Anna didnât keep thinking about that news. She knew that those were all made up by the paparazzi, and maybe everyone would stop talking about it after a while.
Although the paparazzi said nothing nice about her in their articles, the story they made up was just about love affairs. She knew that even if the fans were irrational, they would only complain about it for a few days.
Anna didnât think it was a big deal. She knew she should be sensible like Wayne but not uptight like John.
At the end of the afternoon, Anna went out of the office after packing her things. At that moment, she noticed that none of the people in the office had left yet.
She glanced at her watch, looked up and said, âWhy havenât you all left? Itâs time to get off work. Weâre not busy recently, so you can leave in time.â
Everyone let out a sigh of relief after hearimg her words and then smiled as if they were relieved.
âHey, donât be afraid. I wonât make you guys work overtime.â Anna said to them with a smile.
Everyone laughed. They had worked overtime last week when they were doing the quarterly statistics. So, they started to worry every time they were about to get off work, fearing that their bosses would make them work overtime again.
Anna had just left the elevator when she was stopped by Wendy, who was sitting at the front desk âMiss Gabriel, are you leaving?â Wendy asked.
Anna stopped and looked back. When she saw how nervous Wendy was, she was surprised and asked, âYeah. Whatâs wrong?â
âI just texted John, and he probably forgot to tell you.â
Wendy walked over to Anna in a panic. She was working the night shift on that day, so she arrived at the hotel only a few minutes ago. She had just sat at the front desk in her beige suit and hadnât even had a chance to pin on her work tag.
âMiss Gabriel, I just saw a van at a nearby intersection. There were people with cameras pointing right at the hotel entrance. I think that they might be trying to take your picture.â She said.
Anna frowned when she heard these words.
Reporters are coming? Does it mean that there is nothing significant in the entertainment industry lately? Scott has just made his debut not long ago, and heâs not even a wellâknown celebrity. She thought, and was surprised.
Anna thought that it gave the paparazzi an excellent opportunity to keep them busy. Otherwise, they would have nothing to do.
As they were talking, John stepped out of the elevator. He trotted toward them and apologized, saying he had forgotten to tell Anna about the paparazzi.
âMiss Gabriel, why donât you stay at the hotel tonight. Itâs too dangerous outside.â Wendy suggested with concern.
âYes, you can stay in Mr. Wrightâs room. He doesnât stay there, but the cleaning lady cleans that room every day.â Before John could finish his sentence, he realized he might have said the wrong thing. He shut his mouth and looked at Anna.
Anna didnât react at all. She just frowned and didnât seem to take the comment to heart. She insisted, âOh, no. Iâm going to pick up the kids.â
Tammy and Matthew were taking swimming lessons that afternoon. Usually, it was Henry who picked them up and dropped them off. But Anna promised to pick them up herself that day. Anna knew she had to go because she had promised them, and she couldnât go back on her word.
âIâll give you a ride.â They heard a man behind them say. When Anna looked back, she saw that it was Ryan.
He was wearing a white T-shirt and black pants and had his hands in his pockets. Although he looked young, his expression was very mature.
âYou can drive me there?â Anna froze and asked. Ryan took out a car key from his pocket, waved it in front of Annaâs eyes, and said, âLetâs go.â
They walked to the underground garage. After getting into the car, Anna put on her seat belt and said to Ryan, âWhen did Wayne give you the keys? I thought you could find a car, and I was surprised.â
Ryan was backing up and pulling out of the parking space. His bony fingers looked pretty as he held the steering wheel âAh, I got them just before he left. I asked him to reimburse my car fee, and he gave me the keys. He probably didnât want to talk to me, I guess.â
Anna smiled resignedly and said, âIâve told you that you can ask me for reimbursement. If you need money, you can also tell me.
You donât have to ask him.â
Ryan looked thoughtfully ahead at the street and said, âItâs okay. Iâm supposed to ask him for money.â
Anna thought he meant that Wayne was responsible for him getting hit. So, she explained, âRyan, Iâm the one who hit you.
Wayne was worried about me, so he took the blame and made the company responsible for this. But, no matter what, I was the one who hit you. Thatâs why Iâm the one who should be responsible for you.â
âNo, thatâs not what Iâm talking about, he..â Ryanâs brow furrowed, and he didnât continue.
âHuh? What are you talking about?â Anna asked, puzzled.
âNothing.â Ryan changed the subject. At that moment, they happened to cross an overpass. The bridge blocked the streetlights and the flicker of somber emotion in his eyes.
âWhat are you going to do about that news?â
Anna felt a headache at the mention of it. She said, âI donât know. I want to go with the flow. If I explain anything, it will seem like Iâm guilty. Besides, Scott hasnât messaged me yet, and I donât know what he wants to do.â
Ryan nodded. He said, âYou might want to talk it over with them and get on the same page. I saw a post from someone online explaining your relationship with Scott. He said that no one at Carousel Group knew about your relationship before organizing the travel show. I think that they probably did that because they didnât want to involve themselves in the matter.â
Hearing this, Anna frowned and asked, âReally?â
âYes. I checked the IP of the poster, by the way. I found that he is an employee of Carousel Group, and he was from the IT department.â
After people found out who Anna was, many began to question the show. Some suspected that the reason Scott was able to participate in the travel show was set long ago. As the person in charge of the anniversary at the time, Anna had every possibility of faking it.
However, one article overruled these peopleâs speculations. A person claiming to be an employee of Carousel Group hotel said he knew all about it. He said that everyone in the hotel had no idea that Anna and Scott were families. So, Anna had nothing to do with the Carousel Group This also meant thatAnna had nothing to do with the Carousel Group. That way, no one would blame the Carousel Group.
âItâs okay, Anna. Heâs a businessman, and of course, he wants to cut his losses. I can understand him, can you?â Ryan asked calmly.
Anna, however, felt her thoughts jumble and could even hear her ears ringing.
Wayne was a man who put profit first. So, he made sure he could make benefit before he did everything. He rarely gave up his interests because of his feelings, therefore.
Anna knew that if Wayne hadnât taken a stand, then the PR team wouldnât have responded in this way. She also knew that Ryan was right Wayne was sensible, and it would do him no good if the groupâs reputation was tarnished along with hers She couldnât help but wonder if what had happened to Matthew was really an accident. Anna did her best not to think about all the worst scenarios, but she couldnât help herself