Anthony was already awake, and he was making a call on the balcony. From the sound of it, he was in the middle of a work discussion. I turned around in bed and stared at him on the balcony. His tall, slender silhouette was a feast for the eyes.
He probably felt my eyes on him. Turning around abruptly, he caught me staring at him from the bed and smiled. He spoke into the phone, “Alright, then. If anything happens, just contact Joseph directly!”
He hung up the phone immediately and walked towards me. There was only a towel wrapped around his hips, and he was naked from the waist up. This made him look even more alluring than if he was completely naked.
Watching me laugh foolishly, he narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “What sort of nonsense are you thinking about now?”
As he spoke, he pulled me against his chest and pressed another kiss to my lips.
I pushed him away and said, giggling, “You know, if you ever have to stop working, you could always become a model to support Summer and me. After all, you certainly have the looks for it!”
His lips curled into a smile that looked a little sinister. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
I shrugged, nonplussed. “You can think of it as one?”
He wriggled closer to me, his voice sounding even deeper now. “Well, since you think that way, I think you can find out how this male model performs for yourself. What do you think, hmm?”
I froze for a second. Before I could react, he had already pinned me under him again…
…
I finally woke up at seven in the evening. Dusk had already fallen outside. I took a shower and came back outside, and Anthony helped me to dry my hair. After that, he handed me a particularly thick piece of clothing and told me to put it on.
Seeing the reluctance on my face, he said, “It’s autumn. It gets very cold at night around here, and you might catch a cold if you don’t dress warmly. Put this on!”
I grunted in reply, too lazy to continue arguing with him.
The moment we stepped out of the room, I found Rylee standing at the door in a thin, figure-hugging dress. She looked at Anthony with a rather pitiful expression and said, smiling awkwardly, “Anth, you’re finally done resting!”
Anthony nodded and looked at her. “What’s up?”
Rylee bowed her head and said in a pretentious voice, “I didn’t eat anything before I arrived this morning, so I’m feeling a little peckish. I didn’t want to bother you, but it’s my first time here, and I’m not familiar with the area. Joe told me not to run around by myself, so I thought maybe we could go for dinner together?”
Her voice was soft and gentle, and she sounded as though she genuinely didn’t want to create trouble for him.
Still, she said it in a way that made Anthony feel very guilty for not taking good care of her. As she had hoped, Anthony frowned slightly and replied, “Next time, just give me a call immediately. That will be alright with me. Also, you’re wearing too few clothes for an autumn evening—go back and put on a coat. It’s very cold outside!”
Rylee smiled slightly and said, still in that aggravatingly gentle tone, “It’s alright. I’m not that cold!” Even as she said that she wrapped an arm around herself, making herself look small and vulnerable.
One of Anthony’s weaknesses was that he was too compassionate. Seeing this, he knitted his brows together and said again, “It’s even colder outside than in here! You’re going to get sick if you don’t put on a coat. Go and put it on right now!”
He said this very kindly, and I could even detect a hint of adoration in his tone. It wasn’t something he could help—he tried to sound stern and firm in his words, but his heart was still weak for this girl.
Rylee gazed up at him with her puppy-dog eyes, looking a little pathetic. After a short pause, she replied, “I only brought along a windbreaker when I came. Joe said the climate here is very nice, and that I wouldn’t have to bring any thick clothing. I accidentally dirtied that windbreaker just now, so I washed it and put it out to dry. It’s still a little wet, and I don’t think I can put it on now.”
Anthony frowned again. This time, he turned to me and signaled with his eyes that I should go fetch her a coat. I sighed and returned to a room, emerging with a random coat in my hand. Shoving it into
Anthony’s hands, I said coldly, “Here, take it!”
I wasn’t exactly angry, but I couldn’t help but be a little exasperated at Rylee. She was milking this for all it was worth, and worse still, Anthony was falling for her pretentious tricks completely.
I knew I should be more generous to her, but my heart burned with a fit of secret jealousy as I looked at both of them.
