His initially grim expression gradually turned tender. As our gazes locked, the corners of his mouth lifted, and he beckoned to me gently, his voice amicable. “Come down.”
As I looked at him, my heart clenched slightly.
Meanwhile, Sally wore a forbidding expression that appeared to conceal much hatred. When she saw Anthony holding my hand, she snapped with barely restrained fury, “Sienna Stanhope, must you keep pestering him so that you can ruin him? You have your choice of the Moore family or the Stanhope family, so why do you insist on clinging to him? Do you know how badly the initially fine and dandy Featherstone Corporation had been hit time and again from the rumors and scandals revolving around you ever since your appearance? Do you know why Anthony has been so busy?”
“That’s enough!” Anthony wanted to stop her tirade, but I held him back. Staring at her, I murmured in a placid voice, “Go on.”
“White Corporation has snatched away several contracts that Featherstone Corporation had already signed, and in just a month, the shares of Featherstone Corporation had plummeted to rock bottom. He’s willing to withstand anything for your sake, but why must you be so selfish and pester him time and again? “Plus, Summer belongs to the Crest family. Never mind if you don’t want to give him any child, but why must you make him a joke in the eyes of others? The price of him fighting the Crest family for Summer is his friendship with a good friend and the reputation as well as prestige he’d accumulated in K City throughout the years. Do you truly intend to ruin him, Sienna Stanhope?” she sneered in disdain.
I shook my head as I tried my best to rein in my emotions. Never had I thought of ruining him!
Sensing the trembling of my hand in his, Anthony turned to her and demanded caustically, “Get out!”
Momentarily stunned by his sudden wrath, Sally instinctively backed away several steps before she snagged her handbag and left.
All of a sudden, I shivered all over. It was late autumn, yet I couldn’t stop perspiring. Anthony hugged me tightly, his voice low and restrained. “Don’t listen to her, Sienna. Nothing will happen to either Featherstone Corporation or me because of you. You’re my lawfully-wedded wife, so no one can separate us. I’m invincible as long as you remain by my side. Trust me, won’t you?”
I nodded, but still, I trembled greatly.
Why did things come to this?
It was a long time before I finally calmed down. Nonetheless, I remained curled up like a ball in his embrace, wishing to keep myself surrounded by his presence so that I would have a sufficient sense of security.
As I rested against his chest, I murmured in a hoarse voice, “Anthony, I may truly forget everything one day, so… it’s not worth staying faithful to a lunatic like me.”
I’m scared more than anyone else. If I can’t remember anyone or lose the ability to take care of myself one day, I might as well die early. At least in his memory, he won’t remember me as a lunatic.
Right then, Anthony put his arms around me and tightened it. His voice was as gentle as always, “No, Sienna, I will be with you. I will not let Summer leave you. No matter what, we will be fine.”
These words sounded like he was comforting himself rather than me. It appeared that I had been a burden to him.
Looking up at him, I ran into his boundless eyes, my heart aching with each passing second. “Wrong, I was wrong from the beginning. I should have never married you. No matter what I tried, it is impossible to let go of the death of Macy and the child. You can get rid of Rylee, but I cannot get rid of Marcus. What you owed Rylee was a promise, and I owed Marcus a life. Unless I die, I can’t pay it off. So Anthony… let’s… break up.”
If I end up crazy one day, I know he will take care of me and still be with me. But if he devoted the rest of his life loving and caring for a lunatic, it would ruin him. Sally was right. He deserves better.
I didn’t know if it was my imagination running wild or it was real. But I swore, at that moment, Anthony’s eyes were bloodshot as if they were stabbed by thousands of glass shards. In fact, it looked like he was in great pain.
His handsome eyebrows narrowed to hide his agony, and he laughed at himself. “Sienna, it’s not you. It’s me. You’re right. I can cut loose from Rylee’s debt, the Featherstones’ involvement, and all the responsibility… all except you.”
I pursed my lips with my jaws tightly clenched. At that moment, it was so hard to breathe that I couldn’t even say a single word.
There were many ways to choose in love, but he chose the most difficult one.
That night, I went to sleep like usual. At one point, I could feel his soft lips against my cheeks. His sultry voice whispered beside my ears. “Sienna, let us go to R Province and never come back again.”
