Chapter 6
After a short speech, Hank laid a huge one on the crowd. “Starting next week, I’m retiring as the CEO of Anderson Group. The new
person in charge is my oldest son, Chris Anderson.”
While everyone was cheering, Chris grabbed my hand and brought me up to the stage. He kept his words short and then went
straight to the point.
“Next week, I’m divesting all assets from Anderson Group’s subsidiary, Mona Corporation.”
The entire room went dead silent.
Everyone knew Mona Corporation was the subsidiary Owen had been managing, and it held significant weight within Anderson
Group. And now, Chris was divesting it? That was a clear signal he was severing all ties with Owen.
“Man, are the Anderson brothers really feuding? Chris is basically disowning Owen.”
“Exactly! That woman with Chris used to be Owen’s fiancée. They must’ve had a blowout over her.”
“I heard she dated Owen for ten years, then dumped him for Chris. She’s just a gold digger, and she has no shame.”
The gossip among the guests grew louder and uglier by the second.
Chris scowled and rapped his knuckles twice on the podium. “Quiet down.”
The two words were a total command. The authority in his voice swept through the room like a wave, silencing everyone and
drawing their eyes to him, whether they meant to look or not.
“Mia’s my wife, fair and square. I was the one who asked her to marry me. She ended her last relationship before we got married.
I’m not going to stand for anyone talking smack about her. You come at her, you come at me, and you come at the whole
Anderson Group.”
Chris said it with a dead–serious look on his face, his voice booming and full of authority, echoing through the entire ballroom.
When he spoke up for me, my heart pounded against my ribs. I couldn’t tell if it was pure joy or just an overwhelming wave of
emotion.
Just like that, the entire room went quiet. Nobody was stupid enough to mess with the new CEO of Anderson Group.
The rest of the night was smooth sailing. I didn’t hear another whisper of gossip. In fact, more than a few social elites came over,
all smiles and warmth, eager to clink glasses and make conversation.
After the banquet wrapped up and everyone took off, Chris took me for a stroll in the back garden. The moonlight was all over us, and since we were alone, he let go of my hand in a gentlemanly gesture.
Even though we were married, we hadn’t really spent any time together, so there was still this sense of distance between us. My
mind was full of questions, but I had no clue how to start.
1/3
Chapter 6
+25 Bonus
Why did Chris marry me? Was it because he felt sorry for me? Or was he just trying to get under Owen’s skin? Or could it be that he actually had feelings for me? I shot that idea down right away.
I was no beauty queen, wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine, and I had no money, no pull, and no talent. There was no good reason for
him to be into me.
Plus, Chris was always so quiet. We never had a proper conversation, not even close.
It was the same as now. We were walking next to each other without holding hands, not even the slightest touch. Neither of us
said a word.
The night air was a little chilly. I was only in a thin dress and let out a sneeze.
Chris noticed and stopped in his tracks. He took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. The moonlight lit up his face,
and his eyes stared right into mine, like he could see right through me.
For a second, the whole thing felt like a deja vu. It was just like the first time I met Owen. That was a decade ago, on a night just
like this, with the moon shining down.
Mom had collapsed at home from a sudden heart attack. I couldn’t afford an ambulance, so I had to carry her on my back and run for the nearest hospital. I didn’t make it. I collapsed on the ground, hit my head on a rock, and blood started pouring down my
face.
That was when Owen showed up. He gently put his jacket on my shoulders and then drove us to the hospital. He never got out of the car, and I never got a good look at his face. The only thing I remembered was his eyes, quiet and deep, glowing the way
moonlight did.
The nurses told me the car was from the Andersons, and the person who brought me had to be Owen, the second son of the
family. So, when Owen asked me to be his girlfriend, I said yes right away. I was on cloud nine.
But I had no idea I was signing up for a decade of pure misery. He could be warm and affectionate one moment and cold and cruel
the next.
When he was in a good mood, he’d sweet–talk me, making me feel like I was the luckiest woman alive. And I’d fall for it every
single time. But the second he was in a bad mood, he’d get nasty, making my life difficult and sometimes even putting me down
in front of his friends.
One time, just because I accidentally broke a glass Monica gave him, he made me kneel outside in the snow all night.
Chris was the one who showed up just in time. He carried me inside, got someone to look after me, and left without a word. He
was always that way. He’d show up whenever I got hurt and help me out, but he’d always have this cold look and never say
anything extra.
For the longest time, I thought he didn’t like me. I just figured he was a good guy helping out. But now, it looked like he just didn’t
know how to show his feelings.
At the very least, he offered a kind of warmth and consideration I never got from Owen. And maybe I could actually trust him.
