Take Control of Yourself, Please novel (Anna and Liam)
Chapter 178 I Will Protect You

With Daniel's urging, the Dawson family swiftly fixed a date for Chloe and Bryan's wedding.

This made the people on the internet, who strongly supported Anna, start hurling insults at Chloe and Bryan again. Even so, the deed had been done and the marriage was confirmed. After a few days of uproar, the netizens gave in.

It had been two days since Anna left her room. All her meals had been brought to her by Lisa. Although she seemed to have been relegated to the background in the house, she thoroughly enjoyed the tranquility it brought. She could finally study in peace and prepare herself to return to campus.

Lisa would advise her from time to time, "Ms. Anna, Sir only did this in a fit of anger. If you say a few words of appeal to him, I'm sure he will let you out. You are his daughter by blood after all." Anna's chest tightened the moment Daniel was mentioned.

Her father had thoroughly broken her heart. Her strategy to advance by retreating could not compete with a sudden pregnancy. On the contrary, it bolstered the mother-daughter duo's arrogance and trapped herself in a difficult situation.

At the end of the day, her father valued profit more than their familial bond.

Nonetheless, it could not be considered a loss for Anna as she was able to call off her marriage with Bryan while simultaneously obtaining Grandmother Dawson's affirmation.

She was in an especially good mood those few days. Every time Lisa went into her room to bring her food, Chloe would deliberately call out to Lisa and, along with Nicole, command her to prepare all sorts of nutritious food for Chloe in a bossy manner.

Chloe was becoming pickier and picker with her food and becoming more and more difficult to serve. She would always complain about the food being too oily and other times too bland. Everyone was running circles around the house for her.

She even intentionally stood in front of Anna's room frequently and made horrible insinuations about her in a loud voice to upset her.

Initially, Anna did not want to pay any attention to it. Unexpectedly, it only made Chloe grow even more unscrupulous. She barged into her room with maids and took away the pots of jasmines that Anna had been nurturing for years.

Jasmines were her mother's favorite flowers before she passed.

Anna stopped them, yet Chloe pinched her nose and talked in a weak and soft tone, "Anna, the smell of jasmine in your room is too strong.

It's making me nauseous all the time. I have no appetite for food."

Anna clenched her fists tightly. She gazed at the hypocritical expression on Chloe's face with her icy-cold eyes.

"Chloe, you sure have a good nose. Even the fragrance of flowers in my room can overwhelm you."

Chloe smiled and placed her hands on her belly, which was still flat. "Anna, you won't know because you've never been pregnant, but pregnant ladies have the most sensitive noses! Even a faint smell of something we don't like can make us feel unwell.

"Daddy has said it before-I must take good care of myself before I marry into the Dawson family.

Grandmother Dawson will blame the Hamilton family if there is any sort of negligence.

"Anna, I'm doing this for the sake of our family and our father. The two families can only live in harmony in the future if I take good care of myself and the baby."

"How thoughtful of you, Chloe!" Anna smiled and got out of the way, allowing the maids to take away the jasmines she had been growing for years.

Chloe glanced at Anna from the cored of her eyes. Then, she arrogantly strode past Anna in her high heels.

"Chloe, you should be more careful now that you're pregnant. Wearing such high heels and wearing so much perfume is not good for the fetus," Anna said in

a soft tone.

"Thanks for your concern, Anna. I..." Chloe leaned close to Anna's ear and dragged her tone out in a delighted manner. "I will surely take good care of me and Bryan's baby."

Chloe thought that she would see a pained expression on Anna's face. To her surprise, no reaction could be seen in Anna's pretty eyes. There was not a hint of change in her expression.

Chloe scoffed. She crossed her arms and strode out of the room.

Lisa stood behind Anna and sighed internally.

'This poor child...'

Anna stood at her spot, not moving a muscle. She stared at the pots of jasmines that once sat on her window sill, yet her gaze was empty and unfocused.

Lisa's heart ached. She murmured, "Ms. Anna..."

Anna slowly turned her head. As she gazed at the white hair on Lisa's temple and the look of care and concern in her eyes, Anna's heart could not help but ache. Her eyes gradually reddened. "It's ok, I can grow a few more pots of jasmines." Anna forced a smile onto her face, yet tears were gathering up in the corner of her eyes.

"Ms. Anna..." Lisa's eyes reddened too. She wanted to say something but swallowed her words again.

Lisa lowered her head and silently wiped away the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Lisa, is there something you'd like to say?" Anna inquired.

Lisa looked up. Her eyes were already filled with tears. "Ms. Anna, they don't know what those jasmines mean to you but I do! When will you stop letting them bully you?"

Anna lowered her eyelids, pointing her luscious lashes downward. "It's not that I don't want to counter ... but in this situation, there's nothing I can do about it."

She smiled faintly. "She'll be marrying into the Dawson family very soon. There will finally be peace in the house! There are things that I want to protect, so I can't fight her right now. Besides, what she is striving for is a moment of glory-that's not what I desire."

Lisa sighed. "Ms. Anna, you are too kind. You must be holding back because of her pregnancy. You don't want to hurt the child."

Anna was surprised that Lisa understood her so well.

The grudges between her and Chloe had nothing to do with the child. Anna did not want to drag in an innocent.

"Ms. Anna, you have to recover as quickly as you can! Don't let those things affect your mood. They... they don't deserve your sorrow." Lisa felt that Anna's suffering was not worth it.

"Lisa, what happened to your hand?" Anna suddenly noticed the redness and swelling on Lisa's arm hidden under her sleeve. It looked like a burn.

Lisa hurriedly hid it away. Anna darted toward her and pulled up her sleeves. The horrifying wound on her arm made Anna widen her eyes abruptly. "How did you get burnt so badly!"

"It... It's nothing... It was an accident..." Lisa beat around the bush, not willing to tell the truth.

"Is this Chloe's doing?!"

Lisa's eyes reddened. She lowered her head. "Ms. Chloe said... the chicken soup tasted bad... so... she knocked it over..."

"She purposely spilled it on you!" Anna clenched her fists tightly.

The mother-daughter duo had always disliked Lisa as she was biased toward Anna. However, Anna still had status in the house.

She had lost her marriage with the Dawson family and postponed her succession to the Lincoln Group. On the other hand, Chloe and Bryan were getting married because of her pregnancy. Thus, the motherdaughter duo became all the more conceited. They did not dare to do much to Anna, so they took their anger out on Lisa instead.

"Ms. Anna... I have been a maid in this house for thirty years. I've always given it my all in every task I have... While Madam was still alive, she had always been kind and considerate to me...

"But ever since that mother-daughter duo entered this household, they'd always bite my head off for any tiny mistakes. I can endure all of that... because I still have you, Ms. Anna. I cannot leave the Hamilton household ... I must take care of you until you grow up and get married..."

Lisa choked up and held Anna's hands tightly. "Ms. Anna... I can tell that Mr. Ackman is very good to you. With Mr. Ackman helping you, all your problems can be easily solved... You wouldn't have to submit yourself to these horrible treatments anymore."

Anna's heart ached a little.

She hugged Lisa and said in a slightly sobbing tone," Lisa... I know that your kindness toward me is genuine ... I will surely protect you!"