Without knowing his answer, I continued, “Can you head to Moranta and help me protect Anthony in secret? Since Armond had planned such a huge trap, there must be something else waiting for Anthony. Can you do that for me?”
Danny looked at me with a slight frown on his face and replied helplessly, “Sorry, I can’t leave A City right now. Now that Mr. Abe’s been arrested, Dante and I will be too. The police should be looking for me everywhere, so I can only hide around the city now and can’t head to Moranta.”
I laughed bitterly.
Everything was destined. I could not change anything as it was all already arranged for.
Ten days later, Abe had been sentenced to death as Imperial Hotel was found to have hidden weapons and had participated in the organ trade.
Brandon was also charged for being Abe’s accomplice.
Cameron and Zachary had brought Summer back to K City, and Dillan’s family seemed to have disappeared without a trace. There was no way we could find them.
Although things seemed to be over, I was not as happy as expected and was still angry. After toying with me, Armond had hastily ended everything just like that. I had lost my child due to my own stupidity, yet he was able to gain something and even managed to walk away unscathed.
However, I was no angel and would not just leave it at that.
On Thursday, I headed to the mall.
As an apology for not attending Tabitha’s wedding while I was busy in K City, I had asked her and Laurel out to go shopping together.
Having not seen her in such a long time, Tabitha seemed to have put on some weight. After some careful questioning, I found out that she was pregnant.
Laurel joked, “It’s indeed different when you become a mother. Your gaze has become so gentle. By the way, the customers have been asking when you’ll be back for work ever since you stopped going to work. Isn’t it a bit too early to be taking time off when you’re only two months pregnant?”
Tabitha smiled slightly. “It’s mainly my husband who’s feeling uneasy about it. If I go to work, he’ll be worried the whole day and will want to find me at work. In the end, he’ll be distracted from his own job. Seeing that, I quit my job and stay at home, his parents will be there to take care of me, and that’s a load off him.”
Laurel’s gaze was full of envy as she looked at Tabitha. “You’re so lucky. Your husband’s gentle and caring, and your in-laws are willing to take care of you. Look at me. I’ve been married for six years now, but it feels like I’m a widow. I’ve been raising my son alone too. Although my mother-in-law helps to take care of him, she always picks a fight with me. You don’t understand how annoying things are for me at home.”
Tabitha replied comfortingly, “As you said previously, you just have to accept life as it is! Your husband’s starting his business now, so it’ll definitely be tough on him. Aren’t you also taking care of your son while you work for the sake of your family? If you persevere, I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy life later on. My husband’s the same. He has it tough, so we try to understand each other and compromise. You can’t just focus on the unhappy parts of your marriage and ignore the good part.”
Laurel sighed as she looked at me. “How about you, Sienna? How have you been these few months? Your husband’s both rich and handsome, so you should be the happiest among us. Nora called me to complain some time ago, saying that Armond seemed to be ignoring her. You guys are already so rich, so why do you still work so hard to make money? You’re not short on it anyway.”
I smiled slightly and replied, “A lot has happened recently but I asked you guys out as soon as I had some free time. By the way, have you guys seen Tessa recently? I haven’t seen her in a long time. I wonder how she’s doing.”
Laurel replied, “I met her some time ago. I heard she has adopted a five or six-year-old kid, so she’s probably not intending to get married. Tessa’s already thirty-six or seven, so it seems like she wants to live alone with the child in the future. But the last time I saw her, she was driving a Mercedes-Benz S- Class. Apparently, she also bought a house a few days ago. Didn’t she say that she was poor? Why’s she suddenly able to buy a car and a house. Do you guys know what kind of business she’s doing recently?”
Tabitha shook her head. “No, I don’t really contact her. I’m not that interested in her affairs, so I don’t really bother checking on whatever she bought or did.”
Laurel paused for a moment, then said, “Tabby, you don’t seem to like Tessa very much?”
Tabitha was a straightforward person who wore her heart on her sleeve. Thus, she shrugged and replied indifferently, “I neither like nor dislike her since we’re just acquaintances. Anyway, we don’t belong in the same world as her. I’m sure you know that she’s overly ambitious. She probably sees us as mere passers-by who aren’t significant enough.”
I laughed lightly as I listened to their conversation. “It’s okay, we’re just having a casual chat and sharing some gossip. If you guys don’t like something, you don’t need to talk about it. I was just a little curious about where Tessa’s adopted child came from. Is it even legally possible for an unmarried woman to adopt a child now?”
Laurel nodded. “I think it’s possible as long as you meet the requirements. Apparently, a woman between thirty and forty who’s unmarried and is doing okay financially is qualified. I think Tessa also mentioned that the child isn’t an orphan. The child’s mother died in a car accident and his father was sentenced to death because of some severe offense. Therefore, the child was trusted upon her.”
Death sentence?
I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Laurel and Tabitha, then returned to the villa.
I arrived to see Nora in the midst of moving out of the villa next door, much to my astonishment. She’d hired a bunch of professional movers who streamed in and out of the doorway toting boxes of various sizes.
Nora stood just outside the door supervising them, occasionally reminding them to be careful with her things.
I stood rooted to the spot in the yard, watching her. Nora saw me out of the corner of her eye and turned in my direction. Our eyes met, and I could see that hers were swollen and red with crying even at that distance.
