He merely grinned at me and shot a glance at someone behind me. In a flash, a man in a black suit had appeared out of nowhere and taken the bags from him.
I froze for a second before realizing that the man was his bodyguard. After the previous incident, he had gotten bodyguards to follow me around everywhere. I was always conscious of their existence but had never taken the time to confirm it. This was the first time I had seen one of them in flesh.
After taking the bags from Anthony, the bodyguard disappeared into the crowd again.
Rylee wasn’t back yet. I turned to him and said blandly, “Why don’t you go and look for Ms. Lorraine?”
He smiled again, gazing at me with his dark eyes. “I got someone to follow her—don’t worry about it. Originally, I planned to go out for a walk with you alone, but Joe isn’t around, and Rylee might be bored if I left her alone in the hotel. Next time, let’s go out by ourselves, alright?”
I pursed my lips and grunted in response, sounding rather deflated. When had he become so close to Rylee, anyway?
Over the past few weeks, he had started treating her like a younger sister who had been entrusted to his care!
He suddenly leaned closer and pinched my cheeks. It hurt a little. I looked up and met his gaze defiantly. In a low voice, he said, “Sienna, as long as she doesn’t do anything inappropriate, can’t you just treat her as your younger sister? Do you need to make things so difficult for the both of us? Just let go of your grudge, won’t you?”
I frowned even more fiercely. His words had touched a raw nerve in me. Staring at him in the eye, I asked, “Is that all I am to you? A wretched woman who has been wasting away in hatred and regret?”
Was he castigating me for acting like a woman who had been deserted by her husband?
Hearing my sudden question, the smile disappeared from his face. “Sienna, you know that isn’t what I meant!”
The streets were swimming with people and having an argument here would only reflect badly on us. I pursed my lips and kept quiet.
Anthony seemed to have realized the mistake in his words, too. He tried to take my hand, but I swatted his arm away irritably.
Here, Rylee appeared with a couple of yo-yos in her hand and a fabulous smile on her face. “Anth, take a look at these! My brother and I used to play with them all the time, and I didn’t know they sold them here! In fact, I thought I would never see them again!”
Anthony assented and handed me one of the yo-yos. “Do you want to give it a go?”
I shook my head. “No thanks!” I was in no mood to play.
He didn’t force the matter. Instead, he looked at Rylee and nagged, “Don’t injure yourself!” With that, he continued walking further down the street.
Lavelian Village had lovely architecture. Usually, it would be a dream to sniff the air of Jadeborough and have a stroll along the streets after dinner. The hawker stalls along the road were a feast for the eyes.
However, sight-seeing was best done in the right mood. I had been very happy when I came to visit with Nora the other day, but all I felt in my heart now were bitter traces of annoyance and disappointment.
After walking for a while more, Rylee seemed to get a little tired. She ran over to a bench by the side of the street and sat down. Smiling sweetly at Anthony, she exclaimed, “Anth, why don’t we rest our feet for now?”
Throughout the whole thing, neither Anthony nor I said a word. After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, Rylee seemed to think of something. Pulling Anthony up, she turned to me and said, “Ms. Stanhope, wait for us for a bit, won’t you? We’ll be back in a jiffy!”
With that, she disappeared into the crowd along with Anthony.
I leaned back in the bench and watched the swarm of people pass me by. The scenery would have made me very happy on normal days, but I couldn’t find it in me to smile today.
At that moment, the phone in my pocket started to ring. It was a K City number. Who was calling me from K City? I thought for a few moments, but not a single name came to mind. I picked up the phone anyway.
Immediately, I heard the sweet voice of a little girl on the other end of the line. “Mommy, are you still at work? Why is it so noisy in the background?”
I froze for a second. I had nearly forgotten that Summer promised to call me every night. Snapping out of my daze, I said, “Oh, I just had dinner, and I’m out for a walk now. Work is over for today.”
Summer’s voice was soft and almost ticklish in my ear. “Mommy, you have to rest well! Don’t be too tired! Mr. Featherstone went to look for you today—have you met him yet?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yes, I have. Summer, who are you with right now?” With Anthony gone from the villa, she had probably been left in the care of Mrs. Dune.
