Chapter 1251


    It was past midnight and a new year had arrived.


    Anna gazed at the morous fireworks, a garish disy of intense colors reflected in her eyes.


    With the new yeares a new fight.


    Sooner orter, I willpletely break off from Jordan’s control and achieve freedom!


    Now that her sons had grown up and did not need her protection anymore, she desired to live for


    herself as there was still plenty of time to enjoy life.


    Two of them stood by the window and marveled at the fireworks outside.


    Every firework that exploded in the sky would light up Cooper’s facial features, and it seemed like


    different stories of Cooper were reflected through the glow each time.


    Anna was extremely curious about Cooper.


    She hade across too many men—the domineering ones, the gentle ones, the wise ones, the


    foolish ones, even the obscene ones… Nevertheless, she had never met someone as infatuated as


    Cooper.


    She had noticed the photos on his bookshelves the moment she entered the study room. Browsing


    through them, she realized many were the pictures of him and Annabel.


    True enough, this man remained lonely for the past thirty years for the sake of one woman.


    “I guess your prompt agreement to my request is very much due to my resemnce to your Anna,” she


    murmured. Anna seemed to be talking to Cooper but at the same time it seemed like she was talking to


    herself.


    Cooper maintained his silence.


    You are my Anna…


    Meanwhile, Carmen was fast asleep when Michael carried her back to the room. He tucked her in bed


    and left a night light on for her. Sleeping soundly, Carmen had no idea that she dozed off while petting


    the dogs just now. What a cutie!


    Michael gave her a kiss on her forehead and left the room softly.


    It was past twelve and it was time for Anna to leave. As Cooper sent her off, the two chattered


    buoyantly and their rtionship seemed to be much better than before. No one knew what their


    discussion was about, but they could figure that it must be some serious business.


    With that, Callum and his brother left with Anna.


    On the other hand, Stanley intended to y mahjong all night while Sean carried the children into the


    guest room, putting them to bed.


    After sorting out the sleeping arrangements for everyone, Sophia too was ready to y mahjong


    throughout the night. Nevertheless, she was caught by Cooper who came back from sending off Anna.


    Coopermanded in a serious manner, “You should go to bed early. Tomorrow we’re going to visit


    the ancestors’ graves.”


    “Alright…” Sophia muttered as she pursed her lips pitifully.


    She then added resentfully, “Dad, please stop calling me ‘darling’ in front of outsiders next time. It’s


    embarrassing!”


    Knowing the outsider Sophia was referring to, Cooper said in an even stern tone, “She’s not an


    outsider. She’s your mother.”


    Immediately, Sophia was on the alert as she stared at Cooper in surprise.


    He actually said that out loud? Is he going to get back together with Anna?


    “Dad, what did the both of you talk about just now?” she quickly asked.


    However, Cooper refused to reveal their conversation. “Kids shouldn’t meddle with adults’ affairs,” he


    asserted.


    A little while ago, Anna and him had chewed over ns to deal with Jordan, and Cooper was made


    known to a lot of things that he had not thought of before that.


    The more he knew, the heavier his heart became.


    This time, he would not sit by anymore regardless of Anna’s real motive.


    Never had he imagined that she had gone through so many sufferings in the past twenty years. The


    hard times had molded her to be apletely different person. Nheless, Cooper still felt that


    his responsibility was the greatest. If he was not blinded by hatred back then and could think from more


    perspectives, perhaps…


    Looking at his daughter who had gone through many tribtions, Cooper softened his voice and his


    eyes filled with gentleness.


    “Stop asking, dear. Have a good night.”


    With that, he patted Sophia’s shoulder and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Thereafter, he went


    upstairs without turning back and entered his study room on the third floor. His face remained solemn


    the whole while.


    On the other hand, Michael witnessed the scene in which Cooper kissed Sophia. While kissing was a


    common etiquette in the Western culture, it seemed awkward in the current setting.


    “Ew…”


    With goosebumps all over his body, Michael felt a sense of disgust. It felt like he would be indirectly


    kissing Cooper the next time he kissed Sophia’s forehead.


    It was three o’clock in the morning when Anna arrived at her home in Bayside City from Michael’s


    ce.


    Tossing and turning, she could not fall asleep. She couldn’t help but think of Cooper and the pictures of


    him and Annabel in the study room.


    Both of them looked young in the picture, probably around eighteen years old. Despite their youth, their


    love was real and evesting.


    Finally, drowsiness hit her. However, right after Anna fell asleep, all kinds of turbulent dreams arose


    and the feeling of agony surfaced again.


    She had always dreamed of a miserable pain followed by somethinging out from her stomach.


    Besides, there were many scenes that shed through, which felt a lot like déjà vu. Waking up to a


    chaotic mind the next morning, Anna had a terrible headache. She knew she had dreamt of something


    last night and she seemed to have grasped some crucial information. Though she could barely


    remember bits and pieces of it when she first woke up, everything faded momentster.


    What a gloomy feeling…


    After breakfast, Anna went to visit Louis, who was delighted to see his daughter, as she was often


    caught up with work and rarely showed up.


    After returning to Cethos, Louis had not left since then. He had obtained a Cethosian citizenship and


    was living permanently in Cethos. Having brought Xena and Anne with him, they were currently staying


    at the Yard Residence.


    Anna had purchased a mansion in Bayside City and settled the Yards descendents down. Though


    Louis had not changed hisst name, he still lived with them.


    All the members of the Yards gathered for a meal except for Henry and Ryan, who were in the hospital.


    After lunch, Anna followed Louis into the study room and there were only two of them left. All of a


    sudden, Anna asked, “Dad, do you still remember the location in which I went missing in Bayside City


    at that time? Who adopted me and how did Ie back?”


    Louis was baffled at her sudden question. Nheless, he tried his best to recall the facts.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    “At that time, I took you and Xena with me to Bayside City to seek help. Back then, it was still the era of


    green-skinned trains and the train station was extremely disordered and crowded. I was buying


    something and when I turned around, I saw you being carried away by a countrywoman.”


    “I caught up with her to confront her. She told me her daughter gave birth to a child in the hospital but


    the child went missing, and her daughter could not clear things up with the husband. And so, she had


    no choice but to steal a child as a substitute for her daughter’s. I followed her to the hospital and saw


    her daughter. It was only then that I believed her.


    “At that point, you and your sister were crying and I had no milk for you. The kind woman offered to


    breastfeed you girls. We were in a critical situation back then and I thought they were being kind, so I


    gave you to them.”


    Louis teared up as he took a trip down the memoryne. “They promised to keep yourst name so we


    might still have a chance to reunite in the future… Oh—by the way, the train station is Bayside South


    Station, which is located at Bayside South.”