Chapter 16 Uncle?!

In the middle of the stage. Grandmother Dawson gazed at the guests beneath the stage with kind and tender eyes. Her face glowed with a light tinge of red. “Thank you all for attending this old lady’s birthday party!” The guests applauded. “In conjunction with this party, I’d like to introduce a special guest to all of you. I believe you all would have heard of him. “You know him by his many sobriquets: the Ackman prince, the business genius, the ice-cold general… Hehehe.” All the guests gasped at once. They had awaited this moment for so long—finally, the mysterious man’s face was revealed for all to see. Discussions broke out among the guests. “The Dawson family sure is proud. I can’t believe the Ackman prince personally attended Grandmother Dawson’s birthday party!” The ladies among the guests squealed. “He’s so handsome!” “I really like him…” “I hope I can have a drink with him later.” There were even women plotting to create an ‘accidental’ drunken adventure with him later that night. Meanwhile, the men were discussing possible business opportunities. “The Ackman Group is a massive international group. They’ve been mainly investing in overseas ventures these few years. I’ve heard they’ve made it big in other countries.” “If their overseas ventures are so successful, why did they come back?” “A good portion of the company is still operating from within the country after all.” “Their son came back to take over all domestic businesses. With that done, he has pretty much taken over the entire family business; he has become the true man of the Ackman household.” Having heard that, the guests all inhaled sharply again. “The Ackman family’s business can no longer be considered a simple corporate group—it was an empire.” Anna was dumbfounded. She did not expect the gay man, who took away her first time while she was drunk, would turn out to be the infamous Liam Ackman! Liam stood elegantly on the stage, exhibiting the grace a true nobleman should have. He stood in silence, not uttering a word—like a king watching his kingdom from up high, waiting for his subjects to bow their heads. His pair of deep dark eyes penetrated the crowd, brushing past even the ladies who were all busy twirling their hair in an effort to compete for his attention. Finally, his gaze landed on Anna, who was sitting quietly in the row of seats furthest away from the stage. She was like the silver moon hanging brightly in the sky—even amongst the countless guests, he could always spot Anna in her white dress. Anna could feel his gaze on her. She panicked and turned away, avoiding eye contact. “What’s wrong, Anna?” Chloe stared at her curiously. Anna quickly stood up. “Nothing.” “Anna, you think the Ackman prince is really handsome too right? He’s so hot. Too bad rumor has it that he’s gay!” Chloe shook her head in disappointment. Anna’s heart stopped for a second. An image of his relentless actions in bed appeared in her mind… ‘Is he really gay? ‘There must’ve been a mistake somewhere…’ Chloe held her hands together firmly, gazing dreamily at the dashing man standing on stage. “If only there’s a way to turn him straight.” Anna was annoyed. Chloe already has Bryan, yet she was still aiming for Liam! A strong possessive urge suddenly overcame Anna; she would never let Chloe lay a finger on Liam. The revelation that followed gave Anna an even greater shock. On the stage, Grandmother Dawson called out Bryan and Anna’s names into the microphone. Bryan swiftly came to Anna and walked to the stage with her hand-in-hand. Chloe ground her teeth in rage. Grandmother Dawson’s sounded through the speakers again. “Bryan, Anna, this is your uncle.” ‘What? ‘U-u-uncle?!’ At that moment, Anna was heading up the steps that led to the stage. Hearing that, she almost fell off the stairs. Luckily, Bryan’s reaction was quick enough to catch her. “Anna, are you alright? You look terrible.” After a long pause, Anna shook her head. Grandmother Dawson beckoned them to the stage and introduce Liam to them with a bright smile. “Quick, greet your uncle.” “...” Anna felt as if blood was curdling up in her chest. She could almost spew out blood. At that moment, she felt a sudden urge to kill herself. On the contrary, Liam’s expression showed nothing out of the ordinary. He even looked her up and down with curious eyes. “Aunty, this is?” Anna yeared to ask, ‘You pervert, did you lose your memory?’ Grandmother Dawson smiled as she turned to Anna. “This is Bryan’s fiancee; my future granddaughter-in-law.” Although Liam was smiling on the surface, his gaze unmistakably turned cold after hearing that. “Ah, Bryan’s fiancee.” Grandmother Dawson urged Anna, “Anna, quick, greet your uncle.” Bryan, too, was smiling and pressing her. “Anna, this is your uncle.” Anna stared at Liam’s infuriating face. She could not bring herself to call him uncle. ‘How could he be my uncle? He acts nothing like an elder!’ Anna thought. ‘He’s clearly just a no-good philanderer!’ Liam gazed at her calmly. His deep eyes were a mystery—they showed no hint of his emotions. Anna opened her mouth but struggled for a long time before she could softly utter out the words. “Hi, U-u-uncle.” Liam widened his eyes slightly. His face remained expressionless as he acknowledged her greeting with a simple ‘mmm’. A million swear words filled Anna’s head. ‘Mmm my *ss!’