When Love Is Fated

Starting Again At Home

Annie drove her new Rolls Royce Dawn to the villa her dad moved into. Not being able to stand staying in the same home he lived with his first wife and daughter, Charles Hu decided to move his new wife and her daughter to another villa. He always felt guilty about marrying right after his wife died. He felt lonely and couldn't deal with the grief of losing her. He decided to allow Annie to leave and live with her grandparents out of guilt. He didn't want her to see him living happily with another woman. Annie followed the directions of the navigational system and pulled into the driveway of the villa. Annie sat in the car trying to compose herself before exiting the car. Feeling her emotions in check, Annie stepped out of the car dressed in skinny leg jeans and a pullover cashmere turtle neck sweater with thigh-high creme-colored boots. Her long black silky hair cascaded over her shoulders and made her white skin look almost fluorescent. She wore a bare minimum of makeup with just a hint of lip gloss. She clasped her hands together when she felt the shaking and walked towards the door. Just as she reached the door, it swung open and there her father stood. Looking at her, tears rolled down his cheeks as she looked just like her mother at this age. He walked forward and grabbed her into a hug. Annie was unable to stop the tears rolling down her face and just stood there holding her dad. She thought she would feel anger or hatred for him choosing another woman over her but at this moment, all wanted was to stay this way forever. Pulling back, Charles Hu looked at the beautiful woman in front of him and smiled, "Annie, my little Annie, you're all grown up, as he laughed through his tears. "Oh dad, it's so good to see you again." she smiled through her tears and told him. "Come inside my dear," he said as he ushered her inside the house. Annie walked behind her dad and into the large family room. She looked around at the decor and noticed it was completely opposite of her home while growing up. "Aw, you're finally here. Welcome to our home," Charlotte Hu said as she entered the room wiping her hands on her apron. She took one look at Annie and felt that she was living in the twilight zone. Annie looked exactly like Caroline Hu. Thinking in her mind, did Caroline come back to haunt me.

Annie observed the look of mixed emotions that flashed across Charlotte Hu's face. It was so quick that she almost missed it. "Thank you for inviting me here for a visit," she nodded as she walked over to the sofa and sat as her father was instructing. "So Annie, what is it that you do?" Charlotte asked with a smile on her face. Annie looked at Charlotte and recognized the clothing beneath the apron. It was from her fall collection. "I am a fashion designer. I'm moving my headquarters from New York to be closer to my father," Annie replied. "Oh fashion, do you know any famous designers?" Charlotte asked. "Charlotte, don't you know that she is a famous designer? You are wearing her design now." Charles Hu said shaking his head. Charlotte looked down at her most favorite outfit and back at Annie in surprise. "Are you really Angel Tang?" "Yes, Auntie I am. I use the pet name my mother called me and her surname as my design name. Now that I know that you like it, I can design you original outfits if you like," Annie offered, noticing that she seemed to be a sweet person who treated her father well. Since she was living in the states, Charlotte had taken care of her father over the years. This would be her way of thanking her. 

Charlotte couldn't hide her excitement. All of her friends loved the clothes by Angel Designs. If she had an original outfit that they could not buy, that would make her the envy of all of her friends. "Oh Annie, I can't thank you enough. My friends and I love the clothes by Angel Designs. Oh, how jealous they will be to know that I have an original design that they wouldn't be able to purchase." Annie found Charlotte's enthusiasm to be cute and infectious. "Auntie you have taken very good care of my father all these years, it would be my pleasure to dedicate an entire line of clothing in your honor. Please tell me what kind of style you like." Charlotte could not believe her ears. She was so flustered that she could hardly remain in her seat. Seeing how well his daughter was getting along with his wife, Charles became choked up. He sat grinning from ear to ear and finally patted Charlotte on the leg, "Dear calm down, you're going to faint," he commented while laughing wholeheartedly. "Oh, hush up Charles. Do you even know what this means? My friends will be so envious that I have a whole line," Charlotte commented jokingly to Charles as she fanned herself with her hands to calm down. Charlotte spent the next hour explaining the type of clothes she liked. Annie had already pulled out her sketch pad and was drawing up some sample designs. Showing Charlotte a few ideas based on what she told her, Charlotte was so pleased and excited that Annie was able to come up with these designs so quickly. Annie agreed to bring the final designs by later in the week for her to view and determine which she liked. After staying the entire day with her dad, Annie finally said goodbye to go home. Driving home, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was a little off-putting with Charlotte. She made a mental note to be more observant of her.

