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Frank's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "What did you call me?"
Julie's eyes darted to the floor as she tried to hold Anna in place. Her lips trembled as she apologised in low voice on Anna's behalf. "I'm so... sorry, Mr. CEO. She's drunk. She.... doesn't know what she is... saying."
Anna, however, struggled with Julie. She was far from apologetic. "I know what I am saying. Julie, he is ruthless." She stated and laughed. The crowd's attention was riveted on the unfolding scene, with Frank's commanding presence and entourage of guards making him instantly recognizable, drawing curious gazes from all around.
Ian didn't like this. It could ruin the CEO's image. He immediately stepped forward, his eyes darkening with anger, but Frank's raised hand halted him.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. CEO." Julie kept apologising with pale face as she tried to hide Anna behind her, away from the CEO. She was going to get them in trouble if she kept talking.
Frank, on the other hand, couldn't react. He just stared at both friends struggling with each other. His expression remained serious, with his lips slightly curved in amazement.
It was always her. She was the only one who had spoken to him with words and in tones no one dared to. She was always the one to speak to him in disrespectful tones and high voices. It was always her. And all the time, he would let it slide. Why? What was it about her that made him constantly overlook her attitude? Why did he always let her get away with it?
Anna sticked out her tongue at him, and Ian's blood boiled. Why was the CEO not reacting or giving him orders to deal with her?
"Mr. CEO, I am really sorry. I'll take her away now." Julie bowed and started pulling her out of the club, slowly. A sea of onlookers observed from a distance.
Anna struggled with Julie until she freed her hand and ran to stand behind Frank. Frank didn't move or say anything. Instead, he stood still, expressionless, with his hands in his pocket, while Ian and Julie's eyes widened in horror. Anna is so dead.
"She wants to kidnap me!!" Anna cried from behind Frank.
Julie's face turned pale, and her eyes fell to the ground. She didn't know what to do again, and she couldn't get close to Frank because of the aura emitting from him. Ian moved closer to Frank and started pulling Anna's hand from him, but she clutched on his suit.
Frank's body stiffened from her grip, and with a cold, stern voice, he ordered Ian. "Let her go."
Ian's eyes widened in surprise. "Sir?" He asked with a serious tone.
Frank flashed him an angry gaze, and Ian immediately let her go. She wrapped her hand around Frank immediately, and her body shook with sobs.
Ian and Julie watched while holding their breaths. To their surprise, Frank didn't shake Anna off. He let her hug him without moving or hugging her back.
After a while, Anna slowly raised her head from his chest and stared at his piercing blue eyes for a while before her lips curved into a wide smile. Frank watched her face with unreadable expression. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks wet with tears.
Still smiling widely at him with her hands wrapped around his waist, she said in a low tone. "Your eyes are..." she smiled so wide that her eyes shone. "...pretty."
Frank's chest tightened as her words seeped into him, and to his astonishment, a warmth spread through his heart, softening its rigid edges. For a moment, he felt the armour he'd carefully constructed around himself c***k, allowing a glimmer of tenderness to seep in. His gaze locked onto hers, and he was struck by the sincerity shining back at him. The unexpected vulnerability that flooded him left him momentarily breathless, unsure of how to process this sudden shift within.
Frank stared at her face without saying anything. For some minutes, they stayed that way until he felt her hands slipping from his waist and her eyes closing. Instinctively, his hands wrapped around her waist, and she lost consciousness.
With caution, Julie slowly walked towards Frank. "I'll take her." She said in whispers but halted when she saw the seriousness in Frank's eyes. She didn't dare take another step towards Anna or him.
Ian watched with his heart beating in panic. This was so bad. The media would definitely carry this news. Frank's image will be ruined. Ian thought of every possible way to get Anna away from him, but there was no idea coming to his mind. He noticed the CEO was all of a sudden possessive. A side of him he had never seen and feared.
Frank let out a deep breath before he reluctantly lifted Anna in his arms. Julie, the crowd and Ian's eyes widened in surprise.
This was Frank Williams, the enigmatic CEO notorious for his ruthless business tactics and iron-clad reputation - a man who'd never been linked to any woman in the public eye. Yet, here he was, tenderly cradling Anna in his arms, a sight that seemed to defy everything the world knew about him.
Frank started walking towards the exit with Anna unconscious in his arms, and Julie followed behind, shaking with fear and panic.
Ian whispered to John, who was standing behind him. "Take care of this. Make sure it doesn't leak." He ordered sternly. When John nodded, he fell into step behind Frank and Julie.
Surrounded by his imposing entourage, Frank strode purposefully towards one of the sleek black cars, where a guard hastily opened the door. With a gentleness that belied his tough exterior, Frank slid Anna onto the back seat, his movements careful. He turned around and sat in the back beside her.
"I'll drive. Take the other car." Ian told the driver, and he nodded. He got into the driver's seat, and Julie sat beside him in the passenger seat.
The convoy sprang to life, a procession of sleek black cars gliding smoothly into motion, one after another, in a row.
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I HOPE THIS CHAPTER MADE YOU SMILE. IF IT DID, PLEASE VOTE.
- Writer
