Chapter 39

Inside the villa, the Brown family was sitting around, grinning from ear to ear.

"Three hundred million dollars! Can you believe it? A whole three hundred million dollar contract!" Samuel's voice shook as he slapped his thigh. "That massive project should've been ours!"

"I told you, there's no way the Dragon Group would be interested in that loser Louis," Isabella said, raising her eyebrows smugly. "Turns out it was Anna's charm that won over one of the Dragon Group's big shots!"

"That loser really thinks he's got some skills?" Harold sneered. "If it weren't for Anna, he'd still be begging on the streets!"

"Alright, enough about that idiot," Harper waved her hand dismissively. "Samuel, call Anna right now and tell her to bring the contract back! This is our big chance to save the Brown family!"

"Yeah, hurry up!" Isabella urged. "Don't let that loser Louis mess this up!"

Samuel eagerly pulled out his phone and dialed Anna's number.

But it was Louis's voice that answered.

"Hello, what do you want?" Louis's voice was calm and collected.

"Louis? Why are you answering? Where's Anna?" Samuel was stunned for a moment, then his tone turned hostile. "Put Anna on the phone, I need to talk to her!"

"Anna can't come to the phone right now. Just tell me what you need," Louis said coolly.

"You? Who do you think you are?" Samuel shouted angrily. "Let me tell you, that contract from the Dragon Group belongs to the Brown family! Hand it over right now, or you'll regret it!"

"Is that so?" Louis's voice stayed calm. "Well, I'm afraid you're out of luck. I'm not handing over the contract."

"What did you just say?" Samuel could hardly believe his ears. "Say that again."

"I said, I'm not handing over the contract," Louis repeated slowly. "Did you hear me clearly?"

"You... you ungrateful jerk!" Samuel was shaking with anger. "Don't forget, you're just a pet dog of the Brown family! What right do you have to negotiate with us?"

"Pet dog?" Louis's voice turned icy. "Sorry, is your memory failing you? I've already left your family, and tell me, when was I ever the Brown family's pet dog?"

"What do you mean?" Samuel sensed something was off.

"Are you out of your mind? Can't you understand plain language? Your family has nothing to do with me. Don't contact me again," Louis's voice came through the phone.

On the other end, Samuel's face went pale.

He gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Louis, don't be rash..." His voice had a hint of pleading. "I know our family hasn't treated you well in the past, but... we really need this money now."

"Really?" Louis's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You think of me when you need money? When you treated me like a servant, did you ever consider that I have dignity too?"

"Come on, Louis, don't get so worked up. We can talk this out. Just send the contract over quickly, got it?" Samuel's tone on the other end of the line was as arrogant as ever

."Yeah, you can just wait for that," Louis replied, rolling his eyes. Samuel really thought he was some kind of god, expecting everyone to jump at his command.

Louis hung up the phone and tossed it aside like it was nothing, then went back to lounging on the sofa, watching some boring TV show.

"Who was that on the phone just now? Was it someone from my family?" Anna asked, stepping out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, looking like a Victoria's Secret model.

She was gently drying her damp hair, her voice soft and curious.

"Yep, you guessed it. It was Samuel," Louis said, not even bothering to look up from the TV.

"Why did he call you? Is he up to no good again?" Anna frowned, immediately suspicious. Samuel was always causing trouble.

"Nothing major, just wanted me to bring over the three hundred million dollar contract. Said it was to save the family," Louis said casually like he was talking about pocket change.

"What the heck?" Anna almost dropped the towel. "What did you say? You didn't actually agree, did you?" She looked at Louis nervously.

"I told them to wait. What's the rush?" Louis blinked his innocent big eyes, looking at Anna seriously.

Anna was stunned for a moment. What did that mean?

Then she quickly realized and said anxiously, "Then why are you still lying here? Hurry up, don't keep my grandpa waiting."

"They can wait all they want; I'm not in a rush. And who says I have to bring it over just because they're waiting? Do I look like a pushover?" Louis smiled slightly, making it hard to read his thoughts.

"What do you mean by that?" Anna was completely confused now.

"Just because they're waiting doesn't mean I've agreed to bring over the three-hundred-million-dollar contract, right?" Louis said slowly, eyeing Anna's anxious expression. "The money's in my hands now. I can give it to whoever I want. Who are they to boss me around?"

Hearing this, Anna changed her expression dramatically.

She suddenly realized the three-hundred-million-dollar contract was in Louis's hands now. It had nothing to do with the Brown family. Louis could give it to whoever he wanted.

She wasn't God, and she couldn't control how Louis spent his money.

Anna hesitated for a while, feeling conflicted, and finally, she softened her tone and said gently, "Louis, you know our family's current situation, right? We're almost bankrupt. Can you bear to see our family fall apart?"

