Chapter 277: Painful Parallels

"But Anna, she bore me a child."

William finally revealed the truth he'd been holding back.

Anna felt as if the world had stopped turning. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she stared at William. "You... you two?"

"No, it's not what you think. I wasn't even aware of the child until after the fact. The baby died shortly after birth. Anna, I swear I'm telling you the truth. I would never lie to you about something like this." William rushed to explain, seeing the color drain from her face.

How could this be such a coincidence?

Anna felt dizzy, her head spinning. Was this some cruel joke from the universe? Some divine punishment?

William's experience mirrored her own so perfectly it was terrifying.

The shock was so overwhelming she couldn't respond. William, mistaking her silence for anger, quickly added, "Anna, please don't be upset with me. I truly didn't want to keep anything from you."

Anna composed herself, hiding her turmoil behind a bitter smile. "William, I'm not upset with you."

"You're really not angry?" William's intense gaze searched her face, afraid to miss any hint of her true feelings.

When Anna nodded, he exhaled with relief.

He pulled her close, holding her tightly. "Thank you, Anna. I was so scared. I'm terrified of losing you."

Anna gently rubbed his back, unable to shake the bitterness that clung to her. She wanted desperately to tell William her own story, but under these circumstances, the words refused to come.

She thought, 'As soon as I find Marigold, I will tell William everything, holding nothing back. But I can't help wondering how he will react. Will he remain as calm as I have been?'

The thought made Anna close her eyes in pain. She could only hope the storm would hold off a little longer.

Back at the Sterling Group headquarters, William noticed Anna's pale face and asked with concern, "Anna, why don't I take you home to rest? The company matters can wait until tomorrow."

Anna shook her head. "No need. I'll go in first. See you after work."

"All right."

William watched as Anna stepped into the elevator.

Once she was gone, he exhaled deeply and punched the air in victory. She had forgiven him! Did this mean she loved him more than he had dared to hope?

The thought filled William with joy.

Just then, the elevator reached the eighty-eighth floor. As the doors opened, William instantly composed himself, his expression becoming impassive.

His cold gaze swept over Kirk, his secretary. "Well done."

The seemingly random compliment left Kirk momentarily confused, but he quickly realized William must be referring to the task he'd been given yesterday. This meant William's issue had been resolved successfully.

Though Kirk was curious about William's former girlfriend, he knew better than to pry into his employer's private affairs.

He hurried to keep pace with William, forcing a pleasant smile. "It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Mr. Sterling."

William raised an eyebrow, his good mood evident. "Double your bonus this month."

"Thank you, sir!"

Kirk appreciated working for a boss like William—so generous when pleased.

Inside his office, William noticed the fruit basket on his desk and instructed Kirk, "Take this downstairs."

Kirk immediately understood. "Yes, sir. I'll do it right away."

Though Kirk could have sent someone else, he decided to deliver it personally.

As he stepped off the elevator, he nearly collided with Lucy.

The moment he saw Lucy, Kirk became visibly nervous, his hands and feet suddenly awkward.

Since returning to the country, Kirk had reached out to Lucy a few times to show his concern, but her lukewarm response on the phone had left him uncertain. He had little confidence in pursuing her and feared that if he confessed his feelings and was rejected, they might not even remain friends.

So he carefully guarded his feelings, afraid to take the next step.

It was Caspian who first noticed Kirk, raising his hand in greeting.

Kirk hastily approached them. "Ms. Fox, what brings you to the company? Are you looking for Ms. Rice?"

Lucy nodded, her eyes falling on the fruit basket in his arms. "Is that for Anna?"

Kirk nodded. "Yes. Since you're here, we might as well go together."

The three of them walked toward Anna's office, with Kirk repeatedly glancing at Lucy, desperately searching for conversation topics.

"How's your injury, Ms. Fox?" he finally managed.

Lucy casually tapped her arm, dismissing his concern. "It's fine. See? Doesn't even hurt when I touch it."

Seeing her nonchalant gesture made Kirk wince in sympathy. He wanted to say something comforting but found himself tongue-tied.

He felt frustrated. He was never this awkward around William. Why couldn't he form a coherent sentence around Lucy?

He looked to Caspian for help, but the man merely returned a helpless expression, which annoyed Kirk further.

Fortunately, they had reached Anna's office. Kirk knocked, and when the door opened, they all entered.

After setting down the fruit basket and sensing the others had private matters to discuss, Kirk tactfully closed the door behind him as he left.

As he walked away, his frustration grew. How was it possible that someone as articulate as himself could become completely mute in Lucy's presence?

He was in the middle of a silent lament when he noticed someone approaching. Kirk quickly composed himself, his face becoming expressionless as he stepped into the elevator.

Inside the office, Lucy was telling Anna about her encounter with Wesley.

After pondering for a moment, Anna let out a cold laugh. "Isn't this timing suspicious? These creditors never appeared when we weren't looking for Marigold, but now that we're searching for her, they're suddenly coming out of the woodwork."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "I knew Wesley was up to no good. He definitely knows something but refuses to tell us. And there's not much we can do to make him talk."

Anna thought for a moment before asking, "Do we have people watching him?"

Caspian nodded. "Yes, we have people surrounding him."

Anna considered this. "Since he's shown himself, it gives us an opportunity. Let's investigate his background and his associates. We might find something useful."

"Exactly!" Lucy clapped her hands together excitedly. "If we check who he's been in close contact with, we might actually find a lead."