I did not ask much about him. But Anthony told me to contact Joseph whenever I need help. It seemed that he had become my personal assistant.
“Mrs. Featherstone, are you going out?” he inquired before glancing at Rylee, who was standing outside the gate.
I gave him a nod. “I’m catching up with an old friend.”
“Alright. I’ll go with you then.”
I did not understand his intention at first, but as my gaze landed on the cars not far away from me, I realized that he wanted to protect me.
Anthony was no longer the same as before; everything he did attracted the attention of the media. Joseph wanted to follow along because he was worried about my well-being. After all, I was Anthony’s partner, so he needed to watch out for any possible danger I might encounter.
So, I nodded quietly.
Just then, Rylee turned and saw that I had arrived. “Sienna, long time no see.”
I gave her a wistful smile. She had become more mature and charming. Now, she was an attractive woman with a great career. The woman in front of me was no longer the one who was heavily dependent on Anthony four years ago. Her radical change was very unexpected, but I felt no envy.
“Good to see you,” I replied.
“Let’s go to the café downtown.” Glancing at Joseph who was standing on the side, she continued, “It’s a discreet place.”
I nodded in response and followed her to the car. Before I could get in, the cars that I saw before came toward us and blocked Rylee’s car. To my surprise, the people who got out of the car were not paparazzi, but a group of sturdy bodyguards.
Joseph immediately became alert and stood in front of me. With a low voice, he looked at the two of us and said, “Why don’t the two of you have your chat inside the villa?”
Rylee clearly did not expect a group of people to appear so suddenly. She stood dumbstruck for a second before narrowing her eyes at Joseph. “No, we don’t have to talk in the villa. I’ll just speak a few words and leave.”
After a slight pause, she scoffed. “Looks like someone wants to see you more than I do.”
Sparks fly whenever love rivals meet, I guess. I pursed my lips in silence.
Rylee threw her phone into her purse and looked at me with her arms crossed. “Since both of you are divorced, why are you back now?”
How straightforward of her! Indeed, she has changed a lot in the last four years. Averting my gaze from the bodyguards, I replied monotonously, “It’s none of your business, Ms. Lorraine.”
She snickered in response. “How is it not my business? For four years, I’ve worked hard and changed myself for the better. All I ever wanted was to be the one to stand by his side. But your sudden appearance just made all my effort go down the drain.”
Anthony had arranged a lot of bodyguards at the villa. They were now gathered at the gate, staring coldly at the men from the cars.
I looked back toward Rylee and replied, “If you’re really meant to be with him, you wouldn’t need four years to try and get together with him. A year would have been more than enough.”
Her expression immediately turned cold. “Sienna, you’ve ruined my love and my family relationship. Do you think that I’ll let it slide? If I can’t be with him, I would never let you and Anthony have an easy life either.”
Her words did not upset me. Standing from her point of view, I could understand her obsession and love. In fact, it was quite inspirational how she had fought to get what she wanted.
I nodded in response and saw a black Bentley coming to a stop at the roadside. “I couldn’t care less about what you want to do with your grudge against me. But I’d like to remind you to cherish what you have now. After so many years, you should know better than I do that’s it’s impossible for you to be with Anthony. Do you plan to continue spending the next four years for your futile love? You could do everything for love when you’re a youngster. But at the age of thirty, you should know that life is more important than love. Rylee, you’re pretty and talented. Even if you can’t find someone like Anthony, you should have many good men around you. It’s okay to settle for the next best thing.”
What I said was the truth, but I was not the suitable person to speak those words to her. Any proud woman would not like to be humiliated. Naturally, Rylee became infuriated.
When she raised her hand to slap me, Marcus hurriedly strode forward and stopped her. After such a long time, his expression was still as sullen as ever, and his hostility became even more frightening.
“This shall be the first and the last time I see you doing this. If you do it again, I’m not sure if this hand of yours would still be attached to your arm.” He spoke in a hushed tone, but his words were full of menace.
With that, he flung her hand away.
Cradling her reddened wrist, she sneered. “What a fickle woman you are, Sienna. You’re even more repulsive than I thought. You have another man other than Anthony. You’re disgusting!”
