He was sitting on the chaise lounge by the side with a laptop propped on his thighs, either working or looking up some information.
Seeing that I was awake, he placed his laptop down before coming over and bending down to peck me on the forehead. “Do you wanna lie down for a while longer?”
I creased my brows. “What’s up?”
He cocked a brow. “I said that I’d take you to see the doctor today.”
“I’m not going!” Although Marcus was gone, I was still an employee at White Corporation. I was the one in charge of the OrbitTech project, so there was no reason for me to give up halfway.
He frowned and pulled me into his arms, kissing me softly before saying, “Why don’t you go and wash up first?”
After a good night’s sleep, I felt more clear-headed. I squirmed out of his embrace and got out of bed to head straight into the bathroom.
When I was brushing my teeth, I could vaguely hear someone knocking on the bedroom door and automatically assumed that it was Mrs. Eriksen calling us down for breakfast.
After washing up, I went out to see Rylee and Anthony locked in an embrace. I didn’t know what came over Rylee, but she was crying pitifully at that moment.
What the hell?
Staring at the pair of lovers, I inadvertently pursed my lips. I was in no hurry, so I merely folded my arms over my chest and watched as the two of them express their affection for each other.
Anthony seemed to be slightly tensed, but because he had his back to me, he didn’t notice me standing there. He pushed Rylee away and said indifferently, “You’ve been with the Moore family for at least half a year now. They’re a prominent household, so you need to act the part. Why are you behaving like this now, without self-respect?”
Having been pushed away by Anthony, Rylee naturally noticed that I had come out of the bathroom. She squinted slightly before directing her gaze back to Anthony.
With tears in her eyes, she said, “Anth, you’ve always known how I felt about you. You didn’t promise my brother to take care of me out of responsibility. You did it because you fell for me. And the only reason you can’t leave Sienna now is because you feel responsible and indebted to her. You don’t love her at all, do you?”
My brows shot toward my hairline. Tsk, tsk. Is she trying to provoke Anthony into saying something that would hurt me?
Anthony’s voice was chilly when he grunted, “This has nothing to do with you. Don’t come here again from now on.”
“The fact that you’re not giving me a straight answer means that you don’t love Sienna at all, right?” Rylee gazed at him and continued, “On the night of my birthday, you clearly knew that it was also her birthday, but you still chose to come to the Moore Residence because, in your heart, I’m more important than her, right?”
Infuriated, Anthony warned, “Enough.”
But Rylee prattled on, unafraid of his warning. “My mother wouldn’t have had any chance to attack Sienna if you had gone to celebrate her birthday. When all is said and done, you only let her go out alone when it’s near her delivery because you don’t love her enough. And that’s why my mother had the chance to attack her. My mother might have been the culprit behind the baby’s death, but you’re her accomplice.”
Rylee was getting agitated, and she peered at Anthony. “Anth, if you’re staying with Sienna just because you feel guilty, that’ll just end up hurting her. You know you shouldn’t force relationships. If you’re going to stay together despite the lack of love, both of you are just going to end up hurt.”
Anthony had his back against me, so I couldn’t see his face, but I sneered. “He can and he will. It doesn’t really matter if he and I will be happy together. The most important part here is that you’re not happy, Ms. Lorraine. That’s all I care about because that makes me happy.”
Hearing my voice, he turned and narrowed his eyes. “You’re done washing up?”
I nodded at him before smirking at Rylee. “I know people can be rambunctious in the morning. Do you need to release the stress? Should I give you two some space?”
Anthony frowned and his face fell. “Sienna!” I could hear the warning in his voice.
I shrugged, not angered in the slightest. “Have fun, you two. I’m going now.”
But before I could go far, Anthony grabbed my hand. “Calm down, okay?”
I pursed my lips in displeasure and was about to retort when he told Rylee coldly, “Do I need to send you off personally, Ms. Lorraine?” He was obviously upset.
Rylee looked pale, and she was tearing up. She opened her mouth to say something, but she shut up after seeing how angry Anthony was. All she did was glare at me and left, holding down her anger.
