Chapter 181-190
Chapter 181
“Mommy, I’ll behave myself at home. You can go.” The little guy meekly nodded. He disliked Erica as
well, because he was able to feel her ill will toward him although he was but a little boy.
Therefore, he chose to not tag along to prevent causing trouble for his mother. However, instead of
having Grace to keep himpany on that night like how Anastasia had suggested, Jared thought that
Elliot might be a better candidate for the task.
Anastasia went to the office after dropping her son off. She barely sat for a few minutes on her seat
before Grace knocked on her door and pushed it open, inviting a flower delivery man toe in. “This
is Miss Tillman. Please send the flowers in!”
The bouquet of blue roses stunned Anastasia for a few seconds. Who sent this?
“Miss Tillman, here’s your flowers. Do sign and acknowledge it.”
And so, Anastasia signed the paper. Then, she reached out for the card in the bouquet and flipped it
open. Instead of finding romantic words, she found a domineering order written on it. Do not give the
flowers away. Yours sincerely, Presgrave.
Anastasia was rendered speechless. Why did he send me flowers again? He even prohibits me from
giving it away.
“Miss Tillman, the flowers are gorgeous. They are obviously imported ones!” Grace came over to
admire the flowers. .
Upon hearing that, Anastasia pursed her lips and let out a helpless smile. I don’t want to receive it no
matter how pretty it is!
“Miss Tillman, your admirer must be super rich!” Grace guessed in envy.
“He’s not my admirer,” Anastasia vaguely replied before she returned to her seat. In the next couple of
hours, she intermittently stared at the bouquet of blue roses and fell into a daze.
At 11.30 AM, Nigel showed up at her office to invite her to lunch-it was in invitation that allowed no
room for rejection.
When he saw the bouquet of flowers on the couch, he instantly knew who the sender
was. He felt frustrated with himself for being too busy with the renovation that he had forgotten about
sending flowers.
However, Anastasia was embarrassed to have him treat her to lunch every day, so she announced,
“Let me treat you to lunchter!”
Nigel merely wanted to have a meal with her, so he didn’t mind who would be paying the bill. In the
end, they went to a western restaurant together. During the meal, he talked about his office renovation
and asked Anastasia about her opinion.
However, no matter what she suggested, Nigel agreed to all her ideas and decided to adopt them. As a
result, she dared not give any hasty suggestions. Otherwise, she would be guilty if the renovation
turned out awful.
“Anastasia, what do you think about my cousin?” Nigel suddenly asked. Anastasia’s hand trembled at
the question, causing the spoonful of food that she scooped to fall back onto her te.
“Uh… h-he’s my boss and he’s a nice person, of course,” she stuttered.
“Between him and I, who do you think is better?” Nigel stared at her intently, determined to get an
answer out of her.
At that, Anastasia put down her cutlery and looked straight into his eyes. “Nigel, what exactly are you
angling at?”
On the other hand, Nigel pursed his thin lips and decided that he shouldn’t avoid the question he had
been pondering any longer. And so, he exhaled and uttered, “I know that he’s pursuing you and he’s
repaying your kindness at the same time. Anastasia, in regards to our rtionship, I hope that… you
can give me a chance to be with you.” He lowered his head as he knew that chances were slim.
“Nigel, it’s great to be your friend. We can have meals together and meet up sometimes. Besides, you
know that I have no intention to remarry. I’m really sorry!” She sincerely apologized, then added,
“Please don’t waste your time on me, Nigel. It’s not worth it.”
“But…you are the only woman in my heart. There is no one else.” He raised his head and looked at the
woman before him. Although she wasn’t the most beautiful woman, she was the most unique view that
he had ever gazed upon.
Truth was, his words moved Anastasia’s heart, but she remained straight-faced and sighed. “In that
case, I guess we can’t even be friends.”
His expression stiffened and then fell. “No, I don’t want that to happen.”
“Therefore, let’s remain as friends.” However, Anastasia couldn’t help feeling guilty when she said that.
Seems like I have to avoid meeting up with Nigel too often after this. I don’t want to ruin his life. Instead
of wasting his time and effort on me, he should go and pursue other women.
Chapter 182
“Will you say the same if it’s my cousin who pursued you?” Nigel pouted and asked. feeling a little
depressed.
Something shed across Anastasia’s eyes at that question. Elliot was never an obedient gentleman
like Nigel. Instead, he had a strong and overbearing character, somewhat like a bandit’s. He would
ignore her rejection and warnings.
Upon seeing her reaction, Nigel couldn’t help feeling jealous. It seems like she gives Elliot special
treatment.
In the end, she didn’t answer his question and she muttered, “After lunch, I have to return to the office
for a meeting. You should go about your renovation.”
In the evening, Anastasia went to pick up her son before a certain someone did so. Otherwise, the child
would be taken away by him yet again.
