Chapter 279 Echoes in the Quiet
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Anneliese suddenly felt her irritation and restlessness give way to an inexplicable gloom.
She let out a sigh and turned to the latest research papers on lightweight materials.
Slowly, she immersed herself in the work, and her mood began to settle–but the more she read, the more alert she became.
By the time her eyes grew dry and gritty, and she rubbed them, she realized over two hours had passed.
It was nearly three in the morning.
She opened WhatsApp again, and as before, he hadn’t replied.
Anneliese pressed her lips together and rose, heading upstairs. But just as she stepped onto the first stair, her phone vibrated.
Sensing something, she picked it up–and sure enough, it was a message from Jonathan.
‘Busy, just saw this.’
The pale glow of the screen reflected in her almond–shaped eyes, making them shimmer.
She quickly typed back: ‘No worries.’
‘Why aren’t you asleep yet? Did something wake you, or can’t you sleep?‘
‘Insomnia…‘
She had just sent the message when his voice call came through.
The buzzing of the phone seemed especially loud in the quiet night, stirring her heart.
She sprinted to her bag, grabbed her Bluetooth earbuds, and clipped them in, finally answering, slightly out of breath.
His low, velvety voice sounded in her car.
“Night owl… are you expecting me to lull you to sleep?”
Anneliese, however, could faintly hear papers rustling and someone speaking in the background on his end.
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Chapter 279 Echoes in the Quiet
She hesitated. “Are you busy?”
Before Jonathan could answer, a new, unfamiliar voice approached over the line.
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“Mr. Fullbuster, we’ve negotiated airspace usage with the government multiple times, but we just received some updates. This might affect the upcoming United Aerospace Safety
Commission permit approval, and the finance team has drafted the optimal tax plan. They need your final review.”
“One moment.”
Anneliese heard Jonathan respond to the person. She said softly, “Go ahead, you should focus. I’m pretty tired… I’ll fall asleep soon.”
She was about to hang up when his voice returned.
“If you don’t mind the sound of our meeting being boring, why don’t you just stay on the line?”
“Huh?” Anneliese paused for a moment, but then a gentle smile curved her lips. “Okay… go ahead, focus on your work.”
Jonathan said nothing more. He turned back to the conference table, carefully flipping his phone face down beside him.
“Continue.”
Anneliese quietly tiptoed back to the bedroom, lying down beside Nishay again. From time to time, she could hear his deep, decisive voice echoing over the line–calm, unhurried, yet sharp and commanding, like a general orchestrating his strategy.
Whether it was the late hour, her exhaustion, or the subtle effect of Jonathan’s voice, her eyes soon closed, and sleep claimed her.
Over an hour later, Jonathan finally finished the meeting. He picked up his phone, the screen lighting his face, and realized the call had never been disconnected.
He pressed it to his ear, still able to hear her soft, steady breathing.
In his deep eyes, the usual edge softened, and his lips curved slightly.
“Good night, my princess.”
Anneliese, of course, didn’t hear him–she had slept soundly through the night.
When she woke, her body felt heavy with sleep, and the sunlight was sharp in her eyes. It was
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Chapter 279 Echoes in the Quiet
already mid–morning.
She touched her ears; Nishay must have gotten up to take off her earbuds.
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She quickly picked up her phone and saw that her call with Jonathan had lasted nearly two hours before ending.
Her eyes flickered with a quiet light as she rose to wash up.
Downstairs, the kitchen was alive with movement. As Anneliese stepped in, the savory aroma of pie filling hit her.
Sure enough, Nishay was making pies. Anneliese hurried forward and hugged the elderly woman from behind.
“I love the pies you make the most.”
The pies her foster mother used to make had the same filling recipe as Nishay’s. After her foster mother passed, Nishay’s pies carried that same comforting, homely taste.
Anneliese had tried to learn the recipe, but for some reason, hers never turned out quite right.
Nishay turned and smiled. “I knew you’d be craving them. I made extra, so I’ll freeze them in the fridge. When I’m gone, you and Zacharias can enjoy them together.”
Anneliese’s smile softened, and she let go of Nishay.
“You really care about me… I just want to eat your pies all the time, Grandma. Since you’re here, just stay.”
With Nishay’s recent health issues and surgery, recovery wouldn’t be easy. Anneliese couldn’t bear the thought of letting her live alone in Baytree.
“Why bring this up again? I’ve got plenty of old friends back home. I’m not interested in coming here just to be your live–in nanny.”
Whenever the topic turned to living with Anneliese, Nishay always responded like this.
Anneliese knew it wasn’t that Nishay didn’t care–she just didn’t want to be a burden. This wasn’t something that could be solved overnight.
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