"I know, so what? What does that have to do with me? Do I have to be the savior?" Louis nodded, looking completely justified. The Brown family's fate had nothing to do with him.

"If you give this contract to the Brown family, Grandma and the others will definitely see you in a new light, and things won't be as tense as before," Anna tried to persuade him, her tone almost pleading.

Louis sneered inwardly but kept his face calm. "You're overthinking it, honey. Let's just go to bed."

"My relationship with the Brown family isn't just strained; it's completely broken. Isn't it a bit late to talk about fixing it now? And why would I need a bunch of snobs to look up to me anyway?" Louis said, giving Anna a once-over.

To have the Brown family snobs look up to him? Louis had no such peculiar hobby. He didn't want to be targeted by a bunch of ungrateful people; it would be hard to shake them off once they latched on.

Moreover, if he really gave them this contract, who knew if they would look up to him or continue to insult him?

Louis wasn't deliberately badmouthing the Brown family; he had seen their true colors over the past three years. Their petty schemes couldn't fool him.

Anna fell silent. She knew that everything Louis said was true.

Over the past three years, she had seen how the Brown family treated Louis. Now that Louis had made this decision, Anna didn't blame him at all.

Instead, she felt more understanding and sympathy. After all, who didn't have a temper?

As the current general manager of the family business, she felt torn. On one side were her family members, and on the other was her lover. She was caught in the middle, struggling with the impossible choice between loyalty and love.

"I'm sorry, Louis, you've been wronged all these years." After a long silence, Anna finally spoke, her voice filled with guilt and self-reproach, her eyes moist.

For three years, Louis had endured the Brown family's disdain and ridicule.

Those days were unbearable, but he never complained in front of Anna, nor did he lose his temper, making her overlook Louis's feelings.

Although she herself had not had an easy time over the past three years, Louis had taken care of her, tolerated her, and endured her day in and day out. Clearly, he had endured more and had a harder time than she did.

"Why are you apologizing? We're a couple, aren't we? We've been together for so long. No need to say stuff like that; it's kind of cheesy, don't you think?" Louis laughed warmly as if nothing had happened.

Anna nodded, holding back her tears, and changed the subject. She didn't want to cry in front of Louis. "By the way, you said before that you would break Bruce's legs. You... you weren't serious, were you? Don't you think this is something out of our league?" Anna remembered what Louis had said at the banquet and couldn't help but ask.

"I wasn't exaggerating at all. I'm a man of my word. Just relax!" Louis said seriously.

Anna was even more confused. "Then what will happen if you don't break his legs? What will happen to the Collins family? You have to tell me, I'm really anxious."

Louis stroked his chin, pretending to think, then chuckled, "Nothing much, at most, the Collins family will no longer exist in the Sunshine City business world. Just think of it as them collectively emigrating to Mars."

In the past, Anna would have thought Louis was bragging, but now, she couldn't help but shiver, her heart almost jumping out of her throat. She knew that if Louis dared to say such things, he had the confidence to back it up.

In Anna's view, Louis's confidence, arrogance, and boldness must have been due to his having the Stone family backing him.

After all, the Stone family was a top-tier family in Sunshine City, wielding immense power.

However, Anna wisely chose not to ask about this, and Louis didn't bring it up either. Some things were better left unsaid; they both understood.

Meanwhile, in the Brown family's villa.

"Louis hung up on me? He's really crossed the line this time!" Samuel shouted, his hand shaking as he smashed his phone to pieces.

"Samuel, calm down. He's not worth getting this upset over!" Isabella said, quickly bending down to pick up the phone fragments, trying to soothe him.

"Exactly, Samuel, why bother? He's just a loser. Getting angry with him lowers your status!"

"That loser used to freeload off us, and now that the family is in trouble, he just refused us. He's truly ungrateful!"

The Brown family members all chimed in, criticizing Louis.

"Seriously, at a time like this, you're still bickering? Do you want to drive me crazy?" Harper's eyes flared with frustration as she looked around. "Where's Anna? Has she shown up yet? She's the new general manager—why isn't she here when the family is in such a mess?"

"Grandma, Anna, she... she might..." Samuel stammered nervously.

"Might what? Speak up!" Harper's temper had been particularly volatile lately.

"She... she and Louis might still be at home..." Samuel's head hung low, his voice barely audible.

"What? Still entangled with that loser? Is she out of her mind?" Harper was so angry she almost fainted. "But it makes sense, the contract is with Louis now!"

"Grandma, don't worry, maybe... maybe for Anna's sake, Louis will really come..." Lucy weakly interjected, her voice barely a whisper.

Time passed, but Louis never came.

"Damn it, he told us to wait, where is he? What time is it now? Why isn't he here yet?" Samuel looked at his Rolex, growing increasingly impatient.

At that moment, someone suddenly spoke up, "Do you think Louis might have taken the contract and run off with the money?"