The large living room fell into complete silence. I only turned my attention back to Anthony when Jackson was completely out of sight. Jackson was about to say something, but Anthony had stopped him. What is he hiding from me?
“A-”
“Mommy!”
Right as I was about to ask Anthony about it, I heard Summer’s light voice from the doorway. I turned only to see that Emery had brought her back.
I was really starting to miss Summer since it had been so long. I hugged her tight before taking her to the garden with Emery. It seemed like my conversation with Anthony would have to be put on hold.
Summer was really starting to look and act more like Macy. They were both so full of energy, and Summer managed to run around and play for a whole hour or so before Emery and I had to sit down and take a break.
“She’s so cute. I can’t wait for Xavier to get to this age.” Emery sighed, looking as if she wasn’t in the best mood.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Same old, same old.” Emery rolled her eyes. “It’s a pain in the butt having to live with your in-laws. Hunter’s mom is getting especially troublesome. We have so many maids in the house but she still forces me to get up early and make breakfast for Hunter every day. I’ve never had to do that before! Besides, if I have to do all that, then we might as well get rid of our maids.”
Emery was a part of the Moore family after all. She never had to worry about a single thing her whole life. Apart from that, she had a good eye for investments and had more than enough money to spare. Hunter’s parents probably didn’t know that and just treated her like a housewife. Like most parents, they pitied their son for having to work so hard and transferred all the pressure on Emery’s shoulders in an attempt to build a ‘good wife’ for Hunter.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her story and stood up for her. “Didn’t Hunter speak up for you?”
“Him?” Emery looked strange, as if she didn’t want to talk about him. “I wouldn’t know. We haven’t been talking much lately.”
“Why not? You two got together because you had similar interests in the first place.”
Emery shrugged. “He’s very much into a bunch of academic stuff now. Every day, he heads straight into the study after coming home from school and has meetings with the members of that discussion group. They talk about all this finance and stock market stuff that is honestly pretty boring.”
Without waiting for me to answer, she placed her hands on the bench and sighed. “Still, I know that all men want to be successful. At least I find that drive and determination attractive.”
I laughed, but covered it up with two awkward coughs. “Watch it, you’re about to drool.”
Emery glared at me before quickly changing the subject. “Since I have to come back again tomorrow, I’ll just stay the night.”
“Tomorrow?” I didn’t really get it, but I teased her anyway. “So you sent Summer back just to take her again tomorrow? You really see her as your daughter now, huh?”
“Well, she’s my goddaughter after all.” Emery crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees casually. Suddenly, she looked at my stomach and became a little serious. “Also, you’re having twins. Everyone would want to come and take in some of your luck.”
I looked down at my stomach. While I felt a little weird under her stare, my whole head was filled with the thought of Jackson coming to take Summer away, so I didn’t look further into it.
Only until tomorrow night did I realize what Emery meant. Cameron and Zachary arrived in full fancy garb. The news of my pregnancy had already gotten spread far and wide. The celebration was supposed to be held earlier, but due to my bar exam and because they were afraid I’d be tired from the pregnancy. That would explain why they only held it today.
At first, I thought they would only invite some close friends and family, but the guests arriving at our door became more and more strange. Apart from Cameron and Zachary, Louis and John naturally had to attend as well. After that, some people of even higher status than Cameron and Zachary arrived. To my surprise, even Channing showed up.
It seemed like everyone I knew who was of some high status showed their faces The celebration miraculously turned the news of my pregnancy into some big event. Only when I laid my eyes upon the crowds of people in my house here to congratulate me on my pregnancy did I finally feel guilty at Jackson’s words.
Macy became nothing more than a black and white photograph stuck on a tombstone forever while I continued to enjoy life and the admiration of many people. It was only reasonable for Jackson to feel angry by such a large difference.
I did my best to greet everyone before starting to feel worn out. I decided to go upstairs to rest and let Anthony and Emery deal with the guests.
The moment I reached my bedroom, I heard a loud bang coming from the door. It sounded like someone falling. Without wasting any time, I rushed over curiously while holding my belly. I was startled by the person who was standing at the door. It was Stella, whom I had not met for a long time.
“Why are you here?” I thought since Anthony and Joseph were already here, there should be no need for another assistant.
