Is this the same regal gathering that you skipped by claiming that you had another headache?" Sara mocked at me. "Yes— well, it would appear that he's still a bachelor and the CEO of his own investment banking business." My step-sister Annet wants to get a date with him, her true age mustn't be mentioned under any circumstances. "Why is it that I should not be surprised by it? "Sarah chortled, a sly sparkle appearing in her dark eyes as she spoke.
" You're a bad girl!" Anna cracked a grin. Sara heaved a shriek as she said," I only wish you would be mischievous once in a while."“It's about time you got out there and started enjoying yourself again," I told you. Anna blazoned," Well, I'm going to the party on Saturday," as she made her way across the room to the center counter and seized the order book from Sara's hand." And it's about time that you went to have some lunch. Gemma should be back any second now, and Gerald will not be much longer.' Gemma was a trainee, and Gerald was a good gardener; nonetheless, he spent the majority of his time working as their delivery motorist.
"Alright, I am leaving. But, Anna, I'm being serious. It has been two years since Allen passed away, and despite how much you loved him, it's time for you to start dating again — or at least entertain the possibility — rather than shutting down every seductive man who so much smiles at you. Have you not been informed? Complete chastity isn't only saddening but also dangerous to one's physical health. She had made one huge mistake, which she had pledged never to repeat, but she didn't dare to tell her closest friend the truth.To Anna's eternal humiliation, she hadn't remained fully celibate in the previous two years. rather of speaking, Anna hurled a wet sponger in her direction." Let's go out to lunch!' She moaned as she flipped through the order book without actually reading it and watched Sara, who was laughing and ducking out the door as she left. She had already found and married her lifelong companion, but unfortunately, they were no longer together.Her mother and Aunt Martha originated from Asia and they have settled in America. After her mother’s death, Anna decided to spend the majority of her spare time with her aunt, which is when everything began to go wrong. Her American father had married his secretary just six months after her mother died and bought a magnificent townhouse for the two of them. He'd sold the family home, which had a sizable garden. But Anna had a passion for gardening, and her aunt had given her authorization to do anything she wanted in her garden. Her Aunt Martha Garcia and her job as a botanist during her time as a professor at Stanford University had interested Anna; but Anna found that her Aunt Martha's youthful research assistant, Allen Gonzales, had fascinated her much more.She'd gone fully head over heels for him, and he would become her closest confidant and best friend in the process. After some time, when she was eighteen years old and had left the academy, she realized that she didn't have the intellectual capacity to follow in her aunt's academic steps. She still, retains a cultural flare with plants, and she had enrolled in landscape design at a nearby college. It was at this time that she met Sara.Anna and Allen's relationship had developed into a profound and enduring love, and it was with Allen's support that Anna and Sara started their store together. Anna's life had been wonderful up to the point that she tied the knot with Allen Gonzales, a prince charming when she was twenty- three years old. After that, things had only gotten better. Tragically, they had been married for only a brief four years when he died in an accident while skiing, an activity that both he and Anna had liked. She wasn't with him during the accident. She had stayed in Los Angeles to finish a major job to embellish the ancient outdoor events place for a charity banquet that evening, so she had missed out on the occasion to be with him on the day that he passed away, and she continued to feel horrible about it.
