Anthony grew annoyed at that. He snapped, “Then find it! How could you possibly wear something someone else’s wife bought for them? Does it even fit you?”
“It fits perfectly actually!” Jared did not seem to be in a good mood. I could hear how his background was rather noisy, hinting that he was possibly in a bar.
“Do you know that the bone cancer hospital in M Country has officially been established? Looks like you don’t need a recommendation letter anymore.” Anthony relaxed back against the chaise lounge, looking as cool as a cucumber.
“Fine! I’ll return you the shirt as soon as I can! In fact, I’ll get on it right away!”
With that said, Jared hung up.
What the hell just happened?
I rolled my eyes at Anthony’s antics. Not having anything more to say to him, I got myself ready for bed.
With Nick and John both in K City, my days were not boring as before. And whenever I felt bored at home, I would start sorting through the insane amount of jewelry Anthony bought for me last time, I had the feeling that it was probably enough for me to start up a jewelry store of my own.
When Cameron came to visit me this time, I was not as panicked nor tense as before. I invited her into the living room, where Molly poured her some tea.
We sat down opposite each other. The gentle smile on her face was ever-present as her gaze landed on my swollen abdomen. After a few seconds of staring, she asked, “The baby is due soon, right?”
I nodded and replied with a succinct “Yeah.”
She did not seem to mind my curt tone as she continued, “How wonderful! You two are about to welcome a new life into your lives.”
Since this was obviously nonsensical chatter, I only gave her a small smile in reply.
Finally realizing that I had no intention of chatting with her, she placed a contract on the table between us. She smiled slightly and gestured to it. “Have a look. You might just find that it’s something that benefits you.”
I raised an eyebrow but did not move to take it. “What is it?”
“Just take a look.”
At her urging, I reached out to grab the contract and flipped through it. When I was done, I did not know whether to laugh or cry. In the end, I settled on pinning her with a gaze. “As expected from someone known as the world’s richest woman. You’re very generous.”
She gave a tinkling laugh in response. “You flatter me. As you can see, the terms I’ve set are beneficial to you in every way. If you really love Anthony, I’m sure you’ll consider signing this due to concern for his future. After all, he’s a very ambitious man. Why else do you think he chose to come here to K City? That’s because J City is no longer big enough to contain his ambitions.”
Here, she paused and toyed with her ring. “Based on his current abilities and connections only, there’s no way his business will prosper here as it did back in J City. He will need some external help if he wants to build an empire here as well.”
I stared down at the contract in my hands as I listened to her speak. When she was done, I had the sudden urge to laugh. “Ms. Anderson, I applaud you for really knowing how to push your advantages. However, you don’t seem to know Anthony very well. He’s an incredibly proud man. He has never wanted nor accepted anyone’s help before. If he really sets his mind to it, even if he doesn’t have any external help, he’ll still be able to build his business empire with his own two hands.”
I have never once doubted Anthony’s capabilities, nor have I ever thought he was the type of man who would give up on me and the baby just to secure his future.
The only thing that might cause him to abandon us would be love. Even so, unless his love for Rylee was infinitely deeper than his sense of responsibility, he would never voluntarily leave me.
Her eyebrow twitched upward before she set her cup down in a none-too-gently manner. “Well, he might not need any external help. But what if someone were to create resistance for him? I might not be the most powerful person out there, but that doesn’t mean the Moore family can’t do anything to him.”
It was a blatant threat.
I pursed my lips and met her gaze. “Ms. Anderson, you truly think I’ll leave Anthony because I care about his future?”
“Oh? Does that mean you don’t love Anthony then?” A smile spread across her face at that. “That makes things even easier! You leave with your child and I’ll give you enough money to last several lifetimes. I can also transfer several companies to your name. If you want to work, you can manage the companies. Otherwise, you can just relax at home and wait for the dividends. As a bonus, if you ever feel like you don’t have enough money, you can always come to find me. I’ll be more than happy to give you more!”
The way rich people deal with their problems really is out of this world! There doesn’t seem to be an end to their generosity!
At that moment, I felt like I would be an idiot not to agree to such terms.
A short pause later, I replied, “It would be incredibly foolish of me to outright refuse you now. How about this instead – let me think about it.”
She lifted a brow at me and chuckled lightly. “No problem. Next weekend is Rylee’s birthday. You have till then to come to a decision. If you agree, I’ll have a lawyer draw up a contract on the spot. However, if you don’t, I hope you can come to Rylee’s birthday party before eight.”
“Why eight?”
“Because I’ll officially announce Rylee’s engagement to Anthony after eight.” Cameron’s tone was firm and decisive. The words slammed into me like a hammer.
Right then, I was envious of Rylee for having such a wonderful mother who was willing to plan everything out for her.
“Fine!”
Now that this matter had been temporarily settled, there was nothing more for us to say to each other.
Thus, Cameron left soon after.
Perhaps it was due to my advanced pregnancy, but I found myself getting even more tired easily nowadays. I was also prone to spacing out.
The sun was at its highest point, and the temperature hit the highest of the day. When Anthony was back, I was sitting on the couch in the living room, sweating profusely while staring blankly into space.
Upon noticing the perspiration covering my forehead, he raised his voice to reproach me, “Are you planning to die from heatstroke, killing the baby as well?”
I shoot him an indifferent glance while remaining silent. Then, ignoring his presence, I went back to the bedroom to get some rest. I was not in the mood to talk with him, knowing very well that we would end up getting into an argument.
He entered the bedroom after me. After looking around for some time, he found a white smock dress and tossed it to me. “Get yourself changed! We’re going out right now.”
I was feeling exhausted, so I gave him the brush-off. “I don’t want to.”
He said as a matter of fact, “Today is Benjamin’s birthday, and they are having a small family gathering. Aunt Sally called just now to invite us over for dinner.”
Although he didn’t put pressure on me, it would be too unthoughtful of me if I absented myself from Benjamin’s birthday. Letting out a sigh, I changed into the dress and then put on light makeup.
In the car, Anthony gave me a sidelong glance before he asked, “What did Ms. Anderson say to you?”
I was slightly bewildered but immediately understood that either the bodyguards or the doctors must have informed him that someone had paid a visit to the villa.
“She gave me a lucrative offer. I can then find myself an honest and reliable man who will take care of me and provide my baby with fatherly love.”
“Honest and reliable man?” Raising his brow, he snorted while starting the engine. “Looks like you have got it all planned out. But aren’t you afraid that this “honest and reliable man” of yours might run away with all your money?”
Hearing that, I pouted and couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him. “You can only see the ugly in humanity, huh? There’s still plenty of good guys in the world!”
“What is considered a good guy?” he retorted. “Ms. Anderson asked me to leave you for her daughter. Pretty good deal there right?”
When the car came to a stop at a traffic light, he turned to face me. “What did she offer you?”
“Well, she offered me two companies and a handsome sum of money. These can afford the baby and me a comfortable life.” The way the rich settled matters was surely unimaginable to the ordinary people.
Hearing that, he sneered, “Did you accept it?”
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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