Anson arrived at the villa that was his home for sixteen years. He hadn't seen this house for seven years. His father and grandfather traveled to New York to spend time with him for weeks at a time. Walking inside, he had a mixture of feelings. He regretted staying away from home for so long. Hearing the thump of a cane on the stairs, Anson looked up smiling seeing his grandfather slowly descending on the stairs. "Well, the prodigal son has returned," his grandfather joked with a smile. Anson dropped his bag and ran over to the stairs to assist his grandfather the remainder of the way down the stairs. "Grandfather you look great. Have you been exercising?" Anson knew his grandfather liked staying fit and walked every morning around the estate and had a personal trainer who came to help him with stretching. "Hahahaha you know Grandpa has to stay fit. You won't get rid of me that easy," Andrew Wen joked as he walked to his chair and sat. "So has your father explained to you about your brother's accident?" Andrew wanted to get down to business as soon as possible. Anson had already had Lei Shen investigate and was aware of the details. "Grandfather, I have already had this matter investigated and have a plan in place to bring the culprit to justice. My assistant has also reached out to a notable surgeon in Switzerland who has agreed to come by the end of the week. He is a specialist in spine injuries and based on the medical records  Lei sent to him, he believes he can operate with a ninety percent success rate. Ang will walk again," Anson informed them in a serious tone. He had already made all the preparations before he arrived knowing he would have to jump right into getting the business back on track until his brother returned. Andrew Wen looked at his grandson with pride. He knew he would handle everything once he returned. "Alright, we will leave these matters to you," he said. Turning to his son, Andrew observed his son's beaming smile as his son explained everything to them. "Shuang, you've raised two good sons. Now that Anson is home, we can relax," Andrew said with a smile. Shuang Wen nodded his head in agreement. "Father, grandfather, I'm going up to get settled and will come back down for dinner," he informed them as he stood up to prepare to leave. He had phone calls he needed to make to put his plan in place. Watching Anson leave, Andrew felt that his grandson had matured. Things would definitely be interesting from now on. 

Anson walked into his bedroom and looked around. Everything remained the same in the last seven years. Sitting on the bed, Anson pulled out his phone and made his first call to his assistant. " Lei, I've already explained to my grandfather and father about our plan. Contact Sean Lee and set up an appointment for tomorrow to go over the evidence with him." "Yes, boss. Your car is being delivered within the hour as well as the files you requested. I will text you the time for the meeting with Sgt. Lee in just a moment," Lei replied. Anson hung up the phone and went to take a shower. While drying off, he noticed a small bite on his chest. This made him remember what happened the night before and he smiled thinking of the woman he had to find again. Anson had not thought about getting married this early but he was determined to make her his for life. 

