Chapter 291 Time Passes By

Chapter 291 Time Passes By

Time slipped by, and before anyone realized, two years had passed.

The fashion brand under the Sterling Group remained lukewarm in the market, but with the backing of AG, a major industry name, it still managed to gather a decent following.

Unfortunately, Grace struggled with the management responsibilities and eventually approached William to resign from her position.

After stepping down from her management role, Grace returned to her position as a designer. Over time, she gradually established herself firmly in fashion design.

She also became good friends with Zoey, and most of the company's clothing designs came from these two women.

William's legs, under the joint supervision and treatment of Richard and Atticus, gradually improved. Although he couldn't stand completely, he could now walk a few steps with the help of crutches.

Everything seemed to be improving, but there was still no news of Anna.

According to rumors, she was living nomadically, constantly searching for her child's whereabouts. Another rumor suggested she had settled abroad. Despite all the speculation, no one had actually seen Anna.

Kirk, who frequently sought out Lucy to inquire about Anna's whereabouts, never succeeded in becoming her romantic partner, but the two became friends.

It seemed that everyone's life had returned to normal—everyone except William.

Two years had passed, and William's heart had become as hard as stone. From initial hope to eventual disappointment, he had finally frozen all his emotions. The once-familiar phone number was now sealed deep within his heart.

During these two years, he rejected the approaches of all women, wrapping himself in a cocoon-like shell that prevented outsiders from glimpsing any ripple in his inner emotions.

His focused work allowed the Sterling Group's business map to continuously expand outward, eventually establishing close business relationships with more than a dozen countries.

But all overseas business carefully avoided Stellarcity in Celestria. Even when traveling, William preferred to take connecting flights rather than pass through Stellarcity.

He refused to inquire about Anna or anything related to the Rice family.

His grandmother, Irene, watched his transformation with mixed feelings—both happy and sad.

She was happy that the Sterling family business could flourish under his leadership, giving her the confidence that she would be able to face her late husband with pride after her death.

But she was sad because, despite the years that had passed, William had never let go of Anna.

Irene knew that William was a person who valued relationships and loyalty. Although he never mentioned Anna, she was the only one in his heart.

Over these years, Irene hadn't given up trying to introduce suitable women to William, but all her attempts were skillfully avoided by him.

After several tries, Irene gradually abandoned the idea. 'Let it be,' she thought. Hopefully, one day he would come to terms with it.

In his office on the eighty-eighth floor, William had just finished a meeting when his phone rang. Looking at the screen, he saw it was Richard.

After answering the call, Richard said, "Mr. Sterling, there's a situation I wanted to discuss with you."

William nodded, "Go ahead."

Richard continued, "Daphne has physically and mentally recovered after treatment. She wants to be discharged, but she has requested to see you. Would you like to meet her?"William thought for a moment before recalling the emaciated woman. His last impression of Daphne was of her with disheveled hair and a face full of panic. He was surprised to hear that she had recovered.

Considering that they had once been intimate, William decided to see her one last time.

William tapped on his desk, saying unhurriedly, "This afternoon, I'll come to the hospital."

Richard replied, "Good, I'll let Daphne know."

After hanging up, William returned his attention to work.

With the expansion of the Sterling Group's business modules, the company's operations had grown increasingly complex, and William had more to deal with every day.

This was just another in a countless string of busy days, but he had grown accustomed to this non-stop work mode.

By afternoon, William called Ivan to accompany him to the hospital.

Richard was already waiting when they arrived. Upon seeing William, he promptly led Daphne to the director's meeting room.

"Daphne has already completed her discharge procedures, so I've brought her here," Richard said as he opened the door to the meeting room.

Inside, Daphne stood up nervously. Seeing William behind Richard, she became even more anxious.

"Please sit," William gestured, his calm voice nonetheless carrying an intimidating pressure for Daphne.

Daphne sat anxiously on the sofa, her fingertips tightly pinching a small bag she was holding.

She stammered, "Thank you for your great kindness. Dr. Thompson told me it was your mercy that allowed my condition to be treated."

After she finished speaking, the room fell silent, broken only by the sound of a lighter.

William lit a cigarette.

Through the swirling smoke, he looked at Daphne with detachment, "Why did you lose the child?"

"Child?" Daphne clearly hadn't expected him to ask this question.

After a moment's thought, she slowly replied, "Underdeveloped heart and lungs."

Having said that, she quickly explained, "When I was pregnant, I already knew the child might not survive. My husband kept asking me to terminate the pregnancy, but I insisted on keeping it."

"All that persistence, yet it ended up empty-handed. I've been in a daze for so many years, burdened by this child."

As Daphne spoke, she sighed deeply, looking at William with increasingly respectful eyes. Although she didn't know his background, she could tell from his demeanor that he was a man of power and influence.

William's hand paused, and he raised his head to look at Daphne with sharp eyes.

"Husband? What husband are you talking about?"

Daphne looked puzzled, not understanding why William seemed angry. She hurriedly explained, "The father of the child. He didn't want me to keep the baby, but I insisted."

Her words shocked William, his gaze fixed directly on Daphne.

Daphne appeared flustered, but she didn't seem to be lying.

"You mean you have a husband?" William asked.

Daphne nodded, somewhat confused, "Yes, I had a fight with my husband and went out to find a job. But after I started working, I had to quit because of severe morning sickness."

"After I quit, my husband found me several times and asked me to terminate the pregnancy, but I didn't listen to him."

William could no longer hear what Daphne said next. His mind was fixated on her statement about having a husband.

If Daphne had a husband, then what was he?

No, that's not right. The only reason he had identified Daphne was because of that ring. The ring!

Realizing this, William turned to Ivan, "Go back to the house. In my study, in the second drawer, there's a box. Bring it to me immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Ivan turned and left.

Soon, only the anxious Daphne and William, struggling to process this information, remained in the room.