Chapter 2 Mr. William Wants to Steal the Love

James scolded Angela for a few moments.

She lowered her voice, "Dad, I'll be there soon."

The car was too quiet, and snippets of their conversation reached Frances and John's ears.

Neither of them commented, but Angela felt extremely embarrassed. "Mr. William, I really don't need to go to the hospital. I have an appointment with someone. If possible, you can drop me off ahead. Don't worry, my leg is an old injury-it really has nothing to do with you."

"Where are you going?" Frances turned his head slightly to look at her. "I'll take you there."

"That's too much trouble."

"It's no trouble. We're heading to the city anyway," John said with a smile.

Since it was hard to get a cab, Angela didn't refuse any further and told them she was going to the Champs-Élysées Hotel.

Nothing more was said along the way. When they reached her destination, Angela thanked them and got out of the car. The cold wind carried raindrops that stung her skin, sharpening her senses. As soon as she entered the hotel, she sneezed twice in a row.

"Miss Moore," John suddenly caught up to her.

Angela turned to him with a polite smile, wondering what he needed.

John handed her a black trench coat.

This was...

Frances' coat?

"Our sir said it's cold in the rain, and he hopes Miss Moore will take care of herself."

"This isn't appropriate."

"You're worried about the coat? It's brand new. Our sir hasn't worn it yet."

Without waiting for her response, John shoved the coat into her arms and left.

"I didn't mean that..." Angela tried to protest, but John had already walked away. Her ankle still hurt, making it impossible to chase after him.

People always said Mr. William was difficult to approach, but he didn't seem so bad.

It appeared that rumors weren't always reliable.

--

Before Angela even entered the private dining room, she heard laughter and the clinking of glasses. Clearly, the meal had already begun. Aside from The Moore family, Alex was also present.

As soon as she walked in, the laughter stopped.

She felt like an outsider who had intruded, disrupting the warmth and harmony.

"You're finally here." Her adoptive father, James, frowned in disapproval. "That job of yours-quit it as soon as possible. It's just a teaching position at a training center. Anyone who doesn't know better might think you're out there closing million-dollar deals, making us wait for you."

"Enough, stop saying that." Her adoptive mother, Maria, frowned.

"Dad, she didn't mean to be late," said Daisy, the daughter The Moore family had reunited with half a month ago.

When they found her, Daisy had been working as a salesperson in a shopping mall. She hadn't gotten into college and had started working straight after high school.

Daisy looked at Angela. "Sis, I'm really sorry we had to wait for you for so long. We got hungry and started eating first. You don't mind, do you?"

Angela shook her head.

"I really envy you-you're beautiful and can dance. Not like me, I don't know anything..." Daisy's voice was filled with admiration, but there was an underlying bitterness. No matter her looks, figure, or temperament, she couldn't compare to Angela.

Hearing this, The Moore family parents felt even more sympathy for her.

Learning the arts required money, and Daisy's past environment hadn't allowed for that.

Since their real daughter had suffered hardships, now that she was home, they naturally wanted to give her the best of everything.

Angela was genuinely happy for their reunion.

At the same time, she knew she had to give up everything she had once enjoyed.

But she had no resentment-because these things had never truly belonged to her.

She had been adopted at four years old. Without a blood connection, no matter how obedient or well-behaved she was, her adoptive parents had always remained distant. Then, a year later, they had a biological son. After that, something happened that made Angela's situation even worse.

As people of status and reputation, The Moore family feared the backlash of returning her to the orphanage. Though they remained emotionally distant, they maintained a façade of care-providing for her basic needs.

To uphold their public image and gain a good reputation, they even donated a large sum to the orphanage every year.

"Sis, Brother Alex wanted to pick you up from work, but I happened to be out shopping, so I asked him to pick me up instead. You're not mad, are you?" Daisy smiled.

"I'm not."

"You don't look happy-I thought you were upset." Daisy sounded innocent.

"I've never lived in San Francisco before, so everything is unfamiliar to me. Brother Alex was just being kind."

"He told me to reach out to him if I ever needed help. Since I don't know many people here, he's the one I'm closest to. I was even worried I might be bothering him."

"It's no bother," Alex said, sitting beside Daisy, attentively serving her food.

To an outsider, it would seem as if Daisy was his fiancée instead.

Angela's face turned slightly pale. She removed Frances' trench coat and hung it to the side-immediately catching Daisy's attention.

"Sis, this coat isn't yours, is it?"

It was clearly a men's coat.

Alex's gaze instantly darkened, locking onto Angela.

Every day, he had been picking Daisy up, taking her around in his car.

But now, the way he looked at Angela-

It was as if she were the one involved with another man.

--

Meanwhile,

John had caught up with Frances, smiling ingratiatingly. "Sir, I delivered the coat."

"She accepted it?"

"I forced it on her and ran away before she could refuse," John said, as if waiting for praise.

"......"

"Miss Moore is really in a tough spot. The Moore family is unbelievable-they know she has a leg injury, and yet, on a rainy day, they didn't even send a driver. And Alex? What kind of fiancé is he? He doesn't pick up his own fiancée in the rain but rushes off to pick up someone else instead. Ridiculous."

John glanced at his boss. "You finally got Miss Moore into the car, but you barely spoke to her. What a missed opportunity."

"James' words were too harsh. After living together for so many years, she's called him 'Dad' for so long, yet he doesn't care for her in the slightest. She's not stealing or begging-she's earning her own living. What's wrong with that?"

Frances lifted his eyes slightly. "I'm thinking about something."

"You're thinking about how to take advantage of the situation and steal the love?"

John had learned to drive with a focus on safety. When his boss ordered him to "accidentally" create a traffic incident to get close to Miss Moore, he had nearly lost his mind!

To get near her, his boss was really...

Frances shot him a look. "I'm thinking about why you're not mute."

John immediately shut up.

Frances stood by the window, his expression unreadable.

Outside, the storm raged, reflecting a force as powerful as an advancing army.

He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

Crushed it into an unrecognizable shape.