Chapter 189 The protagonist is Anne
The live stream was set for the next afternoon, but Edward threw me for a loop by choosing his office as the location. That was a real curveball.
I couldn't wrap my head around his choice. Edward was always the guy who kept work and personal life miles apart. His life was all about work, with barely any room for anything else.
But to the average Joe, a CEO's life was already pretty mysterious, let alone a live stream with three women? People were bound to gossip and wonder if something wild was going down. Still, it was sure to draw a crowd.
That afternoon, just as I was about to head out, Lila burst into my apartment. She grabbed my hand, her voice full of worry. "Diana, are you really going?"
I nodded firmly. "Yep. If I help him nail this livestream, I can finally get that divorce."
Lila frowned, looking like she wanted to say something but held back.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
She sighed, "I just have this bad feeling it's a trap, and I'm scared something might happen to you."
I gave her a reassuring smile and patted her shoulder. "Don't sweat it. We're going to his company, not some private place. Even if he has bad intentions, he won't pull anything in public. Plus, it's his company. If he screws up, it would hurt the Howard Group, and he wouldn't risk that."
I added, "Edward's a businessman at heart; he wouldn't do anything to harm the company."
Seeing I was set on going, Lila thought it over and reluctantly agreed. "Alright, I'll wait for you downstairs at the Howard Group. If anything goes sideways, call me, and I'll be there in a flash."
Even though she agreed, she still looked worried. I felt lucky to have a friend like Lila, always ready to back me up no matter what.
When I got to the Howard Group, I realized I had underestimated Edward.
Albert was already waiting at the door, as polite as ever. "Ms. Cooper, Mr. Howard is waiting for you in his office. Please follow me."
I couldn't help but scoff. "My marriage with Edward isn't over yet, and you're already changing how you address me?"
Albert gave an awkward smile but didn't say anything. I didn't want to waste time on it, so I followed him to Edward's office. The office looked completely different. The simple, elegant style was gone, replaced by something that screamed luxury. I couldn't help but think, what happened to Edward's taste? This place looked like a rich guy trying too hard to show off.
Edward was sitting in his office chair, looking all serious and icy, like nothing in the world could catch his interest. The whole room felt like it was wrapped in his "keep away" vibe.
As soon as I walked in, he raised his hand and checked his watch. Then he frowned and asked Albert in a cold voice, "Is Anne here yet?"
Albert shook his head slowly, leaning in a bit and lowering his voice. "Not yet. I'm waiting at the door and will let you know as soon as she arrives."
Edward's face got even darker, and he nodded slightly. He tightened his already stern expression, and his fingers started tapping on the desk, like he was drumming out his frustration.
Aria was lounging on the big sofa, looking all elegant and composed. But I could feel a sharpness in her gaze when she looked at me. She stood up calmly and extended her hand. "Diana, you're here. Have a seat." She acted like she was the one running the show.
Edward didn't even acknowledge Aria, just keeping staring at the door and checking his watch. The thought of the three of us being on camera together later was making me pretty annoyed. The waiting felt endless, and Anne still hadn't shown up.
Since I couldn't take calls during the live broadcast, Lila kept texting me for updates. When she found out we hadn't started yet, she stormed upstairs. Soon, I heard her arguing with the front desk staff.
Lila, her face red with anger, was loudly questioning the front desk staff. "What's going on? The live broadcast hasn't started yet. How's Diana doing inside? Why won't you let me in?"
The front desk staff looked troubled but stood their ground. "Ma'am, without permission, I can't let you in. It's company policy, please understand."
Lila got even more furious, raising her voice. "What kind of policy is this? I'm Diana's friend, and I need to check if she's safe. If anything happens to her, can you take responsibility?"
The front desk staff, looking a bit scared, still managed to say, "Ma'am, please don't make it difficult for me. I'm just following the rules."
I quickly ran to the front desk to stop Lila. I pulled her aside and explained in a low voice, "We're still waiting for Anne. We need her to start the live broadcast with the three of us."
Hearing this, Lila sat down in the waiting area with a determined look. "Alright, then I'll wait here for you."
I checked the time; it was already two hours past the scheduled start. I frowned and asked Edward, "We planned to start at 3 PM, and it's been ages. Anne still isn't here. Should we keep waiting?"
Edward's eyebrows shot up, and he snapped, "Anne is the star of today's broadcast. Without her, how can we go on?"
Startled by his intensity, I muttered softly, "I thought Aria and I were the main characters."
Edward ignored me and kept pacing anxiously, glancing at the door every few seconds. I sighed and continued to wait. It wasn't until 7 PM that Anne finally showed up.
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