I wonder why Rachel is here. Did she come all the way to A City just to find Anthony?
I knew her very well. She would never swallow her pride to do something like that, especially after how Anthony had turned her down.
What exactly brought her here?
My head was pounding from those mere thoughts. Just when I was about to get comfortable on the couch, the phone rang. That must be Nora.
“Have you eaten?” It was Anthony. I froze for a moment.
“I’m not hungry.”
“I’ll take that as a no, then.” His stern voice surprised me. Before I could respond, he continued, “I asked Joseph to bring you some food. He will be there in a minute. Be sure to eat them, or you’ll have to deal with me.”
My expression was one of annoyed disbelief. What am I? Five? I pursed my lips and muttered, “I will. You don’t have to be so rude.”
Right then, the doorbell rang. “There he is. Open the door and eat up.”
“Fine!” I pouted, got up, and answered the door. Joseph stood there with his hands full of boxes of food, fruits, and greens. “Anthony, I’m hanging up now. Bye.” I quickly reached out to help him carry all the stuff.
Joseph passed me the lunch boxes and said, “Mr. Featherstone picked these up for you when he was having lunch at Sea View. He thought you might like them.” Then he went straight to the kitchen and stacked the fruits in the fridge.
I opened up the lunch box and found a large serving of meticulously crafted seafood meal. I couldn’t help but said, “They look delicious, but I don’t think I can finish them.”
Joseph smiled. “Mr. Featherstone wants you to enjoy it with Ms. Oberick.” I nodded. Initially, I wanted to call Nora, but I figured she might still be asleep. So I decided to wait until she woke up.
I looked at him while he unpacked the grocery bags and put more fruits and vegetables into the fridge. “Why did you buy so many vegetables? We don’t usually cook dinner.”
“Mr. Featherstone said you should fill up your kitchen because you will need them later,” he replied.
I nodded, then I instinctively asked, “Did you guys have a business meeting at Sea View?”
“That’s not it…” I could feel a hesitancy in his voice. “Ms. Lorraine and Mr. Quinn were there, too. They were having lunch together,” he explained while continued to store the vegetables.
I was a little surprised. “Rylee was there too?”
He nodded. “The Lavelian Village project was stalled, and the headquarters is waiting to receive a confirmation from Mr. Featherstone. To speed things up, Mr. Quinn had no choice but to hand the documents to him personally.”
I mumbled a response and didn’t pursue further.
“Mrs. Featherstone, don’t get the wrong idea. Mr. Quinn brought Ms. Lorraine along for his trip to A City because he was worried about her. He just wanted to keep her by his side. This has nothing to do with Mr. Featherstone.”
Joseph panicked when he noticed I remained silent. He quickly explained to make sure I didn’t get the wrong idea about Anthony and Rylee. “You don’t have to explain. I’m totally fine with that. After all, they are friends. It’s normal to eat together.”
Suddenly, my phone rang. It was from Nora who just woke up. “What are you doing?” she asked in a hoarse voice.
“Nothing. I’m just chilling at home. Are you awake?”
“Yeah.” she replied shortly as she stretched lazily on her bed. “I just woke up, but too lazy to get out of bed.”
“Alright, now. Get yourself ready. Joseph brought us a seafood buffet from Sea View. You should come and try it.”
She giggled. “Oh, my! Food is exactly what I need right now. My growling stomach woke me! Give me a minute, I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone.
Joseph set the table up for us. Then, he walked to the sink with some oranges in his hands. “It’s okay. Let me wash them.” I quickly reached out for the oranges.
“You should go and eat. Mr. Featherstone wants me to make sure you finish your meal, and he even ordered me to prepare a glass of orange juice for you.”
I was at a loss for words.
This is ridiculous.
He didn’t even let me step into the kitchen, and I was totally constrained in that situation. So I walked to the dinner table and plated the food.
Not long after, Nora arrived wearing her oversized shirt and a messy bun. I could tell she ran straight here after she got off her bed.
“Wow, what a feast! Anthony is such a caring and sweet partner! You’re so lucky.” With that, she whipped out her phone to take a picture.
“I’m going to post this on Instagram and tag Armond. That should teach him how to be a good boyfriend.”
I smiled in amusement. I liked the way she teased him. Suddenly, Nora picked up my phone on the table and pressed random keys. “Nora, what are you doing?”
“You should upload it too and show it off to your friends.” Her fingers were moving at lightning speed. She looked at my feed quizzically. “Sienna, why is your feed empty? You don’t post on your Instagram?”
I shook my head. “I just decided not to because there’s nothing particularly special to post.”
She frowned in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? I can’t believe you have no posts. You’re such a weirdo!”
As she nagged at me, she stalked Anthony’s account. “Oh, my god! You two are as alike as two peas in a pod. Anthony didn’t post anything on his wall either.” She was utterly dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Joseph came out from the kitchen with some side dishes. His gaze settled on us. “You two should eat while it’s still warm,” he said.
Nora was absolutely famished and gobbled down her food.
I already had my breakfast, so I had little appetite. Beside me, Joseph had his gaze firmly fixed on my plate to make sure I finished my meal. I had no choice but to eat as much as I could. And I certainly would get into less trouble that way, especially with Anthony.
When I was almost finished with my lunch, Joseph asked, “Mrs. Featherstone, what time will you be home tonight?”
“She’s not going back!” Nora exclaimed. “Sienna and I are planning to stay at my grandpa’s. Oh, yeah. Please relay this message to Anthony and tell him not to wait.”
Confused, Joseph turned to me. I nodded in silent admission.
Instead of saying more, he simply replied, “I still have something on. Please excuse me,” he said and left.
After he left, Nora gazed at me and said, “Geez, Anthony is going a little overboard. It’s not like you’re a kid or something.”
I responded with a smile. Right then, my phone rang. Before I could reach out for it, Nora swiftly moved her gaze to the screen. It showed an incoming call from Anthony. “My, my. Your hubby is showing off his affection again.”
I picked up the call. “Anthony, I’ve finished my meal!”
There was silence on the other end. “Okay, I’m glad you like it,” he said in an attractive, deep voice a few seconds later.
“Why are you calling?” I asked, confused. Joseph must have told him I had eaten, so I doubted he called to confirm it. Besides, he was a busy man.
“Nora and I will stay at Lavelian Village, so I’m not going home tonight.”
“Okay.” He was not at all surprised.
Oh! He’s not calling for this?
I waited patiently for him to say something. After a brief pause, he finally spoke. “I like the photo.”
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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