Chapter 499

Just like Regan, these people had all been promoted by her mother back in the day. They were the backbone of Unison Pharma Ltd.-the only ones in the entire company who could stand their ground against Regan.
At the front of the group was Mr. Lynn, whose hair was dusted with grey and whose expression was stern. He was the senior-most among the department heads, and the man who had once vied with Regan for the position of general manager-and lost.
Mr. Lynn and his cohort stormed over, anger written all over their faces. Without hesitation, they positioned themselves protectively in front of Anastasia, shielding her from Regan as they unleashed years of pent-up frustration.
“When the chairman appointed you as general manager, it was out of trust! What promises did you make then? And what have you done now? How will you face the chairman in the afterlife, Regan?”
“The chairman’s company should be inherited by her own daughter! What does an adopted daughter or even a so-called genius have to do with this place? You’re just an interim manager-who gave you the right to overstep your bounds?”
“All these years we kept quiet-did you think we were dead?”
Their voices were heated, every word crackling with fury. A couple of the more hot-tempered executives looked ready to slap Regan across the face.
They addressed Anastasia simply as “Miss,” not “Miss Anastasia.” In their eyes, she was—and always would be the rightful heir of the company. Lauren? She had never existed in their world.
No one could have guessed how stirred they’d been when they heard Anastasia’s words from backstage just now.
For years, they’d endured Regan’s suppression in silence and watched Lauren’s rise with clenched teeth, all because of a single assumption: that Anastasia had given up on the company. That she’d chosen, of her own accord, to let go of everything her mother left her and hand it all over to Lauren without a fight.
So, however much it pained them, they’d accepted their fate. If Anastasia didn’t want them, they had no place here.
But not for one moment did they recognize Lauren or feel any loyalty toward her. For the last two years, they had simply drifted through each day, doing the bare minimum.
Yet now-against all expectations-Anastasia had returned. And she wanted the company back.
Nothing else mattered. Whatever had happened before, this was the moment that counted. Their Miss wanted what was hers.
That meant no one else could touch
this company. No adopted daughters, no prodigies-no one. The chairman’s life’s work belonged to her own flesh and blood. End story.
After two years of lying low, the department heads were suddenly charged with purpose.
Anastasia, who’d been fighting her own battles, found herself abruptly shielded behind a wall of loyal executives, blinking in confusion.
By the time she realized what was happening, a slow smile crept onto her lips, her chest warming with emotion.
So, there were still people here who remembered her mother-who remembered her. Not everyone was a turncoat like Regan.
Suddenly, she felt proud for her mother Her mother had chosen well; there were still plenty of good people left in this company far more than the snakes.
Just then, Mr. Lynn nervously straightened his tie and stepped forward to address her.
“Miss, I’m Lynn. I held you in my arms when you were just a newborn. I wonder if you remember?”
For a man known for his stern discipline, Mr. Lynn’s eyes now
shone with kindness and thinh net
veiled excitement. His voice was gentle, the emotion unmistakable. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (.)net
Anastasia hesitated, at a loss for words.
Should she remind him that newborns don’t usually have memories?
Before she could say anything, another department head stepped up—a poised woman in her early forties.
“I was there at the hospital too, the day you were born. I held you as well. And
now, in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown up so much
Her eyes were tinged with red as she looked at Anastasia, nostalgia and sentiment written all over her face.