This time, she sessfully picked Jared up. She even brought him to the mall and had a stroll near her
office. She also bought some dumplings home to cook. However, when she was buying them, the little
boy kept asking her to buy more. “Mommy, that’s not enough. I want more.”
“It’s enough. In fact, it’s more than enough for the two of us,” she helplessly replied.
“No, it’s not enough.” He used a smalldle and continued filling the frozen dumplings into the bag.
In the end, Anastasia brought arge bag of frozen dumplings home. As they were unable to finish
them, she had to keep them in the fridge.
After they reached home and while Anastasia was at the balcony, the boy took her phone. Finding
Elliot’s number, he sent the man a message. ‘Mr. Presgrave,e over to have some dumplings!” All
that was done quickly and easily.
‘Sure! I’m on my way, Elliot replied.
The boy put down the phone happily. As expected, Mr. Presgrave wille.
When Anastasia saw that it was gettingte, she went to cook the dumplings.
“Mommy, you have to cook all the dumplings!” the little boy reminded her
“It’s too much. It’s a waste if we can’t finish them.”
“I can finish them. I want to eat 50 dumplings!” he announced loudly.
“You can’t fill 50 of them in your little tummy!” She chuckled as she said that.
“I can!” He put on a straight face as hemented, “Mommy, just cook them.”
“Alright. I’ll cook two tes first, and I’ll make some more if it’s not enough, okay?” she conceded with a
smile.
“Okay, but don’t forget to cook more if it’s not enough!” Mommy can cook more when Mr. Presgrave is
here, Jared thought.
Thereafter, Anastasia went to the kitchen to cook some dumplings. Meanwhile, the little boy waited and
stared at the door as he listened to the footsteps outside intently.
Ten minutester, Anastasia received a message on her phone. The boy quickly took a nce at it.
Open the door
He giggled and immediately turned the door handle. Standing outside the door was none other than
Elliot. The man was dressed like an elite who had just exited from a meeting room, and he emanated
the presence of someone powerful and influential.
—
“Mr. Presgrave, we are having dumplings tonight.”
“Great!” Elliot grinned.
Anastasia, who exited the kitchen to get something from the fridge, was startled to see the man in the
living room.
“W-Why are you here?” Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Mommy, I invited Mr. Presgrave over to eat dumplings,” the boy exined on behalf of Elliot, for fear
that Anastasia would be mad.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes. At that instant, the reason behind Jared’s actions of insisting on getting
extra dumplings and asking her to cook 50 of them dawned upon her. It turned out that her son had
included Elliot’s portion since the very beginning.
“Don’t put him on the spot. I wanted toe myself” Elliot chimed in.
There was nothing that Anastasia could do at that point since he had shown up.
“Alright, then. Since we have enough dumplings…” Looking at her son’srge innocent eyes, she
couldn’t bring herself to scold him.
It’s a good thing that he took the initiative to think about others. It shows that he has be a more
mature kid, she thought.
“Have a seat. I’ll go and cook the dumplings.” After Anastasia said that, she returned to the kitchen.
Subsequently, the first thing that came to Jared’s mind was to ask for Elliot’s permission. “Mr.
Presgrave, Mommy is going to attend Grandpa’s banquet tomorrow night. Can I go to your house to
y?”
“What’s wrong? Won’t she be taking you along?” Elliot asked with a frown.
“Nope! Mommy said that it’s not convenient for me to be there because there will be a lot of people.
She is going to get Grace to look after me, but I want to spend time with you.”
Chapter 183
“Sure! I’ll go and pick you up tomorrow at school.” Elliot was more than willing to take care of him, of
course.
Thereafter, Jared asked curiously, “Mr. Presgrave, will there be many men at the banquet? I’m worried
that Grandpa may introduce other men to Mommy. I hope that you can be there at the banquet so that
Grandpa can meet you too.”
Elliot narrowed his eyes. Could it be that Francis is going to find a partner for the woman at the banquet
tomorrow? In that case, how can I miss that? At that instant, he thought of another suitable candidate
who could take care of the kid.
“Jared, if I’m going to attend your Grandpa’s banquet tomorrow night, is it okay if I get Nigel to take
care of you? But can we keep this a secret for now?” Elliot didn’t want his n to be ruined, so he
couldn’t afford to let Anastasia and Nigel know about this.
“Okay, sure!” It was obvious that the boy had now be Elliot’s ‘partner in crime!
Little did the pitiful Nigel know that he would soon be the babysitter who helped his cousin to
pursue Anastasia.
Anastasia served two tes of dumplings at the table before she returned to the kitchen to make two
more tes. Meanwhile, Elliot and Jared, who were sitting at the table, started dipping the dumplings
into the premade sauce and eating them.
Anastasia cooked all the dumplings that she had bought that day, and the portion happened to be just
sufficient for the three of them. After the meal, Elliot took Jared downstairs to take a stroll, while
Anastasia cleaned the house. After she was done with the chores, she sat on the couch and fell into a
daze. Why do I feel as though we are a family of three?
