Chapter 10505
“Mr. Scott, your flight back is at eight tomorrow morning. You’ll need to be up by six at the latest, so don’t oversleep,” Anna said, standing at his hotel room door.
The business in Oakfield had been tricky, but they had worked nonstop and resolved it in two days.
Theobald, dressed in a sharp black suit, nodded. The black rosary beads wrapped around his wrist accentuated the pale skin and long lines of his hand. “Got it p>
Anna lingered. “Nancy just messaged me. She dropped Maggie home, and Aaron and the others are settled p>
“Good,” Theobald said. “Tell finance to give Nancy a bonus this month. We owe her a lot for keeping Maggie company p>
A rare smile bloomed on Anna’s cool face. “Maggie already gave her five thousand.” She was such an honest kid, Anna thought, telling her everything.
Theobald raised an eyebrow. “That works too. Increase her quarterly bonus as well p>
“Will do,” Anna replied. “Nancy has always been a diligent worker; she deserves it. And don’t worry too much, Mr. Scott. With Maggie there, I’m sure everything with Aaron will be handled perfectly p>
Theobald shook his head. “I’m more worried about Maggie.” She had messaged him that morning as soon as she found Aaron, telling him to focus on his work. They would talk about the details tonight. “She knows what Aaron has been through all these years. She must be devastated, but Maggie never allows herself to be sad. She didn’t even cry when our parents died p>
“I should let you get some rest,” Theobald said, his voice suddenly raw. He raised his hand and swiped the key card, disappearing into his room.
Anna was a cool-headed person by nature, not one for deep empathy. She rarely had strong emotional reactions to things she saw online or even to events concerning her own, friends and family. Her parents often told her she was cold-hearted and unfeeling.
But right now, a dull ache throbbed in her chest.
After the sudden death of both her parents, Maggie had suppressed her own grief to care for her three younger brothers. And yet, she had still managed to get into Pinecrest High with near-perfect scores. How incredibly difficult must it have been for her back then?
Anna lowered her gaze, turned, and opened the door to the adjacent room. Inside, she took out her phone, knelt, and opened her suitcase, snapping a few photos. It wasn’t quite eleven; Marguerite was probably still awake.
She sent the pictures and typed a message: [Maggie, I brought you some specialties from Oakfield, and a cute little stuffed Devon Rex cat p>
She had slipped out to buy them during a break, wanting to bring something back
for her. A small gesture, but she hoped it might soothe the deeper pains in her heart.
Back in his room, Theobald went to
the bathroom and splashed cold water on Whis
face. He let out a long breath and sat on the sofa, his left hand fiddling with the rosary beads on his right wriste took out his phone, his long fingers tapping open the chat with “Fourth Time’s Charm.” Thıs content belongs to.net
He initiated a video call.
The buzzing vibration of a phone made the green velvet sofa tremble slightly. Curled up on the couch in a set of gray pajamas, the beautiful girl had just been about to pick up the glass of red wine George had poured for her. She pulled her hand back.
George’s suggestion had seemed like a good one. She was of legal age, after all; a little wine wouldn’t hurt. It had to be Theobald calling. She glanced at her phone and saw it was a message from Anna.