Chapter 182 That Gentle Frederick Seemed Nonexistent
Amelia returned to the room and lay on the bed. Anna was already asleep beside her.
She recalled the scenes of Anna and Frederick together in her mind, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable and bitter.
She reached out and gently brushed Anna's scattered hair behind her ear. As she looked at her sleeping face, her eyes became even more tender.
The next morning, Amelia sensed some movement beside her, opened her eyes, and saw Anna sliding out of bed on her own, heading under the bed.
After her feet touched the floor, she squatted down to put on her shoes and walked into the bathroom alone.
Amelia felt a pang of heartache when she saw how good her daughter was being.
Anna was very sensible.
She had never been fond of crying.
After she could walk on her own, she had become even more obedient.
When Anna came out of the bathroom, she found that Amelia was already awake. She happily climbed onto the bed and nestled in Amelia's arms.
"Mommy," Anna said.
Amelia rubbed Anna's head gently, hugged her, and felt an urge not to get up for a moment.
But she had to go to work.
She got Anna out of bed. After washing up, they went downstairs to have breakfast.
After breakfast, Amelia went to the hospital.
Anna stood at the Davis Manor gate holding Susan's hand, waving goodbye to Amelia's car.
As she waved, she noticed her bracelet was missing. She seemed shocked and hurried back inside.
Susan quickly followed.
Anna searched the living room for a long time, but she couldn't find the bracelet Frederick had given her. She couldn't even describe what the bracelet looked like and started crying in distress.
She kept saying "Uncle Frederick" and a bunch of words no one could understand.
Susan couldn't make out what Anna was saying.
When Daniel and Vincent came home, they saw Anna running to them, calling out "Uncle Frederick" repeatedly.
Daniel walked over to hug Anna, but she pushed his hand away.
Vincent immediately understood who Anna wanted.
He sighed helplessly and called Frederick.
Anna stopped crying when she saw that Vincent was calling Frederick, but tears were still in her eyes.
Vincent handed the phone to her as she looked at him expectantly.
Anna held the phone to her ear with her small hands.
"Why are you crying, Anna?" said Frederick's gentle and patient voice, making Anna feel even more aggrieved.
Anna pouted, tears falling again. "It's gone. My hand is gone."
Vincent felt helpless and gently tapped the back of Anna's hand, saying, "Your hand is still here."
Anna pursed her lips, unable to remember how to say bracelet for a moment, tears streaming down her face in frustration.
Frederick immediately understood she was talking about the bracelet.
He felt a mix of emotions as he heard the child crying.
The thing Amelia didn't want had become a treasure in Anna's eyes, and had even made her shed tears.
The bracelet had still been on Anna’s wrist when he handed her over to Amelia last night.
He had to loop it around twice before she wore it, so unless Amelia had taken it off, it wouldn't have gotten lost.
Amelia had clearly seen the bracelet and taken it. She might have even thrown it away.
Frederick felt a slight pang but quickly calmed down, soothing Anna in a soft voice, since her emotions were unstable. "If you can't find it, I’ll take you out to buy an even prettier one."
Anna stopped crying, nodding obediently.
Then, realizing Frederick might not see her nod, she added with a teary voice, "Okay."
Frederick sensed her mood stabilize. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and spoke seriously, "I’ll come pick you up in half an hour."
Anna obediently replied, "Okay."
Daniel stood by watching Anna talk to Frederick, feeling a pang in his heart.
He had spent much more time with Anna than Frederick had, but Anna had never seemed to rely on him.
He sighed inwardly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
After ending the call with Frederick, Anna handed the phone back to Vincent, took Susan's hand, and went upstairs to change.
Vincent watched her happy expression and smiled indulgently.
Hastings Group, conference room.
The senior management present had just heard Frederick's conversation with Anna.
They were surprised to see this gentle side of Frederick. It was something they had never witnessed before.
Frederick noticed their curious gazes, put his phone aside with a slightly serious look, and spoke in a low tone to the supervisor who had just reported on work.
"Let's continue."
His voice returned to its usual cold and serious tone, which made everyone feel like the gentle voice they had heard earlier was just their imagination.
Cold, serious, steady, and distant—this was the Frederick they knew.
Forty minutes later, the meeting ended on time.
Frederick stood up first and left the conference room, followed by Paul.
As they descended the stairs, Amber and her team were filming outside the Hastings Group office building.
Amber said, "Hello, I'm Amber. I promised to make a video of the working environment of the Hastings Group, one of the top 500 companies in the world. Today, I'm here."
As Frederick stepped out of the elevator, he came face to face with Amber, dressed in a pink suit, talking to the camera.
His deep blue eyes darkened instantly, and he looked at Paul.
Paul's expression stiffened, and he furrowed his brows.
Paul said, "I'll have them leave right away."
Frederick coldly replied, "Fine," and walked toward the company building, keeping a certain distance from Amber.
When Amber saw Frederick, her smile became even sweeter.
She said, "Frederick."
She smiled and walked toward Frederick, her face exuding warmth and elegance.
As she approached him, her cameraman naturally followed with the equipment.
Amber lightly touched her lips and whispered to Frederick, "I heard that the Hastings Group is planning to recruit talents recently. It's almost graduation season. Let me shoot a video to promote it for you."
Frederick's eyes turned cold as he declined. "No need."
As he spoke, he continued walking forward, maintaining a distance from Amber.
Amber noticed Frederick's aloofness and still managed to keep a friendly smile on her face as she turned to the camera. "Mr. Hastings is too busy to bother with us. Let's go upstairs ourselves. I know the Hastings Group very well."
She remained composed, showing no sign of embarrassment after being ignored by Frederick.
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