Chapter 26
Chapter 26 Lovey-dovey Act
Annabel pushed Rupert out and shut the door in his face.
Rupert was furious, but he couldn't do anything.
It was the first time someone was driving him away.
And this person was a woman.
He wanted to lend her a hand.He asked Nina to hand over the cooperation project with Lady Fashion to Annabel just so she
would have more opportunities to learn.
Since she was still a newbie, Rupert figured that she would have a hard time dealing with the big project.
He wanted to teach her whatever she found difficult.
To his dismay, she drove him out of her room like he was a pest.
What an ungrateful woman! Annabel didn't have the slightest idea what Rupert was thinking.
If she knew that he saw her as someone who didn't know the ropes of the new project, she would be flabbergasted.
Instead of going to bed like she earlier said, Annabel took out a laptop from her suitcase and opened an encrypted file.
The file contained a new dress design she made.
One of Annabel's identities was Leo—the most famous fashion designer in the world.
Leo appeared out of nowhere two years ago.
The big break came after Leo designed the wedding dress of a princess from Etrada Kingdom.
Leo became a viral sensation overnight in the fashion industry.
However, no one knew who this excellent designer was.
Leo stayed out of the public eye and didn’t attend award shows, fashion shows, or even granted any interviews.
All the media interaction was done by Anika Mendoza, the person in charge of Leo Studio.
Everything about Leo was a secret; no one even knew what gender Leo was.
They were in for a big surprise if the truth ever got out that the famous and revered designer was a woman in her early twenties.
Annabel devoted herself to work and revised a few details of the design.
Soon, it was done.She sent the design drawings to Anika and texted, novelebook.com "Launch the Elsa series immediately."
"Got it!" replied Anika quickly.
Sunday soon rolled by.
Early in the morning, Rupert took Annabel to his grandfather's place.It was a three-story villa that was located in the middle of a
huge mountain.
There was a river nearby.
The serene scenery was a sight to behold.
The butler, Jaxen Dawson, warmly welcomed Rupert and Annabel in.
"Where is Grandpa?" Rupert asked, walking in.
Jaxen replied, "He is waiting for you inside.You must be Annabel."
Annabel smiled and nodded politely.
Rupert angled his arm and signaled Annabel to lock arms with him.
"What are you doing?" queried Annabel, giving him a wary glance.
"What does it look like?" Rupert frowned slightly.
"You need to behave well in front of my grandfather.Remember that he's old and sick." Annabel understood.
After a moment of hesitation, she locked arms with him.
She also prayed that Bruce would get well soon.
The two walked into the living room with their arms locked like a loving couple.
A grey-haired man was sitting on a sofa in the living room.He had on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.He was Bruce Benton,
Rupert's grandfather.
"Good morning, Grandpa!"
Rupert greeted, walking toward Bruce.
With a sweet smile, Annabel went with him and greeted, "Hello, Bruce."
Bruce stood up and looked at Annabel with loving eyes.
"It's so good to see you, Anna.You've grown up."
The last time he saw Annabel was five years ago.
At that time, she was just an immature teenager.
Now, she was a slim and tall woman with bright eyes and a pretty face.
She and Rupert were a perfect match in Bruce's eyes.
"How are you doing, Bruce? My grandpa has been worried about you."
Annabel helped Bruce take his seat again.She lowered her head and took a closer look at him.She was always sick as a
child.novelebook.comHer grandfather hired the best doctor to take care of her at home.
Due to being with medics every day, Annabel picked up many medical skills.
After examining Bruce carefully, she saw that his face was ruddy and he didn't look sickly.
His body wasn't like that of a sick or weak person at all.
Bruce was just pretending to be sick.
Rupert was a filial grandson.He was ready to go to great lengths to please his grandfather.
Bruce knew this, so he feigned ill health just to force Rupert to agree to marry Annabel.
He was playing tricks on the oblivious Rupert.
Annabel thanked her stars that she found the truth.
However, she felt pity for Bruce because he would be disappointed when she called off the engagement.
As Annabel went over the whole thing in her head, she turned her head to look at Rupert.
Rupert flashed her a doting smile and held her hand.
Annabel's first instinct was to pull her hand back.
However, when she remembered the talk she had with him outside, she stiffened and smiled back at him.
Bruce didn't notice any awkwardness.
He felt these two already had feelings for each other, so he smiled with satisfaction.
At this moment, Jaxen came rushing and announced, "Erica and Heather Norman are here."
What? Erica was here? With Heather? A faint frown appeared on Annabel's face when she saw these women.
"Dad, how are you? Are you feeling better? Heather has been worried sick about you, so I brought her to visit you," said Erica.
"Hello, Bruce." Heather smiled sweetly.
"I wanted to visit you when I heard you were sick, but I didn't want to disturb you.I'm here now.It's good to see that you are
recovering well."
The smile on Bruce's face faded a little.He knew very well that Heather had feelings for his grandson.He also knew that his
daughter-in-law, Erica, liked Heather and disliked Annabel just because she came from the countryside.
No one was good enough for Rupert like Annabel, as far as Bruce was concerned.He felt that Annabel was a thousand times
better than Heather.
And that was as fact.
They only looked down on Annabel because they didn't know who she really was.
"Mom, why are you here?"
Rupert's face was contorted with irritation when he saw Heather.
He brought Annabel here to visit Bruce.
Why did his mother show up with Heather today of all days?
"why can't I be here? Heather is a filial and well-mannered young girl.She has always wanted to visit.She happened to be free
today, so we came together."
Erica smiled and nudged Heather toward Rupert.
Taking the hint, Heather squeezed herself between Rupert and Annabel.She then pressed her side on Rupert shamelessly.
It was crystal clear to Annabel that Erica brought Heather here to tell her off.She pursed her lips and said nothing.
So, Erica disliked her this much? With her eyes glistening with obsession, Heather held Rupert's arm and said, "Rupert, my
brother will be back from abroad in a few days.Let's have a get-together then, okay?"
"I don't have time," Rupert refused coldly without hesitation.
"Why don't you have time? Is it because of work?" Heather asked in a disappointed tone.
Rupert shook Heather's grip off, went to Annabel, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Annabel just came to Douburgh, so I have to show her around."
After freezing for a moment, Annabel snuggled into Rupert's arms and said cutely, "Oh, baby.I want to go shopping.We should
also go to some of the best restaurants, okay?"
"Anything for you, darling."
Rupert looked down at her dotingly.Heather's jaw dropped at the sight of these two being lovey-dovey.Her face turned green with
envy.
Still, she hid her jealousy, took out a small box, and held it out to Bruce.
"Bruce, I brought you some tonics.My grandfather had them shipped from abroad just for you,"
Heather said, setting the box down on the table beside Bruce.
After a pause, she looked at Annabel and mused, "Annabel, this should be your first time seeing these, right? You know what? I'll
bring some for you next time."
"Thanks, but no thanks,"
Annabel replied indifferently, ignoring her sarcasm.
Heather then folded her arms and inquired, "Annabel, what gift did you bring for Bruce?"