Chapter 285 Confrontation

Chapter 285 Confrontation

William's warm voice resonated beside Anna's ear, comforting and reassuring.

Thinking about the Rice family and Marigold, with so many matters awaiting her attention, Anna knew she needed proper rest. Only after recovering could she effectively tackle the next steps.

She let down all her defenses and quietly closed her eyes.

Exhausted from days of constant travel without rest, she was overwhelmed by drowsiness the moment her eyes closed. Soon, she drifted into a deep slumber.

William gazed at the dark circles under her eyes, his heart aching with sympathy.

After Anna fell asleep, he carefully slipped out of bed.

Just then, Ivan's call came through.

Once connected, Ivan spoke, "Mr. Sterling, I'm at the prison entrance right now. Should I go in?"

"That won't be necessary. You can step back from this matter," William replied.

Since he had promised Anna, William wouldn't interfere. He suspected the situation with the Rice family wasn't as straightforward as Anna had described, but since she asked him not to get involved, he would honor his word.

"Understood," Ivan responded on the other end.

After hanging up, William glanced at Anna again. His heart ached for her, wishing he could handle all her problems himself, but he knew Anna wouldn't allow it.

He'd better let it go. William sighed to himself, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Anna was too independent. Why couldn't she be like other women who occasionally leaned on him? He could easily resolve these issues with minimal effort, yet she insisted on shouldering everything herself.

But wasn't that precisely the character trait he loved about her?

'Let her be,' he thought. With him standing behind her, even if she made the biggest mistake, he could help her fix it.

Anna wasn't sure how long she'd slept when she woke to find the sky outside had darkened.

Looking up in the dim light, she saw William working on his laptop.

Her slight movement alerted him immediately.

William closed his laptop and approached her. Leaning down, he asked, "You're awake. Are you hungry? Would you like to get up and eat something?"

As he spoke, he gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen across Anna's face. Just awakened, Anna resembled a lazy cat—languid and adorable.

William felt a flutter in his chest at the sight but knew this wasn't the time to act on his desires. Suppressing the urge, he pulled Anna into his embrace.

"Come, freshen up and let's go downstairs for dinner."

His embrace was warm and broad. Anna nestled against him, not wanting to move an inch.

William held her, and they remained silent together, neither speaking.

Until Anna's stomach growled loudly, prompting William to laugh.

The sound of his laughter embarrassed Anna. She playfully punched him and looked up with a pout, "Don't laugh!"

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh, I promise!" William raised his hands in surrender, but the amusement lingered in the corners of his eyes.

Seeing this, Anna pushed him away and headed toward the bathroom.

William waited outside with a smile. After Anna finished freshening up, they held hands as they descended the stairs.

Downstairs, the staff had prepared dinner. William placed a bowl of chicken soup—Anna's favorite—in front of her.

"Have some soup to warm yourself up."

Anna accepted it and took a sip. The warm liquid flowed down her throat and into her stomach, instantly warming her entire body.

After dinner, William led Anna to the third-floor terrace.

Coffee and cake awaited them. Upon their arrival, the staff quietly withdrew.

The moon shone brightly that night, with stars twinkling in the dark sky. Anna felt as though she hadn't seen such luminous stars and moon in ages.

William thoughtfully provided a light blanket for Anna, drawing her into his embrace. They lay together on a reclining chair, silently admiring the distant night sky.

After some time, nestled in William's arms, Anna grew drowsy. Sensing her sleepiness, William gently covered her eyes with his hand.

"Sleep," he whispered.

Anna murmured softly and lazily closed her eyes.

When she woke again, she found herself in bed. Anna was momentarily disoriented before recalling where she was.

The pillow retained only the pleasant sandalwood scent of William, but the man himself was nowhere to be found.

After freshening up, Anna had just descended the stairs when she received a call from William.

"Are you up?" he asked.

Anna responded with a soft affirmation.

William said with a smile, "I've asked Ivan to drive you. I had to leave early for some business."

"Okay," Anna replied obediently.

After quickly finishing her breakfast, she got into the car heading toward the office.

She had barely entered her office when Caspian appeared as if sensing her arrival, slipping in like a ghost.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Anna's expression darkened as she shook her head. "She's locked up and won't be out anytime soon. But still no news about Marigold."

Caspian clicked his tongue. "Is Marigold a mouse? Did she dig herself a hole to hide in?"

Anna shook her head. "We'll keep searching. Brighton Harbor isn't that big—sooner or later, we'll find her."

Caspian sighed. "We've looked everywhere possible. Where else can we search?"

As Anna twirled her pen, deep in thought, she heard a commotion outside.

Caspian stood up. "What's going on?"

Just as he opened the office door, Grace rushed in.

"Ms. Rice, something's wrong! Megan is here—she says she wants to confront you!"

Grace spoke with nervous urgency. Though she didn't know what had happened, she'd had enough interactions with Megan to know she was trouble.

She continued anxiously, "Ms. Rice, perhaps you should hide quickly. She seems hostile."

Anna had anticipated Megan would seek her out. She knew that even if Megan didn't come to her, she would eventually have to confront her sister.

Hiding wasn't a permanent solution—besides, the office wasn't that large. Where could she possibly hide?

With this in mind, she replied calmly, "No need. I'll wait for her right here."

No sooner had she spoken than a shrill female voice pierced the air. "Where is Anna? All of you, get out of my way! I want Anna to show herself now!"

"Ma'am, this is an office area. If you want to see Ms. Rice, you need an appointment. Without one, you can't go in," the receptionist explained.

Megan cut her off sharply, "What appointment? I'm her sister! I don't need an appointment to see her!"

"Get out of my way! I'm seeing her right now!" She then shouted loudly, "Anna! Anna, come out this instant! Are you hiding because you've done something shameful? Come out now!"

As the words echoed, Megan spotted Anna at the office doorway.

Upon seeing her, Megan let out a piercing scream and lunged toward Anna. "Anna, how dare you throw my mother in jail!"