Chapter 38 Congratulations
ANNA'S POV
“If Isabel is here with Ryan, she must have been distracted by Ryan, which means there’s a chance she doesn’t know that Dad just announced me as the successor,” I said, lowering my voice slightly as I kept my eyes on the entrance. The thought alone made my stomach twist a little.
“Are you still seriously worried about Isabel?” Dan asked, sounding almost tired of the topic already. “She’s your sister, and whether she likes it or not, she has to accept that fact too. She can’t go around threatening her own family members. And matter of fact, Dad has already made his decision, and she of all people knows that once Dad has made up his mind, there’s nothing anyone can do to change it.”
“I know,” I said, sighing softly. “But I am more worried about the fact that we’re in a public place — the company headquarters, to be precise. I just hope when she learns of the news she takes it maturely and doesn’t cause a scene here.”
“With Ryan around? The chances of that happening are rare,” Dan replied confidently. “She has never thrown a tantrum when Ryan is around. She doesn’t want him to see that side of her.”
As he spoke, movement near the entrance caught my attention. Ryan and Isabel walked in together.
Ryan wore an elegant suit, the type that looked like it was made specifically for him. His posture alone carried authority, and even from a distance he looked like he belonged perfectly in this environment. Isabel, on the other hand… she was wearing an unusually short skirt. Short enough that I instantly felt secondhand embarrassment for her. Why would she wear this kind of outfit to an important event like this? Didn’t she know who her father was? Didn’t she know where she was standing?
Oh right. I forgot. This wasn’t the outfit she wore to the ceremony. This was the outfit she wore to see Ryan.
As they walked deeper into the hall, it looked like they were discussing something. Isabel was laughing loudly, tossing her hair in an exaggerated way, and her lips kept moving nonstop. She stood very close to him too. It was obvious even from here that she was trying everything possible to keep his attention on her.
But even with all her attempts, the short skirts, the laughing, the rubbing of his arm, I noticed Ryan wasn’t paying her any attention. Not real attention. His face was neutral, almost bored, and while she talked, he didn’t look at her for more than a second. His eyes were elsewhere, moving around the room, scanning, observing. He nodded a few times, but it was clear his mind wasn’t in whatever conversation she dragged him into.
“Give me a sec, I wanna say hi to him,” Dan said suddenly, already stepping away before I could respond. He walked straight toward Ryan and Isabel.
I kept watching for a second until another movement at the corner of my eye made me turn my head. Someone was walking in my direction — someone I least wanted to see.
James.
He looked like he was heading straight toward me. Or maybe he was just moving past where I stood. But his gaze — his gaze was fixed on me so intentionally that there was no doubt he came for me.
My jaw tightened.
Did he want to speak to me again? Jeez, some men truly don’t have any shame, if he even tried to start something, I was going to embarrass him right here and right now.
He stopped right in front of me. His footsteps halted, and then a big, wide smile appeared on his face.
I raised a brow, shocked.
It had been over five years since I saw him smile like this, especially when I was the person he was talking to. Five whole years. So why was he suddenly smiling now? At me, of all people?
“Anna, congratulations,” he said, stretching out his hand for a handshake.
Wow. So he actually knew my name. I almost laughed. I thought all the times he called me whore or a poor girl, he completely forgot my name existed. I stared down at his hand still hovering in the air between us and decided not to accept the handshake.
“I don’t have time to listen to your insults right now,” I said coldly as I prepared to turn around and walk away.
“Wait,” James said quickly, dropping his hand. “I’m not here to throw any insults at you. Didn’t you just see that I congratulated you?”
“I don’t need any congratulations from you,” I replied without hesitating.
“Come on, how can you say that?” James said, trying to soften his tone. “The position you just took up is a huge deal for you. So no matter how much you hate me, I have to come here and congratulate you.”
I raised my brow higher and folded my hands across my chest.
The way he spoke now was different from earlier. His tone wasn’t sharp, it wasn't belittling. There was something else there, something close to respect. I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly why he suddenly switched tones. His voice held more carefulness this time, almost as if he was trying to avoid offending me.
And I knew what that meant.
“I wonder why you would swallow your pride and the pride of your dear wife over there to come congratulate me,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I also want us to talk,” James said.
I blinked slowly, tilting my head. “What, you want to talk to a dirty poor whore like me?” I asked again, laying the sarcasm even thicker, pressing the words intentionally. I even widened my eyes and faked a shocked look just to mock him.
James swallowed, his expression tightening for a split second before he tried to play it cool again.
“Would it be possible if we could talk privately?” he asked.
“No,” I said instantly. “Whatever it is you want to say to me can be said here.”