bChapter 185 /b

“An irrelevant person?” Ste repeated, finding the words almostughable. “Who’s irrelevant? Anna?”

Monroe said, “Look, I saw you in trouble and I saved you. But this is how you treat my girlfriend? If I’d known you’d act like this, I wouldn’t have bothered helping you at all.”

Ste chuckled. “You saved me because you felt like it. If you didn’t want toi, /iyou could’ve just walked away. I never begged you for helpb, /bbdid /b

“??

“You!” Monroe sputtered, furious. He had never met anyon

so infuriating before.

“Look, I’ve already made it clear. Your saving me settles things between us. It’s just between you and me. It has nothing to do with Annab,/bb” /b

Ste said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Monroe couldn’t get it at all.

Ste couldn’t be bothered to exin. If Monroe actually cared, it wouldn’t be hard for him to dig up the truth. But he clearly didn’t want bto/b. Maybe he really did have feelings for her, so she wouldn’t even bother worrying about it.

“Yeah, I admit it. I did it to Anna. Go ahead, call the cops or try to get revenge, whatever. I did it, and I just have one thing to say: Anna had iting,” Ste said tly.

With that, she turned to leave, but Monroe yanked her back. His hand raised like he was about to p her.

Ste stared him down, waiting. When he still didn’t dare hit her, she sneered, “You really are a useless coward.” Then she turned around and walked away without another word.

Monroe stared at Ste in utter disbelief. He thought, ‘Did she really just call me a coward? How the hell am I a coward?‘

Meanwhile, back at the office, when Ste returned unscathed, N let out a huge sigh of relief.

As soon as Ste got back to the office, she received a video call from Jordan. She settled into her chair and answered. The scenery on the other end waspletely unfamiliar to her, but it was absolutely stunning.

“So, what do you think? Isn’t it gorgeous?” Jordan asked.

Ste nodded. “It is beautiful. Jordan, have you had lunch yet?”

“Yeah. Guess what I had for lunch?” Jordan asked.

Ste smiled. It was a genuine, heartfelt smile that seemed to only appear when she was with Jordan, as if she could truly be herself around

him.

“What did you have?” she asked.

“Local home–cooked food. It was really good time I bring you here, I’ll take you to try it,” Jordan said.

Ste nodded. “Okay.”

For the first time, Ste felt like someone actually cared about her. Whenever Andrew or Max went on business btrips/bb, /bbthey’d /balways bbring /bback snacks, but Anna was always the first person they thought of. No one ever remembered her.

Ste realized just how tough she used to be. No matter what people did to her, she always managed bto /bbtough /bbit /bbout/b. bShe /bbthought/bb, /bb‘/bIt’ll bbe /bone thing if putting up with everything actually leads to something good, but what if it doesn’tb?/b‘

10.27 rio Aug

Jordan went on, sharing all kinds of stories about the ce and even promising that he’d take Ste there someday. Whether she would zo there or not, at least she knew that, right now, she really mattered to him.

“You don’t believe me?” Jordan teased when he noticed Ste hadn’t answered.

“Of course I do. Didn’t you say if my supermarket wasn’t about to open, you’d have already taken me there?” Ste replied.

“I thought you were quiet because you thought I was just messing with you,” Jordan said.

“No, I was just lost in some old memories, that’s all. Oh, by the way, Anna came to see me today,” Ste said.

Jordan immediately tensed up. “Did she mess with you again?”

Ste said, “Hey, don’t get worked up. She didn’t do anything. Actually, it was me…”

Ste confessed everything she’d done, but even after admitting it, she couldn’t shake the guilt. She felt like she was no different from bAnna/b.

“You’re not in the wrong,” Jordan suddenly cut in.

“Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve always tried to be a good person, but all that’s ever done is let people walk all over you. Haven’t you had enough of being treated like that?”

Ste suddenly got it. “Alright, bI /bget it now,” she said.

“You’re just giving her a taste of her own medicine. There’s nothing wrong with that, Ste. You did the right thing. Besides, someone like her deserves to be treated that way,” Jordan said firmly.

Ste knew she didn’t have the evidence yet, but she was determined to make sure Anna realized she would be property punished.

“Alright, I gotta go. I’ve got some things to take care of,” Jordan said.

Ste nodded. Before she could think any more about it, she heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” she called, and N walked in.

“Ms. Hayes, Andrew Hayes is here,” N said. Obviously, he was here because of Anna.

“Tell security to stop him. Don’t let him in,” Ste said.

“Yes, Ms. Hayes,” N replied.

Downstairs, Andrew was throwing a fit, but no matter how much of a fuss he made, Ste didn’t bother going down to see him. She was swamped with work and had izero /itime to waste on him.

Andrew kept waiting, thinking he’d finally catch Ste when she got off work. But when the time came, she just slipped out through the underground garage and was gone before he even realized it.

Of course, Andrew wasn’t about to give up that easily, so he went straight to Jordan’s ce to stir up trouble there instead.

Ste still ignored himpletely. She thought, ‘Let’s see if he really dares to hang around here all night.”

Just as she expected, Andrew finally left a little after eleven. Ste just found itughable. She thoughtb, /bb‘/bbPaternal /blove, bhuh/bb? /bbWhen /bbit /bbreally /bmatters, people only ever look out for themselves.’

Ste slept pretty well that night. But the next morning, on her way to work, Andrew was waiting for her boutside/b. “bSte/bb, /bbyou /bbdisobedient /bbrat. Get out of the car right now,” Andrew yelled.

Ste opened the car door to get out. Andrew’s hand shot out, ready bto /bp her. But before bhe /bbcould /bbtouch /bbher/bb, /bba /bbfew /bbmen /bbrushed /bbover /bband /b

15.27 bF/bb, /b8 Aug

quickly restrained him. Ste had never seen these guys before, so she was a bbit /bsurprised.

One of the men quickly exined, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Erwin. We’re not bad people. Before Mr. Erwin left, he asked bus /bbto /bbprotect /bbyou /b

Ste felt warm. She thought, ‘The people who gave me life never cared about me, but now, a man who used to be aplete stranger is the one who actually worries about me.‘

Ste walked straight up to Andrew. Andrew tried to struggle, but the guys pinning him down were pros, so he couldn’t budge bat /bball/b.

“Ste, are you crazy? How could you treat your sister like that? I’m here to set things right. Tell them to let me go. Don’t forget, bI’m /bbyour /bfather,” Andrew shouted.

Ste slowly crouched down, watching as Andrew was pinned to the ground.

“Father? Oh, so you still remember you’re my father? What kind of father doesn’t give a damn about his own daughter and keeps drugging her, shoving her into hell?” Ste shot back.

“You’re my child, so I can do whatever the hell I want with you!” Andrew barked.

Ste suddenly let out augh. “You’re right. You always did whatever you wanted. But guess what? I can fight back now.

“When I was a kid, I was powerless, had no one to rely on, so I just had to take it. But now that I’m grownb, /bwhy the hell should I let you keep walking all over me?

“When I was on a business trip, Anna tried to have a bunch of guys rape me, So tell me, what’s wrong with me fighting backb?/bb” /b

“What nonsense are iyou /ispouting? Anna would never do something like that. She’s way better than you ever were. You’re just making excuses for your own mistakes,” Andrew yelled.

“Andrew, maybe I don’t have the evidence yet, but one day, I’lly it all out in front of you and show you what your precious Anna is really like,” Ste said coldly.

Suddenly, Ste remembered something. “Oh, and actually, I’m notpletely without evidence. Just take a look at this and you’ll see for yourself.”