Chapter 277 A Scandal


    Before Anne could even grasp her own bewilderment, the three boxes were opened at once.


    The metal bands inside gleamed, their warm light reflected in Kevin''s tender gaze as his eyes spoke to


    her in a silent question.


    Anne could feel herself staggering under the intensity of his eyes. "Wh-what are you going to do with all


    these rings?" she stammered, her eyes shifting back and forth from the rings to him.


    She had already known that Kevin was no ordinary man. His character carried over to his actions, and


    even now was a testament to that. Still, Anne couldn''t help but think that taking three rings out at the


    same time was stretching things a bit too far.


    "Anne, you had already refused me twice before. Each time it happened, I put away the ring and kept


    it. This is the third time now, and I will keep on doing it until you say yes."


    To Kevin, these rings were not a symbol of failure, but his devotion. He wanted Anne to understand that


    even when she had pushed him away, he refused to let go of her, and he would do it as many times as


    it took.


    As he fell silent again, Anne felt as if her brain had short-circuited.


    Her hands went to cover her eyes and she bit back a scream. Burning red to the tips of her ears, she


    answered,


    "Give me a few days to think about it."


    The state of her fluster amused Kevin, even as he longed to hear another answer. His eyes bore no


    trace of displeasure. He had already been waiting for a long time. A few more days would be nothing.


    He knew that there was no other person for him than this woman. As long as he worked hard to slowly


    melt her heart, she would say yes one day.


    "When the old town is rebuilt, I''ll take you there, okay?" Kevin said simply instead.


    He was not pushing her any further and Anne was grateful to his yielding. With a faint smile, she


    answered, "Okay."


    They entered the house where Anne had lived when she was a child. A small, unkempt yard stood,


    with a small tap at the center. Moss covered the pool under the tap after years of people''s absence.


    It was as if Anne had been watching her old life unfold before her very eyes. She grew quiet, absorbed


    in her own reverie. It was not until Kevin called her that she was pulled back to the present.


    She looked up at the sky. The orange hues of dusk were quickly taking over daylight. ''Strange,'' Anne


    thought. In her reminiscing, time passed by slowly, but now it was already gettingte. It seemed that


    visits to the past always cost more time than the present.


    "It''s gettingte. Why didn''t you remind me earlier?" Anne said in slight dissatisfaction.


    "You looked like you were lost in your own world," Kevin answered. She had looked peaceful as she


    sank into her old memories, and he wanted to watch her for some more moments. "Don''t worry. We will


    go back soon. Are there any good ces to eat here? You know this ce well. Why don''t you guide


    me this time?" he asked next.


    His question called a ce to Anne''s mind. "Yes," she started hesitantly. "But I don''t know if it''s still


    there. It''s a small snack bar, and the food is great. They make everything by themselves and you won''t


    find it in any other ce."


    The owners were already very old people in her childhood memories, and she did not know if they were


    still alive after so many years. And even if they were, there was no telling if they were still here.


    Still, there was nothing to lose to check it out. "Let''s go and have a look," Anne said calmly.


    They walked through the rows of alleys, and to Anne, everything had remained the same. As she


    passed through, more memories had awakened, and she told these small stories to Kevin along the


    way.


    He listened to Anne quietly, content to just take in the light that shone in her eyes as she spoke of her


    past.


    Kevin could tell from the way that Anne told him these things that there was a different, much livelier


    self that she used to be when she was younger. He felt a dull pang in his chest at the thought.


    Anne was a strong woman—one of the strongest women he knew, but the years had dimmed some of


    the light in her eyes. It was the cost of that strength, and Kevin knew that everyone had to pay a certain


    price to survive in a world that grew colder and harsher as one grew up. His eyes never left Anne''s face


    and he said nothing in fear that one word from him would pull her back. A bittersweet yearning grew in


    his chest. He wanted to let Anne be her old self, even just for a moment longer, and a silent promise


    rose in him. He would be protecting her from now on, and then maybe, if she wanted to, she could find


    the old pieces of herself back.


    In the KIA Group.


    The sun was well into its way, sinking across the horizon at half past six in the afternoon. A glimmer of


    light prated through the pure ck curtain, but the room remained dark.


    The ce was deserted—the employees having clocked off and long gone by this time. Ryan stayed


    behind. He stood in the room with Nichs behind him.


    "Mr. Ryan, wouldn''t you say that it''s high time we teach Kevin a lesson?" Nichs asked in a light tone.


    At the mention of Kevin''s name, there was another face that inevitably came to mind, Anne—the


    woman he couldn''t figure out.


    He clenched his fist as he thought of her. For some reason, the woman made him ufortable.


    "Yes," Ryan agreed, but then scoffed before he continued. "And as for you… Are you still not going to


    tell the truth?"


    Nichs knew exactly what Ryan meant, but he feigned ignorance. "Tell the truth? When have I ever


    lied to you? Just what is it that you''re talking about?"


    Ryan''s eyes were icy as he turned around and looked at him. "I know nothing about your background


    and identity. It''s a little hard for me to believe you when I can’t find any concrete reason to. You see,


    Nichs, I''ve looked. Did you think I wouldn''t find out? You''re not in CY Group, so just who are you? I


    have no time for these games."


