Offer To The CEO

Wednesday

On waking Anna felt an arm draped around her waist.  On opening her eyes and slightly turning she realised Hou Yi had returned from the business trip.  During the last discussion they had, he informed her that he was unlikely to be back until either late tonight or tomorrow.  The sneak, he returned home and slipped into bed without disturbing her.

Without him beside her it had been a difficult almost two weeks.  She struggled to drift off to sleep and talking and video calls were not enough to deal with how much she had missed him.  They could never substitute for his presence with her.  That was something she could not have predicted when the married. 

He gave her stability and unconditional love to the point he overindulged her poor behaviour.  After the discussions that they had before he left, and the long nights where she could think about things Anna was able to admit to herself that she had been behaving like a spoilt child.  He did not deserve that, nor did he deserve people looking down at him given her action.  He deserved her treating him with utter respect and unconditional love like he had shown her and her actions always showing him that he, and their children, would always be the most important things not acting as if she should be the most important thing.

How separation, even for a few days could give one perspective when you were open in your feelings and willing to take what people had to say into account without reacting.  Anne knew that that was the difference to the toxic relationship she had with Lu Jinhu that subjected her to the abuse she allowed to happen.  She never could be open and honest with him and took it out on everyone around her.

Placing her hand on her stomach, she quietly said "You do not know how much mummy loves you and cannot wait for you to come and join us." Surprisingly those words did not stir her sleeping husband.  Anna looked closer and could see that he looked exhausted.  He must have pushed himself so hard to get back here as quickly as he could.  That was sweet as it told her that he missed her and wanted to be beside her.

Anna decided to lay quietly until she had no option but to move.  Her mind drifted to the conversation she had with Alister Nang yesterday.  It was interesting.  In reading the summary part of the agreement that related to the offences where she, Hou YI and Hou Corporation were the victims, it sounded so clinical.  Given the remaining charges, as much as she could determine, it appeared that getting this right was always going to be a massive challenge for the National Prosecutors but being so clinical was not sitting right with her as a victim.

But at the same time, she was certain that Lu Jingho was trying to manipulate things still.  No scratch that what his lawyers were trying to hide, given the order for the independent psychiatric assessment and the release to them of Lu Jinhu's statement.  If she could put a finger on it, Anna would believe that the report his team had prepared indicated serious mental health issues that they did not want to come out in a contested hearing, let alone anything else.

After pausing and deeply considering that conversation, Anna turned and noticed the time.  She had to get moving given she had another obstetrician's appointment.  As she started to move to get out from Hou Yi's embrace, which she admitted to herself was something she really did not want to do, it must have disturbed him as he quickly tightened his arms around her and started to open his eyes.

Anna quietly said "Yi, you need to sleep. Goodness knows what time you got back last night, and I am expecting that you were not planning to be in the office today."

After yawning Hou Yi said "Anna, you have an appointment with the obstetrician for your next review. I am coming with you to that, and Alister Nang got a hold of me yesterday, arranged an appointment and sent me a part of the proposal for the plea deal."

"I told him I would tell you…"

"Anna, he spoke to me before he spoke to you.  From what I understand the National Prosecutors want each victim to agree to the part of the summary in the plea document that relates to them, so that the only matter to be resolved is the penalty.  What Alister wants to discuss is our preliminary position on the penalty."