Two months later, Annie walked into her studio ready to put the finishing touches on Charlotte's line. Charlotte and her daughter were due to come at noon for a showing. Annie yawned as she walked in trying to figure out why she always felt so tired since she returned. Her schedule here was nowhere near as hectic as when she was in New York. Seeing how tired she was, Kelly asked her if she needed to go to the doctor for a check-up. Thinking the change in the atmosphere may have something to do with it. Annie had not told her about the night in the suite with Anson. "Miss Annie, you've been tired as of late and your appetite has changed. If I didn't know any better, I would swear you were pregnant," she joked as she walked up to Annie. Annie paused on hearing this and stared into space. Unconsciously, she touched her hand to her stomach. Looking at Kelly, Annie replied, "Don't be silly. I'm just trying to adjust to the change in times and work demands. The food here is different from New York and it's taking me a little longer to get used to it again." Using this as an excuse to cover herself, she walked into her office and sat at her desk. She checked her calendar and realized that she had not had her period for the last month. If it didn't show by the end of the week it would be two weeks. Annie made an excuse to go run an errand and instructed Kelly to have everything ready before Charlotte arrived. Annie drove to the nearest hospital. She was nervous but she had to check to see if she was indeed pregnant. She signed in and waited in the room for the doctor after giving the nurse her urine specimen. Annie walked around the room biting on the edge of her thumbnail while thinking what she would do if she was indeed pregnant. She had no idea how to get in touch with Anson to let him know. She texted Kelly and asked her to send her Niko Lan's number. A few minutes later, Annie received the number. She looked at the time and figured he was probably in his club or hotel. Calling the number, she waited anxiously for him to answer. Just then the doctor opened the door and walked in. Annie hung up the call after it rang once. "Miss Hu, congratulations you're pregnant," the doctor announced smiling broadly. Annie's face went pale and her legs went numb. Seeing her reaction, the doctor hurried to catch her to sit her down. "Miss Hu, are you okay? Are you feeling lightheaded or nauseous?" The doctor asked concerned. "YYYes...just a bit shocked I guess," she stammered. She reached in her purse and grabbed the bottle of water she always carried with her and drank almost the full bottle. After receiving instructions and vitamins from the doctor, Annie walked out in a trance. Just as she was walking down the hall, she thought she saw Anson. "It can't be, he's in New York," she thought to herself. She walked in the direction she saw him walking and just as she turned the corner, she saw him talking to the doctor. Anger boiled in her when she thought about how she was drugged and set up by Mr. Lan. Just as she was about to approach him, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Mr. Lan, she stepped back to prevent being seen by Anson. "Mr. Lan, thank you for calling me back," She responded sarcastically. Niko was taken aback by her tone but he realized that she must've thought he set her up. "Miss Hu, if you will give me just a moment, I can explain everything, well almost everything that happened that night." Niko didn't give her a chance to explain as he went right into detail about what happened to Anson. Annie remembered that right before the drug took over her mind and body completely, he was also stumbling and tearing off his clothes. "So you didn't send me a drink in the club that night," she questioned him. Niko was confused for a minute, then asked, "Wait, are you telling me that you were drugged as well? I didn't send you a drink that night. Who told you that?" Annie was now more confused than ever, who would want to harm her and drug her. Then it came to her, Paulette. "Mr. Lan, is there any way for you to check the surveillance footage for that night, or was it too long ago for you to still have it?" she asked. Niko put the date into the surveillance footage for that night, slowly he looked until he saw her. He saw the waitress walk up to her and serve her the drink. He rewound the footage and looked at it from a different angle. He saw a tall beautiful woman go up to the waitress and hand her the drink and money. He then sent the clip to Annie in a message. Hearing the alert on her phone, Annie opened the clip and saw Annie bribing the waitress and pointing in her direction. She then received the second clip of the waitress serving her the drink. "Miss Hu, if you will tell me who this person is, I will handle this matter on your behalf," he informed her. This was the second time on the same night that he found out his employees took bribes at the request of unscrupulous people. He would hold a meeting tomorrow to make sure this did not happen in the future. "Mr. Lan, do you not recognize the woman who renovated your hotel and club? That is Paulette Yang," she reminded him. Niko looked at the footage again and explained that the person who oversaw the renovation was not this person but another person. He sent Annie a photo of Paulette's assistant. Annie laughed when she saw who it was. "Are you telling me this person is the one who completed the renovation? She is Paulette's assistant," Annie answered trying not to laugh. Niko was obviously angry as this assistant informed him that she was Paulette Yang. "I will get to the bottom of this, I promise. Is there any way, in particular, you want this handled or can I be creative and do this my way," he asked. He was hoping she would allow him to do this his way. "You can handle it any way you see fit Mr. Lan. I'm sorry I thought that you were the type of person who would set a woman up. I will make it up to you when I see you again," she promised. Niko smiled and shook his head, "Miss Hu, if you want to make it up to me, I will send you the number to Anson Wen. He has been trying to find and meet you for years now. He will be glad to hear from you." Annie turned to see if Anson was still in the same place only to find him standing right behind her. She jumped and let out a small yelp. "That won't be necessary Mr. Lan, he's standing right in front of me," she replied in shock. She hung up the phone before Niko could say anything else. 

