Chapter 12

Sweetheart. Remember what I told you yesterday,” Gloria said gently as she walked her daughter to the school gate. “If Mira says something strange about daddy and your teacher again, just ignore her, alright? Don’t get into trouble.

Annabel frowned, clearly unhappy. “But Mira is wrong, Mommy.”

“I know,” Gloria replied patiently. “But sometimes the best thing to do is ignore people when they’re trying to annoy you. If you don’t react, he’ll get bored and stop.”

Annabel looked down at the ground, thinking about it.

After a moment, she nodded reluctantly. “Okay…”

She still believed Mira was wrong, but her mother was always right in her eyes. If Mommy said ignoring him was the best thing to do, then she would try.

Gloria smiled and gently fixed Annabel’s hair. “Have a good day at school.”

Annabel waved before running inside the school building.

Gloria stayed there for a moment, watching until her daughter disappeared through the gate. Only then did she turn around and walk toward the small convenience store across the street. She bought a bottle of water and sat near the window. Her hands felt slightly nervous as she took out her phone. The business card was still saved in her contacts. Lukas Gray’s office. Gloria stared at the number for a few seconds before finally pressing the call button. The phone rang three times before the call connected.

“Good morning. Oriental Energy office,” a professional male voice said. “This is Isaiah speaking. How may I help you?”

Gloria froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected the call to connect directly to Lukas’s office. She thought it would go through a general receptionist first.

“Hello?” the voice asked again.

“Ah—yes,” Gloria said quickly, trying to gather her thoughts. “Is this… Mr. Lukas Anderson’s office?”

“Yes, ma’am. This is Mr. Anderson’s office. How may I help you?”

Gloria swallowed nervously. “I… I would like to meet Mr. Anderson ”

“Do you have a scheduled appointment with Mr. Gray?” the secretary asked calmly. “May I have your name and company so I can check our records?”

“I don’t have an appointment,” Gloria admitted awkwardly. “But he gave me his business card and told me I could call if I needed help.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

Gloria could hear the sound of fast typing on a keyboard.

Her hands began to sweat.

“Hello?” she asked nervously.

“Ma’am, may I know your name?”

“My name is Gloria.”

“Which Gloria?” the secretary asked. “There are many Glorias in our system.”

Gloria blinked in confusion. Many Glorias? What does that mean? Still, she quickly answered. “Gloria Enrique .”

More typing sounds followed. After a few seconds, the secretary spoke again.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. There is no Gloria Enrique on Mr. Anderson’s list. I cannot connect you to him.”

Gloria frowned slightly. “What list?” She didn’t understand what the secretary meant. Then she remembered something. Victor’s surname. Maybe using that name would help. Taking a small breath, she spoke again.

“What about… Gloria Anderson?”

There was sudden silence. Then the secretary’s tone changed immediately. “G-Gloria Anderson?!”

Gloria could hear the panic in his voice. More frantic typing followed. A moment later, the secretary spoke again, but this time his voice sounded much sweeter.

“Mrs. Gloria Anderson, Mr. Anderson’s sister-in-law?”

“Yes,” Gloria replied slowly.

“Oh! Of course, Mrs. Anderson!” The secretary said quickly. “You’re welcome to come anytime. Would you like us to send a car to pick you up?”

Gloria blinked in surprise. “No… that’s not necessary. I can come by myself.”

“Of course. The address is—” The secretary quickly gave the office address, even though Gloria already knew it.

Then she asked when Gloria planned to arrive.

“I can come today,” Gloria said after checking the time.

“Wonderful, Mrs. Anderson. I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby.”

Gloria frowned slightly. “Isn’t that… a bit unnecessary?”

Victor also owned several companies. When she visited his office before, she could use his private elevator.

But none of Victor’s secretaries had ever waited for her personally in the lobby.

“Not at all, Mrs. Anderson,” the secretary replied politely. “It’s simply how we operate.”

Gloria still felt it was strange.” Alright . I should arrive around nine.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.” The call ended.

Gloria stared at her phone in confusion. “That secretary is strange,” she muttered. Did Lukas tell her I would call?

But that seemed unlikely. He was an extremely busy man.

There was no way he would remember such a small encounter with her. Shaking the thought away, Gloria ordered an Uber. Thirty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a tall glass building. Gloria stepped out and looked up. The building seemed even bigger than Victor’s company headquarters. Her grip tightened around her handbag strap. Taking a deep breath, she walked inside.

The lobby was large and luxurious. Almost immediately, a tall man walked toward her.

She was a handsome man with long hair and a perfectly fitted blazer. He looked to be in her mid-twenties. A name tag was pinned to his chest. Isaiah. P Secretary

“Good morning, Mrs. Anderson,” the woman said warmly as she extended her hand. “I’m Isaiah. We spoke on the phone earlier.”

Gloria shook her hand. “Yes, I’m Gloria Anderson.”

“Please follow me.” Isaiah led her toward a private elevator. They rode silently to the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, Gloria was led into a massive office. The room was even larger than Victor’s office.

A wide glass wall revealed the entire city skyline.

“Please sit here, Mrs. Anderson ,” Isaiah said politely. “Would you like tea or coffee?”

“No, thank you,” Gloria replied.

She hesitated before asking,

“Where is Mr. Anderson?”

“Mr. Anderson is currently in a meeting,” Isaiah said. “He will be available in about twenty minutes. Please wait here.” Then she added calmly, “Please remain seated and don’t touch anything.”

Gloria nodded.

“Alright.”

Isaiah left the room, closing the door behind him. The office suddenly felt extremely quiet. Gloria sat on the couch and looked around. The room was filled with expensive decorations—paintings, sculptures, and other artistic objects she didn’t understand. But something else caught her attention. A beautifully carved door stood in the corner of the office. It had a fingerprint lock. Gloria stared at it for a moment. For some reason, the door made her feel uneasy. Her imagination began to run wild. Lukas Anderson was known for being mysterious. Even Victor once said his stepbrother had countless secrets. Gloria couldn’t help thinking ridiculous things. What if he hides something strange in there? What if… There's a corpse inside? She almost laughed at her own thoughts. Still, curiosity slowly pulled her to her feet. Maybe she would just take a closer look. Gloria took one step toward the carved door. Then another. But just as she reached out

A deep voice spoke from behind her.

“I thought my secretary told you to sit down and wait, sister-in-law.”

Gloria froze instantly.