Chapter 400 Meeting Michael
I pried Michael’s hands away from me and regarded him impassively.
“Why, are you disappointed to see me?”
A slight smile remained on my lips, but the words out of my mouth were chilly.
Probably sensing something amiss from my tone, Michael frowned slightly, and puzzlement showed in his gaze.
“What’s wrong, Anna? You’re finally back! Where have you been in the past year? Do you know I’d been searching for you almost every day?”
He clutched my shoulders once more, his voice carrying a touch of urgency.
At the sight of the delight and anxiety in his eyes, my heart skipped a beat. For a moment, I wobbled, but I soon remembered how I had been spending each day in torment during the past year and having daily nightmares about my child crying incessantly. At once, hatred surged within me once more.
“Searching for me? Hah! You’re the one who wished that I’d leave the most, no?”
I looked at him with mockery written all over my face.
Back then, he made up an excuse of going abroad just to have a divorce from me and had his father hand me the divorce agreement. Then, he forbade me from seeing my child after taking him away. Yet, he was brazen enough to tell me that he had been searching for me every day. I could not help but wonder why he did not find his own words ridiculous.
“What are you talking about? Do you know that I thought I was dreaming when I saw you earlier? Even in my dreams, I’d hoped that you would return to my side every single day. But now, you’re finally back! From now on, I’ll never allow you to leave me again!” Michael gushed emotionally.
In the next second, he yanked on my hand and pulled me into his embrace.
As the unique fragrance wafting off him entered my nostrils, my heart raced. He still smelled as good as before.
In the next second, I pushed him away forcefully and stared at him without a shred of emotion on my face. “That’s enough. You don’t need to put on a show here. I’m here to discuss business dealings with you today, Mr. Shaw.”
Straightening my somewhat rumpled clothes, I sat down in a nearby seat and eyed him dispassionately.
Having been shoved away, Michael stared at me in incredulity. His hands remained suspended in midair, and his eyes brimmed with disappointment.
“Where have you been in the past year? Why couldn’t I contact you? I want an explanation on all that,” he demanded accusatorily in a thundering voice while looking down at me after striding over.
I was stunned for a moment following his bellow. For a split second, I had an illusion that my departure had seemingly hurt him. However, I swiftly jolted back to reality, remembering that my hellish days in the past year were all thanks to him and his family.
Refusing to back down, I lifted my head and stared impassively into his eyes. “Is that any of your business? Please don’t forget that there’s nothing between us now. We’re just strangers!”
He had no right to question me when he had hurt me so much.
“Your guts have grown considerably in the year you’ve been away, Anna! You left for a year without a single word. Now that we’ve met again, you don’t bother explaining things and are even giving me attitude!”
Michael leaned down and propped his hands on the table behind me, his ebony eyes ablaze with fury.
When I saw his furious expression, my heart lurched. In the past, I was most afraid of his wrath. Surprisingly, I was still a tad intimidated to see the rage blazing in his eyes even a year later.
However, he had no grounds to be angry at me. He was the one who hurt me, so even if one of us should flip our lid, it ought to be me. The nerve of him to get into a snit when I had not!
“Michael, it’s working hours now, so I don’t want to discuss personal matters with you. As I said earlier, I’m here for the business dealings!”
I tried my best to ignore the trace of panic within me, locking eyes with him calmly and speaking in an even voice.
“Business dealings? What kind of business do you have to discuss with me?”
Likely realizing that he had been too emotional, Michael inhaled deeply and suppressed the anger within him. He sat down across from me, his voice indifferent though the fury in his eyes as he looked at me blazed all the hotter.
“This is my name card, Mr. Shaw.”
Composing myself, I slid my name card over to him. Then, I continued regarding him coolly.
His brows furrowing slightly, he threw me a chagrined look. Still, he took it. The moment he saw the details printed on it, the crease of his brows instantly deepened.
“Nifty Group? When did you start working for this company?”
Michael placed the name card on the table, his voice again colored by accusation as he spoke.
“That has nothing to do with you. It’s my personal affair. My purpose in coming today is actually to inform you that Nifty Group wants to get involved in the domestic market. As we heard that Joyful Success has already monopolized the entire advertisement industry, naturally, we have to start with Joyful Success if we want to gain a firm foothold.”
It was all thanks to the Shaw family that I started working for Nifty Group. If I had not chased after Lincoln’s car that day, I would not have been hit by a car, much less leave my child for a whole year in order to get him back.
“What do you mean by that? I’ve already monopolized Avenport, so it’s clear as day that Nifty Group wants to go against me when it establishes a branch office within the country at such a time. Is that not so?”
After hearing that, Michael narrowed his eyes into slits, and his voice turned notably colder.
“You can look at it that way, Mr. Shaw. Of course, the establishment of Nifty Group in the country will cause many of your clients to switch sides.”
Michael was astute, and as expected of someone who had been in the corporate world for many years, he grasped the stakes right away.
Nonetheless, I had expected him to surmise all that. After all, he could not possibly lead such a massive company if he failed to perceive such a trivial matter.
“How are you so confident that you can replace Joyful Success when your company had just established an office locally? That’s a pipe dream.” Michael sneered.
Nonchalance was etched on his face, making it abundantly clear that he was not taking Nifty Group seriously.
Indeed, only a handful of people were his match in the corporate world, but I did not think Nicholas was necessarily inferior to him. Instead, I felt that they were likely equally matched in terms of capability.
If it were anyone else backing me up, I definitely would not have the confidence to make such a statement, but the person standing behind me was Nicholas. He said he would help me get my son back, so I must trust him.
“You’ll know soon enough whether it’s a pipe dream, Mr. Shaw. Never underestimate Nifty Group or the resolution of someone determined to overthrow the Shaw family!”
My hands that were on my sides clenched into fists. At the thought that my child was still with the Shaw family then, the detestation within me bubbled once more.
