Chapter 49: A Romantic Night
Anna let out a soft "Hmm."
Charles glanced down at her for a sec. Outta nowhere, he yanked her up.
"What are you doing?" Anna blurted.
He dragged her outside.
"Where are we going?" Anna asked, puzzled.
Charles held her hand, leading her towards a small hill, away from the prying eyes of the crowd.
"To show you the stars," Charles said.
The hill wasn't much, just a gentle slope, but it had dim lighting and was far from the crowd, making it perfect for stargazing.
Charles took off his jacket and spread it on the ground. Only then did he let Anna sit down.
Looking up, she saw a vast, brilliant, starry sky, with the gentle autumn breeze swirling around her ears.
The biggest difference between the burbs and the city was that time seemed to crawl in the burbs.
It was nine at night. In the city, it was all neon lights and hustle at nine. But in the burbs, everything was quiet, the daytime buzz long gone.
Anna leaned back on her hands, relaxed, and gazed at the twinkling stars. A small smile played on her lips as she drifted into her thoughts, "Actually, when I was a kid, I always wanted to watch the stars like this."
Charles's expression froze. He turned to look at her, staying silent, just listening to her talk about the past.
"Before I was fifteen, after finishing my homework every day, my only wish was to watch the stars with my parents. But they were always so busy. I waited every day, but they never came," she said.
On countless nights, she’d wait until she fell asleep at her desk, only to be gently carried to bed by the nanny.
In Anna's memory, from as far back as she could remember until she was fifteen, her parents were always busy. They always smelled of disinfectant, working at the hospital day and night. Sometimes, even on their days off, if there was an emergency, they had to rush back. So Wesley and Odette didn't spend much time with Anna.
When she was very young, Wesley and Odette once watched the stars with Anna on a similarly quiet night. That warm, cozy family moment stayed with Anna for twenty years.
As a kid, she always wanted her parents to watch the stars with her again, but it was always postponed for various reasons.
One delay after another, until she was fifteen. That was eight years ago.
This wish was forever buried in her memory with her parents' passing.
In the eight years abroad, every night, she deliberately avoided looking up at the sky. That way, those deeply ingrained childhood memories wouldn't sneak out and turn into sharp blades that cut into her flesh.
Looking at the familiar yet strange starry sky, Anna only said those two sentences at the beginning and then fell silent.
Although she showed no outward signs, the thick, unshakeable sadness and despair around her permeated the air, mixed with the night breeze.
Charles's heart ached. He suppressed the dull pain in his chest, held her in his arms, and tried to distract her. "Anya, do you know what this moment is best for?"
Anna's thoughts were yanked back from those distant memories.
Charles held her on his lap. Anna instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, "What?"
Charles smiled silently, then lowered his head and kissed her lips. "This."
The sound of crickets chirping in the grass was the only other sound besides their intertwined breaths. With a kiss, Charles disrupted all of Anna's sadness. He controlled all her emotions, leading her out of her past sorrow.
"Anya." His voice was low and hoarse, making her ears tingle. It was like a hook, making her heart itch.
The early autumn night breeze was cool as water, but it couldn't take away the pervasive heat in the air.
At this moment, neither Charles nor Anna noticed two figures standing silently not far behind them. After a while, Michael clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with jealousy.
Just before he lost control and couldn't suppress his jealousy, he turned around and walked away quickly. Brent followed him.
On the private jet.
Brent asked Michael, "Just leaving like this?"
Michael sat in the soft seat, eyes closed, brows furrowed, a visible manifestation of the war waging inside him. "Brent, I need to think."
Think carefully about whether he could let go of Anna or his hatred.
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