Chapter 279 Sweet Words


    Kevin smiled helplessly at the sight of Anne burrowed under the quilt. He knew she was sulking.


    "Honey, don''t be angry."


    Anne squirmed a little at the words. She had not expected him to call her that way, and it made a


    strange and slightly ufortable feeling grow in her.


    Kevin didn''t miss the stiffening of her figure and his smile grew. Emboldened by his effect on her, he


    reached out to pat her back and continued, "What is it honey? Are you in a bad mood?"


    Anne had almost turned around to respond. She fought off the urge to squirm. He knew exactly what


    he was doing, and she would refuse to give him the satisfaction of ying her. In her mind''s eye, she


    could almost see the self-satisfied look on his face, even as his voice remained gentle and seemingly


    innocent.


    "Honey," Kevin persisted. "I''m sorry. I won''t ask the servant to call you Mrs. Anne from now on. You can


    ask them to call you whatever you like, okay?" If he kept calling her that, she wouldbust. Anne


    tightened her grip on the quilt and drew a steadying breath. ''Don''t give in, Anne. You can do this…'' she


    reasoned with herself.


    "Got it. Can you leave me alone now? I''m trying to sleep," she said in the most leveled voice she could


    muster.


    "Are you really sleepy?" Kevin pressed, his amusement now all gone from her aloof response.


    With her condition, thest thing he wanted was for her to harbor unpleasant feelings.


    "Yes, I''m sleepy," Anne said, her voice thick with drowsiness.


    It wasn''t a lie when she said she wanted to rest. After being pregnant, Anne had noticed that she would


    often feel tired and fall asleep from time to time. It was one of the conditions that came with her


    pregnancy. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy and she sumbed to the pull of sleep.


    Kevin watched as she settled into a peaceful slumber. He had not known that it was possible for his


    heart to swell with happiness just at the sight of her softened features. She was with him now, from her


    own choosing. That knowledgeforted him and magnified his joy.


    He settled down next to her and closed his eyes, falling asleep with his arm around her.


    Some time during the night, Anne had woken up. It was another change that she had noticed about


    herself. Her body had be unpredictable. At times, she would be feeling was very sleepy, but then


    she would also be woken up for no apparent reason. As her mind slowly stirred into consciousness,


    she felt a warmth in her stomach. Kevin had put his hand high on her waist—an ufortable


    position, and one that made sure his arm would feel strained when he woke up. But Anne had


    instinctively known why. Kevin was probably afraid of hurting the child identally when he fell asleep.


    It was as if the gentle weight of his hand was telling her and the baby that he would protect them.


    Slowly, so as not to wake him, she ced her own hand over his and smiled.


    The night stretched over them like a warm nket. Anne wished that it wouldst just a little longer, if


    only for tonight.


    In the KIA Group.


    Several documents and the clutter of crumpled sheets were strewn over the desk. On the floor, broken


    ceramic and shards of ss spread out. The lights in the office were lit, ring down at the carpet dyed


    of spilled wine the color of rage.


    Ryan sat on the sofa with a look of hatred that had turned his face almost revolting. Just now, news


    came from outside that Kevin had perfectly smashed their n, sweeping over the mess they made


    cleanly until everything was spotless.


    "Damn it!" The table shook from the force of his fist. A thin stream of blood flowed from his closed


    hand.


    "Rx. This is only the beginning. Think of it as Kevin''s appetizer. When I move forward with the n,


    his suffering will be much greater," Nichs said, seemingly unfazed by Kevin''s victory.


    But his words did nothing to quell Ryan''s grudge. He didn''t know what Nichs was about to do next.


    He knew nothing about this man in front of him and what was going on his mind. The sight of his


    calmness made him even angrier.


    "Are you sure about that? Because this grand n of yours is starting off as a splendid failure. How can


    I be sure that the next one wouldn''t be the same? Kevin has already read our actions. The bastard has


    brains. He would be able to counter with his own moves. Now we just gave them the perfect


    opportunity to show themselves off!"


    Nichs had not expected it. He had initially estimated that the M Group did not get along well with


    Kevin, but it seemed that people were truly unpredictable. Why would Mark help Kevin?


    "I admit that I didn''t expect Mark to help Kevin out. Don''t worry, I''ll be getting to the bottom of this and


    find his weakness."


    Mark was not a dangerous opponent as Kevin, but Nichs had not yet figured out what chess piece


    he was in this game. He was aplicated character, and it would not be easy to dispose of him when


    he had not yet found the chink in the man''s armor.


    "Well, what should we do next?" Ryan calmed himself down and asked.


    Nichs had only smiled and said nothing.


    Summer had waltzed in the East Mountain Vi.


    The lemon trees danced with the wind, scattering their fragrance.


    Anne was lying down on the chair, basking in the warm sunlight. The sight of the lemon trees brought a


    smile to her face, and she inhaled the fresh scent they gave off.


    Kevin had given the servant instructions to check on her from time to time, explicitly telling her to make


    sure that she would always be in a good mood. He had heard that pregnant women were likely to be


    upset at the smallest things, and he didn''t want Anne to be in low spirits. It wouldn''t be good for her or


    the baby.


    But it seemed that he had nothing to worry about. The servant had found Anne all smiles every time


    she checked. Later on, she figured that it was most likely due to the lemon trees.


    "Mrs. Anne, the trees in the garden were nted by Mr. Kevin himself," the servant said


    enthusiastically.


    As Anne heard this, her brows furrowed slightly. Howe she had only found out about it now?


    She vaguely remembered hearing before that the garden was being decorated for a time, but nothing


    else.


    "When did he nt them?" she asked.


