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41. The Setup
publish date:
2026-07-02 00:52:23
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Don’t Beg for Love 44. The Awkward Silence
She dropped the menu list in her hands, eyes widening with both shock and excitement.Her exclamation grabbed every attention in the room, and all eyes turned in our direction.“No way!” She shot forward. “Annie! I almost didn't recognize you! I thought you were someone else!”She grabbed my hand,But her gaze was still on the man who had just entered the restaurant. He stood so close behind me that others might assume we'd arrived together.Andrew.Great! Just great!“You guys! You guys! I knew it! I knew you would end up together!” The overexcited lady frantically glanced between Andrew and me, her voice getting louder. “So tell me! How many children do you have now!?”Silence.Immediate silence.A suffocating air of awkwardness hung in the atmosphere, and everyone else inside the room began staring at each other in shock.“Let me guess! Two! Three? It has been ten years, you've got to have more than one kid!”Blissfully unaware of the chaos she'd just dropped, the familiar-look
Don’t Beg for Love 43. The Birthday Party
The Next Day.I sat inside the hotel suite, placing my clothes, which had just come back from the laundry, into my luggage.The hotel was almost-empty now.Even Mason had already flown back home yesterday after being discharged from the hospital.Now and then, my mind wandered, hesitation flickering even as I zipped my luggage.I could have followed Mason back. However, my sketchbook was still missing.And leaving that task to the security men to help me find it,Were they going to take it seriously?I folded the last clothes into my luggage. Then my phone rang… again, for the umpteenth time this morning. This time, it was my assistant calling. “Sorry for disturbing you, Ms. Sterling,” she sounded anxious. “But the board of directors is getting impatient. Regarding the Hale Group’s decision, they want to know how you will handle it.”“Didn’t you notify them about the meeting?” I zipped the bag close and grabbed the forum brochures from the TV stand.Linda replied, “I did, Ms. Sterl
Don’t Beg for Love 42. A New Ambition
I crossed my arms and stepped forward. Stopping just a few inches away, I lifted my chin.“Mr. Hale, what exactly do you want?”“You.”Huh?“You.”I steadied myself as he repeated the word, shoving down the sudden unsettling feeling.Then a soft laughter escaped me, the word suddenly sounding more bizarre than startling. “Can you listen to yourself?”“I don't speak gibberish,” He scoffed. “Besides, you know how I hate hypocrisy, Annalise.”Hypocrisy?How ironic.“I let you waste those three years with another man just so you could learn your lesson.”Let me…?Wait, how did he know— never mind!“But it seems like you need to be taught more lessons,” he added. “You don't just start a fire and disappear.”How absurd.And funny.“Did you really think that targeting the Sterling Empire would intimidate me?” I raised a brow. “Ten years ago, I was naive… But now—”“You’re still the naive little bunny I know.” His tone dripped with sarcasm, his lips twitching. “Before you sink into further d
Don’t Beg for Love 41. The Setup
I let his words sink in.A brief moment of silence passed and only the old man’s heavy breathing resounded, apparently vexed.“Annalise,” He added, his voice softer and tired. “When you rejected his marriage proposal three years ago, he didn't react or ask us to return the engagement gifts. I just know that if you didn't meet and provoke him, the Hale Group wouldn’t have made this drastic decision. The least you could do was avoid Andrew Hale during your stay at Geneva. Look, I don't care how you do it, but you must fix this before it escalates.”Then he hung up brutally, leaving me wondering what exactly happened. But,I hadn't dropped my phone yet when another call came in.From Xander.“Big Sis! Are you alright?”Unlike Grandpa who was purely enraged, Xander sounded anxious.“Andrew Hale is bullying you, right? You guys met in Geneva, didn't you? I heard that Mason Reed is his uncle and you were present when he was poisoned. Some netizens said that they have put you on the suspect
Don’t Beg for Love 40. The Chuckle
A deep voice sounded beside me.A familiar voice. Standing a few feet away from my left was the man who looked like he had all the time in the world.Hadn't he appeared to be in a haste some moments ago?Wait— never mind.Acting as though his words didn't reach my ears, I resumed walking,Then he added, “Ten years, twenty years, thirty… no amount of time can transform a rabbit into a tigress."I paused.My fingers balled into fists.Yet, my composure didn't crack, my smile intact as I turned to face him.“Mr. Hale, why don't you invest this energy into upgrading your mindset?” I folded my hands. “After all, it is not my fault that you cannot handle rejection.”A pause.The man sized me up, a condescending look crossing his face.“Rejection.” He chortled. “Annalise, you’re too insignificant for me to feel rejected.”Oh, was that so?I raised a brow. “If so, I hope you will pretend from now on that I don't exist.”I turned, without waiting for his response.But I hadn't taken a step ye
Don’t Beg for Love 39. The False Witness
Andrew walked in, his appearance bringing an unsettling tension that hung in the air.On his face was a look of irritation, his eyes scanning the room before settling on me. Confusion flickered followed by an amused look as he raised a brow.“Uhm, Mr. Hale.” The officer cleared his throat and stood up. “It was just to let you know—”“Who is that?” Andrew peeled his gaze from me, the annoyance returning to his eyes.The Cop didn’t waste a second before pointing at Cassandra. “It is this young lady. She came here this morning and reported to be a witness to what happened to Mr. Reed. She claimed to be present when the poisoning happened.”“And she mentioned my name?” Andrew gave Cassandra only a fleeting glance before returning his attention to the Cop.The man nodded eagerly, frantically wiping an imaginary sweat from his forehead. “Actually, Ms. Coleman said you were among the last few people present with Mr. Reed before the poisoning happened. But she didn’t specifically mention t
Don’t Beg for Love 16. The Woman on Her Knees
Over the next few days, the media buzzed with news of the scandal, leaving netizens talking about it for a while.As I sat in my office, going through some documents, the TV ahead showed a newscaster reporting on a marriage scandal, referencing it.For concentration, I picked up the remote and turn
Don’t Beg for Love 15. Thirty-One Husbands
Love.Hearing him say it now sounded even more ridiculous.“Anna, look at me!” Tania grabbed my shoulders, giving me a stern look. “Don’t believe what he’s saying! The scumbag definitely cares that you’re now rich! Please don’t let his words fool you.”Tania’s worry was justified.In the past, I wo
Don’t Beg for Love 14. Ten Years Ago
My fingers trembled. Just once. Barely noticeable.Yet it felt as though all the warmth had drained from my body.The man stood motionless.His expression was calm… too calm. Not surprise.Not annoyance.Not even curiosity.Just those dark eyes resting on me with a detached indifference.Then a fa
Don’t Beg for Love 12. The Envelope
I returned to my office, Helen’s screams fading in the distance.Sitting down, I slightly rubbed my forehead.“Ms. Sterling.” Linda soon joined me, and the hesitant look in her eyes was enough sign that she had more news.“What’s the matter?”“Actually, another visitor came earlier.” She brought an
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