novelraw Chapter 298 - 176 Too fast in action, right? (Monthly ticket added)
Chapter 298 - 176 Too fast in action, right? (Monthly ticket added)
Before the festive season, he was busy beyond measure, all thanks to this woman. She suddenly acted on a whim and resigned. At a party today, he met an old executive from a real estate development company, who jokingly asked if he was too stingy, letting Miss Annie buy a house by herself, and the smallest unit at that, ultimately not even buying it outright but paying the minimum down payment first.
She sure has some backbone, drawing such a clear line with him?
Seeing her flushed face, which immediately sobered up upon seeing him, he stormed forward furiously.
Annie’s heart almost jumped out of her chest, her finger nearly pressing the elevator button, but a large hand stopped her mid-air.
"Why are you running, seen a ghost?" The voice, laced with displeasure, seemed to pull Annie back to the life she had a few months ago.
A life of suppression, a life without dignity.
He dragged Annie along, heading towards her rented apartment.
"Where are the keys?" Joseph Shaw said harshly, holding out his palm in front of Annie.
"President Shaw, there’s a café downstairs. We can talk there if there’s anything. My place is very small..." Annie’s scalp tingled at the thought of being with him in such a space.
"Shut up." Joseph Shaw pinned Annie against the door with one hand, while the other reached into her coat pocket, finding a bunch of keys as expected.
Very distinctive, Joseph Shaw immediately opened the door and shoved Annie inside.
Indeed, it was small. To avoid him, this woman had moved two or three times.
"I heard you bought a house?" He took a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, as the white smoke swirled but failed to obscure her appearance.
No longer short-haired, just reaching the shoulders in a slightly messy bun, wearing a small suit under the coat, yet unable to hide her perfect curves. It seemed she had changed a lot over the past few months, yet nothing had changed.
"Yes." Annie was quite nervous, her mind on the verge of breaking, already sensing danger yet seemingly unable to escape.
She must not get entangled with this man again, or she’d really go crazy. She had barely escaped, and never wanted to be associated with him again.
Her handbag fell onto the small dresser, followed by her phone, which she pressed on while supporting herself against it.
"Are you out of your mind or something? I didn’t give you money, yet you still go and pay a down payment. You even met President Carter and asked him for a discount. Was it intentional?" Joseph Shaw felt so angry he could spit blood. What about the money he gave her? Despite his displeasure when she left the company, he gave her enough money. Couldn’t she afford a house?
Now it’s great, everyone seemed to mock him for being stingy, saying a woman he was with for years couldn’t even afford a down payment on a house, and it’s the smallest unit too.
Absolutely maddening, what is this woman thinking?
"I slept with you for so many years, do you want people to laugh at me?" Joseph Shaw’s voice was full of anger, did she need to buy a house herself? Did she need to struggle so hard?
"It’s precisely because I slept with you for so many years, that I can’t let people laugh at me." Annie was almost stunned with fear by Joseph Shaw, whispering to prove something yet finding herself unable to prove anything, as if after having his label on her, it was hard to wash away all the traces he left behind.
"Which house do you like, I’ll buy it for you." Joseph Shaw rubbed his temples in frustration, how could she stand living in such a broken place, his apartment’s dressing room was bigger than this.
"Thank you, President Shaw, but I’m not in any trouble." Annie’s tongue was going numb, her speech became sluggish.
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don’t you? Don’t think just because you’re with Ethan Baird that you fear nothing. This is my territory, and I can dismiss him if I don’t like it." His body tingled with discomfort from her play of politeness, calling him President Shaw every time.
"I have something else to do, I’ll be leaving now." The entire apartment was at most twenty square meters, and considering the necessary furniture, it really was a small space. Annie carefully edged along the wall, wanting to reach the door. If he wouldn’t leave, she must hurry out, she couldn’t stay here any longer.
Joseph Shaw sneered coldly: "Did I say you could go?"
Charlotte Miller was sitting on the top floor of the hotel, probably the best place to have afternoon tea. It was a sophisticated restaurant with exquisite utensils, all the cutlery handmade from Portuguese Cutipol, and the delicately crafted plates reportedly from Hermès, exuding a sense of precious ceremony.
