Chapter 104 The Wife Holds the Greatest Power

After a bit, Alice switched gears and asked Anna, "Anya, now that you're expecting, what's the plan with your job at the hospital?"

Anna got what Alice was hinting at. She thought for a moment and said, "Mom, the baby's still tiny. I'm planning to take maternity leave a little later."

Alice totally got Anna's drift.

If Anna were to stay home now, she'd be stuck there for ten months.

Even Alice couldn't handle that, let alone Anna.

Back when she was pregnant with Charles, Alice was still hustling in the business world with a five or six-month belly.

Cedric was always freaking out back then, but he couldn't stop Alice. He just worried and stuck by her side all the time.

"That works," Alice said. "In a few months, when you're further along, you can move to the old house, or I can come here to take care of you."

Cedric and Alice were clearly pumped about the upcoming baby.

After Alice finished, Cedric quickly added, "Anya, just focus on having the baby. After the baby's born, your mom and I will take care of it. Then our whole family can hit a private island for a nice postnatal retreat."

Hearing Cedric's plans, Charles jumped in, "Hold on, Dad. If the whole family goes on vacation, what about the company?"

Cedric shot him an annoyed look, "Are you dead?"

He continued, "Of course, the company will be handed over to you. What I just said was about your mom, me, and our daughter-in-law. You're not included."

If he wasn't six years older than Anna, Charles would seriously think they were switched at birth.

Why was there such a huge difference in treatment?

Totally speechless, Charles pulled Anna up and told his parents, "Alright, Mom and Dad, Anya's tired. She can't be overworked during pregnancy. You should head back now."

Without waiting for Cedric and Alice to leave, he took Anna upstairs, like any delay would result in his parents snatching her away.

In the master bedroom on the second floor, seeing Charles's grumpy face, Anna smiled and said, "Our Mr. Percy really has a low status in the family."

Charles took pride in it rather than feeling ashamed.

He walked over and wrapped Anna in his arms.

He said to her, "Anya, you don't know, but in the Percy family, there's a fine tradition: the wife holds the most power."

Since yesterday, when the morning sickness started, Anna had been having a poor appetite and felt like puking at the sight of any food.

By the evening, Charles had made dinner and was about to carry Anna downstairs to eat when Anna said, "Charles, I want some plums."

Charles paused for a moment, looked down at her, and said, "I'll go buy some."

But then he changed his mind and said, "Forget it, I'll have Henry go. It's rush hour, and I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone at home."

As he spoke, he had already found Henry's number and dialed it.

At that moment, Henry, who was about to get off work, had just stepped out of the elevator when he got Charles's call.

Forty minutes later, Henry arrived at Regal Retreat with two big bags of plums.

Seeing the table loaded with all kinds of plums, Anna and Charles were a bit taken aback.

Henry pointed to the table full of snacks and said, "Every plum in Crystal City is here. I got every flavor."

Charles asked, "Henry, did you buy out the whole manufacturer?"

Henry scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, "It's not too much."

This was his first time doing something for Anna, after all.

As an all-around assistant, he had to do it right.

After all, Anna would be the real head of Apex Holdings Group in the future, not Charles.

Anna's mouth twitched.

Looking at the table full of plums, she thought they probably wouldn't need to buy any more for the next ten months.

Anna's leave was only for two days.

On the second day, Charles personally took her to the 308 clinic and only reluctantly left after making sure she had a cup of warm water.

As he walked out of the emergency department, he ran into Michael, who had just arrived.

The two stood facing each other, and the atmosphere instantly got tense.

Michael took a step forward and lowered his voice, "Mr. Percy, are you this attentive to every woman?"

Charles coldly curled his lips, and there was no hint of a smile in his eyes. "Mr. Tudor, you're mistaken. I'm only this attentive to my wife."

Michael squinted his eyes and adjusted his sleeve cuff, his thin lips curling coldly. "In fact, I've never understood, Mr. Percy, with so many options, why did you choose her?"

Charles retorted, "Mr. Tudor, you also have many choices. Why do you keep holding on to her?"

Michael's eyes grew colder.

Their gazes clashed, filled with animosity and coldness only they could understand.

Before parting ways, Michael said, "Mr. Percy, even if you have the title of husband and wife, and even if you have consummated the marriage, you can't win her heart."

"Mr. Tudor, you're a bit too confident." Charles held his car keys, his eyes cold. "Whether her heart will be with me or not, it certainly won't stay with you."

As Charles took a step forward, Michael asked sharply, "Mr. Percy, have you fallen for Anna?"

Michael had asked this question once before.

But this time, only he knew the panic in his heart when he asked it.

It was a fear of things completely spiraling out of control.

But this time, Charles's answer was not as just casual as before but carried a few hints of seriousness.

He said, "To be precise, it's love."

Michael immediately clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with anger.

When he looked back, Charles's figure was already far away.

On the way to Apex Holdings Group, Charles called Ethan.

As soon as the call connected, Charles said, "My wife is pregnant. We plan to visit your hospital sometime tomorrow."

Ethan was stunned for a moment.

Then he instinctively said, "That's not fair. With so many hospitals in Crystal City, why did you choose mine for an abortion?"

Hearing this, Charles, who was driving, immediately gritted his teeth. "Ethan, are you out of your mind? When did I say anything about an abortion?"

Ethan laughed awkwardly.

He quickly changed his tone and asked, trying to please, "Then why are you coming to my hospital?"

"To arrange a prenatal checkup for my wife," Charles said.

Ethan asked, "Why not just do the checkup at Radiant Life Hospital? Why bother?"

Charles explained, "My wife is newly pregnant, and the condition is not stable yet. So we don't plan to make the pregnancy public for now. It will be more confidential at your place."

Ethan got it. "Alright, I'll make arrangements in advance. You can come anytime."

After discussing this, Charles added, "Recently, you should take on more work at Radiant Life Hospital. And, since the shares of Radiant Life Hospital are in Michael's hands, I can't acquire them. Keep an eye on the 308 clinic and help me look after my wife."