With that, only Anthony and I were left in the big room. I could see the resignation in his eyes as he looked at me. “How long have you been listening?”
I shrugged. “No idea.”
He smiled. “Alright, what are you angry about?”
I replied calmly, “It’s a regret that my birthday is also my child’s death anniversary.”
Perhaps caught by surprise or heartbreak, he hugged me tightly, almost melding me with his chest. “She won’t get away with this.”
She? She who? Rylee? Or Cameron? I didn’t ask. All I did was let him keep hugging me. “I’m hungry, Anthony. Can you let me go now?” I blurted, feeling stuffy from the hug.
He froze for a moment before letting me go and taking me downstairs. I thought Rylee had gone home, but she was still there.
She was talking to Sally in the dining room, and when Sally saw us coming down, she came up to us, smiling. “I thought you have a meeting today, Anthony. Why did you sleep in? Mrs. Eriksen made your favorite pumpkin soup for you. Have it while it’s hot. Rylee and I will go with you to Featherstone Corporation later.”
As she spoke, Sally had squeezed herself in between Anthony and me, separating us. I slowed down and followed behind them. A moment later, Sally pushed him down on the seat beside Rylee and told Mrs. Eriksen, “Mrs. Eriksen, get Mr. Anthony a bowl of pumpkin soup right away.”
She grinned at Rylee. “Rylee, you’d love to know this. There was one time when Anthony came back from school, and he saw Mrs. Eriksen making pumpkin soup in the kitchen. Guess what he did? He finished the whole thing himself. Mrs. Eriksen thought she overcooked it when she came back.”
Rylee nudged closer to Anthony and smiled. “Is that true, Anth?”
Goddamn. I sat down and put my chin on my hand. Bored, I asked, “When did you leave your home, Sally?”
Sally didn’t answer, but Anthony did. “Fifteen.”
I arched my eyebrow. “But your grandpa said he sent you to M Country after your parents’ death when you were five. And you only came back to J City when you’re twenty. Hmm, does that mean you managed to down a whole cauldron of soup when you were only five years old? Whoa, either that cauldron is too small, or you have a big appetite.”
Anthony squinted at me. “I hate pumpkin soup the most.”
What Anthony was implying was that Sally was simply talking nonsense. I shrugged before glancing at Sally, who was going white with the awkwardness. Then I took the food Mrs. Eriksen gave me and handed it to Anthony. “Finish your breakfast fast. We have some business to settle.”
Annoyed and unwilling to see me gloat, Sally looked at Anthony. “Anthony, Rylee and I will be going to the Featherstone Corporation later. Give us a ride, okay?”
Anthony took a spoonful of soup and looked at Sally calmly. “It’s going to be a hassle.”
“No, it’s not. We’re all going to the Featherstone Corporation, anyway.” Sally was getting more and more upset.
Just then, Rylee, who had been silent for the most part, uttered softly, “Anth, you don’t want to see me, do you?”
He looked at her, nodding solemnly. “Yes.”
Oh my.
Rylee was hurt by that remark, and I could see her on the verge of tears. She stood up, answering quietly, “I won’t be disturbing you then.”
She was going to go out, but Sally stopped her. “Oh, you child. He’s just joking with you. Don’t leave.” Then, she pulled her back to the table. Sally was the elder in the house, so she glared at Anthony. “Where are you going anyway? Why is it going to be a hassle?”
Annoyed by his aunt’s constant nagging, he put his fork down. “I have some business to attend to.” When he noticed I wasn’t eating much, he frowned. “You don’t like the food?”
I shook my head. “Nope. The taste is fine, it’s just a bit noisy.”
Hearing that, Sally, who was already irked to begin with, blurted, “Sienna, you’re a part of the Featherstones. What did you mean by that? Can’t I stay over for a few days? I’m in my nadir here. Are you going to chase me away? I’m Anthony’s aunt!”
My appetite was instantly gone. Feeling amused, I said, “Oh, so you know you’re the elder here, Ms. Featherstone? It’s the twenty-first century now, but you’re still trying to get another wife for Anthony, huh?”
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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