Planning to Deal with the Interference
Wednesday, continued…
After Hou Yi finished the call with Anna’s Australian boss, he turned to her. “This is going to take a couple of days. Damn. I had other plans, I was hoping to relax and unwind with everything that’s happened, and start dealing with… you know what…” Anna sighed, her frustration clear.
Hou Yi responded calmly, “I know you did. But it is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it tonight. We’ll have to deal with it tomorrow.”
He paused, his gaze turning to Assistant Wang. “Anna will need space to work for the next couple of days. It makes sense for her to work with the Legal Department. All anyone needs to know is that she has cut her holiday short at the request of her Australian employers to help resolve an issue regarding the legal work they handle for us there.”
“And it also gives her a reason to come and go from my office without anyone questioning it. But there’s one thing I need to make clear to you, Assistant Wang,” Hou Yi continued, his voice firm. “Make sure no one finds out Anna is my wife.”
“Not a problem, Sir. I’ll make sure everything goes according to plan,” Assistant Wang said with a bow, before leaving the study.
Once the door was closed, Hou Yi leaned back in his chair, frustration evident in his expression. “Damn the Lu’s. It must be them. They realized they’re not getting Hou Enterprises like they thought. It makes no sense for them to do this, especially since we double-checked everything for the development before moving forward.”
Anna placed a hand on his arm, her voice soothing. “Calm down, Yi. Let me handle the Australian legal matters for you. You don’t need to worry about it.”
He looked at her, exhaling deeply. “The Lu’s must have figured out I’m married, but they don’t seem to know to whom. I think they’re just trying to get some petty revenge.”
Anna paused, considering his words. “Yi, while it could be, you need to calm down. You’re wife is a hell of a lawyer, and I’ll take care of the Australian issues. You don’t need to carry this burden.”
Before Hou Yi could respond, there was a knock at the door. “Young Master, the dinner that Young Madam requested is ready in the informal dining room. How long will you be so I can arrange for it to be served?”
“Give us five minutes,” Hou Yi called back, then turned to Anna.
She shut down her laptop, carefully packing it away along with her tablet and cords for their trip to Hou Enterprises in the morning. She handed the bag to Hou Yi. “Can you place this somewhere we won’t forget it in the morning?”
He turned and set it down next to his briefcase, ensuring it would be collected in the morning. Anna grabbed her handbag, removing her phones and placing them with the other bags before they left the study, locking the door behind them.
Together, they walked past the formal dining room and headed down the corridor to a small, intimate room. As they entered, they saw that the staff had set up a romantic dinner for the two of them. Hou Yi helped Anna sit down before taking his own seat. A chef entered shortly after.
“Young Master, Young Madam,” the chef said, bowing respectfully. “Tonight’s meal, in honor of Young Madam, will be western-inspired with some Asian twists. The first course is Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup, followed by steak and Asian-inspired salads for the main course. For dessert, we have pavlovas with strawberries and cream. A red wine has been chosen to accompany the steak, and champagne will be served with dessert. How would you prefer your steak cooked, Young Madam?”
“Medium-rare to medium, please,” Anna responded, smiling at Hou Yi.
“Thank you. Your first course will be out in a couple of minutes, and the main course will follow in about 15 minutes. Dessert can be served whenever you wish. Once it’s brought out, I’ll have a second bottle of champagne sent to your suite.”
The chef bowed again, then added, “Butler Ge also asked me to inform you that we’ve placed a small fridge in your room with fresh milk, fruit juice, wine, tea and coffee-making items, glasses, and basic breakfast supplies. This way, we won’t disturb you unnecessarily in the mornings. If you’d like breakfast made available, just let us know.”
“Thank you,” Anna said, feeling grateful for the thoughtful gesture. It felt like a small but comforting touch after the chaos of the day.