She suddenly recalled that Elliot had slept with Hayley before this, and Anastasia felt an indescribable
feeling welling up inside her.
She recalled how Hayley had described their night together when Hayley was hugging Elliot at the
garden of the Presgrave Residence. She had talked about how wild Elliot had been above her. It was
apparent that it had been an incredibly passionate night that had be one that was unforgettable to
Hayley.
Anastasia shut her eyes abruptly, attempting to shrug off the thoughts that appeared in her head. It
reminded her of the night five years ago that she had spent with a male escort that she had known
nothing about. She did not know his name nor his
face, although she had beenpletely conscious when everything had happened that night.
She had felt that the male escort had arge and burly build, with strength so strong that she could
hardly resist. He had lost his reasoning at that time, and he resembled a beast that had no sense of
humanity at all.
Whenever she remembered that night, Anastasia could feel her body tremble all over, and this incident
caused her to bear a heartfelt disgust toward the carnal desire between a man and a woman. She
refused to get married, not only because of the mental repulsion she felt toward such matters, but also
because the incident had traumatized her physically.
When Anastasia was engrossed in her painful memories, the sudden sound of the door being unlocked
snapped her back to her senses. She inhaled a deep breath.
“You guys are back?” Anastasia smiled at Jared, who was running into the house. When she saw her
son’s adorable and beautiful face, she could feel her earlier agony diminish.
“Mommy, this is for you!” The boy came back carrying Anastasia’s favorite beverage.
“You guys went out and bought something?” she asked with a smile.
“I was thirsty, so Mr. Presgrave bought me a drink. I remembered that you like this, so I bought you a
bottle.”
At that, Anastasia looked up at the tall man and thanked him. “Thank you.”
“Mommy, I feel so hot! I want to take a shower.”
“Okay, I’ll help you to take a shower. Go and find yourself a set of pajamas.” She looked at her son and
he returned to his room.
Just then, Anastasia looked at Elliot and said, “President Presgrave, it’s gettingte. You should leave.”
The man’s gazended on her face, his eyes beguiling as he murmured, “I want to stay for a little
longer.”
“Do not think that you can take advantage of me. It won’t happen again,” she calmly announced: I won’t
fall for his tricks again.
Elliot himself was aware that he couldn’t possibly be so lucky to manage toy his
hands on her every time. However, at the thought that he would be able to see her the next day, he
curled up the corner of his lips. “See you tomorrow at the office, then.”
With that, he pushed the door open and left the house.
In the end, Anastasia exhaled in relief and quickly entered the room to help her son to shower.
The next morning, the Department of Design had an early-morning meeting.
As Anastasia walked into the meeting room groggily, she abruptly saw a charming and noble figure
sitting in the seat next to hers, and the usually noisy atmosphere in the office suddenly became
particrly serious.
Chapter 184
Elliot’s here!
Although all the female designers knew that Elliot was there for Anastasia, they still couldn’t hold back
their little gestures in hopes to catch his attention. Thedies flicked their hair and pursed their lips.
Some tried to make eye contact with him, while others even attempted to undo a button at their low-cut
cor to further expose their cleavage.
When Anastasia took a seat, someone sent coffee into the room.
Everyone was surprised that each of them got a cup of coffee, and it was Felicia who revealed the
mystery. “Everyone, let’s thank President Presgrave for treating us to a cup of coffee.”
The lot of them looked at Elliot in gratitude. Some female designers even purred, “Thank you President
Presgrave! I’m so happy!”
However, Elliot’s gaze rested on the woman next to him, causing Anastasia to receive full attention
from the crowd. The female employees suddenly felt that the coffee in their hands didn’t taste as well
as it had seconds ago, because they now realized that Anastasia was the main reason they were able
to drink the coffee in the first ce!
Meanwhile, Anastasia, who was skimming through the store sales analysis report, took a sip of coffee.
This led a hint of smile to creep into the eyes of the man beside her. Everyone at the scene clearly took
in his reaction.
“At present, the price war in the market is very intense. Our recent store sales have increased by 5%
compared to the previous month. Thepany has decided to promote an associate director to
supervise the entire Department of Design alongside me.”
Alice’s eyes widened at that mention. She felt as though the position would have to belong to her and
nobody could take it away from her.
On the contrary, Anastasia, whose full attention was on design and nothing else, was uninterested with
this management position.
“How much will the sry increment be when one is promoted to be an associate director?” One of the
designers went straight to the crux of matter.
“The person who is promoted to be the associate director shall have a sry
increment of 5,000 to 10,000 on top of his or her original basic sry, depending on this person’s
capability,” Felicia announced.
Anastasia, who had been initially uninterested with the promotion, heard that, and her stunning eyes lit
up and her interest was instantly piqued. “What are the conditions that one must fulfill in order to be
entitled for the promotion?”
“Firstly, one must have worked with thepany for more than 5 years. Secondly, we will review their
design skills. Thirdly, one must possess a teamwork spirit, understand the market direction, and be
able to analyze the market needs.
