I was completely taken aback. Bask in the sun? Now?
How drunk is he?
“Okay. Take your time.” Feeling too awful to stay with him outside, I headed into the villa.
I returned to the bedroom and lay in bed. Then, the silence coming from the living room began to fill me with concern. What if he decided to head outside and got into an accident?
After struggling with my own thoughts, I got up and headed downstairs. To my surprise, Anthony was already lying on the couch in the living room.
I could finally sleep in peace.
After such a long night, I fell into a deep slumber and only woke up at noon.
With an appointment with Caleb in mind, I hurriedly washed up and headed out the door. By the time I arrived at work, Caleb was already waiting for me at the office.
He smiled apologetically upon seeing me. “Sorry to bother you at work, Ms. Stanhope.”
Having just rushed over, I calmed my breathing and had Stacey pour Caleb a glass of water. Then, we signed both the completion and transfer agreements.
After we were done, Caleb offered, “It’s already noon. I suppose you haven’t had lunch, Ms. Stanhope? How about a meal together? My wife’s been wanting to thank you. Do you happen to have some time?”
I didn’t actually have other plans, but I noticed Stacey gazing at me as though she had something to tell me. Hence, I smiled and turned the man down. “You’re too kind, Dr. Ludwick. I should be the one thanking you both. I’m afraid I have something to take care of today, so let’s meet up another time instead.”
Hearing that, Caleb left after exchanging some pleasantries.
Then, I turned to Stacey. “Mr. Featherstone wants you to see him at his office, Ms. Stanhope,” she said.
See him?
I furrowed my brows, feeling stunned. “Has our department done anything wrong recently?” Anthony normally wouldn’t summon me over personal affairs while at work.
Unless the issue was work-related.
Stacey nodded. “Finance has approached Mr. Featherstone regarding the issue with Dr. Ludwick. Mr. Featherstone seems rather unhappy about it and wants you to drop by the president’s office.”
“Okay,” I answered and headed to the top floor at once.
Anthony’s office gave off the same cold, stern vibe that he did. The atmosphere here felt chilly even in the midst of summer.
The spacious office area looked frosty and unwelcoming. The door to the meeting room was closed. Joseph caught sight of me. “Mr. Featherstone is still in a meeting with Mr. Quinn and Dr. Crest, Ms. Stanhope.”
I nodded while thinking. If Dr. Crest is Jared Crest, is Mr. Quinn referring to Joe Quinn?
I walked over to the couch and sat down. Glancing at my watch, it was now noon. I had left home in such a rush that I hadn’t had anything to eat. Thus, I was now starving.
Joseph poured me a glass of water and remarked icily, “Please wait a moment, Ms. Stanhope. Mr. Featherstone will be done in about half an hour.”
I took the glass from him. Brushing aside his cold front, I asked, “Has Mr. Featherstone been drinking frequently, Mr. Campbell?”
Macy had mentioned that Anthony had been visiting her bar often, so I couldn’t help but try to find out why this was happening.
Hearing my question, Joseph stilled for a moment before answering, “I guess Mr. Featherstone hasn’t been in the best mood.”
“Why?” There was no way Anthony would get so upset over the child. It usually had something to do with Rylee.
Seeing me gaze at him with curiosity, Joseph coughed lightly. “I’m not too sure either.”
I fell silent.
This guy wasn’t being honest.
I slowly dozed off. Upon hearing a few people’s voices after what felt like forever, I tried my best to sit up straight.
The three men who walked out of the meeting room shifted their gazes over to me. With a slight raise of his brows and purse of his thin lips, Jared muttered a few words to Joseph, causing the latter to glance at me before taking his leave.
Anthony’s gaze darkened as he stared at me. I had a feeling that he was about to unleash his wrath on me.
I hurriedly stood up upon thinking about Caleb. “I’m more than willing to compensate for all the losses incurred for the past two days, Mr. Featherstone.”
Anthony frowned while remaining silent. Instead, it was Joe who began to cause a stir. “You’re incredible, Ms. Stanhope. This is a project worth a few billion, and you’ve managed to incur your own husband a loss of over ten million in just two days! You’re being far too generous!”
His words were dripping with sarcasm.
Seeing Anthony remain silent with a grim look on his face, I rolled my eyes at Joe. “You sure are a nosy one, Mr. Quinn.”
Pfft! Jared stifled his laughter. With his hands in his pockets, he looked on with innocent eyes as though completely uninvolved.
Joe cast him a glare before turning to me, looking dour. “What makes you think you can talk to me like that, Sienna Stanhope?”
I really had no intention of wasting my breath talking to Joe. The guy never had anything nice to say to me because he thought I was always getting in between Anthony and Rylee.
Still, we had known each other for a long time, so I chose not to mince my words. “Are you a king who has time-traveled to the future, Mr. Quinn? If so, I’m afraid only the likes of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar would have the privilege of talking to you. You’re from that era too, after all.”
Joe’s face flushed red in anger and he no longer held back his words. “Even a dead man has more right to talk to me than you do! To think you’d be wicked enough to kill off your own child—”
“Joe,” Jared cut the man off sternly. “Anthony and Ms. Stanhope have some matters to discuss. I’ve made a lunch reservation, so let’s head over and wait for them there.”
Then, he turned to me. “I believe you haven’t had lunch either, Ms. Stanhope. Why don’t you and Anthony join us later?”
Before I could turn down his offer, the man left, dragging Joe along with him.
Only Anthony and I remained inside the large office. Unsure of how he intended to deal with the matter related to Caleb, I decided to break the ice. “I’m responsible for what happened. I stayed home to recuperate after the surgery and couldn’t stop thinking about the child, so I completely forgot about Dr. Ludwick.”
Anthony remained gloomy and silent, so I continued, “I know I’ve caused unimaginable losses to the company. I’d be more than willing to resign—”
“Is that how you intend to solve this issue?” Anthony suddenly asked. His voice and eyes were so chilly that I felt goosebumps.
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