Clara Hastings scrolled through the latest post blowing up in the company forum, her light grey eyes unreadable.
She looked at the picture for a very long time, yet it was difficult to ascertain her thoughts at this moment.
It had been eight years now, and in all that time, she had never seen Donald Sterling saying more than three words to someone.
Earlier, when everyone had been raving about the fact that he'd come all the way to the public relations department to ask an employee to lunch, she'd hardly believed it, but now she was seeing it with her own eyes.
She'd known all three of the Sterling sons for eight years now, only now was she seeing a slight change in one of them.
"Annelise Thompson, I knew there was something interesting about you." She leaned back on her seat with a smile on her beautiful face. "I like you already. It seems you and I are going to get along really well."
Anne swayed after she got out of the elevator, steadying herself against a wall and waited out for her vision, which had turned completely black due to a bout of dizziness, to subside.
Shit, she had totally forgotten! She didn't have lunch today. The sharp pain in her stomach came again, and she gritted her teeth, walking slowly as she supported herself against the walls.
Ever since Kristen became comatose, skipping meals and working herself to absolute exhaustion had become a habit.
She wouldn't feel hungry, hence she wouldn't feel the need to eat; that had caused her to develop this painfully agonizing stomach ache.
She was still using the wall for support when, instead of the wall, she suddenly touched a person's arm.
She raised her head sharply and met a familiar face.
"You look like you need help. Come." It was Lukas, an employee of the PR department.
"It's okay, I don't need your help." Anne pushed away his hand, which he extended towards her, and straightened her back to walk on her own, holding in the pain. She didn't trust any of her coworkers anymore, and if not absolutely necessary, she didn't want to have to interact with them.
Lukas, however, seemed persistent. He followed her slowly without saying another word.
When a second wave of dizziness engulfed her, Anne staggered again but felt an arm wrap around her waist.
"Stop being stubborn, let me help."
Anne wasn't strong enough to push away from him this time, even though she desperately wanted to. Her vision had become completely dark.
The hand around her waist held her supportively and led her away. She assumed he was helping her outside. However, the arm around her waist slowly began to push upwards towards her ribcage and even higher.
Her eyes quickly shot open, and she shoved him away before his hand could reach her chest, which was his aim. He was pretending to help her, but in reality, it was just an attempt to grope her chest sneakily.
Lukas sneered as she shoved him away. "What? You won't play with me because I'm not a Sterling son? If I were rich, would you have let me touch you all over your body?"
"Stay the hell away from me! If you come anywhere close to me again..."
"What are you going to do? Fucking slut!" Lukas rolled his eyes at her. Realizing he wouldn't be getting a feel of her breasts like he'd intended to, he turned and walked away in annoyance.
Anne was livid. What did he just call her?
A slut?
That jerk...!
She could have yelled at him at the top of her lungs and warned him never to call her names again if she had the energy to, but she didn't, so she just quietly exited the building.
She continued to sway a few times until she had to catch her breath by leaning against a car outside. It had just been to rest a bit, but she didn't expect the owner of the car to show up at this moment.
"Are you alright? You look sick." Anne jolted at the feminine voice.
She met Clara's warm grey eyes, which held concern. She immediately moved away from the car.
"I'm sorry, I just needed to catch my breath. Felt a little tired."
Anne's eyes widened instantly, caught off guard at Clara's next action.
The beautiful woman stepped up to her and placed a dainty hand upon her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever, but you're sweating so profusely. There's definitely something wrong. Do you feel any discomfort?"
It took Anne a few seconds to recover from her shock and give an answer. "Just... a little stomach ache."
Clara sighed. "You shouldn't ignore even the tiniest signs of something wrong. Whenever you feel any discomfort, you should go to the hospital immediately."
Anne lowered her head upon hearing that.
The hospital...
A bitter smile found its way onto her lips.
She'd spent a lot of time in the hospital for the past six months. She knew its smell, ingrained in her memory; it always brought her brother's misfortune back to her.
What right did she have to go to the hospital for her own self when Kristen was constantly lying in one, half on the verge of death?
"I'll take care of myself. Thank you for your concern," Anne said with a respectful nod of her head.
"That's good. Get in, and I'll take you there."
Before Anne could react, Clara opened the passenger seat for her. "Go ahead, sit."
Anne had already tried to politely push aside Clara's concern, but the woman was evidently adamant.
