I knew she wanted me to get out of her sight after the misfortune I had brought upon Jackson. As there was nothing I could do, I begged her, “Dr. Alder, please allow me to stay here and keep Jackson company. The doctor said the next two days are extremely crucial. He needs someone to be by his side. On top of that, you need to take care of your child. If I’m around, I can—”
“What can you do?” Lydia directed another rhetorical question at me before I could finish my sentence. “If anything happens to you, should I take care of you or him? Haven’t you achieved your goal to turn his life upside down? Do you wish to witness his demise? Ms. Stanhope, please stop crossing the boundaries!”
I couldn’t bring myself to rebuke her statement. In the end, she walked away and left me behind.
Although I was reluctant to leave, she was right—I couldn’t even take good care of myself, let alone take care of others.
Once we reached the entrance of the hospital, another intense fight between Anthony and John broke out.
Subconsciously, John showed me the way to his car, but Anthony got in his way and stopped him.
“You might have saved her, but it takes more than that to prove yourself worthy! If it weren’t because of you, the Ziegler family wouldn’t pick on us either!” John glared at Anthony, squaring himself up against the other man.
“If you could take care of her, how did Mitchell get his hands on her? Since nowhere is safe, I’d rather have her by my side!” Anthony showed no signs of stepping back at all. He was ready to take John on.
I stood in the middle of the duo, feeling like a statue when they would yell at one another and try to bring me away with them. They seemed to have forgotten I could feel the pain, and I had no intention to stop them because I thought it was a punishment I deserved.
When I reached my limit, I let out a hiss and shuddered in pain. Subsequently, Anthony and John moved away from me at the same time.
The former’s hoarse voice could be heard when he repeated himself, “Come with me.”
However, John wasn’t about to give up just yet. He said, “Letty, don’t let him deceive you! You know deep down that you’re one of us!”
“Come again?” Anthony raised his volume, indicating he was infuriated for real.
My brother pushed Anthony and demanded, “Have I said anything wrong? You’re a liar! All along, you have been making use of the affection she has for you to get your revenge!”
“Give me a break!” Not being able to take it anymore, I subconsciously walked in the direction of Anthony.
Before I could move any further, John rushed over and stopped me. “Letty, are you having doubts against my words?”
I heaved a long sigh and announced, “John, please allow me to return with him. I’ll spend a night at his place to sort out the things that are supposed to be sorted out since a long time ago. How about you pick me up tomorrow morning?”
John still had his doubts, but after much consideration, he moved away and said, “Alright, I’ll allow you to spend a night at his place, but only under the condition of me tagging along.”
Halfway through his answer, he looked at Anthony when he felt the man’s eyes boring into his back. He demanded, “What? Can’t you even accommodate another person?”
I had no intention to deal with the bickering duo any longer. Thus, I sneaked my way into the car and urged Anthony to get going. I needed to get myself checked and return to Jackson as soon as possible.
By the time I was done with all the required check-ups, it was already eight o’clock in the evening. The doctor said the children were fine, but I would have to take a break and refrain from moving around.
After all the things those around me went through over the past few weeks, I knew I couldn’t afford to mess around anymore.
I made a decision to tell Anthony everything, but right when I was about to, someone uninvited showed up at the doorstep immediately after the doctor departed.
Seeing as it had only been a few hours since Anthony broke Mitchell’s arms. The Ziegler family had shown up to sort out the issue with him.
Mitchell’s elder brother, Zayne, had shown up. Perhaps he was confident of his identity as a member of the Ziegler family—he had merely brought his chauffeur with him.
After he took a seat, the man announced, “I’m here on behalf of my father!”
The patriarch of the Ziegler family, Jonelle, had built most of the skyscrapers in the central business district. He was renowned amongst corporate players and politicians. Thus, those from the upper echelon and the underworld would show him some respect. Zayne, who was older than us, was there on Jonelle’s behalf, so he was relatively arrogant and proud of himself.
Anthony took a seat by my side on the couch while John was on the opposite couch of ours. They had braced themselves for the upcoming conversation with Zayne, who seemed to be up to no good.
“Have you dropped by to express your apology?” John broke the silence and asked sarcastically, “Your brother instructed his men to stab a close friend of my sister. In fact, he tries to get his hands on my beloved sister. She’s traumatized by the things he had in mind. Uncle Louis is infuriated as well.”
