“Marcus still has some time left, so you can wait till I confirm his condition. If the man really is dying, I won’t stop you from going to him. Heck, I’ll even take care of him with you if you want.”
After hearing that, I widened my eyes in shock at Anthony, but he had already turned to face the elevator door. The man’s deadpan expression made it difficult for me to tell what was going through his head. Did I hear that right? Did Anthony just offer to take care of Marcus?
Ding!
After the door opened, Anthony naturally turned around to take my hand before walking out of the elevator.
When we drove out of the hospital parking lot, Anthony turned in the opposite direction instead of heading home.
“Where are we going?” I inquired, still struggling to come back to my senses.
“Audrey just called and said that she wants dessert tonight,” answered Anthony with a half-smile while his eyes remained on the road.
I then thought about everything the man said to me back in the hospital. Although Marcus had been in many life-and-death situations, he somehow always managed to come through. Besides, it’s not like my sympathy will change the man’s fate. There’s nothing wrong with sympathizing with others, but that doesn’t mean I should neglect those who love me. I’m so fortunate to have such lovely children and a loving husband.
Therefore, I tried my best to forget about Marcus for the moment and played along with Anthony. “Are you trying to fatten her up with late-night desserts? Not to mention how all that sugar is going to ruin her teeth. You really shouldn’t spoil her like that.”
I believed that it was important for anyone, regardless of age, to look out for their own health.
“Desserts soothe the soul. If you don’t want Audrey to have them, maybe you should have them yourself. After all, my wife deserves the best.”
To that, I gave the man a look to show him that I could see right through him. “You think I don’t know what you’re up to? Don’t try to pacify me, Anthony. I know you’re only doing this for Audrey.”
Anthony chuckled in response. “So, does that mean you don’t want any?”
“Of course I do!” There was only one thing I could not turn down at that moment, and it was dessert.
After parking the car, Anthony took me by the hand again and led me to a bakery named Black Angle.
Inside were all sorts of desserts displayed in glass boxes, and each box had its own lighting and thermostat to regulate temperature. Under the lights, the pastries shimmered like art pieces in a gallery.
As expected, whenever Anthony paid for something, he usually wanted more than just the quality of the products because he also valued the overall experience in making the purchase.
I stopped in front of a newly released Napoleon Cake and thought it was the perfect dessert for Audrey and me, so Anthony had the storekeeper approach us.
“Hello, sir. What can I help you with?” Not only did the storekeeper have the body of a supermodel, but she also had the voice of a radio host.
“I’m so sorry, sir, but this one is all sold out at the moment. Our White Swan series desserts are also quite popular. Would you like to try those?”
“It’s sold out already? But it’s not even noon yet.” Even though I was disappointed, I could understand why the new product was snatched up so quickly. Since I did not make a pre-order, I never really had a chance at getting one.
Sighing, I looked around while the storekeeper continued to shower us with recommendations.
“Mr. Hall, welcome,” greeted the storekeeper suddenly as she looked to someone behind us, so Anthony and I curiously turned around and realized that she was talking to Nathaniel.
Unexpectedly, standing next to the man was my doppelganger, who happened to dress very similarly to me. Even the storekeepers turned their heads back and forth to make sure their eyes were not playing tricks on them.
Nathaniel, who did not seem surprised to see us at all, held the woman’s hand and quickly walked over. “I see that you two like the desserts in this place too, huh?”
With a friendly tone like that, anyone else would have easily mistaken the situation as a pleasant coincidence. Nothing more than two twin sisters bumping into each other with their boyfriends.
Anthony and I did not respond to Nathaniel but simply shifted our attention to my doppelganger.
When the man noticed how odd we were acting, he chuckled and placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “What? Don’t you recognize her anymore? You’re old pals!”
The woman kept a straight face the whole time until Nathaniel mentioned her. Then, as if she had finally received the permission to talk, the woman looked at Anthony and asked with a wry smile, “Do you remember me, Mr. Featherstone?”
