police. But since there were no cameras in the hotel and the power dynamic was delicate, plus the executive didn't get what he wanted and Annis wasn't seriously injured, pressing charges was a difficult decision.

The company's management spoke with Elin's parents separately, revealing the executive's ties to the president. They were suggested not to make a big deal of the incident without concrete evidence, and were threatened to drop the accusation and apologize to the executive if Elin's parents still wanted her job. Only then would the executive not pursue the incident further.

Elin's father was surprised to see that they were considered perpetrators and not victims. He stubbornly refused to comply, but Annis, aware of how much was at stake, realized that resisting could allow the executive's influence to damage his reputation even beyond the company. In addition, the president had promised to transfer Annis to avoid meeting the executive again.

Annis agreed to drop the case, but steadfastly refused to apologize, insisting that they had done nothing wrong.

The company had to accept, and that was the end of it.

But shortly afterward, the executive's retaliation began. The projects under the direction of Elin's father ran into problems, and then Annis was accused of embezzlement. Things got worse for Elin's father with his alleged mistake that caused a worker to fall to his death.

Following her firing, the company made a public statement, leading other companies, large and small, to avoid hiring Elin's parents.

This sent Elin's father into a spiral of depression and late-night drunkenness. When he got drunk, he often blamed Annis, accusing her of being the cause of his fall.

At that time, little Elin, barely five years old, was always afraid that her mother would get hurt.

To move forward, Annis swallowed her pride and took jobs like washing dishes and cleaning streets.

Worried about leaving Elin at home with her drunk husband, Annis took Elin with her everywhere.

Little Elin was well-behaved and always waited patiently for her mother.

Later, Elin's father, while drunk, accidentally fell into a river and met his end.

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