The light in Anastasia’s eyes dimmed when she heard that, while Alice, who was sitting opposite her,
smiled and deliberately reminded her, “Anastasia, you merely worked with thepany for two
months. You don’t fit the first condition.”
Although Anastasia was disgruntled, she said nothing. Just then, a low yet firm male voice rang out
beside her. “Anastasia will be promoted as the associate director.”
Anastasia abruptly jerked her head toward him, but Elliot was seen looking at Felicia as he ordered,
“Notify the Human Resource Department about this.”
Felicia, who didn’t expect the boss to promote Anastasia with just a statement, revealed an awkward
smile. “Sure, I’ll notify the Human Resource Department about the change in her position.”
At that, Alice, who was sitting opposite them, was so mad that her face nched, while the other
designers were astounded. Does Anastasia have such a powerful background? Could it be that the
reason President Presgrave attended the meeting today is just to promote her as the associate director
in front of all of us?
“But that’s unfair, President Presgrave! Shouldn’t other employees be given a fair chance?” Alice boldly
refuted. “It will be difficult to convince the others if you make an exception and grant her a promotion
like this.”
As soon as Alice voiced out her disapproval, the air in the meeting room instantly became heavy.
Elliot furrowed his brows, darting a sharp gaze at her. “Are you objecting to my decision?”
“N-No… I-I just think that t-this is apany, and thepany should have rules and regtions…”
Alice was so frightened that she started stammering and her face flushed crimson.
Anastasia suddenly didn’t find the position of the associate director attractive anymore. It would be
alright if she earned the position with her own effort, but an exceptional promotion like this was indeed
unfair to the others, let alone when she didn’t want to owe the man any favors in the first ce.
“President Presgrave, I refuse to ept the position. Please allow Felicia to pick someone more
suitable!” Anastasia chimed in reasonably.
Elliot’s cold gaze that had initially been on Alice nownded on Anastasia, but there currently was a
hint of frustration in them. Why is she concerned about all those irrelevant matters? Doesn’t she want
to earn more money?
“Let’s do it this way, then. Anastasia gains the right topete for the position because her capability
is undeniably outstanding. Alice, Anastasia and Alexia are the suitable candidates for this position. I’ll
assign tasks to the three of you to assess your capabilities.”
Chapter 185
“You guys can take it from here,” Elliot calmly announced. It was apparent that he had no intention to
participate in the meeting further, so he rose up from his seat and left.
As soon as he had left, everyone in the meeting room exhaled in relief. The heavy atmosphere earlier
had been suffocating.
“Anastasia, we will fight for the position in a fair and square manner. If you can beat me, I’ll give you the
position!” Alice sneered.
“I don’t need you to give it to me. Let’s each do our best,” Anastasia coldly refuted.
“Other than the three people whose names were called earlier, the others may leave.” Felicia asked
them to leave, as she wanted to have a private talk with the trio.
In the task this time, all three of them would be responsible for one of the stores under thepany.
Whoever attained the best sales performance the next month would be crowned the champion.
However, they were not allowed to request their friends or family members to make bulk orders. Only
sales from free-will customers would be taken into ount.
“You three may liaise with the store managers, or you may take care of the store in person. Ultimately,
the three of you have the right to do anything in the store. The total sales next month will be the
deciding factor.”
All three of them, including Anastasia, blindly picked a store. Since she had decided to participate in
thepetition, she wouldn’t give up that easily.
“Anastasia, I dare you to not rely on President Presgrave’s influence andpete with us fair and
square.”
“I would have epted the position if I were to rely on his influence, no?” Anastasia refuted.
“Anastasia, what in the world did you do to make President Presgrave treat you so differently? Could it
be that you are hooking up with him?” Alice sneered in disdain.
Anastasia merely looked at the other woman coldly without saying a word. Upon hearing that, Felicia
tried to make peace between them. “Alright, we are all colleagues. Please speak to each other politely.”
In the end, Alice tossed the documents on the table and announced, “Anastasia, I won’t lose to you!”
With that, she arrogantly left the scene.
After Anastasia returned to her office, she received a call from her father. When Francis heard that she
wouldn’t be bringing her son along, he asked, “Why aren’t you bringing Jared?”
“Dad, there are many people at the banquet. I’m worried that Jared would wander off. Besides, I’ve
made arrangements for him.”
“Alright. Since you have made arrangements, just leave him at home, then.” Ever since the incident
when Jared had been lost, Francis dared not show the slightest negligence when it came to the matter
about the kid.
“And do remember to dress prettier,” Francis reminded in the end.
At that, Anastasia couldn’t help but look down at what she was wearing that day. It was regr office
attire-a gray blouse paired with a tight-fitting skirt, and she didn’t prepare any other clothes.
At noon, Anastasia had lunch with Felicia. Thetter told her that the mold for the custom-made jewelry
had been produced by the factory. What came next would be the craftspeople doing their jobs, and the
final product would bepleted by the end of the month.
