Hearing that, Chelsea was becoming enraged. She rolled up her sleeves and looked like she was about to fight them. While covering her mouth, Anthony dragged her away from the crowd. He then took her to a store nearby.
Chelsea asked angrily after he broke free of his grip, “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Calm down! There are many people there. You can’t even beat them all on your own.” Anthony patiently persuaded her, “Also, do you know the CEO of the Carousel Group?”
Anthony then cast a subconscious glance at the boy in the barrier. He had just seen that teenager in the mall the day before. However, he had not expected him to be the president of the Carousel Group and the project’s leader. Then Anthony thought, He must be a rich boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth. And he must have had the best of everything since he was a child.
Frowning, Chelsea said to him, “Why would I know him? I’m just a nobody.”
“A nobody? Really? Then how did you get such an expensive necklace? Tell me, Chelsea, who are you?”
Chelsea remained silent. Then she was lost in thought. In fact, I also wanted to ask myself who I am. Since Anna rescued me from that island years ago, I’ve relied on others, including Anna and Jasper. I’ve been living under others’ roof, but none of them are related to me. Though my life has become much better after Anna rescues me, I would still dream about the life I had before leaving that island.
“I’m no one!” Chelsea collected her own thoughts and exclaimed before turning and walking away.
Anthony froze for a moment before rushing to her. “Chelsea, wait for me! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have been so nosy!” he said.
***
Not long after the news came out, Anna immediately left the hospital, purchased the earliest flight available, and flew to Cliatin with Tammy. They saw Matthew as soon as they walked into the hotel room. He still had a bandage on his arm and appeared much thinner than before.
“What’s going on?” Anna asked Matthew with concern, her voice trembling.
Matthew didn’t expect Anna to come. He froze, then looked at Wayne sitting on the couch. Wayne frowned at Matthew, implying that it had nothing to do with him.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were hurt! Mom and I would still be in the dark if I hadn’t seen the news!” Tammy shouted, “What’s wrong with those people? Matthew, you weren’t there when the accident happened. So why are they blaming you?”
“When exactly did you get hurt? Did you get hurt last week?” Anna asked.
Matthew felt a headache as he looked at his mom and his sister. “It’s okay, I’m fine. The doctor said I’ll be fine in half a month,” he explained.
Anna blinked away her tears and then gave Wayne a stern look. Then she questioned Wayne, “Did you come here the other day because Matthew was hurt? What were you thinking? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You really let me down, Dad!” Tammy exclaimed. She was so enraged that then she kept ignoring Wayne.
I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about Matthew. Why did you come without telling me? You’re not helping me here, but you’re only causing me trouble, Wayne thought to himself as he was speechless.
After calming down, Anna asked about the project.
“We’re discussing what we should do. There have been a lot of accidents recently, and one thing led to another. I think they’re doing this because they want the land we bought,” Matthew said, “There are few companies that can compete with us. A Group called Azul was the winning bidder, but they later abandoned their bid. I’m unsure what they want or why they want to do it.”
“I believe Azul Group did it,” Wayne said, “I’ll have Gabe look into what they’ve been up to lately.”
“Dad, what are the shareholders saying about this?” Matthew asked thoughtfully.
Wayne responded, “I’m not sure about that. What’s the problem?”
“These people look like they want to ruin the project, but I think they’re coming for me.” Matthew’s gaze remained fixed on Wayne as he spoke as if he wanted to find some information in his eyes.
Having pondered for a while, Wayne said, “No, you’re overthinking it. They didn’t say anything about this. It’s not a big enough deal, after all. If you’re still worried, I’ll go back and keep an eye on them. You only need to take care of things around here.”
“Mom. Tammy, since you’re here, why don’t you stay for a few days? I’ll have a guide to show you around.” Matthew suggested.
Tammy exclaimed, “What? I’m not in the mood to go anywhere! I’m staying here to look after you.”
