Chapter 538
“Huh?” Anastasia murmured, caught off guard.
Before she could ask what he was doing, Harrison sat down beside her, gently pulling her legs onto his lap. He slipped off her heels, his large hand wrapping around her ankle.
“Harrison Anastasia flinched as a ticklish sensation shot up her leg.
“Let me see your foot.”
Her foot?
She felt a blush creep up her neck. “It doesn’t hurt. I was just kidding earlier, you can let go
But Harrison didn’t release her. His gaze was fixed on her heel, where a raw, red mark stood out in stark, alarming contrast against her pale skin.
Anastasia followed his line of sight and froze. When she looked back up, she saw his brow was knitted with concern. “It’s nothing,” she explained quickly. “I just haven’t worn heels in a while, so my feet aren’t used to them. It’s just a small blister.”
She rarely needed them, between her time at home, at the university, and at the Global Harmony Medical Institute. But these past few days at the company, stepping into her role as the chairwoman calling the shots, she felt she needed to dress the part. Unfortunately, that meant digging out her heels, which had clearly betrayed her.
Harrison said nothing, simply summoning the housekeeper and asking for a first- aid kit.
It was just a couple of minor sores that would heal on their own in a day or two. Anastasia hadn’t even thought to use it as an excuse when she was teasing him, yet he was treating it with such gravity. A warmth spread through her chest as she watched the focused, serious set of his features.
“No more heels tomorrow,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
It was a command, but it sounded like the sweetest music to her ears. “Okay,” she agreed, nodding obediently.
It was a while before they went downstairs. Anastasia, now in slippers, clung to his hand, her body swaying playfully with each step, a bright, beautiful smile lighting up her face. Harrison’s expression remained placid, but the gentle indulgence in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Stella stared, utterly dumbfounded.
Had her Uncle Harrison been replaced by an alien?
Just then, Marcus walked past, and she grabbed his arm. “Marco, don’t you think something is seriously wrong here?!”
This couldn’t possibly be the same man.
Marcus paused and glanced in their
direction. Seeing Stella’s
shell-shocked expression, he felt a flicker of secret satisfaction but kept bis face a mask of nonch
chalance.
“Wrong? This looks perfectly normal tome. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
With that, he sauntered off, leaving Stella standing there, wide-eyed and bewildered.
…Was this really normal?
True to Harrison’s command, Anastasia spent the next two days in comfortable flats, feeling not a shred of guilt.
The moment she arrived at the office, Mr. Lynn rushed to meet her. “Ma’am, we have a problem!”
“What is it?” Anastasia asked, her expression calm.
“There’s an issue with our raw
issue
materials supply,” Mr. Lynn said, his
face grim. “The Dempsey Group
suddenly informed us theyre
terminating our contract. Their reason? They claim we bullied their nephew!”
“Their nephew? Jonas?” she asked, her composure unshaken.
“Yes! How did you know?”
*Because I made sure to find out ahead of time,* Anastasia thought to herself.
“The Dempsey Group is being
outrageous Mr. Lynn fumed.
“Unison Pharma only fired the
researchers under Jonas’s
whow
command. We haven’t even touched
them to threatenus like
him yet. For them
this, throwing away our
long-standing partnership… it’s Thɪs chapter is updated by.net
despicable!”
Taking a deep breath to control his anger, he continued, “We can’t afford a disruption to our supply chain. I’ll schedule a meeting with Chasel Dempsey to discuss this.”
He knew, with a sinking feeling, that they would likely have to make some concessions.
***