A sense of achievement bubbled up inside Anastasia upon hearing that. She, too, hoped to bring more
profit to thepany.
At 3.00 PM, Anastasia called Grace over to her office. She instructed her to help her to look after
Jared, to which Grace happily agreed.
At 4.50 PM, Anastasia took Grace to the kindergarten to pick up her son. The moment she stepped into
the ssroom, the young female teacher asked in surprise, “Miss Tillman, why are you here? Jared
has been picked up by his father.”
Anastasia’s heart skipped a beat and she asked, “Are you sure that… it was his father who picked him
up?”
The female teacher was certain. “Yes, it was his father who came in person to pick him up.”
“I see. Thank you.” Anastasia felt annoyed at that. Why did Elliot pick my son up without informing me?
“Miss Tillman, what does Jared’s father do?” Grace immediately asked curiously.
“Uh… He’s in the finance industry.”
“Wow! That’s so cool! I wish to see what Jared’s father looks like someday. Jared is so good-looking,
so I reckon that his dad must be very handsome!”
Anastasia’s face flushed red as she exined, “He’s a busy man, so you won’t be able to see him most
of the time.” After she said that, she added, “Grace, I won’t be troubling you tonight, then. You may get
off work.”
Grace nodded, feeling a little sad that she wouldn’t be caring for the kid that night.
As Anastasia walked toward the road to hail a cab, she dialed a man’s number.
The call went through. “Hello.”.
“Elliot, where did you take my son to?”
“Jared told me that you will be attending your father’spany banquet tonight. Since you won’t have
the time to take care of him, you can just leave him in my care!”
Chapter 186 Anastasia didn’t expect that her son would tell Elliot about the banquet. Since things had
come to that point, she had no choice but to trouble the man with taking care of Jared. And so, she
immediately reced her initially angry tone with her usual one. “If it’s not too much of a hassle to you,
please take care of him for me tonight. I’ll go and pick him up at around 9.00 PM.” “Sure!” Elliot
unhesitatingly agreed and hung up the call. Gazing at the sunset in the distance, Anastasia fell into a
daze, wondering whether it was a good thing that her son relied on Elliot so much. Oftentimes, the
choices avable were limited. On one hand, she didn’t want Jared to depend on that man too much
but on the other hand, she couldn’t help feeling relieved when the man took care of her son. In fact, she
even trusted that man unconditionally. After Elliot ended the call with Anastasia, he instantly called
another person. “Hello, Elliot! How can I help you?” Nigel’s voice rang from the other end of the call.
Although the two men had made a bet, it didn’t affect the rtionship between them. “I need a favor
from you. Will you help me to take care of a child?” “Whose child?” “Where are you?” “Where else? My
father’spany, of course.” “Alright, I’ll send him over right now.” “You haven’t told me whose kid is
that! And I don’t like to babysit,” Nigel grumbled. “It’s Anastasia’s boy. Are you not going to babysit
him?” Elliot muttered in exasperation. “What? Jared? Jared’s with you now?” Nigel asked in surprise,
then he rejoiced. “Send him over! I don’t like other kids, but Jared’s different.” Elliot ended the call on
his Bluetooth earpiece before he said to the kid in the back seat. “I’m sending you to Nigel’s ce now,
alright?” “Okay, Mr. Presgrave. You have to keep an eye on Mommy tonight and make sure that no
man snatches her away!” “I’ll certainly keep a close eye on her.” Elliot chuckled. No men would be able
to take her away under his watch. Soon, they arrived at a 7-star hotel, and Nigel was waiting
downstairs to get the kid. When the car came to a stop, Nigel pulled open the car door of the back seat.
He was surprised when he saw a child car seat in Elliot’s car and the little boy was safely strapped on
the seat. “Mr. Nigel!” Jared politely greeted him. Meanwhile, Elliot walked up to Nigel and said,
“Anastasia is tied up with something, so she asked me to send Jared to your ce. I’ll have to trouble
you with him tonight.” Upon hearing that, Nigel felt a little displeased. I would go and pick Jared up if
Anastasia gave me a call, so why did she get Elliot to send Jared over? Could it be that in her heart,
I’m not as reliable as Elliot? “Goodbye, Mr. Presgrave.” As Jared held Nigel’s hand, the boy looked
behind and winked at Elliot, hinting thetter about the secret that only the two of them knew. — CA
In the end, Nigel led Jared to his office. The more the former thought about it, the more frustrated he
felt. Instead of asking Elliot to send Jared over to me, why didn’t
Anastasia contact me directly to go and pick Jared up?
Nigel turned to look at the little guy, who was sitting on the couch with his little feet dangling in the air.
Suddenly, Nigel noticed that Jared’s beautiful facial features had started to be sharp, which
caused the man to widen his almond-shaped eyes. What’s going on? Why do I find that Jared seems to
look a little like Elliot?