She didn't want to refuse her and appear rude to someone showing her genuine care, hence after hesitating for just a beat, she sat in the car.
Clara got into the driver's seat, the interior of the car luxurious but feminine; her feminine fragrance filled the air.
Anne smiled gratefully at the woman. It was obvious Clara was the only genuinely kind person in that department. "Thank you."
"What's there to thank me for? I'm just doing my job as your boss."
She started the car and drove towards the hospital.
=============
"Did you do what I told you to?" Elder Sterling was sitting within his office on a sofa. His strict brows were drawn together as he stared down his favorite but unbelievably stubborn grandson.
It was well known that Elder Sterling preferred Andrew to his other grandsons; however, they still butted heads more.
"Which one? I always do everything you say unless it's something unreasonable, and you tend to make a lot of unreasonable demands, Grandpa." Andrew replied, facing down his grandfather's stern face unwaveringly.
"I asked you to check on that girl. Have you done it yet?" Elder Sterling was used to always being frustrated after a conversation with this grandson of his. The boy was always like a stubborn bull.
Andrew suddenly got the flash of the girl's image in his mind—specifically that moment she stood outside Nightscale staring up at the sky.
She looked to have recovered significantly, so he replied, "She seemed to be fine already."
"Seemed?" Elder Sterling fumed, almost throwing his walking stick at the boy. "You were supposed to look after her. Bring her to the mansion if you have to—just make sure she's healthy."
"What do you think the news tomorrow will be if you bring an ordinary girl into Sterling estate? They'll spread rumors about her and about our company, and it'll affect our new project. Isn't that why we kept the fact that you almost got shot and then saved by some girl silent?"
"Well, your grandfather's lifesaver isn't just some girl. She could have died."
Andrew looked away, recalling how the bandage around her waist had slowly pooled up and turned red the other day he'd taken her to his private Black Thorn Manor. He gritted his teeth and pushed the image out of his mind—it caused a wave of annoyance to seep into him.
Why had she risked her life like a damned idiot?
He was grateful she saved his grandfather, even if he didn't want to be. The old man was far too important, but he couldn't fathom her motives.
Or maybe he was still trying to deny them.
She had obviously calculated her every move. Saving the life of a wealthy man opportunistically to climb the ladder to wealth—so why was another part of his mind trying to see her as someone else?
The fact still remained that she was his contracted woman. She did that out of greed. There was no other reason for her actions.
He shouldn't pity her. And he damn well shouldn't have saved her from those men last night. But at that time, he had lost this rational part of him.
In the moment, he made himself forget that she'd sold her own body to him for ten million. He had not just saved her—he'd also punished the men and even somewhat anticipated the next few days; it would be a Friday again.
Such thoughts and behaviors weren't his. It made him wonder if her manipulative little acts hadn't begun working on him.
"The girl saved your life and got herself a good job. If you still feel indebted, repay her with a good sum of money and we'll be done with it." Andrew threw out a nonchant comment.
"Listen to what you're saying, you little punk. Do you not understand?!" Elder Sterling yelled, then let out a sigh. "I want to do more for the girl. Do you think money can pay for a life? If she died, no amount of money we give would be able to compensate for it. I want to give her something precious money can't buy."
Andrew's lips raised at the side, his dark eyes gleaming with coldness.
He rose from his seat, digging his hands into his pockets as he strode towards the magnificent floor-length windows within the office, looking out at the vast world outside as he said:
"There is nothing money can't buy in this world, Grandfather. It can buy a person's heart and soul. That precious thing you're looking for doesn't exist."
A quiet gleam passed the old man's astute eyes. He smiled to himself silently, like someone harboring deeper thoughts he wouldn't voice out, before he rose himself using his stick to walk to the windows, standing near his grandson.
Both stood at an imposing height in front of the windows, gazing out at the night view.
"There are so many things money can't buy, grandson."
Andrew sneered coldly. "What is one of them, love?" He chuckled softly, the sound gratingly dark. "Do you still believe in those unbelievable fairytales?"
"Fairytales might be a bit far-fetched, but I still stand by my words—love does exist."
"Love... Grandfather, is a fucking illusion people created in their heads. A trap that fades faster than ink dries on paper. You care for someone one moment, and the next you're planning their destruction. It can be bought with the right figures. When you have a heavy bank balance, the whole world automatically falls in love with you."