Anson thought he heard a familiar voice down the hall. Walking down the hall, just as he was about to go around the corner, he saw her on the phone. He couldn't believe his luck. He listened as she talked on the phone and from what he heard, Mr. Lan she referred to had to be Niko. So she was drugged as well and she thought Niko had set her up. He had had the same thought until he realized it was Sonya Chen-Peng. "Mr. Wen, I was just talking about you with Mr. Lan. I need to talk to you," she said still watching him in shock. "I guessed it was him on the phone. Do you want to sit down over here to talk?" he asked while indicating they could sit in the private waiting area in front of them. Annie nodded her head and followed him into the room. "Mr. Wen, I have something I need to tell you," she said as soon as they were seated. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I'm pregnant." Anson sat back in his seat and stared at her for a few seconds before his face broke out into a huge smile. Annie was shocked by his reaction. "Mr. Wen, are you in shock?" she asked confused by his reaction. Anson couldn't help but laugh and looked her in the eyes, " You have no idea how happy I am. I have tried for years to meet you after seeing you again one night at a social event. When I stumbled into that room, I was shocked to see you but before I could react the drug took over my mind. I wanted to apologize to you but I couldn't find you again. I had to leave the next day to return here because of an accident involving my brother. I can't close my eyes to sleep without seeing your face and flashes of what happened that night." He saw her blush and felt the excitement in his loins at how beautiful she was. "I can't believe we were both in the same city and didn't know," she said. "About this pregnancy...," she started to say while looking at him inquisitively. "I would very much like it if you kept it. I know we don't know each other but if you will marry me. We can get to know each other while you're pregnant. Once the baby is born, if you don't cultivate any feelings for me, we can divorce. I only ask that you allow me to be in the child's life," he replied to her. He watched as a wave of emotions crossed her face. "Mr. Wen, I'm only twenty-two years old. Do you not think we are too young to be parents?" She asked. She was so nervous but really wanted to jump into his arms and scream yes. He put it all out in the open. She should've told him that it was his face that appeared in her sleep for the last few years. Right now she could only be a coward. "Will you at least think about it before you decide?" He asked. He had hoped she would say yes immediately but he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "I promise you I will think about your proposal. One thing though, I don't want some grand wedding if I do agree. Just our immediate families," she stated pointing her finger. Anson biting his bottom lip replied, "Anything you want, and please, call me Anson. It will help while you consider my proposal if we aren't so formal." He wondered if she realized she had pretty much agreed to his proposal. 

They exchanged information and Annie left to make her appointment with Charlotte. Annie arrived at the studio at eleven-thirty. Making sure everything was in order, she went into her office to eat a light meal. She did not want anyone to notice her experiencing any morning sickness. Just as she finished the last of her bird's nest soup, Kelly knocked on the door to inform her that Charlotte and her daughter had arrived. Throwing away the empty containers of her lunch, Annie followed Kelly out of her office. Walking into the showroom, Annie greeted Charlotte warmly. Charlotte was so excited that she could hardly contain her composure. Annie informed her staff to start the show, she watched Charlotte's reactions as each piece was modeled for her. She noticed the awe in Charlotte's eyes but she noticed the smirk on her daughter Amber's face. She felt a sense of hostility from Amber when she returned from Abroad several weeks ago. After the show ended, Charlotte wiped the tears from her eyes, "Oh Annie they are all perfect. I don't know how to choose." Annie smiled as she was pleased by Charlotte's reaction. "These are all for you. Kelly, make sure they are all packed and sent to her home," she instructed Kelly and walked Charlotte and Amber out of the studio. She noticed the look Amber gave her as she passed by her and got into the car. Making a mental note to be careful around her, Annie went back to her work. 

Anson sat at the desk in his brother's office going over the files. He found it hard to concentrate knowing that he could be getting married and would have a son or daughter soon. He decided to wait until he received an affirmative answer from Annie before he spoke with his father and grandfather. Now that his brother was in rehab and getting stronger every day, Anson knew he would be able to turn the company back over to him and focus on his own company. He thought about the call Annie made and looked at the time, he knew Niko would be asleep so he sent a text telling him to call him when first thing in the morning. Since he had already handled the case behind his brother's accident, he had already brought down the Song family for arranging a hit on his brother. The hired driver confessed and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. He picked up the phone on the desk and instructed the assistant to come in. "What can I do for you sir, his brother's faithful assistant asked as he walked into the office. "Here are the files. Please make the correction and deliver it to the hospital for my brother to give the final say," he instructed. Runze Sun had worked for the Wen family for almost ten years. He could not understand the relationship between the two siblings. In every rich family, the oldest brother is expected to take over the family business. It is always the younger brother who covets the position and causes trouble. With these two brothers, the young master had no interest in running the business. He only returned to help because he needed to. It was apparent that he is the better businessman as his older brother proved to be more reckless in his decisions. Ang Wen took unnecessary risks that cost the company millions of dollars. He blamed staff for not giving him the necessary numbers to make a sound deal. Anson was more thorough and calmly decisive. He and Ang decided to work together. Anson would review all the files to ensure all the information was correct before sending them to him to finalize. In the last two months, Anson managed to turn the company around and not only recoup the money lost in the last year but made over two hundred million in profits. Everyone wished Anson would stay but would never say this aloud. 