Taken aback By what Tammy said, Wayne shook his head, thinking this was a bad idea. He felt that Tammy would not only fail to take care of Matthew but would cause him trouble.
While they were talking, Anna noticed that the door was slightly ajar. And she was pouring herself a cup of tea when she saw someone outside the door. Then Maria entered the room. She looked professional in a light beige suit.
“Maria, did you just stand in the doorway?” Anna asked.
“No, I just got here. Anna, will you and Tammy stay here for a while? Do you want me to show you around town?” Maria asked with a smile.
Anna replied, “No, thank you. By the way, thank you for looking after Matthew.”
“That’s what I’m supposed to do since he’s my boss,” Maria looked at Wayne and asked, “Do you want to go to the launch site for Matthew, Mr. Wright? Right now, the public relations department is handling the situation.”
Everyone turned to look at Wayne after hearing Maria’s words. Then Wayne asked Matthew, “What do you think?”
Before Matthew could answer Wayne’s question, Anna said anxiously, “Wayne! Matthew can’t handle this alone. You must go for him.”
“No, I can handle it by myself,” Matthew replied.
With a gloat, Wayne tapped Anna on the shoulder as she was about to say something else. Later, Maria exited the room after confirming the launch date. Everyone else then left because Matthew had work to do.
Then Anna and Wayne dined at the restaurant on the hotel’s top floor.
“Why did you leave Matthew to deal with this on his own? Matthew is still a child!” Anna asked Wayne, who sat across from her.
Putting his knife away, Wayne said solemnly, “Matthew planned the entire Cliatin project on his own. So, if I attend the press conference instead of him, the board will believe that the project has nothing to do with him, whether it succeeds or fails. In other words, despite Matthew’s efforts, the shareholders would still doubt his ability.”
Hearing that, Anna started to sigh. She couldn’t help but complain, “I told you earlier that you shouldn’t have let Matthew run the company by himself so early! He’s still a teenager! The shareholders certainly won’t listen to him.”
“After you resigned, the company’s stock price plummeted. Although the share price was then brought back under control, it was still a knock to the head for Matthew’s career. He must be under a lot of stress right now,” Anna said while shaking her head.
Pouring Anna a cup of tea, Wayne gently said, “Matthew is not as fragile as you think, dear. Have some faith in him. Look, I’ve brought you your favorite cherry pie.”
Wayne, you always believe that a man has to be successful in his career, so you’re harsh on our son. Thank goodness that Matthew is talented in business and he’s willing to follow your steps. Otherwise, it will be torturing for him if you keep pushing him like this. Yet, you never expected much from Tammy. Thinking of that, Anna began to worry about Tammy’s future once more, Tammy begged me to take her to see Matthew before we left. Where is she now? Is she truly worried about Matthew? Or did she simply want to have fun in a different city?
***
As she left the hotel with her favorite song playing through her headphones, Tammy was wearing a black down jacket. She later stopped a cab and told the driver, “Please take me to Cliatin University.”
Thirty minutes later, before getting out of the car, Tammy handed the driver fifty dollars and said, “Keep the change.”
Tammy followed Google Maps to a convenience store. As soon as she pushed open the door, she heard a soft voice, “Welcome to our store.”
As Tammy looked up, she saw Isabella, who was lowering her head. Tammy instantly smiled, exclaiming, “Wow! Isabella, you’ve changed so much!”
Isabella looked up, her eyes brightening when she saw Tammy. “Tammy! What are you doing here?”
“Chelsea, do you know each other?” After getting out of the storage room, Anthony asked, looking at Tammy blankly, then at “Chelsea” beside him.
Isabella removed her apron and handed it over to Anthony. She said, “This is my sister. I need to leave for a while, Anthony. I’ll explain it to you later.”
Isabella and Tammy then went into a nearby small bar. “An orange juice, please,” Isabella said to the bartender after ordering a drink.
“I want cocktails,” Tammy winked as she said.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.