Jared’s features and demeanor were very simr to Elliot’s. The next instant, Nigel seemed to recall
something, and he took out his phone to scroll through his photo album. He remembered that he had
kept a photo of Elliot as a child-it was a photo that had been taken when he was with Elliot.
After searching through a few albums, Nigel finally found the photo. Nigel looked at the little boy in the
photo who had his arms around Nigel’s shoulder. At that point, Nigel’s eyes nearly fell out of his
sockets.
In the photo, Elliot was a five-year-old kid and he looked exactly like the little boy who was currently
sitting on the couch. They had faces so simr that one seemed to be a duplicate of the other.
What kind of strange phenomenon is this? Anastasia’s son looks exactly the same as Elliot when he
was a kid! Nigel looked at himself in the photo, at the boy who had Elliot’s arm around his shoulder.
Although he had been an adorable kid as well, he had looked nothing like Jared.
At that moment, Nigel felt as though he was burning in rage and jealousy. Is this a hint from God? That
Elliot is going to beat me in this rtionship?
Nigel nced at the kid on the couch again, and the love he had for Anastasia was still strong. If I were
to marry Anastasia, I wouldn’t ever make the little guy sad, nor would I give him any younger brothers
or sisters!
Chapter 187 “Jared, where did your mommy go?” “Mommy has something else to do.” And so, Nigel
came to the conclusion that Anastasia had to work overtime, so she had brought Jared to the office,
then had Elliot send Jared over to him. Nigel was certain that that was the truth. At that moment,
Anastasia was in a cab on the way to the hotel where her father’spany event would be held. Her
father’spany wasn’t exactly arge establishment, so the celebration this time was organized in a
regr 5-star hotel. The attendees of the event were not required to go through the hassle of
registration before entering the venue. Anastasia saw a sign at the lobby that stated, ‘Attendees of
Tillman Construction’s banquet, please proceed to the third floor. As soon as Anastasia exited from the
lift, she followed the sign and arrived at a hall that was decorated with numerous tables and chairs. She
saw her father standing among a few elderly men, and he looked radiant as he beamed gleefully. He
seemed to be in high spirits as he raised his ss and chatted with the people around him. “Dad!”
Anastasia walked up to him and greeted him. “Hey! This is my elder daughter, Anastasia.” Upon seeing
her, Francis introduced her to his peers standing around him. One of them couldn’t help but
to present himself before the woman he had fallen for at first sight. “I’m just a designer. You are the one
who is amazing!” Anastasia praised him. He was a valuable employee of her father, so she naturally
treated him politely. “You are ttering me, Miss Tillman. President Tillman thinks well of me, so he
gave me the position,” Alex replied humbly. Anastasia then turned to survey the other guests, but Alex
couldn’t help but gaze fixedly at her. Her every movement seemed to capture his heart. It seemed that
he had really fallen for Anastasia at first sight.
Chapter 188 Alex was well aware of the fact that Anastasia most likely would be francis’ sessor in
the future, Truth was, Alex had his own thoughts as well. After all, everyone in the world would dream
of having an casier life, Meanwhile, Anastasia was borcd, so she took out her phone to check her
messages, while Alex went to get her some snacks. He had made up his mind to stick with Anastasia
no matter where she was that night. She was curious about what her son was doing at that moment, so
she sent Elliot a text. ‘What’s Jared doing?’ After she sent the message, she didn’t receive any reply
even after waiting for more than ten minutes, so she thought that the man must have missed her
message. Just then, a mother-daughter duo hurried into the hotel lobby-it was none other than Naomi
and Erica, who had just arrived due to the terrible traffic. Erica wore a burgundy evening gown that
night. As she entered the hall while lifting her skirt, she suddenly thought of something and turned to
her mother, “Mom, I left my phone in the car. Could you go and get it for me?” Upon hearing that,
Naomi agreed resignedly. “You go sit on that couch for a while. I’ll go get you your phone now. Don’t
y with your phone all the time in the car in future.” And so, Erica lifted her skirt and took a seat on
the couch while waiting for her mother. At that moment, a ck vehicle stopped at the main entrance of
the hotel. Under the light from the hallway, a man pushed open the car door of the back seat and
alighted from the car. Standing at six feet two, he had an imposing bearing. After tidying his suit, he
strode into the hotel with his long slender legs.
He had Rey following by his side carrying his briefcase. However, Rey, who was also a handsome,
white-cored elite, seemed inconspicuous as he stood next to Elliot.
When Erica was staring at the door waiting for her mother to get her phone, she suddenly spotted the
man and her heart started pounding wildly. Oh, God! How can there be such a dashing, elegant man in
this world?
The man who entered the premises under the bright lights had a cold and noble bearing. Dressed in a
fitted suit, he emanated a stern yet intimidating aura that made it obvious he was someone with a high
and mighty position.
Erica’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. He’s so handsome and sexy!
Elliot’s gaze swept across the signboard and he saw that the banquet of Tillman Construction was held
on the third floor. He then entered the elevator together with Rey and pressed on the button to the third
floor.