Anson left the company at 5:00 PM and headed toward the Mall. He dialed Niko's number and started fussing the minute he picked up, "Why didn't you call me when you woke up as I asked." "Well for starters, I haven't actually gotten up yet. I was up very late last night handling something for your girlfriend. I only just went to bed a few hours ago. What's up?" Niko explained through his yawns. "Tell me what happened," Anson asked. Niko explained the details of the night he and Annie were both drugged. "I tracked down the Interior Designer Paulette Yang. After showing her the evidence that I had that she drugged Annie, I turned her over to the police. I was at the station giving my statement until the wee hours of the night which is why I haven't had any sleep. Anson, have a heart, will you? I'll call you tomorrow morning, okay?" Niko pleaded. "Alright fine. Get some sleep just wanted to tell you about the wedding but I'll tell you tomorrow," He ended the call before Niko could reply. However, Niko was so tired that his mind was clouded he fell asleep with the phone still in his hand. 

Annie felt like she was in a dream. She sat at her desk thinking about the night she had seen Anson for the first time. Standing amongst the men at the Gala, Anson stood out from the rest. He possessed an aura that was both calm and dangerous. When he turned and looked in her direction, her heart pounded excitedly when their eyes met. She quickly looked away and was distracted by someone speaking to her. When she looked again in the direction he was previously standing, he was gone. She looked around for him but did not see him for the remainder of the evening. Annie knew she would say yes to his proposal. She couldn’t explain it but it felt right. She called Kelly to come into her office and explained everything that happened from that night up to Anson’s proposal. Kelly was shocked but not surprised. She had attempted to find out Anson’s identity for Annie over the years. Many men had tried to gain Annie’s attention but she was never interested. Kelly knew it was something different about Anson that made Annie want to meet him. Kelly felt that Anson was Annie’s soul mate and they were destined to meet. Smiling at Annie, Kelly responded,”I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I have long felt that you were fated to be with him. This is the first man since I’ve known you to gain your attention. You’ve always been so focused and career-driven. That is why you gained success so soon. I have no doubt that you two will be great together.” Annie didn’t know if it was due to the pregnancy or the words spoken by Kelly but she started to cry. “No Annie, don’t cry,” Kelly grabbed some tissues and started to wipe her eyes. Annie started to laugh and explained, “I don’t know if these are tears of joy or the pregnancy.” They both laughed and went back to work. At 6:00 PM, Annie and Kelly locked up the studio and proceeded to go home. Annie was happier than she had been for a long time. She decided to call Anson to schedule a meeting to discuss their marriage. 

Anson walked into the villa in great spirits. He had decided to tell them about Annie and the baby. Walking into the foyer, he heard them talking and laughing. He walked into the house to find his brother standing by his grandfather’s chair supporting himself with a cane. A huge smile broke out on his face as his brother started walking towards him. “Ang, when did you get discharged? Are you feeling strong enough to be up?” he questioned as he reached his brother’s side. Ang looked at his brother whose eyes were filled with love and concern, and just like when he was a kid, Ang rubbed his head and replied, “It’s thanks to you finding such a wonderful doctor and keeping turning the company around. I read all the documents you sent to me at the hospital and realized the direction you were going. The changes you made proved successful. I hope now that you’re staying you will continue to help me run the company.” Anson was surprised that Ang would invite him to stay in the company. Since they were kids, Ang knew that Anson wanted to start his own company and did not want to work in the family business. “Ang, I only wanted to help while you were healing. I’ve left my company’s affairs to my assistant and Niko. I have to return to my company,” Anson explained. His grandfather watched his two grandsons. He knew he was blessed that the two brothers loved and respected each other without coveting what the other had. “Anson, when are you going to tell us about your business. I know you’ve had some success but you’ve been so secretive all these years.” Anson looked at his grandfather and felt it was finally time to tell them that he was the CEO of AnKo.