Chapter 19 Control

Michael didn't budge, but his grip on her wrist got tighter. "Anna, did you forget? You just signed that deal with Radiant Life Hospital. For the next three years, you're stuck here. I've handled everything abroad. Your mentor, your classmates, none of them can help you. Anna, right now, you're stuck with me!"

Anna clenched her teeth, her eyes turning icy as she glared at him. "Michael, you really think you can control everything now?"

He was smug, his fingers gently brushing her cheek.

Slowly moving up from her cheek, he touched her beautiful but cold and resentful eyes. "Anna, go ahead and try. You can't leave the country now, and in Crystal City, no one dares to help you."

With that, he lowered his head, his voice softening. "Anna, it's just us now. We should be together forever."

To torment each other.

He watched her eyelids droop helplessly. Though his heart ached, he felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.

He could finally have complete control over her.

Over the years, her brilliance had grown, and so had the number of her admirers and suitors.

He was stuck here while she was far away.

Even though he had people watching her every day, he was still scared because he couldn't see her with his own eyes.

Scared he would never be able to hold onto her.

Scared she would leave him forever.

But now, it was different.

She was finally his.

"Anna," he kissed her earlobe, his voice morbid yet obsessed, "Stay by my side, and all the honors you have now will still be yours."

He hugged her tightly. "Your father won't bear any disgrace after his death. He'll still be a highly respected top doctor. But..."

He paused for a second, looking at her cold eyes, and continued, "Anna, if you don't behave, I'll tell everyone about your father's crime. Then, not only you but even your parents' lifelong reputation will be ruined."

Hearing his words, Anna suddenly laughed. But that laugh was filled with sadness and extreme disappointment. "Michael. How did you manage to deceive me for eight years with such hatred in your heart?"

Michael didn't speak. He just kept kissing her, trying to find her lips.

The scene of him and Thalia at Aurora Mansion suddenly flashed in her mind, and Anna felt a wave of nausea.

She instinctively resisted, turning her head forcefully, and said through her red lips, "Don't touch me, you're filthy."

That sentence was like a nail, piercing deeply into Michael's heart. Almost instantly, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes filled with a wild and sinister look.

"Filthy?" he repeated coldly.

The next moment, without any warning, he suddenly picked her up!

Suppressing a scream, Anna grabbed his arm, trying to break free.

But how could her strength compare to Michael's?

In just a few seconds, he threw her onto the bed.

He pressed down on her. His movements were rough, and the enraged Michael didn't care if she was in pain. His eyes and heart were filled with the anger that surged because of her repeated attempts to leave.

"Filthy, huh?" His thin lips parted, his words cold as ice. "Anna, I've pampered you for so many years. Don't you think it's time you repay me?"

He pressed down, almost half his weight on her.

"If you think it's filthy, fine. Then let's be filthy together!" With that, he bit her lips, silencing all her angry curses.

But after just two seconds, he suddenly let go of her.

Michael lifted himself, looking at Anna beneath him.

Her eyes were red, almost bleeding, and her desperate sobs finally broke free. Large tears fell from her eyes, soaking into her hair.

Her arms were held by him, unable to struggle. But her slender fingers clutched the bedsheet with all her might, so hard her fingertips turned white.

Michael couldn't even put into words what he felt right then.

She was his enemy. He should humiliate her, make her cry, make her hurt, make her despair. But seeing her tears, it felt like his heart was being ripped apart.

In Michael's memory, Anna had always been a tough cookie.

Tough enough that eight years ago, when her parents suddenly passed away, she only had red eyes, holding back her grief, never shedding a tear in front of others.

She never let anyone see her weak side. So, in the past eight years, he had seen her cry only a handful of times.

When he snapped back to reality, Michael had already let go of her. He straightened up, stood by the bed, and looked at Anna, curled up, hugging her knees, and silently crying.

"Anna." He sat on the bed, wanting to touch her. But she instinctively moved back.

Seeing her body already against the edge of the bed, Michael didn't move forward. He stood up, taking two steps back. "Anna, I'll give you three days to think it over. After three days, whether you agree or not, I won't stop halfway."

With that, he turned to leave.

Anna suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse, "Let me go."

Michael clenched his fists, "No way."

"I don't want to stay here. I want to go back to my apartment," she insisted.

Michael looked back at her deeply, said nothing, and walked out.

Anna heard the door lock after his footsteps faded away. She quickly stood up from the bed, looking out the window and seeing the main gate also locked.

Michael drove away from Starlight Pavilion, leaving Anna alone in the entire villa. She hugged her arms, slowly squatting down, feeling an unprecedented coldness.

Crystal-clear tears fell onto the carpet, absorbed, leaving only a damp spot as proof of their existence.

Until nightfall, no one came to Starlight Pavilion.

Anna was never one to resign to fate. In this situation, she would never compromise with Michael.

In the face of this meticulously planned revenge, if she compromised, it would be for a lifetime.

If it were before, she would have been willing to stay with him for a lifetime.

But now, absolutely not!

She spent the whole night thinking of many ways. But none of them were feasible. Michael's power was too great now. As he said, in the entire Crystal City, no one would dare to oppose him.

The next morning, when she checked the time on her phone, a gossip popped up in the notification.

Usually, she would swipe away such notifications without clicking on them. But this time, seeing the words "the Percy heir" in the title, Anna's eyes flickered.

In terms of power and status, the only one who could surpass Michael was Charles, the sole heir of a centuries-old wealthy family.

Anna unconsciously rubbed her phone, contemplating the feasibility of this plan.

Later in the morning, the lock outside the room was opened, and the housekeeper brought up the prepared meals. But the lock outside Starlight Pavilion wasn't opened until the third day.

According to the contract, Anna needed to go to Radiant Life Hospital to complete her onboarding procedures. Perhaps because the onboarding procedures weren't finished, Michael didn't take away Anna's documents.

On the third day, with her documents in hand, Anna made an appointment to meet Charles through Apex Holdings Group. Even on the way to the café, Anna had no confidence.

People like Charles, who were wealthy and powerful yet hedonistic, were often the most cold-hearted. But regardless of success or failure, this was her only chance. No matter what, she had to take a gamble.

Anna didn't expect Charles to agree to get the marriage certificate so readily.