Upon seeing that the lift stopped at the third floor, Erica couldn’t help but hold her chest excitedly.
Could it be that the man is here to attend Dad’spany event? Does this mean that I’U have the
chance to get to know him?
Erica was exhrated and she felt as if she had met the love of her life. She wanted to know him very
badly, and she had even thought about the names for their future kids.
When Naomi saw Erica staring at the elevator in a daze, she called out to her, “Erica, what are you
staring at?”
“Mom, I just saw a super handsome man! He seems to be heading to Dad’spany event. I want to
get to know him. I have to know him!”
Upon seeing how crazy her daughter was for that man, Naomi thought to herself, A handsome face will
be useless if he’s poor. I won’t agree for my daughter to marry a poor man or even a man with an
ordinary background. My daughter has to marry the wealthiest man.
Meanwhile, Elliot stepped out of the elevator and into the hall. At one nce, he spotted Anastasia, as
well as the existence of a man beside her. That man was chatting with her, while she had one hand on
her chin and a curve at the corner of her lips. She looked as though she was having a great time.
Elliot narrowed his eyes menacingly. As expected, this woman attracts the gaze of men no matter
where she goes.
Upon seeing Francis among the crowd, Elliot walked up to him. Francis was chatting with his friends? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.
when he suddenly heard a pleasant male voice beside him. “Hello, Mr. Tillman.”
Francis turned to look at him and was stunned for a few seconds. “And you are?”
Rey immediately handed him Elliot’s business card. “This is President Presgrave’s business card.
Please have a look.”
Francis took the name card before he nced at it and his pupils dted at that instant. He then stared
at the young man before him in disbelief. Is he the young master of the Presgrave Family, whom my
ex-wife sacrificed herself to rescue back then?
Chapter 189
With Elliot’s powerful status in the business world, as well as the influence of the Presgrave Family,
Francis instantly weed him excitedly. “Young Master Presgrave, you actually have the time to join
us! It’s an honor to have you here!”
Although his wife had saved him, Francis still viewed this man as a powerful figure that he couldn’t
afford to offend or mess with.
“Mr. Tillman, you are being too courteous. I heard that today is the celebration for yourpany’s 20th
anniversary. I hope that you will forgive me foring uninvited.”
“You are overthinking it! I’m really d that you cane, Young Master Presgrave. I’m really excited,
in fact!” Francis was genuinely delighted, and hispanions were equally astonished as well-none of
them had expected to see the legendary mysterious head of the Presgrave Family at Francis’pany
celebration.
“Mr. Tillman, I reckon that you don’t know that President Presgrave is the employer of your daughter,
Miss Anastasia.”
“What?” Anastasia is working in President Presgrave’spany?” Francis initially didn’t know how he
should entertain the young master of the Presgrave Family, but now that he knew that his daughter
worked for Elliot, he thought that it would be a great idea to have her apany him.
Meanwhile, Anastasia was sitting in the hall chatting with Alex about her father’spany’s recent
affairs. Alex was telling her everything that he knew, while Anastasia listened to him attentively.
Suddenly, she heard her father calling for her. “Anastasia! Anastasia,e over.”
She inadvertently looked up in her father’s direction. She saw her father at first, but her eyes soon met
another man’s pair of cold, piercing eyes. Although there was a distance between them, the man’s
gaze resembled a deadly sharp de when he peered at her.
If the gaze were tond on someone else, this person would be scared out of their wits. However, upon
seeing the noble man next to her father, not only was Anastasia not afraid, she was even enraged.
Didn’t he say that he would take care of Jared?! Why is he here at Dad’spany event? How about
my son?
In the end, she pulled her chair back and headed over to her father.
“Anastasia,e here. We have an honorable guest. Please help me to entertain Young Master
Presgrave.” Francis waved at her to gesture at her toe over.
When Anastasia stood in front of her father, she immediately calmed down, as she didn’t want her
father to know about her rtionship with Elliot.
“Hello, President Presgrave, wee to my father’spany event.” She held her hand out in a
distant yet polite manner.
Elliot extended his hand to hold hers, an unfathomable smile ying by his lips.
“Dad, let me entertain President Presgrave. You should go about with your business. President
Presgrave, this way, please.” She gestured at Elliot toe with her.
Elliot raised his head and looked in front. He was currently heading in the direction of the VIP tables
while Anastasia followed behind him. When she gauged that her father wouldn’t be able to hear their
conversation from where they were now, she anxiously asked, “Where’s Jared?”
Elliot looked back and responded, “Don’t worry. I’ve handed him to Nigel.”
“Why are you here at my father’spany event?” she asked, staring at his back.
“To congratte him, of course.” The man curved up the corner of his lips and he turned around to look
at her.
At that moment, the two of them had arrived at the table. Elliot pulled the chair back and took a seat,
while Anastasia sat down beside him, a look of frustration on her face.