Atlas Hallow had almost ordered one of every pastry, the taste wasn’t breathtaking, but the sour and sweet berry jelly suited her palate, the delicate mousse flan reflecting a lustrous light while emitting a charming fragrance, and the brownie had just the right bitterness and moisture, lifting one’s spirits. The mille-feuille was delicious, but the most surprising was still the wagashi, which used Ito’s Uji matcha powder for the matcha spring roll, delivering a refreshing matcha aroma with every bite of the thin, transparent wrapper; classic Chinese desserts like mango pomelo sago and hawthorn plum drink sat on the table, and various small Chinese pastries were served in delicate Qingbai wares, as beautiful as a vibrant still life painting. She hadn’t eaten much for lunch; her eyes squinted as she tasted each dessert on the table.
"Didn’t eat a proper meal at noon?" Atlas Hallow looked at her as though starved, despite her lunch stretching past two; how could she be hungry already?
"I ate." Focused on tasting various desserts, Charlotte Miller simply responded while stuffing an entire matcha spring roll in her mouth—it was delightfully delicious.
The phone in her handbag started ringing, and she hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth to answer the call, seeing it was from Annie.
Her slender fingers slid to answer, but her expression suddenly turned stern and nervous.
"President Shaw, please don’t do this. I have resigned, I don’t want to continue like this..."
"That’s just your unilateral decision, did you ask my opinion?"
"You already have someone you’re going to marry, our relationship is immoral..."
"What even is morality?"
"This is my home, don’t create chaos here..."
Charlotte Miller’s hand trembled as it seemed she could hear the sound of fabric tearing, faint noises of pushing and struggling.
Her face paled, indeed Joseph Shaw was not a good person, but what exactly happened! This shouldn’t be from Annie calling on purpose, perhaps it was an accidental dial.
"What’s wrong?" Atlas Hallow leisurely drank his tea, watching her expression turn anxious, couldn’t help but ask in concern.
"Hurry, come with me to a place." Through the phone waves, she could sense Annie’s helpless struggle; she hated men like Joseph Shaw the most, worse than Atlas.
Sarcastically remarking internally, these two were just birds of a feather.
Fortunately, she knew where Annie lived, directing Atlas Hallow to drive to Annie’s place, though feeling unsure of her exact intention, he saw her anxiety was pressing.
The afternoon tea spot wasn’t too far from Annie’s, and today Atlas had coincidentally driven a small sports car. She felt it sped up considerably.
Finally reaching Annie’s apartment, Atlas Hallow held Charlotte Miller’s delicate hand, speaking softly: "Walk a little slower, what’s going on?"
"Any slower and there will really be trouble." Charlotte Miller didn’t stop moving, knocking on the door to the last room, yet no one answered.
"Someone... is knocking..." Annie, tears streaming down her face, sobbed, emotionally collapsing. Why did such things continue happening to her?
"Ignoring it..." After months, Joseph Shaw felt a paralyzing comfort, thrusting in forcefully, biting Annie’s shoulder: "Relax a bit, damn it..."
Even if a gun was aimed at his head, he couldn’t let her go. This woman was truly intoxicating.
"Atlas Hallow, break the door down for me." Fire blazed in Charlotte Miller’s eyes; she heard Annie mention her past with Joseph Shaw. If he continued to harass Annie, it was truly despicable.
Annie covered her mouth, forcing herself not to cry too loudly and stifling the screams wanting to escape her throat...
"Alright, don’t be so tense." Atlas Hallow helplessly sighed, pulling out a card and a thin wire from his pocket, within seconds the lock clicked open.
Charlotte Miller didn’t have time to question why Atlas kept lock-picking tools on him, nor why he was skilled enough to open the door so swiftly, rushing straight in.
"Ah..." Charlotte Miller screamed like she had seen a ghost, quickly turning her head away, crashing into Atlas Hallow’s chest.
Truly, certain things must not be seen. It wasn’t intentional though. Joseph Shaw moved too fast, didn’t he?