After exiting the White Corporation, I called Louis to invite him for a meal.
It was the end of the year and most people were enjoying their holidays. Louis was done with his inspection in different regions, so he had more leisure time on his hands now.
At the restaurant.
After ordering, Louis looked at me and said, “How’s your holiday plan? I heard from Jo that you’re returning to J City. Do you have someone important there?”
I nodded and looked at him in the eyes. “They are an important friend and a child, which my deceased friend left behind. It wouldn’t be convenient to bring a child that young on a flight, so I plan to return to J City. Dad, will you blame me for not celebrating New Year’s Eve with you?”
He smiled and spoke, “It’s your decision, so I won’t interfere. I’ve gotten used to it after all these years. Say, did something happen between you and Anthony?”
I froze and shook my head slowly. “No, everything’s fine.”
He frowned. “Kid, you become one with your spouse the moment you exchange wedding rings. You have to treat all your future problems with the same attitude. Disagreements are common since you’re both young and have your own personality and opinions, so naturally, you’ll do things your own way. But that’s all part of the relationship. You can’t think of splitting up just because of an argument. Getting married isn’t a game. You can’t quit whenever you feel like it. Anthony is a genius when it comes to business, but he’s not perfect. I can see how much he cares about you.”
I nodded, understanding where he came from. “How’s the Moore family doing, Dad?”
He smiled helplessly when I suddenly changed the topic. “As long as Zachary stays quiet, you’ll be fine. It’s kind of strange how quiet the Moore family has been since what happened last night. Apart from just keeping the media silent, they didn’t do anything to you.”
I pressed my lips together tightly. The Moore family’s non-action was rather confusing and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were planning to do something even worse.
After chatting to Louis for a while, I stopped by the Baumans that afternoon to visit Sophia and Anthony.
It was rather late when I got back to the villa, but surprisingly, Anthony was reading in the living room.
Since we wouldn’t argue if we weren’t talking, I went upstairs straightaway. In Mrs. Eriksen’s absence, the house felt as empty as a ghost town.
“Since you’ve visited Mr. and Mrs. Bauman, are you going to stop by the graveyard to visit the rest of them tomorrow?” Anthony said suddenly in a cold voice.
I curled my lip. Rather than get angry, I just replied, “I guess Mr. Featherstone really likes sticking his nose into others’ business.”
I knew he arranged for me to have bodyguards but I hadn’t imagined that he would send people to stalk me 24/7.
He put his book down and leaned his arm against the sofa as he looked at me frostily. “Have you prepared anything for that visit? I don’t think there’s a lot you can bring to dead people though.”
I frowned. He was being way too cynical at this point. “Anthony, I’m minding my own business so I hope you can stick to minding your own too.”
I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him, nor did I think we had to.
I turned to walk upstairs and went into our bedroom. New Year’s Eve was arriving soon so I decided to pack some of the things I’d be bringing back to J City.
Anthony had followed me up. Once he saw me packing my things, his expression darkened and he reached out to snatch away the clothes that I was folding. Then he proceeded to toss my luggage on the ground.
“If you really want to leave, shouldn’t you at least follow through with the procedures properly? Ms. Stanhope, are you really planning on throwing three years of marriage away without a word? Is that the so-called ‘manners’ that you love to nag about?”
I gritted my teeth and felt a sudden headache coming on. “Anthony, I don’t feel like arguing with you anymore. I already told you that we needed to take a break from each other. If we feel like this marriage is a dead end, then we can break it off on good terms.”
I sighed, feeling tired. “Every problem has a solution. We’re both adults. There’s no need to throw a tantrum at me like that.”
He scoffed coldly. “No need? So you want a divorce, huh? Is it because I don’t treat you well enough or am I abusing you? Is marrying into the Stanhope family and having me as your husband pointless to you now? Leaving after using me is indeed vicious of you, Sienna.”
I looked up and tried to suppress the emotions building up inside of me but eventually failed. “Then what do you want me to do? I tried to talk things out with you but you threw a tantrum. Now that I’m trying to give us a break, you call me vicious. Anthony, even a machine needs instructions and programming before it does what you want it to. I’m only human. How am I supposed to read your mind? I can’t just magically guess whatever you want from me!”
He looked down and said in a low voice, “Don’t be involved in anything that has to do with Marcus anymore, including the Baumans and the Whites.”
I frowned. I didn’t really need to bother with the Whites anymore, but Sophia and Anthony…
Anthony grew irritated at my silence and gripped my chin firmly. “Answer me!”
“What do you want me to say?” I could have just replied ‘Okay’, but the thought of not being able to visit any of them pained me. Marcus saved me after all. Was it so hard to go and visit once in a while?
“Stop wasting your time on a dead man!”
My frown deepened as I started to get even more annoyed. “Anthony, I think you’re the one who needs to get over Marcus.”
Constantly talking about how he was ‘dead’ was incredibly disrespectful.
He laughed coldly. “Get over it? How am I supposed to get over it when my wife gets all depressed because of another man no matter where she goes? He’s dead and yet he’s on your mind all the time. Don’t even think about telling me that you’re just grateful. You know Marcus better than I do. Would he help some stranger because he sympathized with them? No! You know exactly why he started getting close to you, but despite that, you still let him take care of you. Do you know what that’s called?”
He paused and looked at me before saying firmly, “Being selfish.”
I pressed my lips tightly together and looked at his darkening gaze before flashing a smile. “Yup, that’s me. I’m the most selfish person to ever exist so you should probably cut ties with me before my selfishness becomes contagious.”
I pushed him away and felt my eyes start to cloud over with tears. He seemed to realize and reached out to pull me back.
My chest was starting to ache from all the emotions and I yelled, “Get away from me!”
He wasn’t prepared for that and stumbled back a couple of steps. Instead of walking toward me like I expected him to, he continued to stare at me.
The tension in the air was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. I braced myself for what I thought was about to become another yelling match.
But he stayed quiet.
He looked at me for a long time before turning and walking away.
I didn’t know why things turned out like this. I knew he was good to me and I knew he was in love with me, but why did things have to turn out like this?
My tears started falling on the ground.
Before he stepped out of the room, I rushed forward and hugged him tightly. “Don’t go,” I whispered hoarsely.
He stiffened and let me continue to hug him.
“I’m sorry,” I said, burying my face into his back.
He still stayed quiet as if he was waiting for something else.
After a long time, he put a hand on mine and turned away from my tight grip. “If that’s all you had to say, then save it.”
I looked at his handsome, angular features and into his eyes.
He lifted a hand to tuck my messy fringe behind my ear before leaning down and planting a kiss right at the corner of my mouth. “Don’t involve yourself with the Whites anymore, including the Baumans.”
I froze. I had already pulled my hands away but he took them in his own as he said in a deep voice, “Okay?”
I didn’t need to care about the White family anymore, nor did I have much to do for the Baumans.
But the involvement that Anthony was talking about and the involvement I was talking about clearly differed. I owed Marcus my life. If Sophia and Anthony got into any trouble and needed my help, I couldn’t turn them down.
That’s why I couldn’t say yes to Anthony.
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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