Stella responded courteously while carefully sorting out her messy hair in front of her forehead. “I am here to deliver these important documents for the manager. I need to hand them over to him personally.”
Upon hearing this, I noticed she was holding a leather suitcase in her hand. It did look like something important, so I reached out my hand to take it. “Alright, give it to me then.”
To my surprise, Stella avoided my hand and backed up a few steps while saying hesitantly, “I am sorry, Mrs. Featherstone. But Mr. Featherstone emphasized that these documents are classified and should never be given to anyone without his permission. He specifically asked me to treat this uncompromisingly.”
I had never felt so offended before. Thus I responded rudely, “Do you really think that I will betray my own husband? Or are you saying that I, as a shareholder of this company, is not as trustworthy as you, a mere assistant?”
“No, Mrs. Featherstone…” Stella tried to explain; her face paled in nervousness while trembling incessantly. “Please do not overthink. I have no intention at all to suspect you, but Mr. Featherstone said…”
Honestly, I used to show no interest whatsoever in these kinds of documents. However, Stella’s reaction completely triggered my curiosity. The more she showed resistance, the more eager I was to find out the content.
I stepped forward abruptly to snatch the suitcase from her. Seeing that I was her superior and that I was pregnant, she did not dare to resist at all. With a reluctant look, she let go of it without any fight. “I will send the documents to the study. No one will find out that you gave it to me, so your job here is completed. You can go back now.”
Stella froze on the spot with a troubled expression, but she could only comply in the end. “Thank you, Mrs. Featherstone. Please don’t ever mention that it is from me.”
Before she left, she took a final glance at the suitcase, while a complicated expression loomed over her face.
I could not care less about her feeling, as all my attention was upon those documents. I shut the door gently, opened the suitcase, and took out the documents cautiously.
Featherstone Corporation and Winzone Trading Finance Project Agreement
A finance project?
Didn’t Anthony promise me that he will stay low and not jump into any business expansions at the moment?
I initially thought the documents were merely a proposal draft. But, I was astonished to see Anthony’s signature clearly at the bottom of the contract, with the official stamp of our company, which meant this was actually a fully functional legal contract. My heart skipped a beat the moment I laid my eyes on its date… It was on the day I discovered I was pregnant.
Now I understood why Stella acted so strangely earlier. When I signed the share license agreement, one of the terms was that Featherstone Corporation could not launch a finance project within two years. Yet Anthony broke it in less than a month. What is he up to?
Besides this contract, how many more secrets is he hiding from me?
Taking a deep breath to clear my head, I tried my best to remain calm. A moment later, I put those documents back in the suitcase and placed them in the study.
When I walked past the corridor, I stepped towards the fence to check on the living room.
Gazing from high above, I could identify Anthony right away without any difficulty. A group of men surrounding him was seemingly overwhelmed with excitement. I could not hear their conversation, but they were looking at him in a way like staunch believers were worshipping their own god.
Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took out my phone, and it showed a WhatsApp notification from Holden.
There were two voice messages.
I tapped on the first one, and my heart stirred at a familiar voice – it was Marcus’. “Scar, is Anthony with you? If he… “
The message was cut off abruptly as if someone had interrupted it.
Without hesitating, I quickly tapped on the second one. I felt wrath boiling within me when I heard Holden’s provocative tone. “Well, aren’t I a courteous businessman? I showed you the proof even before we discuss business. But it depends on your sincerity whether you can listen to the rest. However, there is no need for you to worry. Even if the Taylor family masters all the communication base station’s locations, they will be smart enough not to compete with you. You have my words that White Corporation won’t be at any risk. So please make your decision well.”
If he were in front of me at that moment, I would surely have punched him. This man has no bottom line. He even uses others’ life as a bargaining chip.
Nonetheless, I admitted that Holden had made a brilliant move. Since Marcus had vanished for such a long time, the first thing he said was to ask for Anthony. This made me uncontrollably curious about it.
It took me a while to think, and I finally decided to respond with a voice message too. “So does the Taylor family always deal in such petty manner? You want to talk business, yet you only provide an incomplete voice message. Is this what you mean by courtesy?”
Holden’s reply came in no time. “Wow, I must admit your negotiating skill has clearly improved. You must have learned a lot from Anthony, I guess. Alright then, let me throw you another bone.”
Right after that came another message. This time it was the complete version of Marcus’ previous message.
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