She could now face the world with as much contentment as she'd ever be able to feel owing to Sara's unvarying support over the last two years. Although thinking about Allen now still caused her heart to feel constricted with grief, she had at least gotten over grieving at the idea of him and was now suitable to move on with her life. Anna looked up as she heard a customer go through the door and noticed that the wind chimes on the door were ringing. She forced the recollections from the forefront of her mind and forced herself to smile." How can I help you?'David Miller cast a peep down at the beautiful blondie who was adhering to his elbow the moment the maid had led him and Bryan into the drawing room of the magnificent Georgian estate on Beverly Hills that was the Williams residence. David and Bryan were guests at the Williams home. He wished her a happy birthday and gave her a present the night before a Prada bag. The gift was not anything exorbitantly particular." And my grandfather, I suppose you know," David said. She cut him off in the middle of his sentence." Oh, absolutely, I'm apprehensive of it. How awful.' she smiled in Bryan's general way before continuing." I was so sorry to hear that you had injured your ankle," Annet said. But I can not deny how happy it made me that David came to supper in your place.' also, lifting her gaze over to David, she gushed," It was fate that we met again." Is not that the truth, my sweetheart?" And as she prepared for his kiss, she leaned her head back. David whispered," Probably," as he looked down at his friend with a grin. Annet was a clever woman who knew the score; he'd encountered her kind a thousand times, and it was no trouble for him to lower his head and encounter his lips smoothly against her scarlet mouth. Annet was a sophisticated lady who understood the game.Despite the fact that it did surprise him, Bryan thought she was pretty, although he could not imagine that his grandfather would be interested in a model who was six feet tall and rake-thin like her. Anna was the first person to hear the commotion as she down the stairway. She gave the flower arrangement that was sitting on the hallway table a critical examination before grudgingly turning her attention to the thing that was making the noise. Since Allen's death, she had only occasionally gone to events with a huge number of guests, but she couldn't skip this one.She stepped into the packed drawing room, uncurled her shoulders, and peered about until her eyes landed on the birthday girl." Happy birthday!" she said in a loud voice. Annet's attention was drawn overhead to a man who was facing Anna's other direction. Her face, which was fully made up, was elevated to his in preparation for a kiss, which he dutifully gave her. Indeed when viewed from behind, he made quite an impression due to his height( far over six feet), wide shoulders, and jet-black hair. — and he was the ideal complement to Annet's model height and smooth golden hair.
Anna found herself thinking to herself," They make a striking couple," before allowing her sight to wander away, only to find herself immediately fixated on an senior guy who was standing alone and watching the couple embrace. He was hunched over, supporting his weight with a cane with a silvered tip, and he wore a look of complete confusion on his worn face, which she recognized right down. Anna went snappily in his direction after noticing that he appeared to feel just as out of place as she did. She beamed a grin at the man who had saved her from the board meeting Mr. Miller.
She extended her hand to him, and he reluctantly took it, saying that it was" pleasurable to see you once more." He said," It's my honor," and also, in an old- fashioned display of etiquette, he bowed slightly." Would you mind if you call me Bryan?" Anna chuckled as she said," Bryan it is, you old charmer." David recognized the sweet female voice at the exact same moment that he felt Bryan pulling hard on the sleeve of his jacket. Bryan was trying to get his attention. He moved his head sluggishly and saw the lady while she was holding his grandfather's hand. He tensed up, and every muscle in his body strained in response to the shock and fury he felt. She had been appearing in his dreams for the previous year, and indeed though he detested her for her lack of morality, his body still longed for her.
He knew her in the deepest, most particular manner that was humanly conceivable. But before he could think of a hello that was very cutting, Annet tensed her grasp on the other arm she had him by and started talking to the other person. "Anna, my sweetheart, allow me to introduce you to David. He's the wonderful man I was telling you about." David was able to pick up Annet's voice, but all he flashed back was her name. To Anna. So, what exactly had transpired with Hana? He had a pessimistic way of thinking. She was cheating on her spouse under a fictitious name. But indeed, though she had been deceitful to him, there was no denying the fact that she was much more beautiful than he'd recalled. The first and only time he'd seen her before this party was a year ago. He and a group of his friends had taken a voyage around the Korean islets in his boat for a couple of weeks, something he did every summer. This party was the first and only time he'd seen her since that trip. They had cele
David Miller had never done anything like that before, and he didn't enjoy the experience in the least. Indeed though he wasn't happy to recognize the seductive Anna with Annet hanging on his arm, he wasn't prepared to allow the promiscuous little vixen get away with ignoring him. Brown eyes had glanced coolly in his direction and also back to Bryan, and he didn't like that at all. " Hello. Anna, are you there?" David grunted in a grueling manner. She cast a quick look in his direction, her chocolate eyes hidden by the absurdly long lashes that framed her deep brown eyes.' Yes. Hello,' she said, before fleetly turning her head down again. Permit me to say this because we haven't been duly introduced to one another. The name is David Miller. He was dead set on drawing her attention to himself, so he purposefully extended his hand to her in an attempt to do so. A stern look emanating from her eyes, followed by the extension of a delicate hand. After taking it in his hands and feeling