“I’m in Granny’s house! Since Mr. Featherstone isn’t at home, I went to stay with Granny and Grandpa for a while. Mommy, do you want to talk to Granny? She misses you as much as I do.”
I froze again. I wanted to turn down her offer, but Cameron was already on the phone. “Sienna, how are you? It’s getting cold lately, so make sure to put on warmer clothes. Come back when you’re done with your work, alright? It’s nearly the Harvest Festival—are you and Anthony going to be back in time for it?”
Perhaps it was because we were speaking over the phone, but she sounded even older over the line. In fact, she sounded almost elderly.
I nodded and said, “We’re not sure yet, actually. I’ll get back to you closer to the Harvest Festival.” After a short pause, I said, “Thanks for taking care of Summer for me.”
I heard Cameron’s helpless laughter on the other end of the line. “Oh, you silly child. What’s there to thank me for when I’m taking care of my own granddaughter? Sienna, I’m getting on in age, and I’ll be gone in a couple of years. I know you still hate me deep inside, but we must look forward in life.”
I pursed my lips and didn’t say anything else.
Summer started fussing to speak to me again. She took the phone from Cameron and started telling me about the interesting things that had happened in school. I listened half-heartedly to her, laughing slightly when appropriate.
After chatting for a bit, the child started getting sleepy since she would always go to bed on time. When I heard her yawning, I urged, “Summer, it’s getting late. Let’s talk tomorrow, alright?”
She nodded in agreement and spoke softly, “Mommy, I’ll sleep now and call you tomorrow. You should go home earlier, and don’t stay up too late. It’s not good for your health.”
“Alright. Goodnight!” Hearing that, I felt warm in my heart as I nodded and smiled.
After hanging up, I stared blankly at my phone. When one reached a certain age, they would have to make some decisions. Most people would find a place for themselves, be it having a home, relatives, or friends.
Anthony and Rylee came back just then, and they seemed to be in a good mood. The two of them had some stuff in their hands. Noticing I was lost in a daze, the man handed me the candy floss he was holding and said, “Try them.”
I wasn’t interested in sweet food, so I took a small bite and said indifferently, “It’s too sweet. It’s getting late, so we should head back now.”
With that, I headed directly toward the hotel while they followed me. On the way back, none of us said a thing.
By the time we reached the hotel, it was almost past midnight. Getting our key cards from the counter, I handed Anthony his key card before announcing, “Nora is staying in the same room with me, so here’s yours.” I didn’t want to talk much, as I was overwhelmed by fatigue.
After shoving the room card into his hand, I entered the lift and went to my room.
Right when I had just opened the door, a figure entered my room before me. It was Anthony. He switched on the lights and scanned the surroundings. Raising a brow, he looked at me and asked, “Are you tired? Is that why you don’t want to stay in the same room with me?”
I knitted my brows, fighting the urge to fall asleep that second. “You think too much. I’ve literally been staying with Nora for this whole time. It’s just that she didn’t come back tonight.”
Reluctant to drag on the conversation, I quickly changed into comfortable sleepwear and got ready to wash up. The man closed the door and hugged me from behind while placing his chin on my shoulder. “Are you mad?”
I shook my head and denied, “No. I’m just too tired.” I was so exhausted that I didn’t even feel like getting mad.
Slowly, he pulled me close and sat on the bed. Wrapping his hands around my waist, he placed me on his thighs. “Do you feel better this way?”
I leaned on his shoulder and finally let out my frustration. “Anthony, you failed as a husband today.”
I didn’t wish to fight with him. However, bottling up my frustrations and feelings made me feel suffocated, so I decided to just let it out.
The man hugged me tightly and lowered his voice. “Why?”
Leaning on his shoulder, I was getting sleepy. “You shouldn’t leave me alone at the square and went with her for so long.”
I could understand he cared for Rylee. After all, they had known each other for a long time. However, seeing how they were so close to each other, I felt uncomfortable.
The man furrowed his brows slightly and wore a gentle smile. “Weren’t you tired? I asked you to rest at the square and even sent some bodyguards to protect you.”
I didn’t feel like continuing the conversation, so I got up from his lap. “It’s late. Quickly wash up and go rest.”
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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