Uncle Louis was a high-ranking official with great records; everyone in K City would be intimated should they have to face his wrath. Zayne, who had been emanating a menacing aura, was intimidated by John’s words. After he adjusted his glasses, he fell into a process of thoughts.
After a short while, Zayne regained his composure and glared at my brother, asking in a callous tone, “Let’s forget about the outsider and talk about our families’ affairs for the time being. Sienna was perfectly fine when my brother asked her over for a conversation. However, Mr. Featherstone broke my brother’s arms when nothing was done! Do you think the Ziegler family is an easy target?”
“Oh? Have his arms been broken yet?” John continued sarcastically.
Perhaps Zayne couldn’t take it anymore when he yelled, “He’s been rushed to a hospital abroad! My father almost passed out due to a heart attack because of the incident! Who should I hold accountable for all these occurrences?”
Those from the upper echelon definitely knew the methods to find their way around their foes. Although many had always considered Zayne a wimp, that was not the case. Mitchell was the one at fault, yet Zayne avoided mentioning Jackson. He brought up Jonelle’s condition instead, making it sound as though we were at fault.
John had always been an expert in taming rebels, so he didn’t bother concealing his sarcasm as he repeated, “Are you telling me you’re not aware of all the things Mitchell has done? My brother-in-law has been pretty merciful, considering the situation. He only broke his arms! If I was there, I would have dug his eyes out of their sockets with my bare hands!”
It wasn’t an exaggeration because John had always been known as a cruel man. He had never shown mercy to those who tried to pick on him.
Humiliated, Zayne turned around and confronted Anthony, “Mr. Featherstone, are you of the same opinion with Mr. Stanhope? Are you not going to compensate for my brother’s loss?”
Anthony deadpanned his reply, “I was aware he was a member of the Ziegler family when I gave the order to have his arms broken.”
It was evident that his statement was an attempt to provoke the Ziegler family.
As Anthony made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal, Zayne jolted up from his seat in anger. The man started panting heavily, to the extent his chest could be seen jerking involuntarily. He glared at Anthony in the eyes, yet the latter didn’t seem a bit intimidated. Subsequently, the color drained from Zayne’s face.
As John had always enjoyed gloating over others’ misfortunes, he went on and suggested, “Mr. Ziegler, you should get going and hire the best attorney in town to defend that brother of yours. My men can testify your brother is the mastermind behind the abduction and assault. I can’t wait to see if you’re able to save him from the Stanhope family and get him out of the bars again.”
It must have been a long time since Zayne was last provoked by someone as the frustration he felt was written all over his face. In the end, he gritted his teeth and glared at John before marching out of the villa.
When the man was about to reach the entrance, he paused and turned around, shooting a glance one last glance at me before departing.
John scowled, “Does he really think the Ziegler family can get whatever they want in K City? Since he has the guts to pick on us, I’ll be sure to teach him a lesson!”
“John, cut it out.” I needed to keep the saga under control for the time being because the things they might be capable of had exceeded our expectations. As there were way too many variables, it would be better to lie low for the time being.
My brother finally kept his mouth shut at my warning. After we exchanged glances, he glared at Anthony before bouncing up the stairs, leaving Anthony and I alone in the living room.
Mrs. Eriksen had not seen me for a long time. After she had everything sorted out in the kitchen, she approached me with a bowl of soup and offered, “Mrs. Featherstone, why don’t you finish this?”
To be honest, I was envious of Mrs. Eriksen and her bright personality. The woman became thrilled simply at another person’s presence.
I took the soup she offered me and said, “Mrs. Eriksen, could you give us a moment? Anthony and I have something to talk about. Please tell the others to stay away from us for the time being as well.”
“Alright. Please, take your time. I’ll go get you something else to eat. You have been away from home all this while. I’m afraid you’re not getting the attention and care you need. Since you’re back, make sure you’re not leaving anymore, okay? Allow me to take good care of you and your beloved children!”
“Mrs. Eriksen, please leave us alone,” Anthony interrupted her, chasing her out of the room without a second thought.
Immediately after her departure, Anthony took over the soup and started feeding me.
The man’s gorgeous face was merely a few inches away from mine. It felt so surreal. I secretly hoped everything that had occurred was nothing more than a nightmare.
After I finished half of the food, he broke the silence. “Why don’t you go ahead and ask me the things that are bothering you?”
As I had returned to sort out the things between us, I stopped hesitating and asked, “Have you long figured out that the Murphys were the ones behind your parents’ demise?”
“Yes…” Anthony responded quietly.
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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