    The servant thought for a moment before answering, "When you moved outst time, Mr. Kevin had


    always been depressed and seldom went to thepany. Most days he just stayed here, and it was


    during that time that he had nted the lemon trees. We were actually worried that he was going crazy,


    but now we know that it was because you like them." The servant smiled as she exined, her eyes


    lighting up with admiration. What a truly fortunate woman Anne was.


    "I see," Anne answered absentmindedly, lost in her own thoughts.


    Things had truly changed between her and Kevin. She didn''t know if it was because Kevin was different


    now, or if it was her who changed that she was willing to know what he had done for her.


    It was as if the invisible but ever-present gap between them was slowly getting shorter, now that the


    two of them were taking steps towards each other one at a time. She could not be more satisfied. This


    was the life she wanted—the two of them living together without secrets.


    "Mrs. Anne, I''ll leave you to rest. I''m going back inside to do some work," the servant said thoughtfully,


    then left.


    On the top floor of KIA Group.


    The city lit up with the sh of neon lights at nighttime. An asional wind blew into the office from the


    open window. The stars had remained engulfed in darkness, eclipsed by the city lights.


    At the top floor, Ryan had an overwhelming sense of altitude, as if he could see everything stretch into


    endlessness.


    However, when he thought of Kevin and how he had gotten away unscathed, he felt puny and


    powerless.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Just when he was mulling over his frustrations, his phone vibrated in his pocket. The screen showed


    Nichs'' number.


    "What is it?" Ryan said, not bothering with greetings. He was in no mood to be polite.


    "Kevin is reconstructing an old district of the city. Keep an eye on it," Nichs answered.


    A frown came to settle on Ryan''s face. He was confused. "What now? Does an old district of the city


    have anything to do with the n? You''re even more useless than I thought,"


    Ryan spat, but Nichs had only chuckled at him in a way that was almost derisive.


    "Ryan, oh, Ryan, have you forgotten the ce where you and Anne lived when you were young?"


    Nichs asked.


    At this, Ryan was stunned. It was true. He had lived in the same ce with Anne when they were


    children. Was Kevin rebuilding the old district for her?


    His hands clenched into fists at the realization. It was a massive project that would take a lot of


    resources. He grit his teeth, the feeling of being dwarfed by Kevin''s gesture quickly growing. However,


    Ryan was a proud man. He would not let him win Anne over without putting up a fight.


    Although Ryan had remained quiet on the other line, Nichs had already seen through him. He felt as


    if he was looking at a petnt child who refused to do anything and yet felt entitled to get what he


    wanted. Nichs'' distaste grew at the thought that he had chosen such a despicable man as his


    partner. He could imagine the reason why Ryan couldn''t get the woman he liked.


    "Well? Would it be alright if we use Anne next?" Nichs said, his voice taking an amused lilt.


    As Ryan heard his mockery, his face hardened. "Why the hell wouldn''t it be? Just go ahead and do


    what you need to. Just make sure we win. That''s all that matters," he answered.


    Nichs'' smile grew wider. Bullseye. He had known exactly what Ryan''s answer would be. Still, he


    couldn''t resist getting his amusement out of him.


    "I just thought you might feel bad, so I asked for your opinion. In any case, it''s settled now." Nichs''


    words made Ryan''s throat tight. The thought of harming to Anne made his gut clench


    unpleasantly.


    In order to hide his uneasiness, Ryan forced a smile and said, "I''m a little concerned about her, but she


    is with Kevin and not with me. That makes her the enemy."


    Nichs had almost cackled at his answer. Little did Ryan know that he already had him read inside


    out, down to his repugnant innards.


    Nichs had almost felt sorry for Anne, but this was quickly reced with thoughts of how to use her


    for his next move.


    Early in the morning, the sunlight passed through the window and scattered its rays on the smooth


    floor, giving the room a pleasant glow.


    When Anne woke up, her intuition had told her that it was alreadyte. The sun was already high up


    outside. It was probably around eight or nine o''clock in the morning.


    She had always been an early riser, but she had slept through the first light of morning and woke up


    muchter than usual. Kevin was beside her.


    He was still asleep. Anne turned over gently and faced him.


    She hadn’t gotten a chance to look at him so carefully for a long time. There were dark circles under his


    eyes, but they did nothing to mar his handsome features.


    His eyshes were even longer than hers. She almost felt jealous. How could a man be so beautiful?


    He slept quietly, as if nothing in the world touched him.


    Anne touched his face softly, a gentle smile on her lips.


    As she was quietly taking in the atmosphere, a hand suddenly grabbed hers and caught her by


    surprise. Two eyes were wide open, staring at her with a mischievous glint.


    Anne immediately came to her senses and escaped with her embarrassment under the quilt. However,


    Kevin did not n on letting her go so easily.


    "Take a picture. Itsts longer," he said, chuckling lightly.


    Then, he pulled the covers away from Anne and continued, "Or better yet, keep looking. I won''t


    charge." He cupped her face and drew her head towards him. When their eyes met, Anne''s ears were


    burning red. It was Kevin''s turn to be at a loss for words, quietly admiring her flushed face.


    The intensity of his gaze made Anne feel uneasy. When she was about to break away, a pair of lips


    descended on her own and held her captive.


    Outside, the sun gave off its light, bathing the world in the brightness of the morning.


    When Kevin finally let her go, Anne''s face was impossibly redder. Kevin had felt a familiar heat travel


    through his skin, but the sight of the slight bulge on Anne''s stomach quickly doused his desire.


    He had to put up with it for now for the sake of their child. Kevin breathed deeply and willed his tense


    body to rx. Anne had immediately understood and had all but fled the room, giving him space to


    calm down.