I had barely taken a few steps before he suddenly grabbed my hand and said, “Sienna, have a chat with me.”
Feeling bemused, I looked back and saw that he looked worn out. I realized that he was probably troubled with work-related issues.
Feeling sorry for him, I went near to his side and put my hand on his brow. “When’s the last time you had a good sleep?”
He glanced at me and pulled me into his embrace. Resting his head against my stomach, he mumbled, “Four years ago.”
It was a simple statement, yet it stunned me utterly.
As he held me in his arms, he said wearily, “I need you by my side.”
Stroking his hair, I realized that his hair was longer than before. “You need a haircut.”
“Uh-huh.”
He sounded sleepy. Glancing at the clock, I realized that it was past midnight already. “Anthony, go to bed and sleep.”
He muttered an answer and took me back to the bedroom with a tired face.
We originally slept separately, but he pulled me onto his bed and held me tightly.
Seeing how exhausted he was, I did not have the heart to wake him up, so I closed my eyes and fell asleep in his arms.
That night, I slept soundly and woke up the next morning feeling groggy. I peeked out from Anthony’s embrace and found that he had not woken up yet.
Staring at his face, I was once again mesmerized by his good look. Currently, his dark brown eyes were closed and his curly eyelashes were particularly good-looking. He seemed to be sleeping well. Unlike his usual demeanor, he looked exceptionally gentle and peaceful when he was asleep.
Feeling tempted to touch his eyelashes, I raised my hand. The moment my fingertips grazed them, he woke up instantly.
Locking his eyes on me, he said with a raspy voice, “You’re awake.”
I nodded in reply and tried to wriggle myself free from his grasp, but he stopped me. “It’s still early. We can sleep more.”
I looked up at the clock. Normally, he would be out at this hour. “Don’t you need to go to work?”
He smiled and said, “It’s okay to be late.”
But of course, the boss doesn’t need to worry about being tardy.
However, even if I continued to stay in bed, I could not fall asleep again. So, I told him honestly, “I can’t sleep anymore.”
He nodded, but he did not let go of me. “Stay with me for a while.”
In the end, I acquiesced to his request and stared at the ceiling. But a moment later, I turned beet red. “Anthony, you…”
“It’s a normal reaction. I have it every day!” He gave me a side-eye. “Sienna, I’m a man. This is extremely normal.”
I knew it was normal but I couldn’t help but pursed my lips and uttered, “Let go of me. I want to get up.”
He did not budge and his breath turned slightly ragged. “It’ll be fine in no time.”
At a loss for words, I looked away in resignation and lay stiffly beside him.
After a long while, he finally got up and went to the bathroom.
He eventually came out, looking calm and collected. When he saw my flushed face, he grinned and asked, “Did I scare you just now?”
Blushing again, I quickly shook my head in denial. “The housekeeper came up just now and said that our breakfast is ready.”
He nodded in response and motioned for me to go freshen up.
Although we did not file a divorce, four years of separation was considered a divorce. Both of us knew that getting back together now was a bad idea.
While we were having breakfast, Summer appeared anxious about going to the new school.
So, Anthony and I went to the kindergarten with her to ease the butterflies in her stomach. When we arrived there, the teacher-in-charge was waiting at the gate. She looked about twenty.
Upon seeing Anthony, bewilderment was written all over her face. Letting her emotion get the better of her, she blurted out, “Mr. Featherstone is married? And even has a child already?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She hurriedly bowed and apologized for her lack of courtesy just now.
Anthony did not reply, so I smiled and said, “It’s okay. Your reaction was understandable.”
In the past four years, Anthony had spread his influence all over K City, exhibiting his talents. Besides his outstanding ability, his striking looks alone were enough to make women swooning over him.
Moreover, in recent years, he was only seen with Nancy on public occasions and there was no news about his marriage. Since then, many people have thought that he was still an eligible bachelor, which caused more women to fantasize about him.
Back then, Summer was registered under Anthony’s name. Hence, by law, she was his legal daughter.
After we dropped Summer off, he had pressing issues to attend to at work. So, he asked the driver to bring me home and kissed me goodbye.
When I went back to the villa, I began to read through the admission requirements of K University. The application for the program would open in November, so I had three more months to prepare for what was needed.
Later, in the middle of the day, I received a call. It was an unfamiliar number. Looking at my phone, I wondered whether to answer it or not.
The phone continued to ring several times, leaving me with no choice but to answer the call.
A female voice came through the phone. “Sienna, it’s been a while.”
It was Rylee. Even after four years, I could still remember her voice.
I stopped what I was doing and remained silent.
She did not seem to mind my silence as she continued, “I’m outside the villa now. I need to talk to you, but the security guard won’t let me through.”
Is she here for Anthony? I quickly closed the book in front of me and went out to the balcony. Peering across the courtyard, I could not see her outside the gate due to the high walls.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked. It had been four years since I last saw her. I had no idea what we could chat about.
“Anything will do. We can go out for a coffee,” she suggested.
She sounded collected and mature. It seemed that everyone had changed in the past four years.
Lowering my gaze to my watch, I fell silent for a moment before agreeing. “Okay. Give me a moment.”
Having a chat outside the villa seemed inappropriate, so I tidied myself up and went out of the villa.
Rylee stood outside the gate, leaning against a white Corolla. She wore a white suit with a pair of black high heels, and her hair was curled. She looked drastically different from the time I last saw her.
Before I could greet her, someone approached me. It was Joseph. He had been staying in the villa these days.
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.
Leave a Reply