Chapter 16: Tina's Return

Jasper took a beat, glanced at Anna, and then went on, "Anya, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to leave early, just let me know. I’ve spent my whole life at Radiant Life Hospital, but now, I don’t have much pull left. Sure, I can’t whip up $140 million on the spot, but I can scrape together a few million from my savings."

Jasper told Anna, "Anya, no need to be all formal with me. Anytime you wanna ditch Crystal City, just say the word. I’ll help you sort out the penalty fee."

Anna clutched her hot tea, the warmth spreading from her fingers to her heart.

"Dr. Bell, chill. I got this. No need to stress about me."

The $140 million penalty fee was just a lame excuse Michael used to keep her around. Even if she somehow got the $140 million, it wouldn’t fix the beef between her parents and his dad. He wouldn’t let her go that easy.

Jasper had caught wind of the drama between Michael and Anna. He knew that even with $140 million, Michael might not back off.

And now, Michael had the whole Radiant Life Hospital under his thumb. Jasper, as the director, was just a puppet. The only thing he could do now was use his last bit of strength to protect Anna at Radiant Life Hospital.

Neon Nights Bar.

A hiccup on the set of Tina’s show caused the whole crew to pause shooting for a few days. Mark told Charles, Sawyer, and Ethan about it and asked if they were gonna hit the airport to pick up Tina this afternoon.

Right then, Charles got a message. He opened his phone and glanced at it.

But when he saw who the two people in the photo were, his grip on the phone tightened.

In the pic, Anna, who was in his bed last night, was snuggled up in Michael’s arms. She let Michael hold her tight without any pushback.

This scene was like a dagger, making Charles squint his eyes instantly.

After not hearing Charles speak for a bit, Mark looked over and asked again, "Charles, Tina’s back. You going to pick her up?"

Charles didn’t say a word, his face icy as he stormed out of the private room.

Mark and Ethan looked confused.

"What’s his deal? Who ticked him off?"

The look in his eyes was like he was ready to murder someone.

Sawyer shrugged and looked at Mark and Ethan, "Why are you both staring at me? I didn’t set him off."

In the hallway outside.

Charles called Anna. The first time, no one picked up until the call auto-disconnected.

Listening to the robotic female voice in the receiver, Charles hung up.

Immediately, he called again. This time, it rang a few times before it was finally answered.

At that moment, Anna had just left the director’s office.

Her phone was on silent, so she didn’t hear Charles’s first call.

"Charles?" In the receiver, Anna’s voice was calm with a hint of curiosity.

Charles suppressed his cold expression, keeping his emotions in check, and asked her as usual, "Anya, you coming back for lunch?"

Anna checked the time; it was already past eleven.

"No, I won’t be back," she said. "There’s lunch at the hospital, so I won’t be running back and forth."

Charles was quiet for a couple of seconds, then asked, "What time are you getting off work tonight?"

"Not sure yet," Anna said as she walked to her department. "I'll grab dinner out tonight, Charles. No need to wait up."

Charles just grunted a "hmm" and hung up.

He leaned against the wall, pulled up the photo again, and his lips pressed into a tight line. His jaw was clenched so hard it could cut glass.

After staring at it for what felt like forever, he angrily shut off his phone, pulled out a cigarette, and lit up. The smoke curled up, blurring his vision, and he lowered his gaze, hiding the cold fury in his eyes.

Once he finished the cigarette, he headed back to the private room. Sawyer was the first to pipe up, "What's up?"

"Nothing." Charles plopped down on the leather sofa, grabbed a glass of iced drink, and chugged it.

Sawyer and the others exchanged looks, and Mark pointed to the news about Tina's return, asking Charles, "Charles, you're hitched now. Still gonna pick up Tina?"

Thinking of the photo, Charles sneered, "Hell yeah, why not."

At 1 PM, Tina, who had snagged the Best Actress award three years running, landed back in Crystal City. The airport was jam-packed. Tina's return wasn't a secret, and a ton of reporters were there early to get the scoop.

A bunch of luxury cars were parked outside. Tina quickly hopped into the first car, shielded by her manager and assistant.

As the car door opened and closed, a quick-thinking reporter snapped a pic of the distinguished guy in the back seat. It was none other than Charles, who had recently announced his marriage on social media.

This photo was like a bomb dropped in a quiet pond, causing a massive splash. Almost as soon as the pic hit the internet, it went viral.

While everyone was buzzing about it, more photos of Charles, Tina, and Sawyer hanging out at a bar surfaced. Many netizens pointed out that even though Charles and Anna were legally married, he still went to pick up his rumored ex and didn't hold back with Tina.

It was clear as day that Charles and Anna were just married on paper. Charles didn't give a damn about Anna.

But no matter how wild the comments got, none of the involved parties bothered to respond or clarify. This silence only fueled the netizens' imaginations.

When Anna got back to Regal Retreat, it was almost 7 PM. She didn't bother with the flood of rumors about Charles and Tina online. She tossed her phone aside and crashed on the bed.

Maybe it was Michael's antics in the morning that messed with her, but she dreamt about what had gone down a week ago.

She had just come back from abroad, and Michael was with her, helping her get set up at Radiant Life Hospital.

He was still the same, handling everything personally and meticulously.

Even for the three meals a day, he'd rush back from work to cook for her himself.

She didn't want him to wear himself out, so she suggested she could order takeout or cook for herself.

At that time, Michael was washing veggies in the kitchen. Hearing her, he dried his hands and gently hugged her.

He said indulgently, "The food outside is junk. Eating too much is bad for you."

He gently held her hand and kissed the back of it tenderly, "Our Anna's hands are for performing surgeries, not for getting dirty in the kitchen."