This sentence struck me like a dream as I really missed those days back in R Province.
The next day, K city was already getting colder. Anthony didn’t go to the office that morning as I could still feel his slender body wrapping around me, giving me a complete sense of security.
I then woke up from my dream, my body comfortably warm albeit the cool weather.
Right at that moment, I could feel his heartbeat through the back of my shirt, beating in a sturdy and rhythmic pattern.
If I could stop time, I could live in this moment forever. But both of us understood what we had to face after we left this bed.
“Anthony!” I uttered with my back still facing him. “Is it about to snow in K City?”
I remembered that the snow came earlier than expected in K city four years ago. It was just like the current situation, with the weather suddenly cooling down. I guess it really is going to snow soon…
Right then, he tightened his arms around me. With his magnetic voice, he said, “Yeah… do you like watching snow fall?”
I replied softly, “Mm-hmm… Winter in R Province always comes late, and it hardly snows. Even if it snows, the snowflakes melt right away. It’s not like the entire area will be covered with thick snow anyway.”
He moved his warm body and placed his chin on my shoulder. “I will watch the snow with you this year. And maybe we can head to the north together. The scene is even prettier over there.”
I smiled and closed my eyes as imagination filled my mind. “I once dreamed that I went to the north, but it was summer.”
“Was I in that dream?” he asked with his voice lowered.
I shook my head. “It’s been too long. I can’t remember.”
Without a warning, his hands flew towards my underarms, tickling me. Laughing hard, I turned to face him and said, “It’s true. It’s been so long that I forgot.”
He stopped himself soon after that. With a smile on his face, his pair of dark petting eyes were locked onto mine. “In that case, you’d better face my wrath.”
I smiled lightly. Approaching him, I kissed the corner of his lips with a stingy amount of passion.
As he continued to hold my chin, I could see a smile rippling in his eyes. His thin lips started depicting my lips for quite a long time, whereas his dark eyes were deeply infiltrated as he looked at me. “Sienna, getting Anthony’s heart is easy for you.”
Some words fell into one’s heart without being noticed. When I thought about it later, true happiness would be defined as all warm moments gathered throughout the years. These meant so much more than those glorious moments.
Just like that, time ticked past, and it was already in the afternoon. We would probably still be in bed if Joseph hadn’t called to inform us that Featherstone Corporation’s stock had plummeted.
At the dining table, he remained as calm as a cucumber. Instead, he had breakfast with me just like any other day as he continued to pamper me with his words. “You’re going to have an exam soon. If you’re feeling anxious, why don’t I write you a letter of recommendation?”
I guess it just slipped my mind that he was an outstanding student at K University. After graduating for many years, he had donated numerous funds to K University.
I shook my head and smirked. Honestly, in my heart, I was worried about Featherstone Corporation’s business. I couldn’t stop fretting about it until I eventually asked, “Featherstone Corporation’s stock has fallen and suffered heavy losses. You…”
“Don’t worry!” He grinned. “I know what to do.”
Indeed, he had been in control of Featherstone Corporation for many years. Hence, it was just as he said – he could handle trading in the market with ease. A single downturn in the market meant nothing for him.
When Joseph arrived, Anthony was feeding the soup delicately into my mouth. Joseph, who was initially in panic, became embarrassed when he saw the public display of affection.
In spite of that, Anthony didn’t seem to bother at all. He pulled a tissue and wiped the smudge at the corner of my mouth. “Marcus is behind this. He intends to drive me to worry so that I become unfocused. He didn’t mean to shake the stock market. You can deal with it in the same way as before. There is no need to be that worried.”
Joseph nodded but did not say much. He just glanced at me and then left after that.
After he left, I lazed on the sofa with a pillow in my arms and gazed at Anthony. “Joseph seems to be able to control everything one-handedly.”
He nodded as a recognition of my statement. Without saying much, he walked over to me and plopped onto the sofa with me. Needless to say, this was much smaller compared to the bed.
After that, neither Jared nor Sally seemed to come back to the villa again.
By the time Jackson came, it was already a week later. He was sitting in the living room lazily. “Why are you retaking the law school exams?”
I responded with a light smile. “My major was the law. Why not?”
“What are your plans after the exam? Where would you like to enjoy your holiday?” He shrugged and leaned back onto the sofa.
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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