Who Is The Real Boss?
Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Wishful Thinking

“Hey, Annabel? Annabel!" Rupert uttered, holding her in his arms and patting her face gently. "What'swrong with you? Are you hurt?"

Still shaking with her eyes closed, Annabel murmured, "It's so dark... I'm.

scared. Don't leave me... Don't go..." Dark? It turned out she was scared of the dark.

Rupert's heart softened after this realization. As he looked at Annabel's face, he recalled the little girlwho huddled up beside him with a pale face years ago.

A sense of pity brewed in his heart. Holding her hand, Rupert said, “Don't be scared. I'm here now. It'sall right. I'll take you home."

His assuring words worked like magic. Annabel stopped shaking. She kept mumbling, but Rupertcouldn't make out what she was saying. He just stood upright with her in his arms

"Tl never leave you. You are safe now. Don't be scared, okay?" He continued to comfort her on the wayout.

Rupert gently put her in the passenger seat. When he tried to fasten the seatbelt for her, he saw thatshe was gripping his shirt with both hands. The woman in front of him was totally different from the onewho told him off yesterday. His heart ached to see her like this.

Rupert blamed himself for not coming sooner. If he had saved her number when Bruce sent it to him,he would have saved her earlier. Anyway, it was better late than never. He couldn't even bear to thinkof

what would happen to her if she stayed in the dark for the whole night.

Rupert drove home at a high speed and carried Annabel to her bedroom He wiped the sweat on herforehead with a wet towel and then tucked her in. Just as he tured to leave, a hand grasped his pant.

He turned around, only to replace that Annabel's eyebrows were knitted as

she slept uneasily. Her face was still a little pale.

He tried to loosen her grip, but she caught his hand instead.

\Don't go... Stay with me please.. Her voice was shaky, not indifferent like it usually was. It was like thatof a child who needed to be comforted.

Suddenly, Rupert imagined Annabel’s face changing into that of thatlittle girl. He blinked severally.

From the first day he saw Annabel's face, he felt that she had a striking resemblanceto that girl. Thefeeling was stronger now.

After hesitating for a while, Rupert sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Rupert kept seeing the littlegirl's face when he looked at Annabel with tenderness in his eyes. It was as if they were one and thesame person. If she was the little girl, he didn't mind staying with her and accompanying her in the darkfor the rest of his life. However, he dismissed the thought as wishful thinking.

It was already dawn by the timeAnnabel work up.

A chink of sunlight fell on her face. She yawnedand looked around in confusion. Before she could tellwhere she was, she met Rupert's weird gaze.

As soon as Annabel noticed she was holding his hand, she loosened her gripand sat up. \What are youdoing here?

‘The answer to her question came to her mind as soon as she blurted it out.

She suffered a panic attack yesterday. Her phone ran out of power. She was hyperventilating and herheart was beating faster than normal. Her throat was patched, so she texted Rupert a message insteadof calling him.

When she saw Rupert's bloodshot eyes and overall tired look, she tried to recall what happened lastnight. She scratched her head in embarrassment.

You brought me back, didn't you? Thank you. But why did you sleep in my room?

Annabel didn't think he needed to be here. In her opinion, he should have left once he tucked her inbed. Why did he lay beside her as if they were a real couple?

Rupert became cold again. \Weren't youthe one who held my hand and begged me to stay with you?Have you forgotten?”

Annabel's face turned red immediately. \But... But... I didn't mean to say that. I wasn't in my right mind,butyou were. You should have left as soon as ] fell asleep.

\Oh, so I was wrong tohave taken care of you for the whole night?

No, I... Ididn't mean that.\ Annabel just couldn't wrap her head around why he went out of his way tolook after her. She was used to him being cold and uncaring.

This was what he got in return? Rupert sucked his teeth. He regretted feeling pity for her and stayingby her side last night.

\Don't read any meaning to my actions. I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you. My grandpawould be mad at me ifyou got hurt. I did it for myself, so don't flatter yourself!\

Words like this usually hurt women. In Annabels case, she was relieved. She thought that this wasmore like him.

| didn't have any intention to flatter myself. Since you are so ruffled, it appears you gave this too muchthought, she retorted, rolling her eyes

athim.