From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent

Chapter 516
The Morris Family
Rebecca couldn't tear her eyes away from her phone, anxiously waiting for a call.
Minute after minute ticked by, but her phone remained silent.
What's going on?
It was already past two in the morning.
Could those guys have failed to get the job done?
Rebecca paced restlessly around her bedroom, worry etched across her face.
Could something have gone wrong?
Carole was just a middle-aged woman with no real strength to speak of, and Rebecca had specifically told Clara to bring eight
men along for this. Surely nothing could have gone off track.
She just needed to wait quietly for the good news.
This time, she would make sure Carole and her daughter were utterly ruined in Cloudcrest. No one would ever look at them the
same way again.
Thirty minutes later, Rebecca's phone finally rang.
It was them.
They must have succeeded!
Rebecca's eyes lit up. She grinned and hurriedly answered, "When are you sending me the photos?"
Whatever the person on the other end said, the blood drained from Rebecca's face. Her smile froze, then crumbled into a furious
snarl as she hurled the phone against the wall. "Useless! Every last one of you is worthless!"
Failure was never part of Rebecca's plan.

And yet, Carole had escaped from eight men? How was that even possible?
She had been so sure this would be the final blow-Carole would be ruined, her reputation destroyed beyond repair. But now, all
her plotting had come to nothing. Rebecca's features twisted in rage, her whole body trembling.
It was a long time before she finally yanked out the SIM card, tossed it into the toilet, and flushed it away.
Watching the card disappear, Rebecca narrowed her eyes.
Carole might have escaped by a stroke of luck this time, but next time, she wouldn't be so fortunate.
"System, find out what Carole's up to right now, and get me her schedule for the next few days!"
Silence. No response in her mind.
Rebecca bit her lip, only then remembering-the system was gone.
When would it come back?
No. She couldn't lose the system. She absolutely couldn't!
She clung to the edge of the bathroom sink, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.
The next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.
Carole was up early, just like always, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened the night before.
She walked into the kitchen and found Anthea already there, simmering a pot of nourishing soup.
"Annie, you're up so early?" Carole tied on her apron. "Come on, let me handle breakfast."
Anthea glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "I've already finished. Breakfast is ready."
Carole knew exactly what Anthea was worried about. She looked at her daughter and said seriously, "Don't worry, sweetheart.
I'm really fine now."
Anthea replied, "Mom, starting today, I'm arranging for a driver to take you to and from work."
Carole nodded, wanting to reassure her daughter. "Alright."

Before long, Nanson came downstairs.
The three of them sat together at the dining table.

Anthea took a bite of toast. "Mom, how about I sign you up for a self-defense class? It's good for your health and it'll help you
protect yourself."
Now that Carole's reputation and assets were growing day by day, even without Rebecca, there could be others with ill intentions
in the future.
It was always easier to defend against obvious threats. The hidden dangers were the ones you never saw coming.
You could only count on yourself.
Nanson nodded in agreement.
"Annie's right, sis. At the end of the day, you can't always depend on us. What if there's a day when Annie and I can't be at your
side?"
Carole hesitated, then nodded.
After last night, she was still shaken. If Anthea and Nanson hadn't arrived in time she didn't dare imagine what could have
happened. As a mother, it was one thing not to protect her daughter-but she couldn't be the one holding Anthea back either.
She would have to get stronger.
So after breakfast, Anthea took Carole to sign up for an adult self-defense course.
Nanson wanted to tag along, but Carole smiled at him. “What are you coming for? Go handle your work-things at the company
must be hectic."
Anthea chimed in, "Uncle, I'll go with Mom. You coming along just wastes your time."
Last night's incident had left Nanson uneasy, but he relented. "Alright, Annie. Call me if anything happens."
Anthea nodded. "I will."
...

With Daniel Robinson's help, Morris
Group had just gotten back on track-only for disaster to strike overnight. Major investors began pulling out one after another.
Worse,
be
a mysterious force seemed to working in the shadows, trying to crush them.
"Mr. Morris, bad news! ZC Group just snatched up that property on the south side!"
"Sir! PG Group suddenly canceled this afternoon's meeting the deal's off!"