“This kind of masculine beauty is simply too conspicuous and would just lead to trouble.” I heard Emery murmuring.
As Anthony came near, she said to him, “Mr. Featherstone, I think you better be more low profile when you appear in public next time. There are already people snapping photos!”
Fortunately, the shoppers here seemed to be more of the rational kind. They did not swarm Anthony as if he were a celebrity.
Anthony gave a soft laugh, and his gaze landed on me. “Are you tired? What have you bought?” he asked gently.
My hand felt warm in his. Looking over at the bags placed by the side, I said somewhat awkwardly, “It’s just a few pieces of clothing.”
Emery chuckled jovially. “And a pair of shoes for me,” she added.
Emery took a few tentative steps, then turned to me and marveled, “These shoes are fantastic! Much better than high heels.”
I smiled at her.
Anthony looked at me and raised an eyebrow. His grip on my hand tightened somewhat as he picked up the bags from the floor and pulled me along with him.
“Hey Anthony, are you blind? There are some more bags here,” Emery yelled after us. She was seething.
Anthony said nothing. Paying no heed to Emery’s indignant cries, he dragged me headlong towards the mall’s exit.
I stopped short in my tracks. “We left some bags behind?”
Anthony furrowed his brow. His gaze settled on something beyond me.
I turned to see Hunter Zane striding towards us. Recognition dawned on me, and I followed Anthony obediently.
Anthony had parked his car just outside the mall. It was a black McLaren sports car and looked tremendously flashy.
“Why did you choose this car today?” The car was impressive, but I had rarely seen him driving it.
We placed our bags in the trunk. I noticed that they were all the items that Emery had picked out for me. How did Anthony know that?
“I just randomly chose this one,” Anthony answered shortly. He pulled me into the car. “What would you like to eat?”
I suddenly recalled the incident with Joe in the mall and exclaimed, “Mr. Quinn wants to have dinner with us!”
Anthony bit his lip, his eyes darkening.
“OK,” he replied briefly, while fastening my seatbelt.
Emery and Hunter had followed behind. Emery called to us from afar, “Sienna, I’ll be enjoying a candlelight dinner with my husband tonight. I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you. Thanks for the shoes though, I absolutely adore them! I’ll treat you to a good meal next time.”
I smiled at her and waved goodbye. Anthony had secured my seatbelt, then abruptly bit me on the chin.
I cried out in pain and looked at him in bewilderment. “What’s wrong?”
“You’ve never given me anything!” Anthony retorted hotly. At that moment, he sounded rather pitiful.
Seeing his forlorn look, I couldn’t help but give in. “I’ll buy something for you another day, OK? Is there anything you like in particular?”
Anthony grinned. “I’ll be happy with anything as long as it’s from you.”
What?
The wise person who said that men are just like children must be a woman! Who else would be able to come up with such an accurate observation?
Joe had made dinner reservations under his name at a private room in a restaurant specializing in pasta dishes.
It wasn’t the first cuisine that sprang to mind when one considered the winter cold, but the pasta they served here was al dente and surprisingly flavorful.
There were five of us present. Besides their usual trio, Joe had brought Rylee along while I accompanied Anthony.
As we took our seats, Joe broke the ice, saying genially, “I sourced for this place a few days ago. It’s received multiple smashing reviews online, let’s if it lives up to its name.”
Anthony had always been a man of few words. He merely nodded in reply.
Jared said nothing either, knocking back a glass of water.
Ever since that day, Jared had never returned to the villa to see Summer. Anthony must have said something to him.
We ate our meal in a silence that seemed weightier than usual. Joe had initially intended the meal to be an occasion for them to pick up where they had left off before. The situation, however, was far too awkward to even consider that possibility.
We decided to call for the waiter to serve the drinks.
The waiter swept away the tea and juice on the table. When he approached me, intending to come for the glass of juice in my head, Anthony stopped him. “She doesn’t drink.”
The waiter froze for a moment, then moved on to the others.
Joe gave us a questioning look but said nothing else.
Jared was also gazing evenly at me. It carried a vague sense of dissatisfaction.
Who knew where the source of his unhappiness lay? Not me. However, I had a sense of foreboding about it all the same.
“Does everyone remember what occasion it is today?” Joe asked in an attempt to liven things up.
Anthony frowned as if deep in thought. Jared transferred his intent gaze towards Joe, remarking, “Did you go to visit him?”
Joe nodded. “I went last week. J City isn’t experiencing much cold at the moment. I delivered some fruits to him.”
I had no idea who they were referring to.
Rylee had been quiet up to this moment. She now looked at Anthony and said, “Anth, I’ve sold my brother’s house in J City. I want to stay in K City.”
Anthony seemed unbothered by that disclosure. Matter-of-factly, he replied, “OK, you can decide for yourself. You can look for Joe if you need anything. He’ll help you out.”
That effectively brought that conversation to an end.
Rylee lapsed back into silence.
Jared sniggered. The contempt in his voice was evident to everyone present.
Joe quickly jumped in to salvage the situation. “Anthony’s been busy lately. I’ll look out for Rylee. Anthony, go ahead and focus on whatever you need to.”
Anthony remained unconcerned. The tension was rapidly mounting at the table. Each of the individuals sitting around it remained stubbornly unyielding. Nobody moved to speak.
It was unbearable I stood up and announced, “I’m going to the washroom,” before leaving the table.
While I was washing my hands, Rylee burst in. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed against her chest. Contemptuously, she said, “Are you happy now that things between Anth and Jared have gotten to this state?”
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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