Chapter 289 Settling Debts

Chapter 289 Settling Debts

Anna left the Sterling Group headquarters and went directly to Rice Group. As the heir and shareholder, she announced the company would enter liquidation proceedings.

After handling all the immediate arrangements, she handed the remaining responsibilities to Kimball before quietly departing Brighton Harbor.

"All that work completed in a single day?" Kirk stared in disbelief.

He couldn't tell if Anna had been planning this for some time or if it had been a spontaneous decision.

"Why would Ms. Rice abandon her own family's company?"

Kirk couldn't make sense of it. Though Jonathan and Penelope were in prison, the Rice Group still belonged to Anna. How could she just walk away from it?

Lucy took a large gulp from her wineglass and laughed bitterly. "You think the Rice Group is still some golden goose? Wrong. Completely wrong!"

"The Rice Group is nothing but a bottomless pit now. A sinkhole that can never be filled!"

"Do you have any idea how much money Anna spent filling the financial gaps in the Rice Group?" Lucy held up five fingers, waving them in front of Kirk's face.

Kirk hesitated before guessing, "How much? Five million dollars?"

"Hell no! Five hundred million dollars!"

Lucy shook her palm, clearly pained by the thought. "Even though that money came from Kimball, once it was given to Anna, it was her money!"

"Anna said she wanted none of it back. Not a penny. And beyond that, she dug into her own reserves to cover another three hundred million in financial holes."

"Eight hundred million dollars dumped straight into the black hole of Rice Group without a sound. Tell me, who else has that kind of resolve?"

"But let's be real—who's had worse luck than Anna? The Rice Group was just an unfillable pit, a cesspool!"

"If Anna hadn't shut down the Rice Group, who knows how much more it would have dragged her down."

Lucy's words left Kirk stunned. He asked in surprise, "Does Ms. Rice really have that much money?"

"Have money?"

Lucy shook her head. "You have no idea how much Anna has suffered all these years. That money was saved penny by penny, plus some borrowed funds. But now, for the sake of the Rice family's bottomless pit, she's lost everything."

"She sold everything she could. Anna is completely broke now."

Lucy sighed deeply. "I asked Anna once why she felt obligated to handle the Rice family's mess. After all, Jonathan and Penelope created this disaster—why should Anna pay for it?"

"But Anna said that half of the Rice family assets came from her mother's estate. She couldn't let her mother's memory be tarnished after death."

Lucy grew increasingly distressed as she spoke. Only she fully understood what Anna had endured.

That bastard Jonathan and Penelope had caused Anna to lose her virginity, become pregnant, give birth, and then waste three years in a mental rehabilitation center.

Now they'd kidnapped Louie and ended up in prison. They deserved what they got!

"Noble. Ms. Rice is truly noble!" Kirk exclaimed.

What puzzled Kirk, however, was why Anna could be so decisive in handling the Rice family affairs but not in dealing with her feelings. Did she truly feel nothing for William?

This thought prompted him to ask directly, "With such significant events happening, Mr. Sterling remains completely unaware. Didn't Ms. Rice ever consider asking him for help?"

Lucy took another drink, clearly showing signs of intoxication.

"Deep feelings bring fear. Anna isn't unwilling to approach him—she's afraid."

"Afraid?"

Kirk looked confused. "Afraid of what?"

Lucy glanced at him, her lips curling into a smile. "You don't understand, do you? Looking at you, I'm guessing you've never been in love?"

Kirk's face reddened at her comment, but he defended himself. "Who says that? Of course I've been in love!"

Seeing his flustered response, Lucy couldn't help but laugh.

"Stop pretending!"

Lucy stood up, swaying as she walked toward the exit. "Anyway, what's between Anna and your Mr. Sterling isn't something you or I can fix. We can't manage it, understand? We can't manage it!"

Kirk watched Lucy in her drunken state, swaying unsteadily as she tried to maintain her balance.

Concerned, Kirk followed her and asked reluctantly, "So we just stand by and watch?"

"What else can we do?"

Lucy thumped her chest with her fist. "Anna's heart is suffering in ways you don't understand, in ways Mr. Sterling doesn't understand. When you both finally get it, that's when the knot will untangle."

"The tangle between them can only be undone by themselves. Do you understand?"

Seeing Kirk standing there with a bewildered expression, Lucy shook her head disappointedly. "You don't understand. You never will."

As she walked away, Kirk called out desperately, "What about Ms. Rice? Where is she now?"

Her only response was the swaying of her hands as she disappeared into the night.

Kirk returned disappointed, but not entirely without insight.

He now understood the situation with the Rice family and knew Anna had her reasons. But regardless of her circumstances, the fact remained that she had given birth to someone else's child.

Kirk knew that, as Lucy had said, what existed between Anna and William was something outsiders couldn't interfere with. William would have to resolve it himself.

Kirk watched with growing concern as William threw himself into work.

How should he broach the subject with William?

Another two weeks passed, and William had become a complete workaholic. Perhaps he believed this was the only way to forget the pain Anna had caused him.

Since the night Anna left Brookstone Manor, he hadn't returned there once.

He thought choosing to forget would make it possible, but unfortunately, the very things he wanted to forget appeared clearly in his mind every day.

In his office, the sofa where Anna had sat, the teacup she had used, even in the elevator—her presence was everywhere.

At Sterling Manor, her expressions at the dining table, her lingering scent on the bed—everything constantly reminded William of Anna's existence.

The bone-deep yearning nearly drove William mad. He became increasingly cold and distant.

His grandmother, Irene, noticed these changes.

She sighed. "It's time to introduce William to a new girlfriend."

Alexander, who was standing nearby, quickly responded, "Mother, I know several young ladies from prestigious families who would be suitable. I'll compile their profiles for your review."

Irene nodded, speaking earnestly. "Character is the most important quality. She mustn't be ambitious. I need a girl who will devote herself to William's happiness."

At the very least, not like Anna.

Regarding Anna, Irene felt both love and hate. Anna's medical skills had given William's legs hope, but she had cruelly stabbed William's heart.

When she left, William's heart went with her.

"I understand, I'll keep that in mind."

Alexander was remarkably efficient in this matter. Within days, he had selected several suitable candidates.

After careful consideration, Irene finally chose a young lady from the Hopper family.