Chapter 104 Emotional
Colin had been sweet-talking Anna for a bit, and finally, she cracked a smile.
"Alright," Colin said, "if you need anything, just let me know. Think of it as my way of making it up to you, okay?"
Anna thought for a second and then bluntly said, "Alright. I want a raise."
Colin was taken aback by her straightforward request. He knew Anna worked multiple jobs and figured she must really be strapped for cash.
"Are you really that short on money?" Colin blurted out.
Anna's face darkened, "Yes, I am. Do you know I couldn't even pay for Bella's medical bills yesterday? Do you know what that feels like? She's in the hospital, her life on the line, and I couldn't even cover her surgery. I feel like such a failure."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
Colin quickly said, "Alright, don't cry. I'll give you a raise, okay?"
Then he added, "Why are you the one paying for medical bills? If anyone has to pay, it should be Sterling."
Anna shot him a glare, and Colin immediately shut up.
"Okay, I won't say anything more." He finally managed to calm her down and walked her back to her room.
Just as he sat down, a nurse came in to take Anna's temperature and noticed Colin was there.
While drawing Anna's blood, the nurse smiled and said, "Miss Powell, I didn't expect you to know Mr. Rivera?"
Anna looked confused, "You know him too?"
The nurse nodded, "Mr. Rivera was the one who paid your father's medical bills. Haven't you always wondered about that? Turns out Mr. Rivera was pursuing you."
Anna felt a bit embarrassed and glanced at Colin.
Colin vaguely said to the nurse, "Aren't you busy? Why are you taking so long to take a temperature?"
The nurse chuckled, "Alright, I won't disturb you anymore. I'm leaving." Once the nurse left, it was just the two of them in the room.
Anna wasn't dumb; she remembered how stressed she was when her father Peter's medical bills were piling up. Then, out of nowhere, a donation covered all the expenses.
She had always wondered who the kind soul was, and now she knew it was Colin.
Anna looked at Colin, her eyes filled with gratitude and a bit of confusion. "Colin, was it you? Why did you do it?"
Colin scratched his head and said casually, "I've got a lot of money. Can't I do some good deeds?"
Anna nodded, "Alright, thank you, Mr. Rivera, for your good deed. I really appreciate it. But why did you do it anonymously? If I had known it was you, I would have thanked you properly."
Colin couldn't stand her formal gratitude. "Is it not okay to do good deeds anonymously? What, do I have to explain myself for doing something good now?"
Anna couldn't help but smile inwardly at Colin's arrogance, knowing he was a bit embarrassed about being caught. She decided not to call him out. "Colin, thank you. I'll work hard for you from now on and won't let you down. I'll do whatever you say and won't argue with you anymore."
Colin laughed at her words. "Anna, are you serious? You're willing to compromise yourself over something so small? Have some backbone, okay?"
Anna replied earnestly, "Colin, I'm not joking. I'm serious. This might be a small thing to you, but for me, it was the money that saved my father's life. Even though he didn't survive in the end, it was a huge deal to me at the time. I will work hard to repay you. Not a joke. You are now my lifesaver."
Anna was genuinely grateful to Colin. She didn't expect that the seemingly arrogant and somewhat conceited Colin would do such a thing. She was increasingly unable to understand him.
Colin didn't want to discuss this matter with Anna any further and interrupted her, "Anna, you said it yourself. You have to work hard from now on. Every proposal you write must be good. If I hear the manager complaining to me again, I won't let you off easily."
Anna nodded firmly.
Colin was amused by Anna's serious demeanor and said, "Alright, you can be discharged now. I'll go handle the discharge paperwork. Change your clothes and wait for me at the door. I'll take you home."
Anna obediently nodded.
Meanwhile, in Bella's room, since Anna and Colin left, she and Sterling hadn't spoken, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Finally, Bella couldn't stand the silence and asked, "You really didn't throw away my Sunny, did you?"
Sterling snorted, "No."
Bella was relieved and then asked, "Did it get rained on last night? I remember when I left, it was at the door. We were both locked out by you."
Hearing Bella mention last night, Sterling felt a pang of guilt, especially since Bella only mentioned Sunny and not herself.
With a haughty snort, Sterling retorted, "You only care about that stupid cat. It's doing better than you. You should take care of yourself first."
Hearing that Sunny was fine, Bella felt relieved and then said, "Sterling, thank you." She was grateful that he hadn't left Sunny end up on the streets. Since she had decided to take care of Sunny, she couldn't let it be homeless.
After saying that, Bella thought about being locked out last night. Although Sunny wasn't homeless, she had gone through a painful ordeal.
Bella looked at the silent Sterling and softly asked, "Aren't you going to give me an explanation for what happened last night?"
Sterling immediately replied, "What kind of explanation do you want? I've already said, Bella, I give up. You win. What more do you want?"
Reflecting on how Sterling had stayed all night, Bella felt her anger diminish.
Bella softly murmured, "Why can't we just get along?"
Sterling glanced at Bella and said, "Then what was it when you were yelling at me the other day? Is it that I don't want to get along?"
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