“Did Mr. Featherstone fought with Mrs. Featherstone? He just left her there. I have second-hand embarrassment from watching her.”
“I thought Mr. Featherstone was only cold towards the employees, but he was even cold towards his wife. It looks like it wasn’t easy being a rich man’s wife.”
“What did you expect then? Those rich men could pick any girls they want. If they wanted to marry, wouldn’t they want to marry a beautiful maid willing to coax, flatter, and take care of them? There’s no love among the rich. All they want is a comfortable life and someone to please them.”
“You’re right. It was just like those series that occurred in the Georgian era in which the queen didn’t have any say in front of the king. We have finally reached an era of gender equality, but it doesn’t mean anything in the eyes of the rich.”
I stood there waiting for them to finish. We shouldn’t underestimate gossip between women. They could even refer to soap operas that took place in the Georgian era. Even I felt miserable for myself, listening to their comparison. It looked like I was merely Anthony’s trophy wife in their eyes.
The VIP elevator was operated by facial recognition technology, without Anthony, I could only take the normal elevator. As the women reached my side, they finally stopped gossiping.
“Mrs. Featherstone!” Suddenly someone stood beside me, giving me a scare. I smiled as I noticed it was Stella.
I managed to squeeze myself in when the elevator doors opened. Maybe everyone knew my identity, so no one mentioned the rumors between Anthony and me. They were chatting to Stella instead.
From their conversation, I could deduce that Stella was well-liked by the other employees. Well, pretty and bubbly girls were always well-liked by others.
I got out when the elevator reached Anthony’s office. However, I was thunderstruck because I would need Anthony’s fingerprint to enter his office.
I decided to call him. Just as I whipped out my phone, the door opened, and out came Stella again.
Her gaze flickered between me and the door. “Mrs. Featherstone, were you busy recently? I don’t see you visit Mr. Featherstone much these days.”
I gave her a once-over and saw she was holding documents that require Anthony’s approval. “Yes. I’ve been busy with something.”
She smiled faintly in response then entered Anthony’s office. As I followed her, I stared at her back. It gave me a sense that it was all thanks to her that I was able to enter.
In the office, Anthony was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents while Stella stood silently by his side waiting for his signature. As Anthony lifted his arm, Stella passed him a pen. Their whole interaction displayed their excellent teamwork from working closely.
I stood rooted at the entrance, staring sightlessly at the scene, thinking they were a perfect team.
A few minutes later, Anthony lifted his gaze from his work, focusing his attention on me. “Aren’t you tired standing there?”
I smiled. “Isn’t Ms. Collins standing as well? It’s not appropriate if I sit while she stands.”
His brows drew together as he understood my insinuation. He ordered Stella, “You may leave first. I will send these documents to you later once I’m done.”
Stella nodded, “Sure!”
She smiled as she said goodbye to me.
The room fell into a dead silence after Stella left.
Finally, Anthony said, “Standing too long is not good for you now.”
I arched my brow and leaned against the door. “It’s fine. Mr. Featherstone, please finish your work first. My feet can stand for a few more minutes. I shouldn’t bother you, seeing as you’re busier than a bee.”
He raised a brow and stood. “Sienna, do you have to talk to me like that?”
I laughed, “Like how? It looked like Mr. Featherstone didn’t even want to speak to me anymore. That’s fine. Mr. Featherstone, please continue with your work. I won’t disturb you further.”
I turned and left.
However, Anthony wasn’t the kind of person who let problems fester into the night. He blocked my exit. “You know that is not what I mean.”
I chuckled, “It’s fine. Finish your work first.”
He grabbed my wrist. “Let’s settle this. The person who should be mad is me. You know the kind of person Armond is, yet you still meet him privately. I’m angry because I’m worried about you. Why can’t you understand that?”
I raised my head and stared at him. He looked more mature as if he had experienced the vicissitudes of life. It made me panic for a second. I kept my panic in check and smiled. “So in your opinion, I’m a useless person who didn’t know how to take care of myself? I’m just a clueless idiot, is that it?”
His forehead creased. “You know that is not what I mean.”
I chucked, “But that’s what your words are implying.
“Whatever. You don’t have to explain anymore. Go and finish your work. Don’t bring emotion into your work. It’s not professional.”
I left his office and entered the elevator.
I left with a smile as I looked at Anthony’s frowning face. I knew that it was my fault regarding Armond because I didn’t explain it clearly to him, but there were times when things were more complicated than it seems. An explanation could’ve saved all this trouble, yet we persisted with the solution that made us all unhappy.
I saw Stella again after I exited the elevator. She seemed to be waiting for me. “Mrs. Featherstone, are you heading back now?”
I nodded with a smile, “Yes.”
She looked at me hesitantly, so I stopped and asked, “You seemed to be focused on your work recently. Are you dating now? Your parents must be urging you to get married at your age.”
She was surprised by my remark. “Not really. My parents were quite open-minded. I haven’t met anyone compatible, and they respected my decision.”
I chuckled, “I see Justin treating you well. Are you guys together?”
Her face turned dark at the mention of Justin. She was keeping her anger in check, but I was still able to discern it. She answered after a short pause, “We’re just friends. He has someone he likes, and it’s not me. So please don’t misunderstand. I am dating anyone at the moment as I want to focus on my career.”
I nodded with understanding. “Both career and relationship are equally important. A woman will only get married once in their lifetime, so you have to take your relationship seriously. When Anthony and I were younger, we didn’t get to experience the whole dating scene. We just got married. Now that I think about it, it is quite regretful. I think it is best if people could date more before getting married.”
Her eyes sparkled at my comment. “Did you and Mr. Featherstone got married without dating first?”
I nodded and replied, “Anthony and I were an example of love after marriage. Our grandparents were the ones who arranged our marriage. His grandfather and my grandmother were good friends.”
Surprise crossed Stella’s face. “So you and Mr. Featherstone didn’t have the freedom to date.”
I nodded in agreement. She couldn’t hide the look of surprise. “I thought that both of you had dated freely, and it turned out that it was actually because of your grandparents’ friendship. But I heard from my colleagues that the Featherstones prioritize status above everything else.”
I laughed at her remark because it couldn’t be further from the truth. Not many of the employees knew my background. Rachel had always thought that Anthony was way out of my league all these years. She considered herself to be on par with me and that she could marry Anthony as well.
I laughed at my thought. “Ms. Collins, are you close to Ms. Zimmer from the Technology department?”
She was puzzled at my remark but shook her head in reply. “We’re not close. Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing.” I shook my head and prepared to leave. “It’s getting late, and I have a date with someone, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
She opened her mouth to say something but snapped her mouth close when she saw that I was leaving. She finally uttered, “Bye!”
After leaving the company, my phone received an apology text from Anthony. I gave it a glimpse, then stuffed the phone in my purse.
It wasn’t that I was mad at him. Sometimes, some things didn’t need to be clarified too clearly.
Shortly after, I received a call from Nora. “Sienna, what are you doing right now? Are you busy? I’m so bored that I could watch the paint dry.”
I glanced at the time, and it was two in the afternoon. I just realized that it was possible that Anthony hadn’t had lunch yet. He went to search for Zachary in the morning, then was busy searching for me. So all his work from the morning must have had compiled to be cleared in the afternoon.
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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