Trouble in paradise

A month later,

"I said he tried to force me; why don't you believe me?" The woman's voice was shrill, completely opposite from the gentle voice she normally spoke with. But amidst the chaos caused by the sound of the laptop, picture frame, and the files that had been roughly shoved from the desk and were now lying shattered and messily scattered on the floor, her words were lost, unheard.

The secretaries on the CEO floor of Gray Enterprises looked at each other with gossip in their eyes following the harsh sound of items shattering, which was accompanied by loud arguments.

Anna's eyes were misty, and her face looked as if she had suffered a great injustice. Seeing her act was not working; she began to really cry now as her unshed tears began to pour like a waterfall, staining her mascara and causing black streaks of tears to stream down her face.

Adam looked at her red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips in deep contemplation. Could it be that he really misunderstood her? But why had she lied about going to the resort with her friends when he had received pictures of her and Steven in an intimate hug?

"Then why did you lie to me? You said you were out with Erica and Sylvia when I called you," Adam Growled, his voice tinged with restrained anger. A hint of unease flashed within Anna's eyes for a second, but it was quickly replaced with a demure look as she lowered her eyes and began to act as if she was afraid to say what she wanted to say.

"The… The thing is... It was that young Master Collins had invited me to his room to discuss the new designs of processed foods, so I had told Erica and Sylvia to go ahead without me. I didn't know he had other intentions; thank God you came in time to rescue me; who would have known he was that kind of person?" She spoke in an aggrieved tone; an expression that said "I should have known better" was written all over her face.

Adam, however, didn't believe her. He had warned her to stay away from Steven. In the beginning, she had insisted they were just friends, but when he realized how evident it was that the man did not see Anna as a friend, he had forbidden her from seeing him again, but of course, she still went to see him, clearly not listening to his words and choosing to do what she wanted.

"I had warned you not to keep in contact with him. But you didn't listen!" he snarled angrily. His face was menacing as he stalked closer towards her and grabbed her throat, pushing her deeper into the sofa. Her pale skin, so soft as that of a baby's, was beginning to turn red under the pressure he was exerting. Anna trembled in fear, her fingers trying to rip his hand away from her throat and fighting for dear life.

"Do you like the attention he has been giving you that much?" He hissed, his hand angrily grabbing her jaw to make her gaze fix on him. Anna coughed fiercely when his hold on her neck loosened but yelled in pain when he roughly grabbed her jaw, holding it in a painful grip.

"Do you like that there's a long line of men waiting to be with you and vying for your attention?"

Anna flinched and tried to shake her head to refute his words and get away from his harsh grip. 'He had always treated her gently; why was he so violent today? She knew that due to the reputation she had as the gentle beauty of Manhattan society, many suitors wanted her as their woman. More So with Odelia out of the picture, she was the current reigning queen in the city. But Adam was her top priority; he was the richest among all her admirers; she cannot afford to lose him.'

"Adam, can you please calm down and listen to me? I don't care about any of them," she said weakly with tears in her eyes, trying to maintain her demure and gentle nature. The one she usually showed to all her admirers in order to wrap them around her little finger.

"Please, you have to believe me." She pleaded pitifully, her voice cracking and her lips trembling as she looked into his eyes with a look that said he was her whole world.

"Believe you? Why should I believe you?" he asked his anger that seemed to have simmered, boiling back again with great momentum. He gave her an accusing glare as he stared at the pictures scattered on the floor. She had been hugging Steven in the lobby, and they must have gone to his room together, but she had just said she had been invited into his room.

Of course, it could also be that Steven had seen her in the lobby and had invited her into his room, and they had walked together from the lobby, but why hadn't she refused? He knew Anna was gentle and kind and found it hard to refuse people because she was such a people-pleaser. She couldn't even differentiate between the look of friendship and the look of desire and lust-filled looks those men looked at her with, but she was so stubborn.

He had been clear about her staying away from Steven, but look at what she did behind his back. 'If it were Odelia, even her no-nonsense and strict look would even tell the men to stay away,' he thought, completely oblivious that he had unconsciously compared Odelia with Anna.

"Please, I'm sorry I should have listened to you. It won't happen again," she muttered weakly, her voice sounding hoarse and strained. He released his grip on her jaw and walked back to his desk when he heard something falling. He turned and saw Anna pitifully sitting on the floor. 'It seems she had tried to get up and had fallen,' he thought, his rage subsiding as he took in her pitiful appearance.

Seeing he had stopped walking and was looking at her with such concern, Anna slowly stood up and limped towards him, wincing now and again as if she were in immense pain, and Adam, seeing her plight, began to feel guilty. She delicately placed her hands around him and rested her head on his chest.

"Please, I know I shouldn't have, but his company is one of the best in graphic design, and I didn't think he had other intentions," she whispered in her pitiful voice.

Seeing how she leaned on him like a docile kitten, looking so weak and frail, the ice surrounding his heart melted.

"You are the only one for me, Adam; I will always be faithful to you. I will kill myself if you no longer want me. Only death can separate us," she declared with a determined voice that sounded as if she were still hurting but tried to convey her sincerity with all her might.

Adam was silent for a few minutes as he felt her hold on him tightening as if she wanted to merge their bodies. Seeing her clinginess that he had mistook as her underlying love for him, he finally relented.

"You had better not be lying to me," he growled in a low voice and finally wrapped his hands around her in a tighter hug. Anna nodded at his words happily, docilely rubbing her face on his chest.

She had a peaceful, angelic smile on her face, but inwardly, she was panicking. She hoped Steven would not stop helping her because of what Adam did to him at the resort; she needed Steven's help to accomplish most of her plans.

~~~

Around 7:00 p.m. Odelia alighted from the train and made her way to the exit to find Philip, who had come to pick her up. She breathed in the air of the bustling city and let out a bright smile.

It's been a month now since she left to unwind and forget about everything that happened. She had to admit traveling and exploring in the countryside took her mind off most of the things that deeply hurt her. She had even gone on a spiritual retreat to calm her mind to carefully plan out her revenge. However, she had just watched her adoptive parents from a distance and had not dared to approach them.

She still hated Anna with all her might and couldn't forgive her, so how could she go out there and bond with her parents? Since they had taken away all her sources of livelihood, they had better be prepared. After relaxing for one month, she was now ready to beat them at their own game. She would surely recover whatever she had lost. She spotted Philip waving at her from across the street. With a wide grin on her face, she waved back at him and walked towards him.

After they hugged and exchanged some pleasantries, Phillip drove Odelia to the Hopkins Restaurant for a meal. He already knew she would have been neglecting herself and must have forgotten to eat.

~~~

About 10 minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant, and Philip got down from his side of the car and walked to the other side to open the door for Odelia. Odelia had just stepped out of the car and had taken a few steps when the straps of her sandals came undone, making her trip.

Philip, who was close, saw her swaying and promptly caught her, pulling her close to his chest and wrapping his hands around her to prevent her from falling, making their tangled bodies look very intimate.

Adam and Anna had also come to eat at the restaurant and had seen this scene. Filled with intense jealousy as if something of his was being converted, Adam growled at Philip in a commanding tone.

"Let go of her!"