"She's the rightful heir of the company," Marvin said.
Tom stopped and slowly turned back to him, clearly surprised.
Then he laughed.
"Is this some kind of joke?" he chuckled."Can we stop this? I'm not feeling well."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked toward the door.
Marvin let out a tired sigh.
"I'm telling you the truth."
Tom paused for a second, looked back briefly, then continued walking toward the kitchen. He didn't believe him. He chose to ignore it and headed upstairs instead.
His body felt strange—weak and heavy, like all his energy was draining away.
He slowly climbed into bed and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Marvin found Janet in the kitchen preparing dinner.
He walked over to her and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"You must be really tired," Marvin said.
Janet shook her head with a soft smile.
"Nah. I actually enjoy doing these chores."
Marvin smiled.
"I already told him about Anna," he said.
Janet looked at him curiously.
"And?"
"He doesn't believe it."
He sighed.
"Can you check on him later? He didn't look well. He looks like he's sick."
Janet nodded slightly.
"Is he?"
She sat down for a moment.
"Maybe he's just stressed."
Marvin sighed again.
"A lot has happened to him…"
He paused.
"Mildred is still nowhere to be found. Daniel even said she's not in Paris."
Janet's expression softened.
"I heard. I'll check on him later."
Marvin nodded.
"I'm going to sleep now. I'm really tired."
"Alright. Good night, honey."
Marvin headed to their room, while Janet stayed behind to clean the dining area.
A while later, Janet walked to Tom's room.
She knocked softly before entering.
Tom was already asleep.
She gently placed her hand on his forehead.
He was warm.
"Tom…" she whispered softly.
He stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
"How are you feeling? I brought you medicine," she said.
Tom rubbed his face lightly.
"I'm okay, Ma. Don't worry about me."
He exhaled.
"I'm just tired."
Janet smiled softly and shook her head.
"Alright."
She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Good night. Sweet dreams."
"Night, Ma," he replied weakly.
Janet quietly left the room and returned to her own.
CHAIRMAN'S POV
Chairman Yang was sitting in the garden, talking to his private investigator on his mobile phone.
He was asking about the buyer, but they still found nothing about him.
Worry weighed heavily on his mind—not just about the investigation, but about his company as well.
After ending the call, he took a deep breath and decided to call Anna.
He invited her to have dinner with his family.
He already knew Anna wouldn't like it, but he insisted.
After some hesitation, Anna finally agreed.
He leaned back on his chair and looked up at the night sky.
The stars were faint, and the cool breeze brushed gently against him.
Yet his mind was far from calm.
He was thinking… deeply.
After an hour, Chairman Yang walked toward his study room.
Mrs. Yang was already waiting at the door.
"It's late. Let's sleep," she said softly.
"I invited Anna to join us tomorrow night," he said.
"What?" She stepped closer immediately. "That woman!"
Her voice rose.
"It's a family gathering!" she insisted.
"She's part of the family," he replied calmly.
"Hmph! Family over my dead body!" she snapped. "As if she is Mildred… she's a snake, a fake fiancée!"
"You don't understand," he said quietly.
"Why can't I understand?" she argued. "She's a homewrecker!"
She sat down on the sofa, visibly upset.
"I can't allow her in this house."
"And why not?" he asked.
"Because I hate her," she said firmly.
"You hate her…" Chairman Yang sighed. "But you are still using her money."
"Money? Excuse me! I didn't ask for anything from her! I have my own money!"
"But she owns it," he said calmly. "Your dress, your house… everything we have is already under her name."
"What?" She froze in shock. "Are you out of your mind?"
"No," he replied firmly. "Whether you like it or not, she owns everything."
Mrs. Yang looked stunned and confused.
"What… do you mean?"
"I transferred all our assets to her name," he said.
Her body began to shake.
She became weak and visibly shaken.
"No… no…" she whispered. "That's not true…"
"How dare you!" she suddenly shouted. "That's not true!"
Chairman Yang stayed silent.
He could see her pain, and it weighed heavily on him.
He slowly walked toward her.
"Calm down… we needed to do this," he said gently, holding her hands. "Her family suffered greatly. It was time to repay our debt."
"This house will still remain ours," he continued. "But the company… she deserves it."
Mrs. Yang shook her head while crying.
"No… this is not real…"
Chairman Yang sighed.
"Anna doesn't want it. She never wanted anything… not even marrying Tom."
"Then why are you doing this?" she cried.
"That's the only way we can survive," he admitted. "I worked hard for that company… I couldn't just let it go."
He looked at her seriously.
"So I decided Tom would marry her."
"I know they don't love each other now… but feelings can change after marriage."
"Don't ruin his life," Mrs. Yang pleaded. "I love my grandson… I love them both."
Tears fell from her eyes.
"I miss Mildred…"
Chairman Yang gently pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
THE NEXT DAY
By dusk, the garden was quiet again.
Chairman Yang remained alone, reading Tuesday with Morrie, deep in thought.
He did not join the others outside.
Then David arrived—with Anna.
When Chairman Yang saw her, his expression immediately softened.
He was genuinely happy to see her.
David quietly left them alone.
Chairman Yang stood up and smiled warmly.
David left them.
Chairman Yang walked toward Anna and smiled warmly.
"Lolo, I am willing to sign the papers. I am not the heiress of the company… I am not interested. Tonight is my last night here," she said.
"Hm… every time we meet, you keep saying that," he replied softly.
Anna shook her head.
"I'm serious this time. I am not—until you let me go."
Chairman Yang sighed.
"Hays… okay. Is that what you really want?"
"Yes… 100%," she said, smiling at him. "Please allow me to live my own life… choose who I want to be with. I am sure he will do the same."