    Even before Ryan spoke, Nichs had already known what he would say, but Ryan had only been half


    right. It was true that there was no information about him in the CY Group, because everyone knew


    about the man who went by the name of Kim.


    Nichs was but another alias. He, Kim, was the most feared in the CY Group. But this was something


    he had no intention of divulging to Ryan. He had been in this side of the world long enough to know


    that trust was an empty word—one that a lot of people liked to y around for their own convenience.


    You had no ally but yourself.


    "I see. Mr. Ryan, I think you are overthinking this," Nichs sighed in mock disappointment.


    "Overthinking or not, what happens next is not up to me. It depends on what you would do next," Ryan


    said, his voice taking the hint of a threat.


    In truth, Nichs had always thought that Ryan was just like a spoiled child—fussy, and whined at


    these smallest things. On the outside, he might look imposing, but other than that, there was nothing


    else to him. From the beginning, he had already lost in this negotiation.


    "You wouldn''t be able to find information about me. There is a secret team in the CY Group. It''s the one


    responsible for making decisions for the whole group. Naturally, their identities are well-protected, but if


    you''re able to infiltrate deep enough, you will know that there is more than one core member in the


    Nichs'' answer seemed to have satisfied Ryan. The tension in his face rxed and he started to talk


    about their next move.


    "Well, let''s start now. But can you guarantee that we will seed?" Ryan asked.


    "Like anything else, nothing is 100% sure, but the odds of it are high. You know this yourself, but there


    is no perfect n. However, all things considered, this one is very likely to work out."


    Ryan understood what Nichs meant. In business, no matter how well-thought out a n might be,


    everything was a gamble. If they won, they gained much, but if they lost, they would have to pay the


    price.


    Still, he agreed that Nichs'' n had a high chance of sess.


    If you wanted to defeat someone, the best and easiest way to do that was to find the chink in their


    armor. Even powerful people had weaknesses. And as for Kevin, it was Anne.


    Ryan snarled at the fact that his beloved woman had been taken away. At first, he had dismissed it,


    thinking that his career would always be the most important thing. However, he grew more unsettled as


    the days passed. Thoughts of her filled his hours, and his obsession only grew day by day.


    As Ryan thought of this, his face darkened.


    "As long as we get what we want."


    In AN Group.


    A dull light was reflected on the table as aptop sat open, the screen showing a page with thetest


    data analysis of the AN Group.


    Because of its scale, thepany had its own unique analysis system.


    At this time, the figures were erratic. Kevin read the news, and as expected, their enemy wanted to


    throw dirt on them through spreading rumors about their raw materials.


    An anonymous reporter had revealed that there were fakes included in the jewelry sold by AN Group.


    Thepany was one of the most well-known in the country, and so the topic quickly blew up and filled


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    the headlines. Kevin sneered as he looked at the disparagingments about the AN Group online. It


    seemed that people really ate up scandals, without thinking of the authenticity of information.


    That aside, there were more pressing matters. He had already known that Ryan and Kim were working


    together. He didn''t take any action and just waited for them.


    A wry smile appeared on Kevin''s lips. Ryan had been so stupid. He didn''t even know that he had


    deliberately put hispany in danger when he agreed to cooperate with Kim. On the other hand, Kim


    had probably thought that he would be able to take over the KIA Group unscathed, just as he had done


    many times before. This time, however, he would be let down.


    "Mr. Kevin, news ..." The assistant pushed the door open and came inside in a hurry.


    "Hold a press conference and get ready." Kevin appeared to be not the slightest bit concerned, as if he


    was already expecting it. His assistant looked at him in quiet shock. At times like this, thepany


    wouldn''t know until the news came in. How could Mr. Kevin have known?


    Could it have been a hunch? Even so, he seemed a little too calm for the head of apany who was


    just thrown into the middle of a huge scandal.


    Half an hourter, the press conference was ready.


    Reporters and other press members were abuzz with excitement. This was a major scoop, and people


    would surely be keeping track. All of them were curious as to how Kevin would respond.


    He was wearing a ck suit, with one long leg folded elegantly over the other as he looked at the


    crowd without a trace of apprehension.


    The reporters wanted to know more about how the news came out, but before they could start digging


    deeper, Kevin had called for a press conference and everyone rushed here.


    "Mr. Kevin, we all know that AN Group is one of the toppanies in the country, but not once had it


    been embroiled in such a scandal. Is this all for the sake of marketing?" one of the reporters asked.


    Everyone''s attention was fixed on Kevin and the air thickened with tension at such a direct question.


    Kevin smiled confidently and answered, "With the current status of the AN Group, would there be a


    need to resort to that? Genuine gold fears no fire. The AN Group doesn''t need that sort of publicity


    when our products sell themselves."


    Kevin''s answer was clear and steady, and everyone in the room got the message.


    "Then, if it is as you say and this is not thepany''s doing, are you suggesting that it was a plot


    against the AN Group? Who do you think is behind it?" the reporter asked again.


    Kevin''s smile did not leave his lips. He already knew that it was Ryan, but it would be useless to


    expose him now. Besides, the public would then use him of ndering the KIA Group next. It was


    better to keep thepetition quiet, at least for now.