Just before I went to bed, Anthony gave me a call. “Aren’t you even a little curious as to what my relationship with Thora is?”
Putting down the legal document I was holding, I picked up my phone and switched it to a video call. Right after Anthony accepted it, I saw that he was still in the office despite the ungodly hour.
I replied with a smile, “Since you personally crippled her brother’s hands, how far do you think both of you can go in a relationship?”
It was normal for keyboard warriors to speculate as they had no idea about the truth. But anyone in their right mind could see that Anthony treated Thora like an ordinary friend. It was only after the media’s attempt at spicing up the situation that it felt like there was something going on.
If there really was something going on between both of them, it would have to be proven by them registering their marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau, instead of some blurry photos from an eye- catching angle.
“Hmm, you have gotten smarter I see. This sounds like what an observant person would say.” Anthony leaned back languidly in his chair. Squinting his eyes, his face reddened a little from the wine he had drunk.
“Observant? Perhaps.” I asked, “Just from what happened with Mitchell, it’s obvious that the Ziegler family does not harbor good intentions. You’d better be more careful when dealing with Thora.”
“If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have chosen to sell my body.” Anthony suddenly widened his eyes as he looked at me with a helpless expression. “In the upcoming period, I will likely interact with her often. Hence, don’t listen to the rumors on the internet. If there is anything out of the ordinary, I will personally explain it to you.”
For some unknown reason, Anthony looked exhausted that day.
Smiling at him, I tried to ease his concerns. “Go ahead and do what you think is necessary. The children and I will be fine. Just one thing, even though I’m not by your side, don’t keep pulling late nights for weeks at one go. You need to take care of your health so that you can fulfill your promise of making it up to me.”
“Alright.” Pursing his lips, Anthony nodded in agreement. As if something suddenly occurred to him, he asked, “With regards to Emery’s case, I heard she wants you to represent her?”
“That’s right. It’s her way of supporting my career, I suppose. Both for her sake and my future, I will definitely do my best. After preparing for such a long time, it’s time to see how good I am.”
“Get someone else to do it,” Anthony commented.
“Why?” I was puzzled. “Are you doubting my capabilities? Or are you worried that I’m not physically up for it?”
I could understand the former but there was no reason to worry about the latter. The toxin in my body was like a time bomb. Before it explodes, I was no different from any ordinary person. If I had to forgo my life and stay in bed, it would be no different than being dead.
“Neither.” Anthony explained patiently, “Isn’t it obvious to you that Delilah is evil? She dared to hire someone to splash acid on Emery. Can you guarantee that she won’t do something similar to threaten you? Given that you have so many staff at your firm, it isn’t difficult to get someone else to replace you. There’s no need for you to be involved.”
After giving it some thought, Anthony’s concerns did make sense. After all, before Emery got hurt, no one had expected a helpless-looking woman to commit such a heinous act the moment she steeled her heart.
“I understand. When the time comes, I’ll get someone else to replace me so that I can minimize the conflict between the both of us. So, you don’t have to worry about this.”
A few days later, when Emery’s case went to trial, the judge accepted all the evidence that we presented. As expected, Delilah was sentenced to prison.
On the same day afternoon, upon my return to the law firm, I received an invitation from Ziegler Investment for their anniversary celebration party.
The invitation wrote: We cordially invite Ms. Sienna Stanhope to attend Ziegler Investment’s 5th- anniversary celebration party.
The invitation made it clear that I would be representing Stanhope Law Firm, drawing an obvious distinction between my relationship with Anthony.
Meanwhile, the rumors about Anthony and Thora continued to spread. Putting aside Anthony’s plan, the media were likely encouraged to do so by Thora and the Ziegler family. The law firm had only been operating for less than a month and yet, Thora was already impatient to see me. The invitation was undoubtedly a trap.
As John was the one who exposed Mitchell, he wasn’t invited. Hence, I got Brooklyn to come along with me. On the way there, I had time to do some research on Thora.
In truth, Thora was considered a capable woman. At twenty-two, she returned to the country after graduating with an MBA overseas and joined Ziegler Corporation. In three years’ time, she doubled the Ziegler Corporation’s stock price. In another two years, she had a falling out with the Ziegler family and left to start her own company. Within five years of that, Ziegler Investments had become an industry leader in the building materials segment and was extremely influential.
The picture online of Thora showed her in a suit. Her features were exquisite while her eyes sparkled with energy. Overall, she looked very ambitious, unlike the usual girls that were previously by Anthony’s side. Thora was about my age and didn’t seem to have anything to nitpick about. Just based on her resume alone, she seemed to be more compatible with Anthony than me. At least they were both similarly ambitious in terms of their career.
