Chapter 180
Anastasia looked at Pattie, feeling all kinds of upset inside.
âPattie, Iâve got you some snacks. Take them, but make sure your mom doesnât see, okay? Anastasia handed over the snacks and added. âIf you get hungry, eat some. If you run into any trouble, remember you can come to my place. Building 3, Unit 1, room 802, got
it?â
Pattie, clutching the snacks, stared wide-eyed at Anastasia and gave a little nod.
Anastasia couldnât be sure if Pattie really understood her, or if she was just nodding absent-mindedly. Seeing the still healing scars on Pattieâs exposed ankle, Anastasia felt a pang of sadness. She really wanted to take Pattie away.
If Pattie stayed in this household, her future would definitely be ruined.
Pennyâs voice drifted out from inside the house. âDamn kid, whoâs at the door? Where the hell did you run off to? Arenât you supposed to be looking after your little brother?â
Pattie quickly shut the door and went back to take care of her little brother, hiding the snacks
Penny was busy playing poker, not bothering to care for Pattie and her son. She only glanced casually at the living room to check that the kids were there, then went back to her game.
Pattie amused the little boy with a toy, and his giggles made her laugh along. Only when she was with her little brother could she get a momentâs rest. But if her little brother started crying, sheâd get a beating
Pattie remembered her dad saying they were a family and that her mom just had a bad temper. So even though she really wanted to go back to Anastasia, she didnât dare.
This was her home, not Anastasiaâs. Plus, she overheard part of a conversation between Salma and Anastasia in the kitchen last time. If Anastasia adopted her, it would only bring her trouble and add to her burdens. Pattie, being considerate, didnât want to be a burden to
her.
After seeing Pattie, Anastasia was pretty down. Back at her office, she called Herman and told him about Pattieâs situation. âI think we need to find a way to get Pattie into school. If Pattie could go to school, Penny wouldnât have a chance to hurt her.
Herman was also concerned about Pattie and said, âI have someone check out the local kindergartens to see if we can sort out Pattieâs schoolingâ
âGood, if Penny refuses to pay the tuition, we can cover it,â Anastasia said. âI wonât feel at ease until Pattie is settledâ
Herman felt the same way Pattieâs situation was like a thom, pricking them from time to time, causing worry.
âDonât worry, Iâll take care of this.â
After hanging up, Herman asked Nelson to handle Pattieâs school enrollment. âGo to Wonderland Kindergarten across from Harmony Meadows and sort out Pattieâs enrollment. Tell the principal to inform Pattieâs parents that the tuition is waived,â
âSure, Mr. Salstrom, Iâll go right away.â
Herman added, âIf Penny and her husband refuse to send Pattie to school, get the police involved.â
âI understand.â
Dealing with the likes of Penny, police intervention was necessary.
After the call, Anastasia felt a little better. She started working. Victor sent Amy to assist her, but given her sudden promotion to chief, not everyone was happy
No one took her seriously, and her subordinates just went through the motions, showing a lack of enthusiasm. If her team didnât cooperate, Anastasia couldnât get anything done. Even the most outstanding leader needed cooperation and execution from their team. Anastasia knew this wasnât something she could rush or handle too harshly, or else it would just cause more resentment
The following week, Anastasia was under immense pressure, having to handle almost everything in the design department as the chief designer.
Even with Lauren and Amyâs help, it wasnât enough. There was a limit to what one person could do.
Fortunately, Anastasiaâs design skills wore excellent. Despite her teamâs lackluster effort, she was still able to satisfy clients with her designs. In order to get the job done, she just had to put in some extra effort.
Being able to do what she loved, Anastasia felt exhilarated, as if she had boundless energy.
With Herman sorting out Pattieâs school situation, she felt even lighter. The difficulties posed by her team were no big deal to her
Chapter Tou
In fact, her colleagues were just trying to make a point, to show Anastasia that being the chief wasnât an easy ride.
One day, Amy came to Anastasia saying, âDirector Jewell, the manufacturing technique Mrs. Manning wants for her crownâ isnât something our company can do. Itâs a very traditional method used by the royal craftsmen for queensâ crowns in the past.
Anastasia asked, âIs there anyone else who can do it?â
Amy thought for a moment and said, âThereâs a designer who was pushed out of our company by Selena. Word is sheâs left the industry.â Anastasia said, âThen Iâll go see her myself. Do you have her address?â
Amy replied, âA friend mentioned the other day that sheâs been vacationing at Cloud Mountain.â
Anastasia repeated, âCloud Mountain. Okay, Iâll go see her now.â
Anastasia headed to the underground parking garage, towards her car, and called Herman to tell him sheâd be home late as she needed to make a trip to Cloud Mountain.
After hanging up, Anastasia looked up and thought she saw a figure moving off to the side. She didnât think twice, opened the car door, and hopped in, firing up the engine and heading towards Cloud Mountain.
Just as her car pulled away, a figure emerged from behind a nearby pole, his dark eyes tracking the direction in which Anastasiaâs car had disappeared.