Chapter 106 Years of Bondage Ten
Six years ago.
Los Angeles Orphanage.
The ground, just after the rain, was still wet.
The air was fresh, the lawn was soaked, adorned with glistening dewdrops, and the flower beds emitted the scent of soil.
Plop--
A pair of shiny black leather shoes landed in a small water furrow, splashing fine droplets that disappeared in an instant.
A tall man in a pitch-black trench coat gracefully stood there, his large hands naturally hanging at his sides.
His index finger was tightly grasped by a delicate little hand.
The doll-like child, around six or seven years old, wore a pristine white dress, with soft hair casually cascading down her shoulders. Her not-yet-matured face held a captivating charm.
"Thank you so much for extending a helping hand to us in our most difficult times." the director expressed his gratitude tearfully to the man.
The man smiled faintly and patted the girl's head.
"Luann, go play for a while. I have something to discuss with the director."
Luann nodded and walked to a bench beside the shrubs, which had just been cleansed by the storm.
"Your dress is dirty." came a timid voice from behind her.
Luann turned around and saw a girl with two pigtails, wearing tattered clothes and a dirty face, slowly getting up from the ground. She pointed carefully at Luann's hemline.
"Yeah."
"Are you a new kid? I can go tell Mama Director to let us live together, but you have to play with me."
Luann explained, "I'm not new here, just came to take care of some things."
The light in the girl's eyes instantly faded.
She fiddled with the dirtied soil with her dirty fingers and murmured after a while.
Both fell into silence.
After a while, the man called out to her.
"Luann, let's go."
Luann jumped up from the chair, causing dirt to splash on the edge of her skirt.
"I'm leaving, goodbye."
"Wait...wait!"
The girl looked at her, reached into her torn pocket, and pulled out a handful of candies.
"You're the first person willing to talk to me, and you're my first friend."
"Mama Director said that when you have something good, you should share it with your friends."
"One for you."
"One for me."
"The last one, I’ll give to you too."
After saying that, she nervously looked at Luann, her sticky little hand rubbing against her pants.
The candy had already melted, she didn't know if Luann would accept it.
Meeting for the first time and giving such a terrible gift to her friend.
How embarrassing.
But Luann showed no sign of disgust and calmly accepted it.
"Thank you."
"No, you're welcome! Goodbye!"
Luann walked over to the man's side, but turned back and gave the girl a deep look.
...
The traffic light turned green.
The call had been disconnected somehow, Luann helplessly curled her lips and pressed her temple.
Oh well, it's because this girl is under my care after all.
She started the car slowly and drove home.
After taking a quick shower, Luann went to bed to rest.
She vaguely heard Myron come back, but drowsiness overtook her, engulfing her last bit of consciousness.
The next day, it was time to go to work.
The first thing Luann did was submit her resignation letter.
Now that she had achieved her goal of smoothly entering the Curtis Group without anyone suspecting, she naturally had no reason to stay here any longer.
When Wilber received the news, he was so anxious that he nearly rolled off his sickbed.
He hurriedly called Luann, but couldn't get through.
So, he braved his injured body and took a ride back to the company.
"Why all of a sudden resign?"
"I originally wanted to promote you to director, considering the significant contributions you made to the company!"
"Luann, can you continue to stay here?"
"The company needs you, and I... need you too."
Luann silently handed him the resignation letter.
Wilber felt a pang in his heart.
"Luann."
"I can apologize for what happened before."
"You can be angry with me, but please don't act impulsively."
Luann calmly said, "Are you trying to talk to me, or do you want someone from the Curtis family to come and talk to you?"
Upon hearing her mention the Curtis family, the last trace of hope in Wilber's heart disappeared.
"Well, this is actually fine too. We can consider ourselves completely even now."
Wilber forced a bitter smile.
Luann listened to this and looked at him with an incredibly skeptical gaze.
"Have some shame, would you?"
What does she owe him?
And they're "completely even"?
How audacious he is to say such words!
Luann didn't even bother to collect her belongings from her desk, she just picked up her bag and left.
"Luann!"
As she reached the door, an urgent voice came from behind.
"Are you really leaving?"
Luann nodded.
Alisha hurriedly approached, wanting to say something, but it was clear to anyone observant that she had words to say.
Luann pretended not to see and said, "Goodbye."
Alisha stared at her departing figure, murmuring in disbelief, "Why... is she able to leave so decisively..."
If she had half of Luann's courage, she wouldn't have ended up like this.
Luann hailed a taxi and went to the head office of the Curtis Group.
The towering 26-story building exuded an air of grandeur, with people bustling about inside, each busy with their own tasks. The office atmosphere was excellent.
Luann walked up to the reception desk.
"Hello, do you have an appointment?"
"I'm Luann, looking for Vice President Curtis."
The receptionist checked and then smiled, "Please go to the 24th floor."
"Thank you."
Luann headed towards the elevators and pressed the button.
Soon, the empty elevator on the left came down.
As she stepped inside and pressed 24, a figure rushed in forcefully and accidentally bumped into her since the car couldn't stop in time.
The papers in their hands fell to the ground with a loud rustle.
Luann raised an eyebrow and crouched down to help him pick them up.
But after picking up three or four documents, she faintly sensed that something was off.
Why was the person in front of her not moving?
"This seems to be your file, right?" Luann spoke calmly.
The man appeared to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.
He towered over her, exuding a natural confidence. His chestnut hair was meticulously styled, and his face was gloomy, yet there was a hint of a casual smile at the corner of his lips, somewhat eerie.
His narrowed eyes were filled with curiosity, flickering with a dim light, giving off a strong sense of danger.
"Don't you know this elevator is for the president's use only?"
The man's voice was somewhat hoarse and piercing, with a fierce aura emanating from his brows. One could tell he was not someone to be trifled with.
Luann calmly replied, "Before entering the elevator, I didn't see any sign indicating it was exclusively for the president."
"And, are you the president?"
The position of president at the headquarters of the Curtis Group had hung for many years, and the patriarch of the Curtis family had never bestowed it upon anyone.
The man twirled the ring on his little finger, his tone arrogant.
"I'm not the president, but I am superior to one."
"You, young lady, have quite the audacity, and you're quite eloquent."
"Are you here for an interview?"
"No need to waste your time going up, I can tell you right now that your interview didn't pass."
"Wherever you came from, go back there."