Rylee turned to me and put on an obsequious expression. “Thank you, Ms. Stanhope!”
I pursed my lips. That was definitely a calculated move on her part. She kept calling Anthony by that infuriating nickname, ‘Anth’, but when it was my turn to be addressed, she insisted on calling me by my maiden’s name!
Trying to dispel the unhappiness in me, I snapped, “It’s alright. Let’s go!”
With that, I ignored them and walked straight into the lift.
When we got to the lobby, Nora and Armond were already there. When she spotted us, Nora flew over and took my hand immediately. “I knew all of you were still in the hotel, so I suggested to Armond that we come here and wait for you guys.”
I felt a little perplexed. “Is something the matter? You could have just given me a call, you know.”
Nora snorted loudly. “It’s nothing important, to be honest. Besides, didn’t Mr. Featherstone just get off a long- haul flight just a few hours ago? We had to let him rest first before bothering him again.”
“Well, is there something going on?”
Nora nodded and replied, “Yes, there is something going on, in fact. However, it isn’t a private matter— it has to do with company affairs. I’ll be tagging along for dinner tonight!”
At that moment, Linda walked in carrying a huge bag of items. Seeing that everyone was here, she smiled and said, “Since everyone has arrived, let’s make our way to the restaurant now!”
Armond turned to Anthony and said, “Mr. Featherstone, we’re done with the preliminary plans for the base project. It’s a little sudden, but why don’t we all go out for a meal today? It’s my treat. It’ll be a good opportunity to relax—care to join us?”
Anthony smiled. “I’m afraid you might have to ask my wife first. I’ve already agreed to bring her for Korean barbeque tonight.”
Nora and Linda ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’, cooing over how sweet this was.
Armond turned and looked at me. “Mrs. Featherstone, Korean barbeque will be served at tonight’s gathering too. Why don’t you join us?”
Nora clung onto me and tried to act cute. “Babe, come on! It’ll be more fun with more people around.”
I nodded and replied, “Alright, then. The more the merrier!”
If Anthony and I went out to eat by ourselves, Rylee would find a way for him to bring her along somehow. Inevitably, it would become a three-person dinner, and I would be left awkward and embarrassed at the end of it all.
I might as well go along with Nora and join in the fun.
Because there were so many of us, Linda decided to book a private room. She placed the bag she had been holding onto the table and started handing out the items inside with Nora.
“I had this when I was shopping the other day. It tasted pretty good, so I brought a few cups for you guys too!” As she spoke, Nora handed each of us a cup of milk tea.
When she got to the last cup, she realized that she was just short of one. Linda looked a little awkward. “Sorry, I didn’t know Mr. Featherstone’s friend was coming along with us, so I didn’t get one for her.”
“It’s alright, it’s alright! I don’t particularly like drinking milk tea either. Don’t bother your head about me,” Rylee said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Before anyone could say anything, Anthony pushed his cup of milk tea towards her. “Here, have a try.”
His actions had been too abrupt, and evidently a little too intimate. Nora and Linda looked rather stunned, and they stole quick glances at me as if to enquire silently what was the relationship between Anthony and Rylee was.
I smiled blandly and didn’t say anything. Instead, I bent my head and took a sip of the milk tea—for some reason, it tasted sickeningly sweet.
Rylee took a sip as well and turned to look at Anthony in surprise. “My gosh, it’s so sweet! Anth, do you want a sip too? It’s really good!” She even pushed her cup of milk tea towards him.
Nora shot a look at Linda before replying, “Oh, my bad. I should’ve bought green tea instead. Milk tea is always too sweet. Green tea is just right!” Her expression didn’t look very friendly.
Linda pursed her lips and snickered slightly. “Yes, it’s so sweet that my teeth are practically aching!” The two of them spoke in very soft voices, so Rylee could only smile placidly in response.
I bowed my head and tried to make sense of my jumbled emotions. I knew about Anthony and Rylee’s past relationship, and I knew that Anthony cared for Rylee like a brother did. There was nothing suspicious about their relationship.
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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