What on earth has happened?
I hadn’t much of a clue what had transpired and didn’t suppose it was a suitable time to ask. I smiled at Nora embarrassedly, then stepped into the villa. Anthony was still stuck at Moranta fighting Armond. Cameron had originally extended an invitation to Summer and me to return to K City in the meantime. However, I was busy resenting Armond for having deceived me and in no mood for socializing.
I was vexed but was determined to try and accomplish something.
Back at the villa, I collapsed onto a chair in fatigue. At that moment, the doorbell rang.
I strolled over and peered out of the window. Nora was standing outside, patiently waiting for me beyond the gate of my yard.
I hastily walked out to the yard and beckoned her. “Do you want to come in?”
Nora shook her head. She replied glumly, “It’s all right. I came over to return this to you.” Having thus declared, Nora wriggled the bracelet that she was wearing off her arm, then handed it to me. Channing had originally given me a matching set of bracelets. I’d given one to Nora and kept one for myself. They weren’t worth much, but they were a significant token of my and Nora’s friendship.
I looked down at the bracelet lying in Nora’s outstretched palm, then looked back at Nora. “This bracelet belonged to your grandmother. If you’re here to ask for it back, I’ll return it to you. There’s no need for you to return anything to me. I gave the bracelet to you in the first place because of the relationship between our families and because I believed that our friendship was genuine. I never thought that anything could ever come between us. I see now that perhaps I was wrong. Even if that’s the case, I don’t want your bracelet. I gave it wholeheartedly to you back then, and I don’t intend to ask for it back even though things have turned sour between us. You can do whatever you like with it. Throw it away if you wish.”
I turned to shut the gate without waiting for her reply.
Nora, however, stopped the gate with one swift motion. She paused, then said in a trembling voice, “Thank you, Sienna.”
I smiled faintly but said nothing. I had a rather accepting attitude towards friendships and whichever winding paths they ultimately took. I had never pursued anyone, accepting the eventual end of any relationship stoically. In the three years that I’d spent waiting for Anthony, I knew that despite how much I loved him, I would never fight for our relationship if he’d decided to give it up.
If I wasn’t even ready to strive for the person I’d loved wholeheartedly, I won’t be willing to chase after a friendship. Nora was presently entangled in her own difficulties, and I thought the best course of action would be to retreat and respect whatever decision she made.
Since Nora had evidently made her choice to part ways with me, there was no point dwelling any further. I thus chose to flash a bright smile at her and replied, “There’s no need to thank me. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.”
It was an absolutely meaningless, patronizing phrase that I’d always loathed. I now uttered it with absolute sincerity, however. I did hope that Nora and I would each come to find our own happiness eventually.
It was truly goodbye. I would no longer continue journeying through life with Nora, but I hoped that my well-wishes would remain with her when I could not.
The metal gate closed with a steely clang. I exhaled, then walked slowly back into my villa. Just as I was about to head into the room to sleep, the doorbell rang a second time. I opened it to see Nora still standing outside.
Staring fixedly at me, she muttered, “Whether you believe me or not, I have to tell you that I was drunk that night at the Imperial Hotel. If I had known that he would have turned out to be so violent, I would never have dreamt of calling you. I never wanted to cause you any harm, not even once.”
I looked at her and smiled as it was a relief. “I know. I never once thought of blaming you. Don’t worry. Go on back.”
I had indeed never blamed Nora for anything that had happened. I was merely wary that Armond had been using Nora as a pawn all along.
I was on the verge of swinging the gate back shut when Nora piped up. “Brandon’s woman was bought over by Tessa. You should be careful. It’s not safe for you to stay here alone.”
I looked at Nora, bewildered at her sudden revelation. “Got it, thank you,” I hesitated then added, “I’ll be sure to take care of myself.”
Nora hung her head, then turned and walked back to her villa.
I looked at her departing figure with a twinge of regret. Nora was never malicious. She’d simply made the mistake of falling in love with the wrong man.
…
It had never occurred to me to spy on Tessa. I’d initially planned on meeting her in person but was worried about alarming her. If I confronted Tessa directly, there was a possibility that she would reveal everything to Armond. He would then make a move against Brandon who was vulnerable and at his mercy now. The truth was Armond had no weaknesses so far. At the same time, he was cold-blooded and poisons filled his veins. Thus, he would want to ensure complete secrecy by sending Brandon to his maker to seal his mouth forever.
Hence, I was resolved not to tell Tessa anything for fear that the information would simply be passed on to Armond. I was afraid that before I could even get around to persuading Brandon, he would already have died under suspicious circumstances in prison.
It wasn’t difficult to uncover news about Tessa. We moved about in the same circles, after all. One could easily obtain any desired information with some effort. Nuthana Gardens was a newly-developed piece of property. Not long after it was completed, its prices skyrocketed, and it was now sold for at least ten thousand per square foot. An apartment of a thousand and five hundred square feet was worth around fifteen million. Tessa had neither a stable job nor a steady source of income and had no projects on hand. Her sudden wealth had naturally raised queries in both Tabitha and Laurel’s minds. How could a village girl have acquired enough to buy both a posh apartment and a luxury car in just a few months?
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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