The Bound Between Us

Chapter 382
“Hey, bro, what’s up?” Flynn was just going back to the office to grab some stuff. Suddenly, Flynn felt a bit uneasy sensing
Herman’s serious demeanor.
Herman didn’t answer, but walked directly towards his office, with Flynn quickly following behind.
Gianna was left standing there alone, and seeing this, Nelson said, “Please, come with me to the lounge and wait a bit.” “Thank
you,” Gianna said with a smile, grateful for Nelson’s words that helped ease her awkwardness.
Gianna followed him to the lounge. This was her first time visiting Elysian Technologies, and it was quite impressive.
After a long talk in the office with Herman, Flynn suddenly remembered, “Herman, Anastasia’s cousin, Gianna, stopped by earlier
to see you.”
“Where is she?” Herman asked casually, as he didn’t notice Gianna when Flynn arrived.
Flynn smirked, “Do you have eyes for any other woman besides your wife? Gianna was right in front of you.”
Herman responded calmly, “I didn’t see her. What did she want?”
“She seemed to want to thank you for something. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out,” said Flynn. “Oh, and grandma has been
asking about your wife. She called me today to ask how Anastasia is doing. You should take her to visit Salstrom Manor when
you have time.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Herman replied seriously. “We will move to Southridge Estates this weekend.”
Flynn sighed, “Okay then, I’ll be going.”
After Flynn left, Herman asked Nelson where Gianna was and found out she was waiting in the lounge.
Herman went to the lounge, and Gianna, who had been waiting for over an hour, quickly stood up when she saw him. “Mr.
Salstrom, I came to thank you for helping me last time. This is my thank you gift.”
Gianna handed over the gift, an expensive designer tie she had carefully chosen. When she was buying the tie, she imagined
how handsome Herman would look wearing it.

“Thank you,” Herman replied out of politeness, but didn’t accept the gift. “It was nothing. You are Anastasia’s cousin, there’s no
need for formalities. Please take your gift back.”
Without Anastasia’s request, he wouldn’t have helped. To him, Gianna was just a stranger.
“Mr. Salstrom, please accept it. Otherwise, I won’t feel right,” Gianna insisted. “It’s just a small token of appreciation.”
With Gianna’s persistence, Herman reluctantly accepted and said, “Thank you.”
Gianna was overjoyed and said, “Mr. Salstrom, I’ll be going now.” After giving Herman her gift, she didn’t want to overstay her
welcome.
“Alright,” Herman replied indifferently.
Gianna left. Herman looked at the stylishly packaged tie and frowned. Nelson, noticing the situation, said with a smile, “Mr.
Salstrom, if you don’t like it, you can just give it to me. I could use a new tie.”
“Take it.” Herman casually tossed the tie to Nelson. Except for the ties bought by his wife, Herman would never wear a tie given
by even a cousin.
Nelson caught the tie with both hands. “Thank you, Mr. Salstrom.” This was a designer tie, worth thousands of dollars.
Nelson laughed. “Ms. Anastasia’s cousin is quite generous.” If it were not for the familial connection, he would have mistaken
Gianna’s gesture for a romantic interest in Mr. Salstrom.
Herman patted Nelson’s chest. “Let’s go.” He had a business dinner to attend that evening.
Herman tried to cancel all the events he could, but for those he couldn’t, he had no choice but to go. He was eager to finish up
and go home to spend time with his wife.
Whatever he did, he would report to Anastasia. Even for his business dinners, he would let her know who he was meeting and
whether there were any women present.
Anastasia thought he was being overly worried, but he said, “This is my way of providing you with a sense of security. I hear
pregnant women tend to feel insecure.”

As she sat at Harmony Meadows, Anastasia looked at the messages Herman sent. Seeing the photos he took at the dinner and
his detailed texts, her lips curled into a smile.
Pattie asked, “Mom, is that a message from Dad?”
Anastasia put away her phone. “Yes, honey. Daddy has a dinner to attend and will be late. Now, why don’t you go to sleep, and
I’ll tell you a story.”
“Okay,” Pattie said, snuggling into Anastasia’s arms with a sweet smile. “I love your stories, Mom.”
Anastasia smiled and began to tell Pattie a story, unaware that Layna had run away from home and was on her way to them,
asking for directions along the way.