He cast his eyes about the room, curious as to which of the men there was her husband. David reflected critically on the man's good fortune, wondering whether or not he really was so fortunate. There was no misunderstanding of the sexual tension and raging desire that existed between Anna and him. There had been no mistake. He concluded that her poor husband was someone who should be pitied rather than envied.However, it was time for him to stop worrying about Annet and start doing what he had come to do, which was to assist his grandfather. He cast a quick glance across the room and noticed Bryan already comfortably situated, and for a few seconds their eyes connected. David was confused for a while because he appeared to be seeing bewilderment in his grandfather's eyes, but as he watched, Anna approached Bryan and offered him a brandy, and the elderly man broke out into a broad grin.Anna extended her hand to Bryan and offered him the brandy glass. "Are you sure that everything is
Anna was able to hear the two men shouting, and despite the fact that she detested the notion of confronting David, her concern for poor Bryan overwhelmed her anxiety about the situation. She got to her feet and then immediately launched into the Korean rant in a voice that was calm and controlled effectively. Excuse me, Mr. Miller, but your grandpa isn't feeling very well, and yelling at him won't do anything to improve his condition. Anna was giving him a piece of her mind! David was completely speechless since the woman had such courage. In case you had forgotten, he was involved in an accident, and at this point, he ought to be resting at home. “I was not shouting,” David said after it took him some time to find his voice. He intentionally reminded her of the intensity they had shared by stating, “We Koreans are as passionate in conversation as we are in everything.” He did not do so in a very subtle manner. “And I am fully aware of what it is that Bryan requires.” He cast a mur
She had a lot of respect for the elderly guy, but she had zero interest in having anything to do with his grandson, and she would have preferred it if he had departed as soon as possible. As Anna saw Bryan follow Annet and David out of the room and into the hallway, she let out a trembling sigh of relief. Annet replied in a sarcastic tone five minutes later, after she had returned after leading the guys out of the mansion, “Thanks so much.” You might have insisted on bringing the elderly gentleman home, and David could have stayed for a longer period as a result. Anna shrugged her shoulders and offered, “Maybe—you know better than I do.” It was as close as Anna believed she could go to warning Annet about how much of a serial womanizer David Miller was by saying, “But he strikes me as a man who does what he wants, and gets what he wants—women included.” Anna said this because she believed it was the only way she could adequately convey to Annet how much of a womanizer David Miller wa
Anna exited her car in a parking spot designated for residents just in front of her front door. She then retrieved her handbag and a shopping bag stuffed with veggies from the passenger seat before exiting the vehicle. She straightened up, stretched her shoulders, and sighed with contentment as her gaze swept over the narrow strip of the front yard, which was a riot of color in the June light. The trip to Fullerton was nice.She had a fantastic day; she had helped Mark, her father-in-law, in the garden, and she had eaten a wonderful lunch that had been provided by Marga, her father-in-law's wife. After that, the three of them went for a stroll on the beach, and on their way back, they stopped by Allen's grave. Following that, they went back to the house and had some tea there.During the ride back to Los Angeles, Anna rationalized the terrible thoughts that had kept her up for a significant portion of the previous night. Her stomach was full, and her spir
Anna, on the other hand, was not amused and she had no intention to partake in his humor. She was at a noticeable disadvantage because his large frame towered over her. He was just inches away from her. She retreated involuntarily and braced herself against the bench as she came to a standstill there. Because she had nowhere else to go, she chose to ignore his implication and instead look up at him. She spoke calmly but with a sarcastic expression on her face as she replied, "Then let me pass, and I'll get you a cold drink." She tilted one of her beautiful brows.When he was too close, his dazzling deep stare was too knowing, and all of a sudden, the heady aroma of his perfume sent her back to another time and place—the close quarters of a yacht's cabin. She inhaled a slow breath that was shaky and deep. She had no intention of coming there...David Miller declined to get a cold drink for Anna, saying, "I don't want a cold drink, Anna." He was tryin
"Would you want the drink I offered?" Anna repeated back in a tone of complete disbelief, as the man's audacity astounded her. "Are you out of your mind? I demand that you leave my home at this very moment.Is this how you treat your visitors?" David straightened up and made his way forward in a casual manner. "Consider what your father would say if he heard that his daughter had shown such a shocking lack of manners to the grandson of one of his major shareholders," he said. "Think what your father would say if he heard that." Then there's Annet as well, as you were so nice to point out.' He halted alongside her, his brown eyes focusing in on her hot face as he stared at her."My father and Annet?' Anna said once again. What exactly was he talking about? And what was the source of the unsettling sensation that there was a danger lurking somewhere in it?Since the death of your spouse, Annet has been under the notion, as have the rest of the people