She frowned. “I just want to do something that can benefit both of us. If we can live in harmony, I won’t do anything to your marriage and family.”
“Ah, so in other words, if I refuse to work with you, you’d ruin my marriage and family, is that it?” I went past her and entered the living room. Molly and Mrs. Eriksen weren’t there. She must have made sure they aren’t in.
She flicked her hair and drawled, “Let’s get back to the matter at hand. I don’t really like Rylee, to tell you the truth. Honestly, I’d like to be your friend, not your enemy.”
I smiled. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Ms. Featherstone. You’re a visionary, so to speak. I don’t think someone like me can be your friend.” One of the most terrifying things in the world was to be friends with someone who only cared about profit.
She arched her eyebrow. “That’s just how human nature works. You’ll get it once you’re my age.”
So I would have to wait for a decade before I can understand where she was coming from? I smiled. “I can’t do anything about the White family’s matter if that’s your goal. Louis might be my godfather, but I can’t call any shots, since Mr. Bauman’s the one who came up with the idea. You don’t have to panic if the death of the White family has nothing to do with you. Just lay low for the time being, and you can go back to being the chairperson of White corporation.”
She narrowed her eyes, and her face fell. “So that’s a no then?”
I shrugged. “I have my own way of dealing with Cameron, but thanks for the offer, Ms. Featherstone.”
With that, I went to the bedroom. Sally followed after me. “Don’t be in a hurry to refuse, Sienna. I know you have your ways, and my info on Cameron won’t be of use to you. But think about this, if Rylee keeps getting in between you and Anthony, what will happen to your marriage?”
I stopped in my tracks and turned my head. “So, I take it that you’re going to ruin my marriage using Rylee?”
She pursed her lips, looking upset. “There’s no need for us to be enemies. You’re underestimating the help that I can give you.”
I felt like laughing, but I held it in. “Ms. Featherstone, the most I can do is stay out of your way, and I ask you to stay out of mine. I can’t help you, and I know I can handle my own business well. Let’s just keep this up.”
My belly throbbed when I came into the bedroom. It was making me uncomfortable, so I went into the bathroom and found out that it was the special time of the month. Ever since the miscarriage, there would be lochia and black blood. It hadn’t been normal for months, but that finally ended.
Finally, something good. I was sitting on the bedroom’s sofa watching TV when Anthony came back. Feeling cold, I wrapped myself with a blanket.
His hair was wet, and he was holding a bunch of flowers. When he saw me on the sofa scrolling my phone, Anthony came over to adjust my blanket. “Why are you still up? Were you waiting for me?”
I sat up. The lethargy was catching up to me, and my waist was sore. “Yep,” I said calmly.
He placed the flowers in the vase and caressed my face. Since I’ve been feeling toasty for a while, his hands felt cool to me.
“Why were you waiting for me?” He pulled me into his embrace and smiled. I could feel his stubble rubbing against me, and it was prickly.
I looked at the flowers he bought. The packaging and the state of the flowers alone were enough to tell me it screamed of money. He handed the flowers to me and smiled. “See if it smells nice.”
“Is this for me?” I took it and had a whiff. Indeed, they smelled nice.
He hugged me, whispering, “Who else if not you?”
I lowered my gaze and said flatly, “Aunt Sally said Ms. Lorraine is going to stay over for a few more days.”
He frowned, looking upset. “So?”
I loosened my grip on the flowers. “Put these in the living room.”
He frowned, anger welling up in his eyes. “So this is how you’re treating my gift?”
I pulled away from him and looked at him calmly. “What should I do then? Hug them while I sleep?”
He pursed his lips but said nothing more. Then, he tossed the flowers onto the TV cabinet before taking off his jacket and entering the bathroom.
Sounds of him taking a shower came from the bathroom a short while later. I looked at the flowers before going to bed, feeling despondent.
My belly was acting up, and every time I took a step, I felt myself bleeding. Since I wasn’t in my best mood, I was easily infuriated.
Anthony was still dripping with water when he came out, and his hair wasn’t fully dried. He frowned when he saw me lying on the bed. He then tossed his towel to me. “Dry me off.”
I frowned, but I kept quiet and ignored him.
Seeing that I was not budging, his face darkened. “Talk to me, Sienna. There’s no need to throw a tantrum. I know I’ve handled things poorly, but you’ve vented enough. What else do you want? Please stop sulking, okay?”
I wasn’t in my best condition, and I was getting sleepy. I nudged myself and tried to push myself up. I gave him a kiss and said, “Thank you. I really like the flowers you gave me. Good night.” Then I went back to bed.
Anthony’s gaze never left me. Once I was done speaking to him, he squinted. “Well, that was a half-*ss effort. He then leaned over and kissed me, supporting his body with his elbow. It was a deep kiss, and I didn’t fight back. Instead, I responded to his kiss, prolonging it for quite a while before he let me go.
He stared into my eyes. “Can we do it tonight?”
I fell into a trance for a moment, then the pain from my belly shot up into my head. “I’m exhausted, Anthony.”
He got what I was saying and didn’t force me. He nodded. “Sleep tight then.”
Even so, when Anthony was lying beside me and hugging me, I could feel his kiss getting more passionate. Obviously, he had been holding it in for a while.
I tried to back off, but I was already on the edge of the bed. Moving more would make me fall, so I pushed him, but he held my hand. I frowned when I noticed his hand was coming up my shoulder. “Anthony…”
“Be good. Don’t be scared.”
I held his hand down. “Sorry, but I can’t.”
He smiled and kissed me more before trying to lure me into it. “It’ll be fine. We can take it slow.”
Realizing that he must have misunderstood me, I was speechless for a moment. Nonetheless, he noticed it a short while later. He looked at me, surprised. “When did this happen?”
“Tonight.” It took all I had to say that.
He went out of the bedroom, leaving me alone in the bed, not knowing what to do. Before I realized it, he had come back with a bowl of ginger carrot soup and a bowl of chicken soup. That surprised me.
“Mrs. Eriksen made some chicken soup for you. Have it before you sleep,” he cooed as he tried to feed me.
I didn’t like sweet stuff, so two mouthfuls were all I could handle. He then said, “Finish the chicken.”
I frowned. “I brushed my teeth, so no.”
“I’ll just take you to the bathroom later. Finish this and go to sleep.” He pressed on, allowing no refusals. We had been living together for years, and I knew I would be on the losing side if I kept it up.
In the end, I resolved myself to finish it.
My whole body felt heavy, for I hadn’t recovered from the miscarriage, and it was my special day of the month. I had a good night’s sleep the first night, but because of the lack of blood, I felt dizzy.
Anthony had a lot of business to settle, and the annual general meeting was coming up, so he told Mrs. Eriksen to take care of me. I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t, so I scrolled through my phone. A moment later, it rang.
I took the call. “Hello, Mr. Tuffin.”
Savini was a shrewd man. The moment I talked to him, he laughed. “Did you sleep well last night, Ms. Stanhope? Do I have the honor to treat you to lunch?”
“Sure, Mr. Tuffin.”
“Thank you for giving me the honor, Ms. Stanhope.”
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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