“We’re here, Ms. Stanhope.”
Only when Brooklyn reminded me did I realize that we had arrived. When I looked out the window, I saw a red carpet flanked by reporters on both sides, with their cameras flashing away.
Just when I steadied myself, I heard a car screeching to a sudden stop. A blue sports car had parked itself behind me. The next moment, the door opened and John stepped out in a tuxedo. The moment he emerged, he attracted the attention of all the cameras. Nevertheless, he remained unperturbed as he straightened his jacket before helping Emma out of the car. In front of the cameras, both of them were the epitome of a loving couple.
“Mr. Stanhope really cares a lot about you.” Brooklyn teased with a whisper.
His words were undeniably true. With John’s presence, I saved myself a lot of trouble. While he had the reporters’ attention, I quickened my pace and headed into the venue.
The moment we entered, the emcee was in the midst of introducing Thora, “…and now, let’s invite Ms. Ziegler to say a few words.”
With that, the spotlight moved from the stage and shone onto Thora who was dressed to the nines. Even the tall figure beside her became the center of attention as expected.
As the crowd settled down for a moment, Thora waited for everyone’s attention to fall upon her. After that, she said something to Anthony before sauntering up the stage.
Her speech was graceful while her poise was elegant. The authoritative vibe she emanated would put many men to shame. The only time she softened her gaze was when she looked in a particular direction. It was then that her eyes were filled with longing.
Just when I looked on with interest, John’s familiar curses rang out in my ear.
“Hasn’t she seen a man before?”
Although my seat wasn’t far from the entrance, it was quite some distance from the stage. John didn’t even attempt to keep his voice down, but luckily it wasn’t loud enough to be heard on stage. Nevertheless, it still managed to attract many curious stares.
“Can you lower your voice? I don’t want to be seen as a troublemaker here,” Emma commented helplessly.
It appeared that Brooklyn’s observation was correct. John had arrived at the same time we did on purpose. Leveraging on the animosity between the Stanhope and Ziegler family, he managed to divert the reporters’ attention. This way, they wouldn’t ask me about my thoughts on attending my ex-husband’s girlfriend’s party.
As for my thoughts, I did have some.
The tabloids did have some basis for fueling the rumors. With regards to Thora and Anthony, one was a lady with an illustrious background while the other was a young upstart within the business world. Both of them looked attractive and made a good match indeed. Especially when I saw the passion in Thora’s eyes, I filled in the rest with my own imagination. The romantic tension between a strong couple intertwined with competing business interests was simply the perfect script for a romantic drama.
“Who says I’m not?” In the face of the curious stares from the other guests, John chose to make a scene. Glaring back at them with his brows raised, he threatened, “Let me see who has discovered my true agenda. Coincidentally, I’m lacking an excuse to cause some trouble.”
John was known to be fearsome, causing the onlookers to quickly disperse out of precaution. Soon, the crowd around us thinned significantly.
After shooing them away, John leaned closer to me and whispered. “Don’t worry, Anthony won’t fall for her.”
“Hmm?” Surprised by John’s confidence in Anthony, I teased, “You actually have faith in him?”
Instead of replying, John changed the topic. “Why? Can it be that you are already jealous?”
“No, I’m not.” I shrugged helplessly.
To be honest, before Thora, I had always imagined what would happen to me if someone better in every way appeared by Anthony’s side. But now that it had become a reality, my concerns were eased instead.
One’s eyes and tone would never lie. During my video call with Anthony, the exhaustion he felt from dealing with Thora and the enthusiasm in his voice when he spoke with me was enough for me to ascertain his stance. If I was unable to trust him at this stage, I really didn’t deserve his love at all.
“John, you and Anthony are actually the same, thinking that getting on someone’s nerves will always work. Do you think women are that easily cheated?” Suddenly, Emma interrupted with a strange tone in her voice.
Having heard her comment, John’s expression changed at once. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he quickly walked away into the crowd.
“What happened?” Given how rare it was for John to be cowed, I found it both strange and hilarious.
“I don’t know what got into him. The last time he came over to my company to discuss your law firm’s logo, he brought a girl with him. He should have at least chosen one with a clean reputation. Instead, the girl he brought had appeared in the tabloids before with countless other men. It was obvious that he was lowering his own self-worth just by doing that.” Emma glared angrily at John’s silhouette.
As I followed where her gaze leads, I couldn’t help but smile. John oh John, you may be adept at dealing with someone else’s problems. But when it comes to your own, you’re not mindful at all.
“So, what did you do after that?” I asked curiously.
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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