“Yeah.” I had it all planned out—now that I had a reason to quit, I could finally leave J City.
The tall man stood in front of me, letting out a cold chuckle and engulfing me with his frosty presence. “You got rid of the child, signed the divorce papers, and now, you’re about to quit your job. What are you up to, Sienna?”
My palms began to turn sweaty. I instinctively stepped backward, only to feel Anthony grab me by the waist. “Are you planning to leave J City?” he demanded, glaring at me with his sharp eyes.
“No!” I immediately denied it. “Haven’t you been wanting to sign the papers? Now that I’ve signed them, you’re finally free to be with Rylee. What is there not to like about that?”
“Fine!” The man’s smirk turned even more frigid as his grip on my waist tightened. “You know how much I hate it when others do as they please, Sienna. Do you think I’d let you off so easily after you killed my child?”
“But you didn’t want the child.” I frowned, feeling increasingly bewildered. “Rylee kept using it as leverage, so I figured I’d take things into my own hands instead of being coerced into getting an abortion!”
The air in the office grew even more chilly. As Anthony narrowed his eyes, I had a feeling that this man standing in front of me was like a vicious lion—one wrong move and he’d shred me into pieces.
“You’re a smart one, aren’t you?”
I didn’t know what he meant, but I certainly understood it wasn’t a compliment.
“Well, since you’ve already gotten rid of the child, that’s fine. We’ll just have another one.”
With that, he walked away. I remained frozen in place, staring at him in a daze. Perhaps these would have been words of encouragement if they came from a loving husband, but coming from him, they were nothing but crude.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go,” he remarked coldly, turning back to glance at me.
In a moment of confusion, I merely grunted a response and trotted over to him.
Anthony took me to a huge courtyard with a restaurant within it. Upon entering the yard, a woman in a fancy gown walked toward us. “This way, please, Mr. Featherstone.”
Then, she brought us past the yard into a room. There, I spotted Jared and Joe having a chat over some tea.
As the lady left, Anthony walked over to the chair next to them and sat down, his eyes looking blank. “Why hasn’t the food arrived?”
Devon needs some time to prepare,” answered Jared before turning to me. “Are you hungry?”
After a quick pause, I shook my head.
Joe wasn’t impressed by how Jared treated me. “Why are you acting so fragile? It’s just an abortion, for God’s sake. Why did we have to go out of our way to get a world-renowned chef like Devon to cook for you? What a waste of his time.”
Before Jared could stop him, I merely smiled. “The view here isn’t bad. I’ll go take a walk.”
My words were meant for Anthony and Jared.
Anthony gave me a cool glance and said nothing. “The courtyard looks stunning. Go take a look,” Jared suggested. “There’s also a bonsai garden with a lake full of fish in the middle.”
With a smile and word of thanks, I headed outside.
“Are you insane, Jared? Why are you caring so much about that woman? Have you lost your mind? If she hadn’t married Anthony through underhanded means, Rylee and Anthony would’ve long been happily married by now.”
Those words clearly came from Joe. I couldn’t help but hear them even if I didn’t want to. From how loudly he spoke, pretty much everyone in the building could hear him.
Not wanting to hear them anymore, I picked up my pace. It was indeed a different sight as I arrived in the courtyard.
Considering how this huge courtyard was located in the heart of a glamorous place like J City and even had an enormous plot of land for planting an array of greenery, there was no doubt that the owner of this restaurant was filthy rich.
As I strolled along the pebble path, I spotted a man in his mid-thirties plucking some branches with a child next to him.
Upon walking closer, the man noticed me too. “Hello,” he greeted, dropping whatever he was doing.
I returned a smile. “Hi.”
The child, who seemed to have just learned how to walk, began trotting over to me. He seems to be quite friendly.
Unable to speak, the little boy stared at me wide-eyed and gave me the yellow flower he was holding.
I was instantly overjoyed and couldn’t help but want to pick him up, only to be stopped by the man. “Be careful! He’s a playful one. I don’t want you getting hurt while you’re pregnant.”
I stared at the man in disbelief. “How…” How did you know I was pregnant?
The question never left my mouth.
Still, the man responded, “Don’t be surprised. I know a little about medicine and could guess that you’re pregnant from the way you subconsciously held your belly while walking.”
I nodded, feeling amazed by this man.
“This courtyard is really unique,” I remarked. “It’s like a vegetable garden.”
The man couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, to be exact, this is a medicinal herb garden. There are over two thousand different species of medicinal plants here. They’re on the brink of extinction, so they’re being cultivated here.”
Feeling stunned, I glanced at my surroundings carefully. Indeed, there weren’t many vegetables here, but there were lots of unrecognizable plants as well as an unusually tall cactus.
“This place is called Herb Garden. J City is the most suitable area in the whole country to cultivate these plants, and that’s how Herb Garden became the center of our country’s medicinal herbs. There aren’t many, but every species is being preserved.” After sorting out the branches he had plucked, the man began to leave with his child.
I nodded, gaining a newfound liking for this place as I watched him and the little boy walk away.
Suddenly, the man stopped and called out to me, “Don’t hang around too long, Mrs. Featherstone! Some herbs here aren’t good for the child.”
Feeling taken aback, I returned to my senses only after they had walked far away. He knew who I was?
Soon, Anthony came out and saw me kneeling by a stream looking at ants. “Let’s go,” he called out, standing next to me.
I was so focused on whatever I was doing that I nearly slipped upon hearing his voice. Thankfully, he helped me up with his quick reflexes.
“Did you leave your brain at home?” Anthony asked, frowning.
I smiled sheepishly. “I spaced out.”
The man turned and walked away without a word.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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