Chapter 55: Eight Years of Love

Charles lifted his head and gave her a look. "Anya, I need a wedding ring to show those women out there that I'm taken."

Anna felt a laugh bubbling up inside her. Maybe it was the way he sounded all pitiful and whiny.

With a shrug, she said, "Then just grab a simple ring."

"No way," Charles shot back. "The mistress of the Percy family can't wear some cheap knockoff."

Anna raised an eyebrow. 'Is he saying the ring's gotta be some custom-made, over-the-top thing?' she wondered.

Charles didn't leave her hanging. He picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it around his finger, all slow and deliberate.

"In a few days, there's an auction with a rare pink diamond. I'll take you to bid on it and use it to make the wedding ring," he said.

Anna stared at him for a couple of seconds, then asked, kinda speechless, "Do we really need such a pricey wedding ring?"

Charles raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Anya, worried you won't be able to pay me back if we split?"

Anna just shrugged, not giving anything away.

The Tudor Group.

That day, Brent walked into the CEO's office to find Michael. Seeing Michael buried in paperwork, Brent plopped down on the guest sofa and asked, "Michael, have you made up your mind?"

Michael's pen paused for a second. A blot of ink spread on the paper.

He lifted the pen, leaned back in his swivel chair, and stared at the inkblot. "Brent, I can't let go of my hatred," he said.

Brent's eyes flickered as he looked at Michael. "So, are you gonna... let her go?"

Before Brent could finish, Michael cut him off. "I can't let go of her either."

Hearing this, Brent's brows furrowed instantly.

Michael closed his eyes. The faint struggle and pain in his eyes were completely hidden. Those cold, brooding eyes showed a trace of obsessive entanglement.

"Brent, she loves me. She said she would love me for a lifetime, never to part," Michael said.

Brent thought Michael was losing it. Out of twenty years of brotherhood, he sincerely advised, "Michael, you know, the most elusive and unpredictable thing in this world is feelings. Falling in love with someone might take a long time, but forgetting someone can sometimes take just a day."

Brent used to be just like the current Michael. He always thought the person he loved would never leave him, squandering her love. He always thought that no matter what he did, no matter when he came back, she would always be waiting for him.

But he never expected that the woman who was once all about him could completely disappear from his world one day. Even if he used all his power to find her, he could never find that beloved woman again.

The CEO's office fell into a brief silence, and then Michael's voice broke the stillness. "Brent, you don't understand Anna. She won't."

She won't leave him.

It took him eight years to make her completely fall in love with him.

She could never leave him.

Michael closed his eyes, and memories of the past came rushing back. He remembered Anna, with her bright eyes and perfect smile, telling him he was her everything, the one she loved with all her heart. In this life, she could let go of everything but never their relationship.

So, she was just mad. Mad that he lied to her. She could never walk away from what they had.

Seeing Michael like this, Brent felt kinda helpless.

Michael stubbornly believed that no matter what, Anna could never love someone else. She would always wait for him. But Michael seemed to forget that no matter what promises Anna made under his sweet talk, she had now recklessly married a stranger.

After Brent left, Michael called Nolan to check on what Thalia had been up to lately. Nolan hesitated and replied, "Miss Howard has mostly been staying at Aurora Mansion, but because you ignored her at Radiant Life Hospital last time, she has been in a low mood recently."

In other words, Thalia had been throwing tantrums at Aurora Mansion.

Michael could easily read between the lines. Opening a file, he casually said, "Notify Aurora Mansion to move up the wedding date. Also, announce on the Tudor Group's official channels that I will marry Thalia next month."

Hearing this, Nolan was stunned.

Michael's engagement to Thalia was initially just a temporary measure. A measure to make Anna jealous. Given Thalia's narrow-minded and spoiled nature, was Michael really planning to marry her?

Perhaps too shocked, Nolan directly voiced his thoughts. "Mr. Tudor, are you really going to marry Miss Howard?"

Michael frowned, "Just notify them. In the next few days, I'll take Thalia to shoot some pre-wedding photos and instruct the media to promote it."

Although Nolan couldn't understand why Michael would abandon Anna and choose Thalia, he dared not question Michael's orders again.

Whisper City.

The Stewart Residence.

In the quiet hall, Lester Stewart walked in briskly from outside. When he saw the figure on the sofa, he paused. Then he walked over and sat opposite Austin.

"Why are you back?" Lester asked.

Austin put down his coffee and replied, "The department hasn't been busy lately, so I came home to visit."

After saying that, he looked at Lester and added, "Dad, I saw Anya."

Lester quickly asked, "Is she doing well?"

Austin recalled seeing Anna at Radiant Life Hospital and during the suburban support mission and nodded, "She married Charles Percy. She should be doing well for now."

Lester had just returned from abroad today and didn't know about Anya and Charles's marriage. "That playboy from the Percy family in Crystal City?" he asked.

Charles's reputation was indeed not good.

Before Austin could answer, Lester sternly said, "I don't agree!"

Austin looked up at him.

Lester continued, "I wasn't happy about that Michael marrying my niece before, let alone this frivolous playboy."