Chapter 89 Permission

After she sat down, Joseph said directly, "I'm sorry about last night…"

"It does not matter…I…" She said excitedly but immediately realized she should remain calm. She lowered her head and blushed, "Joseph, I will not put you in an awkward situation. Let's just pretend it never happened."

"You can ask anything of me, except for marriage," Joseph didn't want to feel as if he owed her anything.

Anna was shocked and disappointed. She could tell Joseph was disgusted with her, and he would give her anything but not marry her.

Did I have any chance now? Anna asked herself.

"Joseph, though my mother and I were kicked out, we can survive. I do not need anything from you," She said then to arouse his sympathy she continued, "It is all my fault. I care about you very much, and I did some wrong things. I know I was wrong, and I apologize for everything that happened with Kate and the baby. I would appreciate it if Kate could forgive me."

Joseph stared at her and warned, "If you realize you were wrong, please behave yourself and watch your mouth. Don't go after Kate to cause trouble."

Anna felt very uncomfortable hearing him stick up for Kate, but she had to appear to be respectful, "I promise I won't."

"Think about your request and let me know," Joseph got up to leave.

Anna got up and pretended to fall into Joseph. He caught her, but as soon as she was stable, he pulled his hands away. She clearly knew that seducing him would not work, so she quickly asked, "Joseph, can I work at Smith Group?"

She did not want to miss the chance of propositioning, so she followed up with, "My mother and I are not working at White Group. If you would allow me to work at your company, I promise not to cause any trouble. If I do, you can fire me, and I will not contest."

"I will arrange for you to work," Joseph sighed.

Anna thought the answer was not clear enough, so she asked again, "At Smith Group?"

Joseph planned to have her work at another company, fearing that she would sabotage his work. However, after thinking about the situation, even though she would be working at Smith Group, they did not need to be in contact, so he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I will wait for direction from you," Anna was happy, thinking that she still had a chance to be close to Joseph.

**

After her first day at the White Group, Kate went to Leo's office to offer him a drive home, "Dad, just wait for me, and I will take you home. It is more convenient."

Leo waved a hand and shook his head, "No, thank you. I am accustomed to my driver taking me home. You have your own affairs to attend to; I will not be a bother to you."

Leo still declined and said, "Kate, I don't want to change my ways. You must have a lot of work to do. Don't worry about me and make this any more awkward."

"Are you going to see Dora and Anna?" Kate guessed what he was trying to say.

Leo thought for a while and nodded, "They are my wife and daughter. I need to be responsible."

"I understand, and I am sure your driver will take you there. Please be careful, though," Kate said and turned to leave.

Before she left, Leo called her in a hurry, "Wait a minute!"

Kate stopped her steps and turned around to look at him, "Is there something else?"

"Are you adapting to the work here?"

"Yes, I got an initial understanding of each department today. However, I still need more time to learn about each in-depth. When I am capable of taking over for you, you will be able to stay home and rest," Kate said with a smile.

Leo was sensitive to her words, thinking she wanted him to be relieved of his position as soon as possible, "It does not matter, there is no rush. I can help you!"

"Thank you, Dad."

When Kate left White Group for the evening, she noticed a few missed calls from Lisa. She called her back immediately.

"Quick! Quick! Kate. Come to the inn! I have ordered food!" Lisa hung up the phone immediately then, giving Kate no time to refuse.

When she heard Lisa mention the inn, she thought of Joseph and how much he loved Anna. Before becoming depressed, she quickly reminded herself that she divorced Joseph, so he was free to do as he chose.

When Kate stepped into the inn, Lisa ran over to hug her. She then pulled Kate to a table, "You sit here, Kate."

After a few moments, Nick walked in and sat down across from Kate, "Hello, ladies!"

"Hi…" Kate cautiously replied.

"Haha! Why do you look so worried, Kate? It is because Nick and Joseph are friends, so you…" Before Lisa could finish, Joseph walked over to the table.

Kate was curious as to why Lisa stopped speaking; she lifted her head and saw a tall man standing there. Joseph pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Everybody is here. Let's cheer!" Nick exclaimed, but when he saw Joseph's cold expression, he quickly put his cup down.

"Replace the wine with coffee," Joseph ordered.

"Cheers! Kate," Lisa clinked the cup with Kate.

Kate drank it down quickly and then realized that it was strong wine.

"Who gave you permission to drink wine?" Joseph scolded her in a warning tone.

"Is that any of your business?"

"The doctor has told you that you cannot eat hot and spicy food or drink wine." Joseph tried to convince Kate to slow down by using the doctor's words.

"It really is not any of your business!" Kate snarled then poured another glass of wine before saying to Lisa and Nick, "It has been a long time since we have drunk together! Cheers!"