I nodded in agreement as fatigue overcame my body. Right before I drifted into a deep slumber, I could feel Anthony wiping my body tenderly.
Yet, his actions felt like a dream. When I was roused from my sleep, it was already the next day.
The bright sunlight shone through the bedroom windows and cast an array of shadows across the room.
Anthony had vanished from the bedroom. As I lay on the bed for a brief moment, I felt a hint of moistness underneath my body.
Immediately, I roused myself and yanked the covers aside. To my surprise, there was a puddle of blood that stained the bedsheets.
The sight of my blood left me stunned as I quickly calculated my menstrual cycle. In the past four years, I’ve experienced inconsistencies with my period schedule and volume. Yet, it had never arrived twice in a single month.
I couldn’t help but frown as I rose to my feet and changed into a fresh set of clothes. After changing, I gathered the bed sheet and tossed it into the washing machine.
Although it was not a huge deal, the arrival of my period made me feel uneasy. Now that I wanted to have a child of my own, I would have to take good care of my health.
I emerged from the room after a shower to find Anthony in the living room. Flora had left after she prepared breakfast.
Upon hearing my footsteps, Anthony turned around to greet me. “You are awake?” he asked with a warm smile.
I nodded in reply. “Aren’t you going to visit the office today?” I asked gently as I sidled closer to rest my head against his shoulder.
“I will be taking a break these two days,” Anthony nodded, “And I will be able to take my annual leave after making the final arrangements tomorrow.”
Tenderly, Anthony pressed a delicate kiss on my cheek whilst he spoke.
All of a sudden, I thought of the sandalwood box that we had brought home from Cameron. “Anthony, should we open the sandalwood box?” I asked him.
The box had been left unopened in the house for a long time.
Anthony must have felt bored from lazing around the house. He nodded in agreement as he accompanied me into the study.
“Have you opened it before?” I turned to ask him once I found the sandalwood box.
Gingerly, Anthony took the box from my grasp. “I never planned on opening it. It seems like Cameron recognized it because it used to belong to the Murphys,” he replied after a brief moment.
Why does it involve the Murphys again?
“How can it belong to the Murphys? The box was always by Granny’s side!” I exclaimed in confusion.
Anthony shook his head as he continued to fiddle with the box’s latch in an attempt to open it. “I figure that the box can only be opened if we hire a craft smith,” he said after a few unsuccessful attempts.
“Don’t you have the key to open it?” Didn’t Grandpa say that Anthony had possession of the key? How could he lose it?
Anthony sighed softly with a slight nod of his head. “That year, Grandpa gave me advice instead of a key. He was worried sick for you and instructed me to take good care of you. This box was actually a disguise,” Anthony said.
Anthony’s words left me stunned as I looked at the box in disbelief. It was no longer important if the box remained closed. Yet, I had a realization that Granny was a lot different than I had expected.
Originally, the swimming pool incident involving Rachel was no big deal. She would have recovered after a few days in the hospital.
However, there was a sudden fight that broke out between the workers of Featherstone Corporation. The fierce brawl graced the headlines of K City. It was a fight fuelled by hatred and jealousy.
All because of jealousy, it nearly ended the life of countless victims. Additionally, most of these rumors seemed to be directed towards a specific person.
When Anthony received a phone call regarding the unfortunate news, he was still in the midst of investigating the secrets behind the sandalwood box with me.
“What happened?” I asked worriedly when I saw that his expression had darkened.
He set the box aside. “Something happened in the company,” Anthony replied tersely.
Although I did not have a habit of prying into the details, the sight of his deep scowl prompted me to open my mouth again. “What exactly happened?” I enquired.
“It seems that people have caught wind of the incident that occurred in the annual meeting last night. They have sinister intentions to use it against the company,” Anthony rose to his feet and prepared to change into a fresh set of clothes as he spoke.
Immediately, I followed close at his heels. Although I did not usually participate in such matters, Featherstone Corporation had been lashing out against White Corporation recently. I was sure that Marcus would not stand by idly. The banquet last night was not a private event. Rachel’s incident was a chance for them to divert attention towards the issues of Featherstone Corporation’s management.
If the employees of Featherstone Corporation are pit against each other, they would fight and bicker amongst themselves. This meant that the blame would fall on the higher-ups. If the problem continues to grow, it will tarnish Featherstone Corporation’s image and reputation. Naturally, the company’s stock will fall and cause its downfall.
This was the so-called butterfly effect that would topple the company.
I trailed after Anthony into the bedroom. There, I quickly changed into proper attire.
Anthony jolted in shock when he noticed that I was prepared to leave the house. “I’ll head to the office to understand the situation. You should just stay at home,” he said with a smile.
I returned his smile with one of my own as I tilted my head back to meet his gaze. “While you are going to the office, I’m going to visit Rachel in the hospital. Although I don’t understand how the company works, I’m still going to try my best to help,” I replied in earnest.
Having heard my bold statement, Anthony’s brow crept up his forehead. “Since you don’t like staying home. Should I consider hiring you as my secretary?” he joked and bent down to kiss my cheek.
I scoffed in response. “Am I only fit to become your secretary?”
“You can be whatever you want!” Anthony chuckled aloud.
I picked up my purse and keys in preparation to leave the villa. After our conversation, we went our separate ways. Anthony left for the company whilst I headed to the hospital.
It took about half an hour to reach the hospital from the villa. When I arrived, I caught sight of Isabelle. She was just about to enter the hospital.
“Ms. Leek!” I called out loudly. Isabelle was much older than me. At the moment, I was unsure how to properly address her.
She did not hear me the first time. It took several tries before she finally turned around to the sound of my voice. “Ms. Stanhope!” she said in slight shock when she caught sight of me.
I hurried to her side. “I’ve left Featherstone Corporation for a long time. You shouldn’t address me as Ms. Stanhope anymore! Why don’t you call me by my name?” I greeted her with a beam.
“I can’t seem to break my habit,” she replied good-naturedly.
I reached forward to press the elevator button. “Are you here to visit Rachel?” I asked her as I noticed that she looked rather downcast.
When Rachel was admitted into the hospital, I should have been more observant. However, Isabelle’s expression didn’t look like she was here for a simple visit.
“You are here to visit her?” Isabelle rebuked me with a stoic expression as she looked at me.
“So, was it you?” I asked after a brief moment of hesitation.
“Would you trust me if I denied?” Isabelle replied with a bitter smile.
Across the headlines, there was a clear picture of Isabelle pushing Rachel. Even their expressions were shown in plain sight as Isabelle raised her hand to strike Rachel. However, the footage was disrupted and did not record the conversation between them before the incident occurred.
I hesitated for a brief moment before answering her question. “I cannot judge your lies. Thus, I cannot find your reason for pushing her,” I told her in earnest.
She gave me a faint smile and shrugged slightly. “It is hard to explain such matters.”
The elevators doors slid open to reveal a group of patients on wheelchairs as they were wheeled out by nurses. Hurriedly, Isabelle and I stepped aside to make way for them.
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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