"Hmmm… I will think about it," he answered.
"Lolo, please!" she pleaded.
He let out a deep sigh.
"Haissst… I'm going to miss this. You know, you're lucky… your family is lucky because of you."
Anna smiled softly.
"I'm lucky because I have them in my life."
He looked at her gently.
"You know… you're my favorite person in this world."
Anna smiled back.
"I hope this is goodbye, Lolo."
Chairman Yang nodded slowly.
"But can you visit me when you have time?"
"Of course, Lolo. I will. And you always take care of yourself," she said.
"Alright… you know I hate goodbyes," he replied.
"Okay, let's go to the garden. They're waiting for us."
Anna nodded, and they both walked toward the garden.
While walking, Anna called softly.
"Lolo…"
"Hmm?" he answered.
"Do you think Lola will forgive me? I want to apologize to her."
"Do you really need to?" he asked.
"Yes!" she insisted. "I hurt her feelings that night… because of you," she added.
Chairman Yang laughed lightly.
"I already talked to her last night. She already knows you are my heiress."
"Really?" Anna clicked her tongue. "Tsk tsk… I'm sure she was very angry."
"She was," he admitted. "And I don't think she'll forgive you easily. She might even slap you again."
Anna sighed nervously.
"I'm not used to that," she murmured. "Oh my gosh…"
She looked slightly terrified.
"Do you want me to talk to her again?"
Anna paused, then smiled confidently.
"No. I can do it."
Chairman Yang gently tapped her hand.
"Don't worry. She has a big heart… just like you."
When Mrs. Yang saw Anna arrive, her expression immediately darkened.
Her eyes narrowed, and her brows furrowed.
"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply.
She stood up abruptly, as if ready to slap her—but Janet quickly held her hand.
"Calm down, Ma'am. It's not good for your health," she whispered firmly.
Mrs. Yang reluctantly sat back down and took a sip of water.
Marvin gave Anna a polite smile.
Anna, however, felt embarrassed under their stares and instinctively looked toward Janet.
Janet smiled gently at her.
"Come," she invited softly.
Anna walked over and sat beside her.
Janet leaned closer and whispered,
"Tom went out."
"It's okay, Tita," Anna replied softly. "I came for Lolo. We need to talk."
Anna then turned toward Mrs. Yang.
Her lips pressed together tightly.
She took a deep breath.
"Lola…"
Mrs. Yang looked at her coldly and turned her face away.
"I'm sorry…"
Silence followed.
Mrs. Yang did not respond.
She continued ignoring her.
"That night, I had no idea that Lolo would do that," she said, taking a deep breath.
"I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to," she continued softly. "Please forgive me."
She bowed her head slightly as she apologized to the older woman.
"Tom loves someone else… and I like someone else too. We both love different people, and I am not going to marry him."
"tsk!" Mrs. Yang clicked her tongue.
"Do you know how much you hurt their feelings?"
Anna paused.
She looked at her, her eyes slowly filling with tears. She didn't know what to say.
"Okay, there's no more drama here," Marvin suddenly said.
Everyone turned to him.
"What?" he asked casually. "I'm hungry," he added.
Despite the tension, a few faint smiles appeared around the table.
After dinner, Anna and Janet helped the maids clear the table and wash the dishes.
Later, Anna walked toward the backyard.
She noticed a pool area and slowly approached it, curious.
As she walked closer, she suddenly stopped.
Tom was there—walking toward her direction.
Anna froze.
For a moment, she wanted to turn back immediately. She quickly turned around and started walking away.
"Looking for me?" he asked.
Anna swallowed hard.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She clenched her hands and steadied her breathing. She could feel him still approaching.
Slowly, she turned back around.
Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she tried to calm herself.
"I didn't know you were here. I thought you went out," she said.
"Yes. I came back. I thought you had already left," he replied, stopping a few feet away from her—about six feet apart.
Anna looked directly into his eyes.
"Don't worry… after this, you will never see me again," she said.
Her voice was steady, but her hands were shaking.
Why does it hurt saying this to him? she thought.
"Hmph," Tom responded coldly. "Maybe just another one of your lies… again."
Anna's pride was struck.
She forced a small smile and let out a breath.
"I am not lying," she said quietly, holding herself together.
Her heart, however, felt heavy—because deep inside, she was happy just seeing him one last time.
She didn't want to turn away, but her mind kept telling her to leave.
So she walked away.
Tom remained standing by the pool, watching her go.
After a few steps, Anna stopped.
She turned back around.
"You know what? I really hate you," she said firmly.
"I thought you were like my big brother."
She walked back toward him as she spoke.
"You promised me… if I was in trouble, I could come to you. We promised like siblings. But what happened to you? Promises aren't meant to be broken… you disappointed me."
Tom's expression darkened.
"Because you lied to me!" he suddenly raised his voice. "It looked like you told me everything before… we weren't like this!"
His voice lowered, but it was still sharp.
"Tell me… why did you lie?"
"Tell me why."
Anna's lips trembled.
"I was afraid…"
"Afraid of what?" he asked, eyes narrowed.
"Marrying you," she answered honestly, looking away. "I am the heiress of the company. Our grandparents arranged this marriage… and you love Mildred. I don't want to marry you!"
Her voice cracked with emotion.
"I hate you…" she said, tears finally falling.
Tom slowly walked toward her.
"Are you done?" he asked softly.
His voice had changed—calmer, gentler.
Anna froze.
She stepped back.
But Tom kept walking toward her.
She kept retreating until she could no longer move.
In one sudden motion, Tom reached her and pulled her into his arms—his hand securing her waist as he hugged her tightly.