My Bossy CEO Husband

"Yes."Wendy nodded, not noticing the change of Ryan's expression.

"I lived there for almost five years.My mother died when I was six.Ruben made sure to sell everything my mother had left us, everything she had inherited from her father.He took the money for himself.He sent Reese and me to our grandmother in Spring County, as he had no intention of taking care of us himself."

Wendy wrapped her arms around her knees in an attempt to protect herself from all those painful memories.

"Ruben truly is a bastard! He had never mentioned grandma before he sent us there.We had thought that she was dead.We didn't even know what she looked like.When she came to pick us up from the station, we didn't know what to expect.Would she be kind to us? But it turned out we were really lucky.Grandma was the best, sweet and affectionate she cared about me and Reese very much.She would always cook us our favorite meals, even when money were tight.Sometimes she could afford just enough for us children and she didn't eat at all herself." Ryan listened intently.

Wendy suddenly looked up and turned to face him.

"You've heard of Spring County, right? It's not that big, but its population is pretty high.But all the young, able men left to find work, so those that stayed behind are either old or women and children.But people there are always kind, helping and caring for each other.When someone cooks, it's not unusual to share it with their neighbors.It's so peaceful there."

Ryan couldn't help but smile at that.

"I remember there was a huge orchard.Reese, grandma and I helped the owner with the harvest every year.The money may have not been much, but we got a bag of apples on our days off.So, apples were the fruit we ate the most as children."

Ryan thought back to how skillfully she had peeled an apple for him back in the hospital.

"The years I spent in Spring County were the best of my life.Carefree and full of love.But then my grandmother passed away.I was eleven."

Ryan took her hand and squeezed it.

that he was there for her.Wendy

worry.I’m fine.It's all in the past.After Grandma died, we had no one.Ruben had married Cacia and lived a fancy life using my mother's fortune.Just the two of them and Eris.Ruben had long forgotten all about me and my sister.It's not like we missed him, though.Our friends and neighbors helped us with Grandma's funeral.Reese was seventeen then, so we came up with a plan.She would find work in another city, just like most people from our village did.Then she would have enough money to pay for my education.But a few friends from the village decided to take matters into their own hands.They found Ruben and threatened him.They told him that if

when you and your sister

point though, he had to come to our village.A good look at Reese and

not the case at all.After we returned to Ywood, he registered for school for me, but did not registered for my sister.He said that he was doing business now.My sister had grown up, so he wanted my sister to help him with his business.That's why he did not registered for school for my sister.But Reese bought it.What she didn't expect, though, was that he had dressed her up like a doll and put on display in order to find the highest

a while, looking down at her

a glass of red wine

"Then what happened?"

did, I would have given up everything and Reese and

a big gulp of wine and Ryan hurriedly told her, "Hey, there.Go easy on the wine.This stuff is

"Noted!"

the glass back on the table and sighed before

my life wasn't that bad back then.I was happy.And then, when I was sixteen, I met the most important man

who was pouring her some more wine, froze at the spot.Luke's investigation had revealed that at the age of sixteen, Wendy met

man?' He

vice-like and he was moments

he was in college.We met when he gave a speech as one of the high school's alumni.Every girl saw him as a true

room was getting heavier by

in her memories, Wendy didn't notice