Chapter 162

Howard's POV

I glanced at my watch-ten o'clock already. Setting down the file I'd been reviewing. I exhaled deeply and massaged my aching shoulders. The room felt empty without Annie's presence. She must still be with Lucy,probably having fallen asleep beside her.

A warmth spread through my body as my mind drifted to Annie in the shower this morning, her wet silhouette tantalizingly visible through the steamy glass.

Damn it. I had planned to spend tonight with her, making up for tomorrow's separation with passionate embraces and intimate pleasure.The thought of Annie going to the factory signing event tomorrow, leaving us apart for an entire day, intensified both my desire and an unexpected restlessness that had settled in my chest.

I rose from my chair and walked into the hallway, noticing the soft light still spilling from beneath Lucy's bedroom door. After Penny revealed yesterday that Lucy was being bullied at school, Annie must have wanted to have a proper conversation with her about it. Their talk had clearly gone longer than expected, and Annie had likely fallen asleep alongside Lucy. Though I completely understood and supported Annie's decision,I couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment.

Standing outside Lucy's door, my fingers unconsciously gripped the doorframe as a powerful longing surged through me-a desire to have Annie back in my arms. I imagined what would happen if she appeared in the hallway right now: how I would gently pull her into my embrace.capture her lips with a fervent kiss,feel the softness of her body pressed against mine.

This sensation startled me. 1. Howard Thompson, the business executive renowned for his cool rationality. was actually feeling agitated over missing a night with a woman? I was even slightly irritated that Lucy was monopolizing Annie's attention.

Wait-was I jealous of a child? Competing with a five-year-old girl for Annie's company? The thought was absurd.

I recalled how before we became a couple, going several days without seeing each other had never been an issue. Now, just one evening without Annie left me unsettled. How would I handle tomorrow when Annie attended her comic book signing event and we wouldn't see each other all day? Hopefully, my busy work schedule would distract me from this longing.

I turned back toward the bedroom, gently closing the door behind me. Is this what love feels like? I had never imagined myself craving someone's company so desperately, feeling lost at the prospect of spending a day apart. I was beginning to understand why people in love behave in ways I once considered irrational.

Just as I lay down on the bed, my phone rang. Seeing Philip Baker's name on the screen, I answered without hesitation but deliberately maintained a cool tone: "What is it?"

"Get Annie to take the phone. I need to talk to her," Philip demanded, his voice urgent.

I responded coldly: "She's putting Lucy to bed. She probably doesn't have time to talk to you." I didn't tell him that Annie had likely fallen asleep with Lucy-I had no intention of giving him any hope. Philip laughed mockingly. "Don't you love Annie? How can you let her do these household chores?"

"I didn't even love Sarah, yet I still hired people to take care of her," he continued, his tone gleeful and spiteful. "It seems the great CEO Howard's love isn't as deep as it appears."

I could tell Philip was criticizing my treatment of Annie, but I remained unfazed. Adjusting my position slightly, I replied calmly: "Don't you know?Annie loves children."

"When Lucy is at school, she's happy to work part-time. But once Lucy returns. Annie wants to spend every possible moment with her."

I could sense Philip's shift in emotion through the phoneas I continued:"It's precisely because she loves children so much that when you and Sarah created so many problems, she chose to endure rather than divorce."

"Until later..." my voice grew colder, "when you and your son grew close to Sarah. even causing her to lose the baby she was carrying."

"Otherwise,she would have certainly compromised and stayed with you."

I knew these words would sting Philip, but I had no desire to feed any illusions he might harbor about Annie.

"That's all in the past," Philip said, a note of pain evident in his voice.

"Just like now," I replied, deliberately slowing my pace, "she earns far more from drawing comics than she did as a caregiver, yet she still chooses to continue looking after Lucy."

"Why do you think that is?" I asked pointedly.

I knew well thatif Annie had initially stayed for the money, she had since genuinely fallen in love with Lucy. Without exaggeration, she now treated Lucy as her own daughter. and Lucy had fully accepted Annie as her mother. This kind of connection couldn't be bought with money.

"I think she would do the same even if it were someone else's child... not yours." Philip responded.jealousy saturating his words as he tried to suggest Lucy wasn't special to Annie.

I found Philip's thinking absurd but didn't directly challenge it."Is that so?But Philip, when she was with you... you never paid her a salary, did you?" If Philip had been even slightly generous, Annie might not have found herself in such dire financial straits.

I emphasized each word: "When Annie is with us, she only needs to care for Lucy, nothing else, and earns eighty thousand dollars a month."

"But in your house, she had to do everything... how much did you pay her per month?" I knew this question would make him uncomfortable.

"What does money have to do with this?" Philip's voice was both angry and embarrassed.

"Everything," I replied methodically. "She asked for nothing from you, not even money... and in the end, she left with nothing."

"Annie is an adult who learns from past mistakes."

"She surely understands that unconditional giving is meaningless."

"So her subsequent contributions definitely require compensation." I delivered each statement slowly, letting every word pierce Philip's heart.

"How many people do you think would be willing to pay the price I offer?"

I asked calmly, knowing the question would unsettle him. The phone went silent for several seconds,and I knew Philip was realizing after serious consideration that indeed, very few people could match my offer.

"So your theory about substituting Lucy with another child doesn't hold up."I confidently stated. "She would only come to our home to be Lucy's mother."

"You're not the only one willing to spend money on women. Look how much I spent on Sarah..." Philip suddenly countered, though his tone revealed this was merely a weak defense.

I didn't directly address his provocation, instead asking calmly: "Then why,when you were together, were you particularly unwillingto spend money on Annie?"

Philip was speechless on the other end.

Knowing I had the upper hand, I continued: "If you had been just slightly more generous with her, spent a little more to make her feel your love, she would never have given up on you."

"You wouldn't be so regretful and unwilling to let go now."

I could almost picture Philip's expression at this moment-he must have felt a heaviness in his chest. He wanted to tell me I was wrong, but deep down,he knew I was right.

Hearing the continued silence on the other end, I decided to end the topic:"Besides work, it seems we have nothing else to discuss. Why not call again tomorrow morning?"

"Or..." I deliberately left a tantalizing pause. "Oh?" Philip's voice suddenly perked up.

"You can tell me now. and Til pass it on to her," I said in a businesslike tone,giving him no hope whatsoever.

"Never mind. I'll contact her myself tomorrow." Philip sounded disappointed.

Seeing that Philip had nothing more to say, I didn't press further and simply ended the call. After hanging up, I sighed deeply and looked toward the door. Annie must have fallen asleep with Lucy by now;she probably wouldn't return tonight. With a full day of work ahead, I needed to rest too. Yet even so, my mind remained filled with thoughts of Annie,contemplating how it would feel to go an entire day without seeing her.

This is love. I thought with self-deprecation. The once mighty Howard Thompson, now feeling empty because of a woman's absence. I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes, hoping tomorrow would come quickly so I could see Annie again sooner.