Chapter 304 Give Me a Reason
Sara hugged Anna tightly, her voice choked with emotion. "Anna, this is wonderful! Mr. Dalio is amazing; he actually spoke up for you."
They had felt helpless before; even with concrete evidence, not many had believed them. But Simon's support was different—nobody doubted him, so his backing was immediately trusted and incredibly moving. Finally, no one was vilifying Anna anymore.
Sara knew the torment of watching Anna get incessantly criticized—to the point it was unbearable. "Anna, do you see? We're not just two little people, a vulnerable group that can be easily bullied. We also have someone who has our backs."
Anna's eyes were misty. Humans can endure, but the support felt incredibly heartwarming when overwhelmed by frustration and sorrow.
"I'll message Mr. Dalio," she said with resolution.
Just then, her phone pinged with a text message. It was from Simon, "No need to thank me. I've said before that I'm always here for you. If such things happen again, don't suffer alone. Remember, I'm here if you can't deal with it."
"Also, don't worry about the statement I made. It was discussed and agreed upon beforehand."
He was composed and steady, even anticipating that Mirlinda might be upset. His thoughtfulness could be described as meticulous and considerate. Anna's heart clenched once again.
Since their break-up, she hadn't thought to disturb him, yet he continued to be kind to her as he always was, stepping in when she faced trouble. This gesture, she would remember.
"Thank you."
A thousand words were condensed into two, representing so much.
Anna took several minutes to compose herself, then she went on Twitter and retweeted Simon's news with the caption, "Thank you, Mr. Dalio, Mrs. Dalio."
This was an acknowledgment of the reality of being "sold," and a thank you to Mirlinda.
Her action sparked another flurry of debates online:
"Just like that?"
"Not going through the details?"
"Wow, isn't she a bit too Zen about it?"
"Isn't she heartbroken?"
"Those who trust her don't need explanations, and those who don't wouldn't believe one anyway, so why should she explain to a bunch who badmouth her with distorted facts?"
"We were wrong..."
"She's gained a fan in me!"
"+1!"
Anna didn't care about gaining followers; after sending the message, she logged off Twitter.
She was planning to go shopping with Sara to pick up some items for Penny and Charlie.
'Ding!' Unexpectedly, a text message sounded again.
She pulled out her phone and frowned when she saw the name of the sender.
Giorgio? Why was he texting her?
With mixed feelings, she opened the message and saw that on the large screen of her phone, there were only a pitiful few words, "Bring all of Charlie's things to the Vittorio Group now."
It was a command, just text, but she could sense his cool demeanor and icy expression.
What did it mean?
Did he want her to send over all of Charlie's things? Did he plan to cut her off from Charlie?
This realization made Anna's slowly improving mood plunge into despair.
"Sara, take me to the Vittorio Group."
"Huh? What for?"
"Nothing, let's go."
Anna dragged Sara to the car and shoved her into the driver's seat. This car was from the Stefanelli family's garage, temporarily at their disposal.
The car stopped in the Vittorio Group's company building's private parking lot in less than twenty minutes.
Anna had been here before and headed straight for the entrance.
"Miss, do you have an appointment?" The security guard blocked her path as usual.
She lowered her mask and said, "I'm here to see Mr. Vittorio. Step aside."
Her voice was commanding, her presence authoritative.
This was... Mrs. Katherine?
The security guard immediately stepped aside.
Anna didn't care if he had mistaken her identity; she walked straight in, went upstairs, and easily found Giorgio's office, pushing the door open to enter.
"Giorgio, what do you mean?" The voice was slightly raised, bearing a hint of accusation.
Everyone in the office froze in shock! Goodness, who would dare barge into the CEO's office? And to speak to Mr. Vittorio in such a tone?
Moreover, when had Katherine become so assertive?
At the same time, Anna noticed the office full of executives in slick suits. Giorgio sat at his desk, his posture exuding a cold and noble air, his expression serious and frosty.
Oh my, there were so many people present!
"Um... go ahead and continue," she said in embarrassment, hastily retreating from the office and closing the door behind her.
The executives were puzzled. What was that about? The woman who moments ago seemed ready to devour Mr. Vittorio, was it their imagination?
Or could it be that Mr. Vittorio was actually 'whipped' at home?
Feeling everyone's speculative and strange glances, Giorgio swept his gaze over them coldly, "That will be all for now, leave," he commanded.
The executives certainly didn't dare stay, and with the utmost respect, they rose to their feet and said, "Yes."
Then, they exited the office as quickly as they could.
Outside, Anna was still blushing with embarrassment. What had gotten into her, charging in like that?
How embarrassing!
The sound of footsteps echoed as she looked up to see the executives leaving the office, each with an expression that said they were dying to discuss what just happened but couldn't. It made her even more mortified, and she turned to leave.
From inside the office, however, came a man's cool command, "Anna, come in."
Hmm, his voice probably meant he was angry, right? After all, no man likes to lose face in front of others.
But why does he get to decide to hand over Charlie to her and then take him away just like that?
While Anna was pondering this, she took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and stepped back into the office.
Despite the office being well-lit and fresh air, the atmosphere carried an invisible oppressive force.
Breathing felt difficult.
Anna gazed at the man's chiseled face and deep eyes, and her earlier assertive courage wilted, not knowing what to say.
"Charlie's things?" the man finally spoke, his voice naturally magnetic, deep, and authoritative.
Anna pressed her lips together, lifting her clear gaze to meet his, "Charlie doesn't have many things. I just came to ask if you were planning to take him?"
After she spoke, she realized he was Charlie's father, and she had no place to question him.
She quickly added, "You were the one who left Charlie with me, and now you're the one who wants to take him away. Do you see me as just a nanny? Sorry, you haven't even paid me a nanny's wage."
She spoke with a raised voice, trying to assert herself.
Giorgio’s mouth twitched into a cold smirk, and the next second, he casually drew a check from the drawer, signed his name with a flourish, and lifted his gaze, the check held between his fingers, "Fifty million, is that enough?"
She choked.
Fifty million? Anna had just thrown out a number in frustration, and he had the audacity to wave a check in her face as if to insult her!
Anna was seething with anger as she approached him.
"I didn't mean it that way, and I don't want your money. I need you to tell me if you're banning me from seeing Charlie forever. If so, give me one good reason to stay away."
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