Chapter 23
Annabel’s revenge was far from over.
At the group’s all–staff meeting, Annabel sat at the head of the table, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface.
She began her speech slowly, smiling as she looked down at the audience. “We have a special segment today. Let’s welcome Mr. Morse to read a business model
essay.”
Tristan stood in the comer, his face ashen.
In his hands was a stack of yellowed pages. They were love letters he had written to Annabel at 18 years old, each page soaked in youthful devotion and fiery promises.
“Read it,” Annabel urged softly. “Let everyone appreciate Mr. Morse’s writing.”
The room fell into absolute silence.
Tristan’s fingers trembled slightly, but he still flipped open the first page.
“Anna, when I saw you in a white dress today, my heart was racing so fast I thought I might die…”
His voice was dry and bitter. By the third page, his Adam’s apple rolled violently.
“Let’s get married when I turn 22 years old, okay? I’ll love you forever, and only you…”
His voice was hoarse and broken, yet he read every single word of the 20 pages.
By the time he reached the final line, the room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. A few female employees quietly wiped their eyes.
However, Annabel remained smiling. She even clapped at the end.
“A brilliant performance,” she commented. “Unfortunately, they were all lies.”
Tristan looked up sharply. Something behind his eyes shattered.
The incident caused a ripple of heated discussions across the company.
Kenneth barged into her office and slammed a thick stack of documents onto her desk
A medical report, visible atop the strewn papers, read, “Tristan Morse. Severe depression with signs of gastric hemorrhage…”
“Look at this. If this continues, he’s going to die.” Kenneth’s voice was ice–cold.
Annabel glanced down and skimmed the document. Her fingertips unconsciously curled slightly, but she soon regained her composure.
She picked up her coffee and took a sip. Her tone remained indifferent as she said, “So?”
1
Kenneth stared at her. A smile suddenly curled on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “So? Annabel, when did you become like this?”
He took a step closer. His slender fingers tapped hard on the medical report with a dull thud.
“Making him lose everything wasn’t enough? He already reports to you like a dog every day. Will you only be satisfied when he ends up in the ICU?”
Annabel’s lashes fluttered. The heat from the coffee cup burned faintly against her palm.
“I didn’t force him.” She looked up, her gaze as cold as ever. “He deserves it.”
“Is that so?” Kenneth suddenly leaned over.
He braced his hands on the armrests of her chair, trapping her between his arms. “Then why won’t you look at me?”
Annabel’s breath hitched.
Kenneth’s voice dropped, laced with something unreadable. “Annabel, have you really moved on from him?”
The office fell into a dead silence. Rain beat against the windows like a countdown ticking down.
Annabel put down her cup, the bottom clinking softly against the desk.
“No, I have moved on,” she said at last. The words were barely audible, but it felt like she’d used up every ounce of strength just to say them.
Kenneth didn’t move, maintaining his oppressive posture. He stared at her, eyes sharp like a blade. “Then why won’t you admit that you’ve gone too far?”
Annabel shot to her feet, their noses almost touching. “Kenneth! You know what I’ve been through! You know he-”
“I do,” Kenneth cut her off, his voice suddenly softening. “But how are you any different from the Tristan of back then?”
The words hit her like a slap. She stumbled back, her chest heaying violently.
He was right. When did she become like this?
For the sake of revenge, she could coldly watch Tristan wither day by day, calculating every ounce of his suffering. She even enjoyed his breakdown.
Wasn’t that exactly what Tristan had done to her back then?
1… Her voice broke.
Kenneth sighed and brushed a thumb against her cheek. “Hate that burns for too long will also turn you to ash.”
Annabel closed her eyes. A single tear slid silently down her cheek
The office door flew open with a loud bang. Her secretary rushed in, flustered.
1/2
“Ms. Smith, former executives of Morse Group have teamed up with three private equity firms. They’re aggressively buying up our publicly traded shares!”
Annabel instantly became alert. “When did this happen?”
“Half an hour ago! They’ve already acquired 12%, and they’re still buying.”
The secretary handed over a tablet. “This is the lead person.”
The screen showed Morse Group’s former finance director being interviewed, his smile utterly unsettling. “A.N Group’s acquisition tactics have always been questionable, We’re simply correcting that and taking back what’s ours…”
Annabel’s fists clenched. Her nails dug deep into her palms.
It was Liam, the former finance director she had once turned to her side.
