My eyes snapped open in confusion.
He pulled me in for a warm hug before saying, “Let’s go down together!”
It was a command that left no room for discussion. Picking me up, he left the bedroom.
Downstairs, Rylee had already showered, her hair half-dried. She was sitting in the living room with Joe next to her. Since when did Joe arrive?
Spotting me in Anthony’s arms, Rylee’s gaze flashed with jealousy.
She jolted up and tugged at Anthony without hesitation. “Anth, are you going to abandon me?”
Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was wailing again.
I looked down and shut my eyes tiredly. Why did Anthony bring me downstairs?
To see them being intimate?
“Rylee, stop it. Joe will give you a ride home,” said Anthony in displeasure.
Joe had the same idea. He offered, “Rylee, I’ll drive you home.”
Rylee was on the verge of breaking down as she exclaimed, “You people think I’m unreasonable, don’t you? Now that my brother is dead, all of you despise and abandon me!”
“Ha!” I sneered.
My sneer triggered Rylee. She turned to glare at me. “Sienna, what is so funny about it? Oh, you should be gloating now. You’ve got everything you want.”
I was amused. “What did I get?” Pausing, I let out a bitter chuckle. “Yes, I got everything I wanted. Thanks to you, Ms. Lorraine, I am stuck in a loveless marriage. I don’t even dare to tell anyone I’m pregnant. You can use your deceased brother to destroy another family. I can’t believe how shameless you are, being someone else’s mistress proudly!”
“Sienna, stop spouting nonsense!” Rylee’s face flushed red angrily.
I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. “Nonsense? Look, aren’t you acting shamelessly now? This house belongs to Anthony and me. It isn’t somewhere for you to show off. Please leave, Ms. Lorraine!”
Rylee’s hands wrung together furiously. She gazed at Anthony. When her gaze landed on me, it was full of hatred.
I was too exhausted to continue the conversation.
When I turned to leave, I heard Rylee imploring, “Anth…”
“Enough!” Anthony declared, “Joe, bring her home!”
I strode upstairs without hesitation. After all, I wasn’t in the mood to hear the rest of their conversation.
As I lay on the bed, my head and my eyes were throbbing painfully. I immediately made a call to Macy.
The phone rang for a while before she picked up. “Ms. Stanhope, look at the time.”
It seemed like my call had woken her abruptly. I glanced at the clock, which showed it was 2 a.m.
Feeling guilty, I stammered, “M-Macy, I think I’m ill.”
She was taken aback by my words. “What’s wrong? You’re ill? Go to the hospital! Is Anthony with you now?” she demanded loudly.
I fell silent as I didn’t know how to explain my illness. It wasn’t something the naked eye could see.
Sighing, I replied, “It’s nothing. I miss you!”
Macy didn’t press on because she was sleepy. “Babe, you can’t sleep?”
I parted my lips, but my voice died in my throat. “Mm, you should sleep. We can talk tomorrow!” In the end, I ended up saying nothing.
After hanging up, I curled up in bed. Everything felt dull to me.
I fell into a deep sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, the bed dipped. Someone crawled into bed and pulled me into his embrace.
It must be Anthony. I said nothing and went back to bed.
I couldn’t really sleep well the previous night, perhaps due to all the stress recently. When I arrived at the company, I felt muddled.
Stacey entered my office with a few documents for me to sign. She poured me a glass of milk. “Ms. Stanhope, you look pale. Do you need to go to the hospital?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well last night. You should go back to work.”
Indeed, my sleep schedule was horrible recently.
She gave me a concerned look and left with the files. Before leaving, she told me, “Do you want to see Dr. Crest? He’s here today. I saw him in the elevator just now.”
Jared was obsessed with medical research. He was a shareholder in Featherstone Corporation, but he rarely showed up.
Anthony must be planning to invest in medical research. That was why he set up a research laboratory for Jared in the company.
I gave a nod. “Sure!”
My condition was horrible lately. I stood up and went to Jared’s office.
His office was on the same floor as Anthony’s. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the moment I stepped out of the elevator, I immediately noticed Rylee standing in Anthony’s office.
She was clad in a long and flowy white dress, her signature style. That was why I recognized her at once.
Heading straight to Jared’s office, I knocked on the door.
“What is it?” A deep male voice sounded. It was Anthony.
I recognized his voice at once.
“Anth, I thought about it. I’ve decided to neither go abroad nor enter showbiz,” declared Rylee. She didn’t seem delighted at all.
“Mm!”
He sounded quite uninterested.
Jared didn’t answer the door. I knocked a few more times. Was he asleep?
“Joe will be here later. He’ll give you a ride home,” said Anthony coolly.
His words might’ve upset Rylee because she only replied after a long pause. “I’ve given up. Isn’t that enough?”
A heavy silence hung in the air before Anthony responded, “Rylee, I told you not to make any decisions involving me! Sienna is pregnant. If you insist on staying in J City, I’ll take care of you, but that doesn’t include your love life. I have my own family!”
“Your family?” Rylee shrilled. “What about me? My brother left me in your hands…”
“Parker didn’t ask me to marry you. Rylee, we have separate lives.” Anthony’s reply was cruel.
“Do you love her?” Rylee asked in a trembling voice. “You don’t! You think you’re responsible for her because she’s pregnant with your child. Anthony, you don’t even know your feelings. What you have for Sienna is a sense of responsibility, not love! Just like how you used to care for me. You felt responsible for me, too!”
I heard nothing after her exclamation. I thought it was the end of their conversation. As Jared didn’t open his door, I was going to leave.
Before I could do so, Rylee’s voice rang out again. “Anth, please let me stay by your side. I don’t want anything else. I will listen to you. Please don’t abandon me. I can’t survive without you.”
Her plea was desperate and inferior.
I lowered my gaze, feeling sorry for her. It was easy to lose oneself in love.
“What are you doing here?” A male voice questioned. Snapping back to reality, I saw Jared walking out of his office tiredly.
I was astounded. Was he really sleeping?
“I’m here for you,” I replied. Before he could say anything, Rylee’s voice rang out again.
“Anth, I know you don’t love Sienna. A loveless marriage will ruin you. You have a child, but it won’t make you happy. Instead, it will become a gap between you both. You’ll be forever tied to her because of the child!”
Jared heard her clearly and raised a brow at me. “Eavesdropping?”
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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