Chapter 268: Chapter 268

"Anna, I heard you were looking for me yesterday? What’s up?"

"Manager Sutton, you took the day off yesterday, so I was planning to discuss the factory’s fabric materials with you."

"Oh, fabric! What’s up with the fabric?"

Anna Thornton couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about William Sutton today, as if he were inexplicably guilty about something.

Was he afraid of being found out for taking too many kickbacks in the procurement department?

Anna decided to test him: "I wanted to tell you that in the future, my clothing brand won’t need your involvement. I’ve already found a new fabric supplier to work with."

"Anna, what do you mean by this?"

"I don’t mean anything. Didn’t the company already phase out my children’s brand? This time, I’m planning to do it myself, so there’s no need for you to worry." Thɪs chapter is updated by nοvelfire.net

"Anna, I say, why would a young girl like you put yourself through so much trouble? This company is no longer the Thornton Family’s company, and no one here respects you; everyone just gives you the cold shoulder. Seeing you struggle pains me."

It seemed William Sutton wasn’t feeling guilty because of that. Over the years, he’d become so arrogant under Holly Sutton’s influence that he’d forgotten the company originally belonged to the Thorntons.

William brazenly ogled Anna’s face, almost drooling: "You’re so beautiful; with just one word, there will be plenty of people willing to support and pamper you..."

"You’re absolutely right!" Anna slapped away William’s hand as it tried to snake around her waist.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Since there are plenty of men willing to pamper and support me, how could it possibly fall to an old, ugly, and incompetent one like you?"

In the few years Anna spent abroad, if nothing else, she sure honed her skills in repartee.

Even someone as sharp-tongued as President Sterling couldn’t outwit her, let alone William, who was rendered speechless by her barbs of ’old, ugly, and incompetent’.

"You brat, wait until you find out what treasure I’ve got in my hands, and then we’ll see if you still dare to be so arrogant," William thought through gritted teeth.

As soon as he got Lola under his control, Anna would eventually have to obey him.

But where had that little rascal run off to?

They’d been searching for days without finding her!

Even Holly Sutton was getting impatient now.

"It seems like we need to widen the search area to find Lola. Maybe we should involve the police or use media exposure to locate her, but you can’t show your face in this," Holly instructed William. "Let your sister-in-law do it. Anna hasn’t met her before. As long as your relationship isn’t exposed, she shouldn’t suspect anything."

Freya Vaughn was the most worried about not finding Lola these past few days, desperate to make a fuss but too scared to do so.

Finally, with Holly’s permission today, Freya almost sprinted out at top speed.

"Big brother, wait a moment! I have something else to ask for your help with!" Holly called William back.

"Do you know what that girl Anna has been busy with lately?"

"Isn’t she busy with that brand you gave her? It’s only a discarded children’s brand, how could it possibly make a comeback?" William sneered.

"Do you think she’s stupid? Anna’s become sharper than before. She’s found June Irving to be the designer for the children’s brand. That woman is a genius designer and has turned down numerous international brands. Even when I offered a hefty sum, I couldn’t get her to work. Who knew she’d agree to help Anna?"

"And the worst part is, as soon as June Irving came on board, she announced that she would seek justice for her plagiarized designs over the years, with ’Little Seagull’ children’s wear being the first target. Isn’t this clearly aimed at me? Anna definitely knows that I’m behind the brand, and she’s deliberately opposing me! She came back this time to cut off my income!"

Since Anna returned to the company, Holly’s mood had been sour these past few days.

Every day something happened that infuriated her!

Whether it was Anna’s bold statements at the shareholders’ meetings or her smug look when she announced she’d hired the famous children’s wear designer June Irving, Holly found it utterly irritating!

With all these annoyances piling up, the lines at the corners of Holly’s eyes grew twofold deeper.

Seeing wrinkles on her face in the mirror on her office desk made Holly so angry that she smashed the mirror!

"Anna Thornton, she thinks she’s gotten smarter? I’ll show her that even after four years, she’s still just an ant I can crush at will!"

"Holly, what do you mean?"

"Find some people to teach her a good lesson for me!"

Anna arranged a dinner with a few fabric suppliers, primarily to negotiate prices and see if there was any room for reduction.

Anna planned to position the revived ’Cute Lord’ as a high-end children’s wear brand, selecting only the best fabrics, which were, of course, costly.

Some fabric suppliers saw Anna’s youth and thought they’d take advantage.

But Anna skillfully maneuvered the situation and finally got them to agree to price each meter one percent lower than what they offered to other manufacturers.

It wasn’t that difficult; it just involved drinking a bit too much.

Feeling dizzy from the drinks, Anna took the opportunity to wander through the streets and alleys of Veridia, savoring the cool night breeze like she used to.

Her phone rang, probably Mary calling to urge her to come home.

However, just before she could answer, several punks emerged from the alley and surrounded her.

"Pretty lady, out alone this late? It’s not safe!"

"Thanks for the reminder, I’ll get a cab right away."

Anna said and turned to walk back.

But they stepped in her path again: "Someone paid us to teach you a lesson, so you’re not getting away tonight. Remember this lesson well, pretty lady; don’t go out alone at night again."

"Can I ask who paid you to teach me a lesson and how you plan on doing it?"

"Well, we got paid not to say. But how we’ll teach you? Heh heh!" The leader of the punks leered at Anna.

Anna swiftly pulled out a pepper spray from her bag and, turning her head, sprayed it directly into the eyes of a punk trying to grab her from behind.

With a scream of agony, the punks grew furious and rushed at her.

Judging from her limited self-defense skills, Anna figured she could probably handle at most two of them.

Seeing them using their numbers to bully her, Anna decided to forgo selecting another lucky contestant for the pepper spray and kicked off her high heels, spinning around to run, screaming for help, without a thought about her celebrity image. Personal safety was most important.

But those delinquents were prepared, choosing a deserted area, so Anna ran the entire alley without finding anyone to help her.

Just as Anna was losing hope, suddenly, a black van stopped in front of her.

The door opened, and an angelic little hand reached out toward Anna.

Anna lifted her gaze inside the vehicle and exclaimed joyfully, "Lola?"