The moment the words left the seductive woman's mouth, Anna felt like her whole world came to a standstill.
It was a mere second, and yet she felt like a lifetime had passed.
Liam squinted his eyes at the woman, but said nothing, pressing Anna into his side.
The woman was displeased by his cold attitude. She scoffed and left, holding a glass of champagne in her hands, her heels clacking away across the hardwood floor.
Anna felt uncomfortable, she wanted to struggle against his hold, but he was just too strong for her.
She wanted to ask him, who was that 'her'.
In a place like this, she couldn't.
The question weighed on her like a brick, heavy and uncomfortable.
Someone else approached them for a toast and some small talk.
Anna gave up her struggles, forcing a polite, dignified smile onto her face, and addressed the guests together with Liam.
Maybe because they saw the smile on his face, more and more people started to approach them.
Within minutes, five or six batches of guests had come and left, but the high and mighty Mr. Ackman merely smiled and greeted them politely.
The champagne in his glass was as full as always.
Anna on the other hand drank with gusto, downing glass after glass of champagne.
Anna smacked her lips secretly, if this went on, she would get drunk on champagne alone.
Right at this moment, a man with a balding crown approached them.
He chuckled at Liam, looking friendly and polite.
Anna stole a glance at him, expression remaining calm.
She had met this man before, at a ball similar to this.
He was the president of a large chain of banks in Johannes City.
The president of a bank was invited to an event like this, this clearly showed the class and standing of the guests present.
"Mr. Ackman, thank you for your care and support. Allow me to offer you a toast."
Liam nodded slightly, raised his glass, and placed it beside his lips. To her surprise, he took a sip.
The man was so flattered, he hurriedly raised his glass in another toast.
"He-he, President Lee, you flatter me, you've shown me much care and support as well," Liam answered.
"This is what I should do, it is an honor to work for you, Mr. Ackman." With that, President Lee downed another glass of his wine.
"President Lee, I heard someone bought insurance for a bracelet from you, is it true?" Liam asked carelessly.
Anna's mind already flew somewhere else, but at the mention of a bracelet, her mind snapped back to the present company and her ears stood up in attention.
Bracelet?
Her mind was reeling.
Could it be the one that belonged to the Dawsons?
President Lee paused, then nodded, and answered cheerily, "It is true, I was confused too. Why was it placed in our safe deposit box even after buying insurance for it? Isn’t it excessive and unnecessary?"
Liam curled his lips up in a smile, "President Lee, be careful, this bracelet is not just any normal bracelet."
President Lee blinked, "You mean to say?"
"Heh, nothing much. See you, President Lee."
Liam turned and left, leading Anna with him.
His words were enough to leave two people curious and restless.
President Lee pondered the meaning in his words, while Anna wished he would finish his sentence.
The past few days, Anna had been observing Nicole and Chloe silently.
She wanted to investigate the whereabouts of the bracelet but could find no clues.
Finally, she heard some news tonight, but Liam kept his words vague and incomplete, tickling her curiosity like a cat's claws.
If the bracelet that they mentioned was the one that belonged to Grandma Dawson, things could get complicated.
"The value of jewelry is completely set in the eyes of the beholder. If he thinks it's beautiful, then it will be worth it. If he thinks otherwise, it is worth nothing."
Another vague answer, Anna could not make sense of his words.
Anna was tired of running around in circles, so she cut straight to the chase and asked him, "You already know Grandma Dawson's bracelet is missing?”
"The bracelet belongs to its rightful owner, no one can use it to achieve their unscrupulous means," Liam replied calmly.
Anna looked at him steadily, her eyes not moving one bit, "So do you know the whereabouts of the bracelet?
Did you bring me to the party tonight, to meet President Lee?
Anna’s frown deepened.
As time went on, she felt like she didn't know him anymore.
Everything that he did seemed like another well-planned step in his chess game.
And she was only tracing the steps he set out for her, her every move controlled firmly within his grasp.
"Grandma already said she will not investigate the issue of the bracelet any further! Even if I knew the bracelet's whereabouts, I won’t tell her."
Liam looked at her silently, not a hint of emotion on his face, "Why don't you think I'm interfering in this issue because I don’t want you to be a scapegoat?"
"I'm not so full of myself!” Anna smoothed her wind-ruffled hair.
"The bracelet belongs to your aunt; you wouldn't allow the bracelet to fall into an outsider's hands. You think it's best if you do not involve yourself directly in this issue, so you want to use me to pass the news to Grandma? I won't do that!" 1
Anna was furious.
She didn't want to feel used.
Liam looked at her, her long hair flying in the wind, a few errant pieces scraping against his face, cool,
ticklish, and soft...
In the sea breeze, Liam sighed softly.
"What a perfect Hamilton explanation."
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