Reclaiming Her Heart

When Ann got to the company, she was already running late. She quickly fixed herself up and tried to get her head straight. As she walked into the office, she saw Selena was already there.

Selena noticed Ann looked off and asked, "Ann, you don't look so hot. Are you running a fever?"

Ann touched her face, feeling the heat. "I might've caught a cold last night, Ms. Fair. I'll just take some meds."

Selena looked apologetic, "Sorry for dragging you into that mess yesterday. Raymond looked into those kidnappers, and we know who sent them. It won't happen again."

Ann gave a faint smile, "Ms. Fair, no need to apologize. I'm fine."

Ann's vision started to blur. After chatting a bit, she went back to her desk and quickly took some fever medicine.

She was super sleepy, but her body ached all over. The pain kept her awake, and it was pure torture.

Ann somehow made it through the day at her desk until evening, barely finishing her tasks. She asked Selena for some time off and took a cab home.

The fever meds didn't help. Lying in her small room, Ann's mind drifted to the past.

A year after her parents divorced, her mom, Connie White, found a new guy, Otha Hagen, who would often sexually harass her.

It wasn't until Ann got a tutor that Otha backed off.

This tutor was Brody, the guy Ann had planned to marry.

Back then, Brody was always around, giving Otha no chance. Ann saw Brody as her savior because he kept her safe from Otha's harassment.

Ann and Brody were together for seven years, about to get married, but then he got involved with a rich heiress.

Ann felt like her life was a mess. She never got love from her parents, and the one person she wanted, Brody, left her.

As she reminisced, she suddenly remembered her biological dad, Frank Coleman, still loved her. Connie had hated Frank for being poor and unambitious, content with earning just a few hundred bucks without taking bribes. Unable to stand it, Connie divorced Frank.

Otha had some money, but he was a terrible person.

Ann groggily took out her phone and found Frank's number.

After Ann told Connie about the broken engagement, Connie felt humiliated and stopped talking to her.

At the same time, Connie seemed to realize Otha's intentions towards Ann and resented her for competing for Otha's attention. Originally eager to marry Ann off, Connie now felt threatened, worried that Otha liked Ann. Such thoughts were twisted. Ann sensed this too, so she called Frank instead.

When the call connected, Ann hoarsely said, "Dad, I miss you so much."

Then she started crying.

Brody initially intended to hang up but frowned upon hearing her cry.

The sobbing on the other end went from suppressed to utterly broken.

After a minute, Brody asked, "Are you done crying? Did you forget what I told you last night?"

Ann's crying paused. She groggily glanced at her phone screen and realized she had dialed the wrong number.

Her mind instantly cleared a bit, and she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry."

Brody lit a cigarette, his tone as cold as ice. "This trick doesn't work on me. You know how I feel about women."

In his eyes, Ann was just woman good for nothing but sex. Any coincidence, to him, was a calculated move, making him sick.

Ann didn't argue, just hung up.