The next morning, Andrew was rudely awakened by a call from Elise's mother.
Sliding his arm out from under Kimberly’s sleeping form, he tiptoed to the living room and answered with a tone full of irritation, “Mrs. Watson, what instructions do you have for me this time?”
“Has Elise come running back to you with complaints again, asking you to pressure me?”
“This is between her and me. I’d advise you not to interfere too much.”
Elise’s tears flowed uncontrollably, her heart torn apart by a torrent of pain and regret. She had never known how rude and domineering Andrew was toward her family in private. He didn’t even bother addressing her mother as “Mom.”
Back when the Williams family faced bankruptcy, Andrew had hit roadblocks everywhere while seeking help.
Unable to bear seeing someone so proud fall into the mud, Elise had sold off the antique jewelry her grandmother left her to provide him with startup funds. She even begged her father to support Andrew in the business world.
It was only with her family’s help that the VeroVance Enterprises was saved from the brink of collapse.
After the company recovered, Andrew confessed his love to her.
Elise would never forget that day—it was the happiest day of her relationship with him.
One surprise after another unfolded on the lavender field stretching to the horizon in romantic Provence. The air was filled with pink, dreamy sweetness.
Andrew knelt on one knee, presenting the most expensive ring he could afford, and confessed his feelings.
Under the azure sky, his gaze was sincere and passionate, his vows heartfelt and full of emotion.
It was the most earnest and well-planned gesture Andrew had ever made. He had spent a long time preparing for this confession.
However, when Elise returned home, her mother poured cold water over her joy.
Her mother warned her that Andrew’s eyes harbored calculation more than love. But Elise, completely infatuated, had already lost her sense of reason. She believed she could make Andrew truly fall in love with her over time.
Yet, as Andrew overcame the toughest years and his company grew larger, the hidden cracks in their relationship began to surface.
Andrew moved the company’s headquarters from Chicago to Los Angeles and threatened to divorce her if she didn’t come with him.
Her parents were livid, accusing Andrew of ingratitude, but Elise, blinded by years of his occasional tenderness, stubbornly followed him.
As Andrew gained more power, he became intolerant of any mention of how her father had once supported him. After arriving in Los Angeles, he even forbade her from bringing up her father in front of others.
Elise consoled herself, believing this was just Andrew’s way of proving his capabilities, dismissing any advice from others.
She was convinced that Andrew would eventually come to love her.
But she clearly failed. Before she could even file for divorce, her parents were forced to bury their daughter.
Elise wept with heart-wrenching anguish, repeatedly lamenting her regret. But her mother could no longer hear her.
Her mother, already full of pent-up grievances, cried out in fury, “Andrew, do you even have a heart? Elise is dead! Where were you, her husband, when it happened?”
“The police said the last call she made was to you. Why didn’t you come to see her one last time?!”
“She loved you so much, and this is how you repay her?!”
Andrew froze, his frown deepening. His voice, still tinged with morning gruffness, grew icy enough to chill to the bone.
“Mrs. Watson, Elise’s tantrums are one thing, but are you, at your age, also going to stoop to lying and stirring up trouble?”
“Your Watson family really is rotten to the core, top to bottom.”
“Out of respect for your age, I won’t argue with you. But please relay this message to Elise. if she wants to make a scene, I, Andrew Williams, am more than happy to play along!”
