Alas, I knew Nathaniel wouldn’t get it.
Suddenly, I realized Nathaniel’s intention. It wasn’t enough for him to drag Anthony into hell, for he also wanted me to fall out of love with Anthony and make him lonely and desolate before ending up as a monster like him.
I wouldn’t let him have his way. “So? Can’t I love him for his looks?”
When Nathaniel’s smile finally slipped a notch, I went all out in provoking him. “Why? Are you going to change your face to Anthony’s and replace him to live with us? Oh, let me see. You claimed to be God, but in fact, you can’t even bring yourself to look at your own face. Am I right?”
Nathaniel’s expression darkened as an ominous black thundercloud of temper settled over him. “Do you think you’re smart?”
“Did I say something wrong?” I persisted. “You can see through everyone, so I’m sure you know greed drives us to achieve more. You hate the fact that Anthony is being loved by someone, and living a better life. In fact, you think you are his savior and wanted to rid him of his feelings. Unfortunately, love will never die. The sad truth is you’re driven by jealousy. You are jealous that Anthony has everything that you’ll never have!”
Crash!
Nathaniel flung the wineglass before him out forcefully, and it landed on the ground with a crash. The red liquid flowed out like an exploded atom among the broken pieces of glass, red and dangerous, just like his expression.
I stuck my chin up but said nothing else. Going to the extreme might backfire on me, so I couldn’t afford to provoke him any further.
The silence went on for thirty seconds, but Nathaniel refused to utter a word.
I knew it was time for me to leave.
Getting to my feet, I grabbed my bag and glanced at Nathaniel, who was deep in thought. “You might feel excited at the thought of wiping out the powerful love Anthony’s loved ones have for him, but sorry to disappoint you today. So, I have to apologize in advance. If Anthony doesn’t come back safely, I’ll love him until the end of my life. Not only me but his family will be waiting for his return. You’ll never get what you want!” I declared.
Having said my piece, I turned and strode to the door. When I pushed it open, Nathaniel’s assistant stopped me.
“Mr. Hall?” he asked carefully.
I looked back, but Nathaniel didn’t even spare us a glance. He made a gesture to order his assistant to let me leave.
His assistant immediately stood aside, and I strode out.
I only relaxed when the elevator doors closed before me.
Nathaniel must’ve understood the underlying meaning in my parting speech. The only way to destroy Anthony completely was to release him. As long as Anthony got to come back, everything can be solved.
Perhaps Nathaniel wouldn’t do as told, but I had no other choice.
Come back, Anthony. I’ve done everything I could.
Things didn’t go as smoothly as expected. I didn’t receive any news about Anthony for two days in a row.
A day later, I received news from Holden that Anthony had appeared in a deal with some Venrians in Thymion three days ago. It should be the deal Nathaniel showed me live that day.
One would need to work hard his whole life to be a righteous person, but it would take a split second to become a bad person. I did not know when Anthony would give up on himself, so I had to do something before that happened.
John and Emery busied themselves to resolve this problem. It seemed that Holden didn’t want to offend Nathaniel and the forces behind him, so the information he provided later was scarce. He was, after all, a businessperson who was used to being hypocritical. Nevertheless, his action reminded me not to depend on one source only.
As I couldn’t get any more information from Holden, I thought of Rylee. Perhaps I could probe her to get more clues. I had no other choice for now.
Outside the club, I hung around for a long time but couldn’t bring myself to head in.
To be honest, after the truth was revealed, Anthony wasn’t the only one who couldn’t accept it after hiding the truth for years. As I had labeled myself as the victim for years, I had no idea how to face Rylee.
I guess even the most hateful person deserved some pity. When I was the cause of her pitiful state, I couldn’t really say that in a confident manner.
A small discrepancy could lead to a great difference. No one could be sure if Rylee could lead a different life if she hadn’t been sexually assaulted back then.
I was too deep into my thoughts that I only snapped back to reality when someone called my name a few times behind me.
Swiveling around, I saw Rylee before me. We cross paths again. Before I could figure out what to say, Summer got down from the car behind her and caught my attention.
“Mommy,” Summer greeted me calmly. Her tone was flat, and I could not decipher any emotions from it.
She didn’t inform me when she decided to leave the country, and now she was back with Rylee in tow. I couldn’t help but think of the worst. Furrowing my brows, I demanded in an authoritative manner, “Why didn’t you go home now that you’re back in the country?”
“You’re not even her biological mother. Does her whereabouts concern you?” Rylee was as sharp as usual.
I ignored her and waited for Summer’s answer patiently.
Summer glanced at Rylee and looked down instead of replying to me.
Her silence proved she was on Rylee’s side, creating an invisible wall between me and them. We were standing face to face, but it seemed like there was a bridge between us that we could never cross.
I didn’t want to force Summer or watch as she took the wrong path. Thus, I did my best to salvage things. “Things have been pretty rough lately. You should move back home as soon as possible. Greg and Audrey miss you a lot.”
After a pause, I added, “Moreover, I’m worried about leaving you alone, too.”
Summer remained unfazed. Her pretty eyes were as calm as a lake, and I couldn’t figure out what was on her mind.
She nodded as though she couldn’t get used to my kind words. After giving me a pursed smile, she walked into the club.
Rylee burst out in giggles. “Oh, I’ve taken a liking to her. She’s interesting.”
That wasn’t good news to me. I frowned at her gloating figure, at a loss for words.
Seeing my reaction, Rylee stopped giggling and glared at me. Then, she wanted to leave too.
When she walked past me, I finally plucked up the courage to ask, “Where is Anthony?”
Her footsteps halted as she turned to look at her. Surprise and arrogance flashed across her face. “Did I hear it right? Aren’t you stuck together like glue? Why are you asking me where he is?”
“Are you begging me for help?” Rylee raised her voice, attracting the passers-by’s attention. Her sense of competition was invoked, and she continued to raise her voice. “I said, are you begging for my help?”
Well, Rylee was her usual self. Though she had a new face, her heart was still as black as tar. The only way for her to gain happiness was to trample on someone else’s dignity.
I knew that giving in might make things worse, but I felt guilty. Words failed me. Just like Anthony’s countless hesitations back then, when I had to face someone who took the blame for me, my previous presumptuous statements pricked at my heart and corroded my soul.
“Get on your knees.” Rylee’s voice rang out clearly. “If you kneel down before me, I might consider telling you something about Anthony.”
She crossed her arms arrogantly, enjoying the excitement of dominating me.
I had only one thought in my mind. If I kneel before Rylee, does that mean that we’re even now?
Seconds later, I found my foolish thought ridiculous. As guilt had overwhelmed my heart, I didn’t even think of fighting back and kept thinking of an excuse to get to my knees.
Perhaps I fell silent for too long, for Rylee grew increasingly restless. “Will you get on your knees or not? I’m running out of patience. I won’t bear responsibility if something happens to Anthony!” she declared.
Her words acted like a jab of adrenaline that boosted the energy within me before it could fade away. Nothing was more important than Anthony now. My fists balled up as I made up my mind to kneel before her.
Watching as I lowered my body slowly, Rylee lashed out, “You should’ve done this a long while ago, Sienna. Even if you kneel here forever, you can’t make it up to what you and Anthony did to me! To be honest, kneeling before me and begging for my forgiveness isn’t enough. That’s nothing compared to what you took away from me. Soon, you’ll find out what it feels like to be in hell!”
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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