Chapter 9

On the East Coast, in Midtown Manhattan, Central Park.

Surrounding Central Park are numerous old-style buildings, hotels, and apartments that bear the marks and styles of the 18th and 19th centuries. From the outside, these buildings may not seem impressive, but once you step inside, you will realize that their luxury is beyond what most people can imagine.

The people who live in these buildings around Central Park are mostly wealthy individuals from all over the world.

On the east side of Central Park, on 32nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, there is a block located in the central part of the park, which has a very advantageous geographical location.

This is where the world-renowned 'Manhattan Hotel' is located.

The Manhattan Hotel stands 48 stories tall, with an 18th-century Victorian architectural style. The exterior is made of rock, while the interior is constructed of reinforced concrete. It is one of the most famous buildings constructed during the American industrial era.

Upon entering the Manhattan Hotel, the floor is entirely covered with smooth marble, and the ceiling is adorned with intricate crystal chandeliers. On the walls of the ceiling, there are murals created by renowned artists when the hotel was built in the 18th century, covering the entire ceiling.

The hotel's lobby is spacious, and the male and female staff at the front desk are handsome and beautiful, making people feel comfortable. The front desk staff are not simple; they can communicate with guests in at least three languages.

The guests staying at the Manhattan Hotel are all wealthy and influential, and the price of each suite is not cheap. They are not rented by the day but sold for hundreds of millions of dollars or leased long-term at a high price.

Therefore, to stay here, one must be wealthy, and not just wealthy, but also have status and position.

Thus, the Manhattan Hotel does not welcome outsiders.

The guests it serves are not ordinary rich people or tycoons.

This luxurious and expensive hotel is a property of the Whiston family. After the Whiston family members encountered an accident, it was naturally transferred to the only remaining member, Annie Whiston.

Officially, this is a hotel apartment, but in reality, the rooms are long-term leased or purchased by specific groups and are not open to the public.

As the current sole boss of the Whiston family, Annie naturally has a suite here, and it is a super-luxurious one.

The suite has seven bedrooms, three bathrooms, four living rooms, and a total area of over 1,200 square meters. It is fully equipped with various luxurious furniture and facilities, including gold-embellished doorknobs in the bathrooms.

Of course, if that were all, it would only be suitable for nouveau riche, not for people in certain circles.

In Annie's suite, you can see paintings by famous artists and antique art pieces displayed everywhere, as if these valuable items were ordinary trinkets bought from the street.

The suite has large floor-to-ceiling windows, providing excellent lighting, allowing one to stand by the window and enjoy the lush Central Park and the entire Midtown Manhattan, offering a beautiful view.

The interior decoration is modern, with warm tones, making it feel cozy and not at all oppressive. The temperature inside, controlled by the central air conditioning, remains comfortable even during the hottest and coldest seasons in New York.

After leaving California, Annie brought her butler to New York and stayed here, handling some banking business in the United States.

During this period, Annie was troubled by a shameful secret, which seemed to intensify over time.

Due to this, Annie began to develop a strange interest in sperm donors and had her butler gather information about Kim Hyun-tae.

It was through this that Annie discovered that Kim Hyun-tae was a young single father who had submitted a novel manuscript to a publishing house she controlled.

Yes, the 'California Cultural Publishing House' that sent Kim Hyun-tae an email is also a property of Annie, who holds a significant share in the publishing house.

Thus, the boy and the woman, who had no prior connection, began a peculiar entanglement.

"Tell the head of the publishing house to offer the most favorable conditions, only for the English publication rights, and nothing else. I believe they won't refuse such an offer," Annie said softly, sitting on a soft beige sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the information file about Kim Hyun-tae that her butler brought her.

Although Annie tried to appear indifferent, her old butler, Nord, noticed something different.

Was it concern? Or something else?

Nord, the butler, couldn't be sure.

To be honest, Nord didn't know what his young mistress was thinking.

Why did she suddenly take an interest in a young boy?

Strange!

It was really strange.

Nord, the butler, didn't understand, and he didn't know about Annie's recent troubles and shameful experiences. Otherwise, he would have understood.

Unfortunately, Annie couldn't tell anyone, not even her trusted butler, Nord, because it was too shameful and embarrassing.

However, it was precisely because of this shameful reason that Annie began to pay attention to Kim Hyun-tae.

Even Annie herself didn't understand why she started to pay attention to this Asian boy.

But there was always a mysterious voice in her heart, constantly reminding her to pay attention to this young man.

So, under the influence of this small thought, Annie eventually took action.

California Cultural Publishing is a company controlled by Annie. Due to her instructions, they gave Kim Hyun-tae a response and expressed interest in his novel.

In fact, if it weren't for Annie, although Kim Hyun-tae's novel might still be noticed, it would take a long time.

As Kim Hyun-tae considered, the editors of the publishing house have many manuscripts to handle, so they wouldn't see his submission immediately.

But with Annie's involvement, things were different. The big boss's personal attention meant special treatment.

Especially since Kim Hyun-tae's novel was truly excellent and had the potential to be a bestseller, making the process even simpler.

"Miss, according to the information we have, this young man dropped out of school after junior high. His child's mother died in a car accident, and since then, he has been living with his child. Is it worth your effort to pay so much attention to him? A dropout clearly has no future," Nord reminded her.

Annie, however, was not convinced.

Nonsense!

The young man could answer her questions, showing that he had a high IQ.

He dropped out of school because of his child, which led to this result.

If he had continued his education, who knows what he could have achieved.

In short, Annie did not agree with Nord's opinion.

However, she couldn't explain everything to Nord, as she didn't want to reveal everything to him.

Moreover, Nord didn't know that this young man was the sperm donor, and the baby in her womb was his.

"It's no big deal, I'm just a bit interested," Annie said casually, as if it didn't matter much, but Nord could see that it was more than just interest.

But he couldn't interfere with his young mistress's personal matters, so he dropped the subject.

In fact, even Annie didn't understand her own feelings towards Kim Hyun-tae.

Logically, they had no connection, and even if they did, it was negligible.

But she never expected that after using Kim Hyun-tae's sperm, she would feel so compelled.

"Uncle Nord, tell the publishing house to offer the most favorable conditions and to promote the novel with their full effort. After all, the money the novel earns is also my money."

Technically, Annie was right, as she was the major shareholder of the publishing house. If Kim Hyun-tae made money, it would be her money too.

Faced with his young mistress's instructions, Nord could only nod in agreement.

After giving Nord these instructions, Annie turned her gaze to the lush Central Park outside, her eyes filled with complex emotions. No one knew or understood the turmoil and anxiety in her heart at that moment.

"Annie! Annie!

What's wrong with you?

Why did you suddenly take such a strong interest in that young man and help him?

This isn't your character, and it's not something you should do."

Could it be because of the scenes that appear in her dreams every night?

With a complex look, Annie thought about the strange and embarrassing things that had happened to her recently, and her cheeks turned red.

Fortunately, Nord had already left, so he didn't see his young mistress's unusual state.

"Sigh! What am I thinking? There's no way anything can happen between me and that young man. I'm 26, and he's only 16. I must just want to help him. Yes, that must be it."

Annie found an excuse in her extremely complex and chaotic state of mind to comfort herself.

Meanwhile, in the poor neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, where many Chinese people live, Kim Hyun-tae, who was living with his daughter, had no idea that a woman behind the publishing house had 'helped' him, making everything go much more smoothly.

As the saying goes, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

And now, Kim Hyun-tae was one of those blissfully 'ignorant' people.