Chapter 287 Losing Anna

Chapter 287 Losing Anna

In the office, Grace was crying, tears streaming down her face.

"William, Anna left. She said she was entrusting the design department to me, and then she just walked away without leaving anything behind."

"William, please go after her. She looked terrible—I'm truly worried she might do something drastic."

As Grace said this, William's initial panic subsided.

He slowly moved his wheelchair to stop in front of Grace, his voice betraying no emotion. "Tell me exactly what happened. Every detail."

Grace wiped away her tears and began, "It was Megan who told her. She said Anna deliberately framed Megan's parents and got them imprisoned because of something related to her child."

Each word from Grace's mouth fell like a hammer on William's heart. His hands clutched the armrests of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white, veins bulging as he struggled to contain his fury while listening to the full story.

After hearing everything, he turned and left without another word.

Only a bewildered Grace remained in the office.

As darkness fell with no one entering or leaving the office, Grace finally awoke from her daze. Only then did she fully realize that Anna was truly gone, never to return.

She absently wiped her tears and stepped out of the office to find all the employees staring at her. Remembering Anna's parting instructions, she forced herself to appear composed and announced, "Everything continues as usual. If there are any issues, I'll handle them."

Upon hearing her words, everyone returned to their work.

The living room at Brookstone Manor remained dark.

William had been sitting in the darkness for hours. After leaving the company, he had frantically called Anna's phone, but was always greeted by the cold, mechanical voice informing him that her phone was switched off.

He'd initially had so many questions he wanted to demand answers to, but as time passed, he only wanted to know if Anna was alright, if she had eaten dinner, if she was safe.

Now, he only wanted Anna to come back, to not abandon him.

William sat downstairs, repeatedly dialing Anna's number, waiting for her return. In the darkness, he was like a trapped beast making his final struggle.

As dawn broke, William made one last call to Anna.

As always, her phone remained off.

"Anna... Anna... where are you?" William's suppressed sobs echoed in the cold room, heartbreaking to hear.

When the housekeepers arrived the next morning, they found William completely drunk. Panicked, they rushed him to the hospital.

News of William's hospitalization terrified Irene. She hurried to the hospital and, seeing her grandson pale and unconscious in the hospital bed, was too overcome with grief to speak.

Irene raised her hand and firmly patted his arm, choking back tears. "William, are you trying to take my life as well?"

Irene remembered when William's father died, and how William had drunk heavily during that period. It wasn't until she took him to his parents' graves that she managed to pull him back from the brink. Would history repeat itself? And if it did, would he recover this time?

Irene couldn't help but blame Anna. How could she be so heartless?

She didn't know how many days she had left to live, or if she would see William overcome this.

"William, for Anna, would you abandon me and the entire Sterling family? I'm begging you, please stop destroying yourself. Okay?"

Irene's voice repeated in William's ears until he finally stirred.

He opened his eyes and said hoarsely, "Grandmother, I'm sorry."

Seeing his misery, Irene finally broke down into sobs.

William stayed in the hospital for three days before being discharged.

During these three days, no one dared mention Anna to him, nor did he ask about her.

After three days, Irene brought him back to the Sterling estate.

Life seemed to return to normal. William went to work and came home to rest each day, interacting with others without any apparent change.

But those closest to him clearly noticed the transformation. He had become even colder and more ruthless, handling business matters with unprecedented severity. His harsh management style made his subordinates constantly complain.

At the company, Anna's name became off-limits. No one dared bring it up.

Day after day of work made it seem as though William had truly forgotten Anna.

Only he knew that the woman who had branded herself on his life couldn't be forgotten so easily.

Every night, bone-deep longing left him unable to eat or sleep properly, relying on medication to fall asleep.

The thirty-third floor of the company building, once specially designated for Anna, became forbidden territory in his heart. He dared not step foot there again.

Even on the elevator, he couldn't bear to look at the number 33, fearing that a single glance would intensify the unbearable pain in his heart.

The gnawing longing tormented him day and night. He couldn't forget Anna, yet dared not touch anything related to her.

This tearing agony was driving him to the brink of madness. He could only immerse himself in work.

Only frantic work could ease the yearning in his heart. The days were manageable, but at night, the overwhelming longing couldn't be escaped or forgotten.

William felt he would eventually go mad if this continued.

But before he could lose his mind, an unexpected visitor came to his door.

William glanced at Megan Rice standing before him, his eyes filled with a bone-chilling coldness that made her tremble.

Fighting through her fear, she stuttered, "Mr. Sterling, please, I beg you to release my parents."

William fixed his icy gaze on Megan and replied in a frost-laden voice, "What makes you think I would help you?"

"I know everything about Anna. I can exchange that information—please, Mr. Sterling, give me a chance," Megan pleaded with her hands clasped together.

Her words stirred the deep pain in William's heart. His eyes darkened as he suppressed the bitter ache rising within him.

Just as Megan thought he might agree, William coldly said, "Not interested!"

Then, turning away, he ordered, "Ivan, show her out!"

Ivan moved to pull Megan toward the exit.

"Mr. Sterling, wait! Don't you want to know who fathered Anna's child?" Megan's words cut deeply into William.

Anna had been intimate with another man and had his child!

For days, he had avoided thinking about this, naively believing that if he didn't consider it, it wouldn't exist.

But Megan's words unveiled the truth. Anna really did have a child!

William clutched his aching chest, breathing hard, fighting to contain the churning bitterness.

When he turned back, his face was filled with rage. "Who is that man?"