Pursing my lips, I said nothing to her accusation.
Marcus, however, opened his mouth and responded frostily, “Disgusting? What’s disgusting? Do you feel disgusted just because you can’t get what you want? She is worthy to be loved by several people. What does that have to do with you?”
As always, Marcus was able to say the cruelest words.
His words had affirmed his feelings for me. Rylee’s upper lip curled in disdain, but the jealousy in her eyes was crystal clear.
Looking at Marcus and me, she snorted and said sarcastically, “Does your fiancée know about your love for Sienna?”
He frowned. “That’s none of your business.”
She went silent for a while, but she refused to admit defeat. “Indeed, it has nothing to do with me. But I’d like to give you a piece of advice. Sienna, you should know that there are things you shouldn’t do. If your relationship with Anthony and Mr. White is accidentally exposed to the public, what kind of consequence would you face?”
I could tell that she was trying to threaten me, and I admired her courage. But it doesn’t matter. The moment her threat reached Anthony or Marcus, she would just be digging her own grave. Marcus had heard it now and Joseph would eventually pass every word of hers to Anthony as well. I was initially a tad bit envious of Rylee, but I guess I was wrong; there’s nothing about her for me to be envious about.
Marcus was downright furious. Grabbing Rylee’s wrist, he said sinisterly, “You should be thankful that I’m not a man who hit women, otherwise…” He then shoved her, causing her to staggered backward and bumped into her car.
Rylee immediately went pale and winced in pain as she held onto the car to support herself. She was a girl after all and being treated this way was physically and mentally distressing.
Marcus was not a gentleman. He looked at her indifferently and warned, “You’d better stay away from Sienna. You’re not qualified to even talk about taking revenge on her.”
She seemed to be in a state of shock as she remained quiet and entered her car.
After Rylee was gone, I turned toward Marcus. Seeing him after four years, I did not feel particularly touched or sentimental. I just felt that time had flown so fast. Now that he was in front of me, I did not know what to say.
After a moment, he broke the silence first. “You’re divorced. So why are you still living with him? You can live outside. I bought a house for you. It’s decorated with everything that you liked before.”
I wanted to laugh at his words, but I could not. Looking at him, I remained calm and said, “Even if I’m divorced, at least I could stay at his place as his ex-wife. But if I live at your house, what reason should I use?”
Frowning, he looked slightly desperate to convince me. “It’s okay. You can use whatever reason you want. As long as you’re willing to move out of here, I’m fine with anything.”
I smiled. “Even if the reason is me staying as your wife?”
His body stiffened upon hearing my words. “If you want, I’d be more than happy to comply.”
I sighed. “Marcus, you’re engaged. And Camelia is a good girl. Don’t drop the gem in your hand to pick up a stone. That’s really foolish. Four years ago, I’d said clearly that we could only be friends. I love Anthony. No matter how much time has passed, it will only be him. Life is too short and I can’t cater to everyone’s needs. I want you to be happy, but I can’t be the one who makes you happy.”
I was not sure if he understood what I wanted to convey, but at least I had clearly refused him.
He was silent for a moment, but there was no disappointment written on his face. Instead, he was as calm as ever. “I don’t ask you to love me. I just need to know what I want in my life.”
He came closer to me and spoke in a hushed tone. “I regret it. Four years ago, I shouldn’t have left without gaining anything on that night.”
I was dazed for a moment before anger rose in my gut. “It was you?”
Four years ago, on the night of new year’s eve, I was on the way to pick up John at the airport when I got abducted. The Featherstones were somewhat famous at that time, but their influence was limited. Fortunately, they had some power in J City.
So, the incident was not made known to the public. However, neither the Stanhopes nor the Featherstones could discover the person who took me away that night and Sally became the scapegoat.
She was imprisoned for two years and Rylee was kicked out of the Moore family. Later on, I left J City and the incident was then forgotten. If Marcus did not reveal the truth just now, I would have thought that it was Sally who kidnapped me for the rest of my life.
No wonder Sally’s doing everything possible to separate me and Anthony over the past four years. It’s because she hates me.
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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