It was a call from Stacey, and she seemed quite anxious. “Ms. Stanhope, Harrison Credit has liaised with the Finance Department. What about Quinn Corporation?”
I was aware that I might not make the right decisions in my current state. Thus, I instructed her, “Contact AC Credit now and hand over Quinn Corporation’s audit to them. You’re taking charge of this matter.”
Stacey murmured in acknowledgment before continuing, “Sure, Ms. Stanhope. HiTech will operate end of this month. You may have to go on a business trip for a few days.”
I nodded as I knew that the business trip was inevitable. After I ended the call, I got up from bed though I was uncomfortable and tired.
Macy had prepared soup for me. She looked at me awkwardly and said, “I’m so sorry! I seem to have lost my touch as I had not cooked for many years.”
After stealing a glance at the burnt soup on the table, I chuckled. “You won’t be so cruel to a pregnant woman, will you?”
Her lips curled up into a wry smile. “Try it anyway.”
Judging by the appearance of the burnt soup, I could guess its taste without even trying it. But seeing how eager Macy was, I had no choice but to put my life on the line and try some.
“How’s the taste? Is it nice?” She waited expectantly for my answer.
I could not come up with a sincere compliment even after racking my brain. Yet, I did not want to discourage her, so I laughed and replied curtly, “You need more practice!”
I couldn’t bear to see her dejected, so I hastily grabbed my bag and left for work.
However, Macy followed me to the door, refusing to give up. “Come back earlier. I’ll cook something delicious.”
What? No!
Spare my life, please!
It was still early by the time I arrived at the office. Unfortunately, Joe was in the elevator when I entered it. I could not agree more with the saying, “The more you hate someone, the more likely you will run into him.”
Joe greeted me with an enigmatic smile. “Good morning, Ms. Stanhope! Did Anthony stay with you during the thunderstorm last night?”
I remained silent while he continued talking in a sarcastic tone, “Rylee is afraid of thunder, so Anthony will stay with her whenever there is a thunderstorm. I’m sure Anthony didn’t leave her alone last night.”
As I looked at the pearls on my shoes, I had a strong urge to laugh.
It all makes sense now. Last night, Anthony only snapped out of his frenzy because he was worried that Rylee wouldn’t be able to sleep if she were alone during the thunderstorm. There was no way he would have left his lover alone.
Joe was right this time, and I had no reason to retort him.
In a tripartite relationship, the two who love each other are the actual couple, whereas the other person is the third wheel, which is me in this case.
Joe suddenly nudged me. “Hey! Why are you in a daze? Did you hear what I just said?”
I looked at him calmly and responded, “Yes, I did. They are a perfect match!”
Having said that, I got out of the elevator as the doors opened just in time.
Joe shouted from the elevator, “Sienna, what’s wrong with you?”
As soon as I entered the office, Stacey passed me a stack of documents and explained, “Ms. Stanhope, you need to sign all these papers before the audit. Harrison Credit has already started and should complete J City’s audit within these two days, whereas AC Credit will start auditing Quinn Corporation today.”
I nodded and signed those documents. “Pay more attention to Featherstone Corporation’s audit and inform me of any problems. Keep an eye on HiTech as well. We can start when everything is ready.”
She nodded while waiting for me to finish signing those documents.
However, I started to feel uncomfortable after looking through some documents. I had been unwell for the past few days and to make matters worse, I did not get enough sleep last night.
Since there were only a few documents left, I told Stacey, “You go ahead! I’ll pass it to you once I’m done.”
She replied with a smile, “It’s fine! I can wait. I have to pass these documents to Harrison Credit and AC Credit shortly and prepare for the audit.”
It gave me no choice but to finish it as soon as possible. While I was signing the documents, I felt a throbbing pain in my temples. Thus, I quickly finished up and handed the documents over to Stacey. “Here you go!”
Noticing my condition, she asked out of concern, “Ms. Stanhope, are you all right?”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine!”
After all, there was nothing much that could be done, even if I told Stacey about my headache. I had been suffering from it for quite a while.
With that, she left with the documents.
When I was about to call Jared, I received a call from him.
Before I managed to talk, he asked me, “Are you going on a business trip once Featherstone Corporation’s audit is settled?”
I answered, “Yep.” While rubbing my glabella, I asked irritably, “I have been suffering from dizziness recently. Occasionally, I even get headaches. Are these normal symptoms during pregnancy?”
Jared paused for a moment before replying, “Mm, you must’ve exerted yourself for the first two months. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you. Remember to take them and rest well.”
I mumbled in reply and sprawled on the table unhappily. “If I knew being pregnant is this exhausting, I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place!”
He chuckled. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’ll join you on your business trip in a few days. I can take care of you.”
Stunned, I asked shyly, “You’re coming along just for me? Or…”
“That’s not it. I have something on, too.”
“Okay. I’ll contact you then!” I replied, feeling reassured. Jared was a great friend—attentive and thorough.
After hanging up, I remained sprawling on the table, utterly drained out. I was two months pregnant by now.
I thought I’d get a divorce and leave J City after handing off my work. Alas, life was unexpected. What should I do now?
If Anthony liked our baby, I could stay. I’ve already endured Rylee’s existence for two years. With my child, things couldn’t get any worse, right?
Compared to my child not having a father, my worries paled in comparison.
For the next few days, it kept raining buckets. Some areas in J City would be flooded during the rainy season. The company was kind enough to let us get off work earlier than usual.
I knew Anthony would be spending his time with Rylee as she was afraid of thunder. I didn’t return to the villa and remained at Glenwood Apartments with Macy.
Macy had stopped going to her bar because of the drug incident. She started throwing herself into cooking at home. I was glad to spend more time with her.
After I thought it through, I stopped clinging to the hope that Anthony would drop by and visit me. However, I’d stare blankly into space sometimes.
Sometimes, my limbs would go numb if I sat for too long. Jared gave me plenty of medicine and reminded me to take them on time, but I’d forget about them. Macy had to remind me every time.
After a week of torrential rain, it finally cleared up. The sun started showing itself in J City.
The audit process of Featherstone Corporation had begun, and I was busy with HiTech. Macy, on the other hand, told me she wanted to travel alone for a few days.
I knew she was frustrated over being wrongly accused of possessing drugs. If Clinton hadn’t helped get her out of jail, she would be serving her sentence by now.
She was frustrated because she couldn’t do anything. Even if we knew Rylee was behind this, Anthony was protecting her.
Hence, I could understand why Macy wanted to go on a vacation.
Since Macy was not around, there was no point for me to stay at Glenwood Apartments. So, I returned to the villa. With Mrs. Eriksen there, I wouldn’t be alone.
After work, I drove back to the villa. Coincidentally, I bumped into Rylee at the entrance of the villa.
She was dressed in a long and flowy blue dress, looking like a Greek goddess beside Anthony’s black Jeep.
“How gorgeous!” I couldn’t help but praise out loud.
At the same time, my heart broke into a million pieces, releasing the anger and hatred within.
I should slow down by then, but instead, I floored the accelerator, heading straight for Rylee. My evil side was showing itself.
As long as Rylee was dead, I would not have to endure her and worry whether Anthony would return or leave.
When I sped toward her, I seriously wanted her to die.
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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