Anthony smiled. “I’ve always been healthy, you know.”
John stormed off, infuriated. The moment he left, Anthony squinted at me. “Where’s the prescription?”
I pursed my lips and gripped the prescription tighter. “There is none,” I replied calmly. “The doctor told me to have a lot of rest and drink plenty of water.”
“Sienna,” he emphasized.
Annoyed, I left the hospital without saying a thing. He followed me into the car and put the matter of the prescription aside. “Joe invited you to South Metro for a meal. Are you going?”
I was going to say no, but I paused. “Why did he invite me?”
Anthony started the car. “For the thing we discussed over the call last time.”
I was surprised to hear that. So he’s going to apologize?
There was a saying that a man’s love could be measured by how his friends treat you. I considered it for a moment and nodded. “Sure, I’ll go.”
It was still early when we came to South Metro. I thought we had come too early, so I asked, “Don’t you think it’s a bit early?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you get to rest.”
Right…
When I saw the trio in the room, I felt like laughing. I looked at Anthony. “I thought this is supposed to be an apology. Didn’t think it’d be a trap.”
A frown creased Anthony’s forehead, and he narrowed his eyes at Joe. “What is the meaning of this?”
Joe stood up and fidgeted. “Anthony, it’s been a while since Rylee could go around since her hospitalization. She’s just here with us. I’m sorry for not telling you about this, but I promise it’ll be fine.”
Jared sipped his tea, pulling himself away from the drama. Anthony glanced at Rylee calmly. He didn’t care if she was putting up a pitiable front, and he looked at me. “You still want to do this?”
Joe looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Sienna. I—”
Rylee interrupted. “What am I, a chopped liver?” She looked as arrogant as usual with a hint of grievance. “Since I’m obviously unwanted, I’ll leave then. Bye.” She took her bag and tried to leave.
Joe gave me another apologetic look. “Sorry, Sienna. I’ll send her off.”
“It’s fine. Everyone’s already here whether we like it or not. Let’s get on with it.” I gazed at Rylee mockingly. “You don’t mind sharing a table with me, do you, Ms. Lorraine?”
Joe took the chance to invite Rylee back and happily made the orders. Anthony had always been a man of few words. So he simply sat beside me and chatted with Jared, looking cool as a cucumber.
Once everything was served, Joe stood up and gave me a toast. “A toast for you, Sienna. I apologize for my rude behavior. Now that you’re Anthony’s wife, you’re a part of the family.” He gulped the wine down graciously.
I peeped at Anthony again and found that he was still as inscrutable as ever.
Jared looked at me and paused for a moment. “There’s a rule in our group. You have to down ten shots for it to be an effective apology.”
I looked at the ten glasses of wine before Joe, and I was taken back to the time when I was the one who had to drink. They’re really something, aren’t they? Ten shots would be fine for a good drinker, but someone with a problem could end up injured or dead.
When Joe was going for the second shot, I shot up and looked at him calmly. “I’ll be leaving if we aren’t eating anytime soon.”
“What is the meaning of this, Sienna? Haven’t your parents taught you about manners?” Rylee shot up and barked. She was already angry enough with me, and my obviously rude behavior lit the flame within her.
Her face darkened. “Joe went out of his way to apologize, and this is how you treat him? Are you trying to ruin their friendship?”
Frowning, I answered calmly, “Ms. Lorraine, are you standing up for them? Because it sounds like you’re venting to me.”
“Why you little…”
I cut her off. “I have no parents, so I’m not sure what they would have taught me. You, on the other hand, have parents, don’t you, Ms. Lorraine? They should have taught you to mind your own business and that sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong is rude.”
“Who are you calling rude, Sienna?” Seeing that she couldn’t win against me in a banter, she gave Anthony a puppy-eye look. “Anth, are you going to just let your wife insult me like that?”
My, my, this woman is shameless.
Anthony frowned at her in cold silence. Obviously, he thought she saw everyone else as an idiot.
Joe stopped smiling and turned to Rylee. “Stay out of this, Rylee.”
“Why should I? Everyone agreed to this rule when Parker was here. I was there too. Why should I stay out of this?”
“But the rule didn’t say anything about sticking your nose into this. Don’t you know that, Rylee?” Jared finally spoke. His gaze was cold and also impatient. Rylee was stunned before tears started to stream down her face.
I was starting to get impatient. “I don’t know how you guys agreed to the rule, but I accept your apology. Thanks for the treat, and there’s no need for the wine. You’ve apologized, and that’s good enough.” I paused for a moment. “Everyone settles their matter differently. You have your way, and I have mine. Do away with the wine.”
Joe was flabbergasted, and he cast a confused look at Anthony.
Anthony, who had kept quiet all the while, finally stood up and looked at Joe. “We’ll go with Sienna’s way. It’s getting late, and she’s exhausted. We’ll be leaving now.”
He was going to take me away when Rylee stopped us and glared at us with tear-filled eyes. To be precise, she was looking at Anthony. “You can’t just break the rule Parker made whenever you want. Do you think this woman is more important than our decades of friendship?”
An angry frown creased Anthony’s forehead. “This woman is my wife.”
Rylee sneered. “So what? That doesn’t give her a free pass to break every rule.”
Hearing that, I felt the urge to laugh. “Ms. Lorraine, I’ve heard of how you used your own brother for your own gains. Frankly, if you were to write it all down, you could probably start an online novel filled with drama. I don’t care what the reasons were behind this inhumane rule, but Ms. Lorraine, let’s stop for a moment and think. You guys were just twenty-year-old kids back then. I can understand why this rule was made in a fit of impulse, but for Pete’s sake, do you think it’s still relevant now?”
I took a deep breath. “Everyone’s in their thirties now, for god’s sake. Doesn’t matter how healthy they are, ten glasses of alcohol is going to hurt. Not to mention they’ve been pulling all-nighters lately for the company. Their bodies are at their limits. If you’re going to force them into drinking all ten glasses, Joe might just end up dead like your brother. Is that how much you value your friendship?”
Rylee paled, then her face turned red with anger. Her chest heaved, and she glowered. “That’s sophism! You’re leaving because you’re too arrogant to accept his apology!”
There were times when I thought Rylee might be a five-year-old. Every word she uttered and the way her thought worked was like a child’s.
I looked at her for a moment before turning to Joe. “Honestly, you’re a good guy, Joe. You know right from wrong. Anthony’s my husband, and since he sees you as his brother, then by extension, you’re my brother too. I won’t argue with you just because of some childish insults. Naturally, I won’t get between you and Anthony. I accept your apology, and you don’t have to drink the wine. It’s precisely because you’re family that I don’t want you to kill yourself over some stupid rule.”
Then, I took Anthony’s hand and left the room. The moment I got into the car, I flung his hand away and glared at him. “Did you bring me here just to annoy me?” I wouldn’t have come if I had known Rylee was present.
He pursed his lips in resignation. “I was with you the whole time. I couldn’t have known about this.”
Even so, I was still irked. “Go back on your own.” With that, I went into the car and left without him. I looked at the rear-view mirror and saw him slapping his forehead lightly.
…
The moment I stopped my car at the villa, I saw Sally standing at the doorstep. She was wearing a jacket. When she looked behind me and didn’t see Anthony, Sally looked at me. “Got some time? Let’s talk.”
I shrugged. “About what?”
“Us.”
I laughed. “Haven’t you had enough fun bringing Rylee in?”
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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