For some reason, her voice sounded strange. It was as if there was something stuck in her throat, and despite our similar appearance, anyone could easily tell us apart just by listening to that voice.
Why would that woman say something like that to Anthony? Do they know each other?
As much as I wanted answers, I knew it was not the right time to question Anthony. What mattered more then was to show the other party that Anthony and I got each other’s back. I’ll be damned if I let anyone besmirch my husband’s honor like that!
I then intentionally got closer to Anthony and wrapped my arm around his. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, miss, but all my husband ever thinks about is me, so I’m afraid he doesn’t recall who you are.”
In response, the woman glanced at me before sneering, “My, my. You’ve changed, haven’t you, Sienna?”
The woman’s rhetorical question left me completely stunned. Who the heck is this woman? Not only did she seem to know Anthony, but she also sounded like she knew me well. Besides the face, there’s nothing about her that looked familiar to me. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t figure out who she is.
“Who the heck are you?” There was no way I could keep my cool any longer at that moment, so Anthony patted me on the shoulder to assure me that he had got the situation under control before chiming in, “You’ll have to excuse my wife; Letty has always been a hothead. Please forgive her straightforwardness.”
“You saw how rude she was, so how can you simply ask me to forgive her? Does that sound reasonable to you?” Obviously, the woman got a little upset because of what we said, but Nathaniel quickly pinched her back to remind her to watch her manners.
“I’m going to have to ask you to do the same for Nora’s bluntness. She’s been abroad for quite a while, so I guess that’s where she picked up the character. She doesn’t mean to offend you, of course. Actually, I planned to introduce her to you the next time I visit, so imagine my surprise when I bumped into you here,” explained Nathaniel disingenuously.
There was only one person that I knew named Nora, and that was Nora Oberick. I thought she was killed in the explosion, wasn’t she?
Even though I was looking straight at the woman’s face, I could not confirm if she was the Nora I knew.
Suddenly, the storekeeper brought a well-designed box over to Nathaniel. “Here’s your order, Mr. Hall.”
Instead of taking the box, Nathaniel turned to smile at us. “You should take the cake. My treat.”
Because of the man’s offer, the storekeeper, too, turned to us with the box. “Here’s your cake, sir.”
“You don’t have to do that. I did nothing to deserve this.” With that, Anthony unceremoniously turned down Nathaniel’s generosity.
Still stuck with the box, the storekeeper found herself in an awkward position.
“You worry too much. It’s just a cake,” reminded Nathaniel nonchalantly.
Anthony remained silent for what felt like forever before finally breaking the ice. “This is just the way I am. You don’t know Letty, just like you don’t know me.”
The man then turned to me and put his arm around me. “Now that I think about it, the desserts made in a bakery have way too much sugar in them anyway. Come on, let’s go home. I’ll make some for you and Audrey myself.”
Since we drove all the way there only to end up not buying anything, I suspected that the cakes in the bakery were never the reason why Anthony wanted to be there. With a look, the man gestured for me to leave empty-handed with him.
However, as if he could not understand what Anthony was insinuating, Nathaniel continued to pretend that he was a close friend. “I know how much you love your kids, so I’m not going to take up more of your time. Since Audrey likes desserts so much, I’ll be sure to remember to bring some over when I visit.”
Anthony only gave the man a half-smile in response before walking out of the bakery with me.
“You knew Nathaniel was going to be there, didn’t you? Is that why you brought me there?” I questioned Anthony as soon as we stepped into the car.
“Not exactly,” replied Anthony as he fired up the car with one hand and placed the other on the steering wheel. “I knew he was going to be there today but not the exact time. We just got lucky.”
“We should’ve tried to find out who that woman is. We left too soon,” I stated while fiddling with my fingers anxiously.
Even though bumping into my doppelganger saved me a lot of trouble, it also meant that I would face plenty more in the future, so I had to be vigilant.
“You already know who she is. She’s exactly who you think she is,” informed Anthony confidently.
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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