“What are you thinking?” He pulled me into his arms and sniffed my hair. “You smell so nice!”
I leaned into him and replied cheekily, “I am thinking of what to eat for lunch!”
He chuckled right next to my ear. “Glutton!” he commented. “I may need to go out for a while. I will ask Joseph to send over some food to you later.”
I processed what he said and nodded. My mind flashed back to the number that I saw on his phone screen just now. That combination of numbers was familiar to me. Even after so many years, Rylee did not intend to change her number.
Does this mean Rylee is in A City now?
I did not ask Anthony about it. A few calls came in, and it seemed to be very urgent. I looked on nonchalantly and did not comment.
He grabbed his phone and said to me, “Remember to eat your lunch. Wait for me to come back in the evening. We will have dinner together.”
I nodded and waved my hand, indicating for him to go ahead.
I certainly wasn’t expecting to get a call from Rachel. She cut straight to the chase and asked, “Can we meet?”
I hesitated, and then asked, “You need to see me?”
“Yeah.”
After looking at the time, I replied, “You only have two hours.”
“Okay,” she responded without missing a beat, “I will see you at Nenya.”
A café?
The only reason she would want to see me would be to talk about Anthony.
I set out after tidying up a little. Nora was still hungover, she would need to sleep for some time. The time would be just right when I come back after this meet-up.
At Nenya Café.
Rachel was seated beside a window, and the view outside was quite picturesque.
Even when she noticed my arrival, she kept her head turned to the side. She knew I was there but did not bother to turn to look at me. She lifted her teacup, with her other hand holding on to the saucer below it. Her posture was faultlessly elegant.
“Ms. Zimmer, you didn’t just call me over to admire your elegance, did you?” I mocked while sitting down opposite her.
She only turned to face me when she heard me speak. Her eyes skimmed over my outfit judgmentally.
I frowned a little and explained with a smile, “I came out in a hurry, so I just wore what I was comfortable in. You’re really an exquisite woman, Ms. Zimmer. Every time I see you, you look different.”
She turned her gaze away and put down her cup. “Men always seem to hold on to their first love,” she said slowly.
I was stunned for a moment. “There is some resemblance between you and her. No wonder he’s still holding onto you. Well, I guess he can’t be bothered to pay attention to me because I’m the total opposite of you two,” Rachel continued.
Does she mean Rylee?
I was not usually a fan of bitter flavor, including coffee. I wrapped my hand around the coffee mug that was served in front of me, stirred it slightly, and listened intently without lifting my head.
“Don’t you ever wonder why I asked you out all of a sudden?” she asked eagerly after she saw no response from me.
“Why?” I muttered and raised my head.
She let out a chuckle. “You seem pretty calm, huh?”
I remained silent and continued to stir my coffee.
“You know, I’ve always wondered about your marriage,” she remarked after a moment of silence. “I mean, who could have guessed that a nobody like you can stay beside Anthony for so many years? But after I saw the lost daughter of the Moore family, I totally get it. You are just a mere substitute! Rylee Lorraine must be his first love, but it seems like things did not turn out as he wished.”
She continued after a pause, “In fact, I have no complaints if she were his wife. In terms of looks and figure, I definitely beat her. Yet, her parents were the best in the world, hands down. The fact that she came from a very prestigious family makes her the perfect match for Anthony. You, however, are questionable. I’m obviously better than you in every aspect. And worse, you have zero family background.”
I pursed my lips silently and started to mull over a matter of fact that I had simply overlooked. After all these years, the Moores knew the truth behind Rylee’s birth, but they never made that story public as there were too many risks to bear.
Perhaps they wanted to make it up to her even after she left the family.
I guessed Rachel must have dug up some information regarding the woman.
“Ms. Zimmer, you’re making something out of nothing,” I said calmly with no intention of defending myself. “Our marriage is blessed with love and joy, so you don’t have to worry about us. Most importantly, outsiders have no right to meddle with our family affairs.”
She sneered, “Oh, really?” Then she took the spoon out of her coffee, laid it aside, and leaned back in the chair with disdain on her face. “So you’re implying that you and Anthony share mutual love? Are you sure?”
I furrowed my brows unwittingly and said, “I don’t think I need to argue with you about this.”
“Yeah, you’re right. There’s no need for argument. But tell me. Deep down inside, you are actually unsure of his feelings for you, aren’t you? My, fake love is cruel.” There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
I propped my chin up with my hand and looked at her. I’ve had enough of her childish behavior. “Ms. Zimmer, are you applying your AI research skills into reality? I believe it’s none of your business if Anthony loves me. Why do you care?”
Her face turned grim. “Nothing, I just… pity you!”
I nodded, looked down at my phone, and prepared to leave before Nora got up from her sleep.
“Well, thank you for your concern, Ms. Zimmer.” I stood up and said, “You don’t really have to come all the way here to pick on me because the reality will only strike you back. You know very well that Anthony never pays attention to you, that’s why you asked me out to vent your anger and pass all the negative energy to me. I’m sorry to say, but you look pathetic.
“Here’s a friendly reminder. I know Anthony and Rylee more than you. You can’t provoke me with their relationship. He married me because I am worthy of him. And stop being so full of yourself. Yeah, you may be beautiful on the outside, but not on the inside.”
“You…”
Before she could utter any more words, I continued, “Bear in mind. There are far many more beautiful and amazing women in the world out there. You are not that outstanding. Why don’t you work on yourself more, huh? Conceited and proud people like you are not liked by any. Please focus on that, Ms. Zimmer.”
Just when I was about to leave, Rachel stopped me and splashed her coffee all over my dress without any hesitation. I was defenceless and momentarily stupefied.
“Sienna! Who do you think you are? You are just a leech! How dare you show off in front of me! Listen. Sooner or later, your life will be miserable! Because the girl who he really cares for has returned. He doesn’t need you anymore!”
Rachel’s face was distorted with rage. My mind was torn in two at that moment. Half of me wanted to leave, but the other half couldn’t just let her have her way.
I grabbed the coffee on the table and poured it on top of her head. I stared at her long and hard while the coffee dripped from her long hair, all over to her white dress. She looked terrible. “Ms. Zimmer, stop doing something like this. You are embarrassing yourself.”
She glared at me in a fit of vicious anger. “Sienna! Do you have a death wish?” she roared and tried to push my body away with both hands. Before I could react, someone pushed her down to her chair.
The chaos attracted the attention of customers in that café. Marcus’ unannounced presence clearly surprised me.
He gazed down into Rachel’s eyes and said icily, “I advise you to look in the mirror before you boast about your looks.” He couldn’t care less about Rachel, who was trembling with anger. Instead, he took off his jacket and put it over my shoulders to cover my stained dress. “Let’s go.”
We walked out of the café, and I thanked him when we reached the parking lot. I tried to return his jacket, but he refused to take it. “You don’t have to return it now. You need it more than I do,” he said.
Confused, I shrugged and forced the jacket onto him. “I’m fine. The villa is just a couple of blocks away,” I said. Rather than insisting, he merely stared at me helplessly. He was clearly disappointed.
At the villa, Nora was still asleep. So I sat in a daze in the living room.
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