“Your arrival gave my father a fright! You were not supposed to show up here with your identity.” She
red at him helplessly.
“What identity should I show up with, then? How about his elder daughter’s boyfriend?” Elliot asked
with a charming smile.
Anastasia nearly jumped to her feet as she denied in a fluster, “Stop talking nonsense.”
“Tm not here as a mere guest. I would like to talk to your father about a business project.” He raised his
brow at her. Of course, he wouldn’te over for nothing.
Anastasia was stunned to hear that. Any random project that Elliot had in his hands
would allow her father to make a profit for at least a few years toe. However, Elliot’s true intention
was to repay kindness, and she didn’t wish to see her father interact with him too much.
Just then, Erica entered the hall holding her mother’s arm while gazing around anxiously. Suddenly,
she took notice of the handsome charming figure at the first table from the left in front of the stage.
Although she only saw his back, it was enough to make her heart race.
Soon, she noticed a familiar figure sitting next to that man. At that instant, jealousy and anger started
raging inside her. Isn’t that Anastasia?
Chapter 190
She actually hooked up with that hot man ahead of me? This won’t do! I cannot allow Anastasia to
snatch away the man I have my eyes on!
“Mom, that’s the man. Do go and ask Dad who he is!” Erica pointed at where Elliot
was.
Naomi raised her eyes and looked in that direction. It was the figure of a young man, and he seemed
tall and decent from his back, so he should have handsome looks.
Therefore, Naomi held Erica’s arm and headed toward her husband. After greeting him, she dragged
Francis to one side and asked, “Francis, who’s that guest?” She pointed in the direction of Elliot.
Francisughed. “He’s the young master of the Presgrave Family, the most honorable guest tonight.”
“The young master of the Presgrave Family? Which Presgrave Family?” asked Naomi in puzzlement.
She was unfamiliar with the people of the business world.
“Which else? Theirpany is situated in the tallest office building in the city center. Don’t you always
see it when you go shopping?” Francis exined Elliot’s identity in the simplest and easiest manner.
At that instant, Naomi and Erica exchanged nces. They instantaneously understood who he was
referring to. After all, that building was andmark, the most iconic structure at the city center.
“Oh, God! The Presgrave Corporation belongs to him? He’s super rich!”
“His wealth is on par with a nation’s! Hispany is in global business,” Francis eximed
“Mom, I have to get to know him! I have to get to know Young Master Presgrave!” Erica was so excited
that she nearly went crazy. Never in a million years did she think that she would meet the President of
the Presgrave Corporation at her father’spany event.
Just then, Naomi narrowed her eyes in displeasure. “Is that Anastasia apanying Young Master
Presgrave? Why is she with him?”
“I just found out that Anastasia actually works in a jewelrypany under Young
Master Presgrave, so I asked her to entertain him,” Francis replied.
“Dad, why didn’t you ask me to entertain him instead? I’m your daughter too!” Erica immediately felt
jealous of Anastasia. Did Dad intentionally give Anastasia a chance to spend time with Young Master
Presgrave?
“Ask you to go? What can you talk to him about? Even I myself don’t know how I should entertain him,”
Francis reprimanded helplessly.
It was fortunate that his elder daughter could entertain the guest on his behalf. Truth was, Francis had
nced in that direction a few times and found that Anastasia seemed to be getting along well with
Elliot.
However, nobody knew what they were actually talking about. In fact, nobody could guess how
displeased Anastasia was with Elliot’s presence. She was currently persuading him to leave if he had
no other business there. Unfortunately, the thick skinned man insisted on staying.
“I’ll tell my father that you have to leave because of something urgent. He won’t me you for that,”
she urged.
“Miss Tillman, are you driving away your father’s guest? If you continue to try to drive me out, I’ll
comin to your father and have him uphold justice.” The man elegantly held a teacup and took a sip
of the tea that he disliked.
Anastasia bit her red lips. “Elliot, I’m begging you. Stop repaying my dad. He doesn’t know that you are
actually repaying kindness, so it won’t be fair to him.”
“Anastasia, let me tell you something-someone has their eyes on your father’s business. They are
trying to carry out their n of acquiring a few small-scaled construction materialpanies, and your
father’s firm is one of them. Do you still think that I shouldn’t help out your father now?” he leaned in
and whispered at her.
Anastasia was startled by the news. She raised her head and looked into the man’s serious eyes that
suggested that what he had said was not a lie. “Are you serious?” she asked.
“The industry of construction material has always been a profitable industry. Besides, there will always
be investors wherever there is profit,” he nonchntlymented.
Anastasia was stunned to hear that. She knew that the business world was always treacherous with a
set of harsh survival rules, but she never thought that it would happen to her father.
At present, someone was looking at her with a disappointed gaze from a distance not far away from
them. After barely getting to know her, Alex found that Anastasia had an outstanding man by her side.
He had just heard from the others that the man who looked even younger than him was actually Elliot
Presgrave, the high and mighty leader of the Presgrave Corporation.