Chapter 24 The Feeling of Being Protected

Kathy felt she was an abandoned shell, someone who was not valued, and the cause of this was this plain woman before her. What right did she have to have such an excellent man? “Yes. Annie, have you finished eating? If you’re done, hurry and leave. You’re so slow.” Myles did not notice how Kathy was out of sorts. He released Annie, making an effort to control his agitated emotions. If Annie had not been so afraid of him right now, he would have wiped her out on the spot. “Oh…” Annie stood up hastily. The sharp screech of the chair scraping the floor seemed especially unusual, and it made the atmosphere in the dining hall very strange. Myles’ eyes narrowed. His dangerous gaze reflected some impatience. This woman was a real idiot. “I…” Sensing that dangerous gaze, Annie self-consciously lowered her head, and her face reddened in anxiety. The courage she had accumulated for twenty years had all been spent during yesterday’s wedding. Due to the Lane mother-daughter duo’s bullying, she was used to donning a meek attitude, so now she consciously lowered her head in acknowledgment of her fault. However, in Myles’ eyes, this was extraordinarily irritating. He had never been someone who hid his feelings, and he never bothered to control them either. Myles took a step forward immediately and put an arm around her shoulder, then forcefully raised her chin with one hand. His intense gaze held a dangerous air, and his handsome face wore a cold expression. “You… What are you doing?” The pain from her chin made Annie wrinkle her brows. She did not know what sudden madness had seized Myles. “Let me tell you, as my woman, you don’t have to lower your head, and nobody has the right to make you lower your head either.” His overbearing tone and the cold aura emitting from his body made Annie shiver, but Myles let her go quickly. Still, his words kept replaying in Annie’s heart, unable to be forgotten. After all, nobody had ever told her she had to raise her head. She lived her life as a doormat and got used to being bullied. Nobody helped her, and she learned to forbear too. She learned how to survive. Now, Myles was telling her not to behave meekly and to raise her head. Now, she had him to cover her. It was a very weird feeling. It was the first time Annie felt that she was protected. Even back when she had been together with Mason, she never felt this sensation. It was very odd. It actually sparked a sort of newfound greed within her. “Let’s go, you dumb lady.” Noting Annie’s dumbstruck appearance, his tone softened a few degrees, but his face had the usual unapproachable stern expression. He turned and walked ahead, exiting the dining hall and leaving Annie standing there stupidly. Her gaze swam around. She could not calm her feelings no matter how hard she tried. “Ms. Lane, you’d better follow him quickly. Mr. Jennings doesn’t like being made to wait for others.” Kathy stood beside Annie, still unable to accept the woman, and Annie’s dopey appearance did not help. She could not imagine her and Myles, the highly-intelligent leader of the business world, being an item. Hence, her tone was very unfriendly, and she addressed Annie rather distantly. “Oh…” Although Kathy had meant it as a show of power, Annie could not detect her intentions. She was still lost in her own thoughts. Annie kept thinking as she dashed outside. A low key Phaeton was parked at the gate of the villa. Hugh stood by the car door, waiting for her. “Please get in, Ms. Lane.” Although Hugh had already acknowledged Annie’s status, that did not change the way he addressed her. After all, Annie’s image really did not live up to the title of the president’s wife. “Thank you.” Annie nodded at him, then got in the car under the scrutiny of many maids. Myles sat at the back, a laptop in his hands as he held a remote video conference. However, he was only wearing earphones to listen in on the meeting. He did not speak up or express any opinions, so it was very quiet in the car. Annie’s expression was tight, and she made sure not to even exhale too heavily. She noticed that being with someone who had frequent mood swings like Myles was really exhausting. Hugh drove steadily. While Annie was looking out the window absent-mindedly, the car had already been safely parked at the company’s underground parking lot. “That…” Annie suddenly spoke as Hugh got down to open the car door for Myles, who was shutting his laptop just in time. “What is it?” Myles asked patiently. His expression was very natural, but observing Annie’s near-translucent skin, his thoughts drifted for a moment. Annie did not notice Myles’ strange gaze. Her head was down as usual, and her voice was very light. After heaving a long sigh, she finally said what she wanted to say. “That… I’m not a Jennings Corp. employee any longer…” The shame of that day still flashed before her eyes. Although it was well-schemed sabotage, Annie nevertheless had a conflicted mentality. She seemed to have forgotten that the person sharing the car with her, the man who was her lawful husband, was the president of Jennings Corp. He had the highest authority in Jennings Corp. As long as he wanted it, there was nothing he could not do. Therefore, all Annie got in reply was Myles’ snicker.