When I got out of the room, I saw Anthony leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He must have been waiting for me. When he saw that I had changed into a different set of clothes, he raised a brow and asked, “Why have you changed your clothes?”
“It’s not easy to walk in that dress.” I didn’t want to get stepped on all night.
I was confused as he stared at me. “Were you expecting me to keep wearing that?”
He chuckled softly and didn’t say anything further. Chandler, who had gotten himself a little drunk after a few glasses of wine, blurted out, “Mr. Featherstone wanted you to look beautiful…”
“That’s enough. Let’s go. You haven’t eaten, so let’s go get something to eat.” Anthony took my hand and made our way out. Chandler looked stunned at being cut off in mid-sentence.
Chandler and Hannah proceeded to the first floor for toasting. Louis, together with Kiki, had their stomach filled, and he seemed to be in a good mood today. It was obvious he had a little to drink.
He looked at me and asked, “What was it like when you got married to Mr. Featherstone?”
I was taken aback for a moment before answering with a smile, “It was Grandpa who arranged it, and it was a beautiful wedding.”
Louis stared at Anthony and said, “I’ll say, Mr. Featherstone, should you give her a wedding? Or maybe a wedding anniversary celebration? Isn’t that what all girls want?”
Anthony chuckled and answered, “Do you have any suggestions, Uncle Louis?”
I watched them banter back and forth like children before saying with a laugh, “We’ve been married for many years. There’s no need for another wedding.”
“You can’t say that.” Louis continued, “As husband and wife, other than caring for and loving each other, you have to spice things up a little.”
Anthony nodded with a smile and said, “You’re right, Uncle Louis.” Then, he looked at me with his dark eyes and said with a smirk, “Let’s get acquainted all over again, Ms. Stanhope. I’m Anthony Featherstone.”
I frowned and let out a smile involuntarily. “What are you up to?”
“He’s proposing to you. Can’t you tell?” Louis said loudly, waving his glass of wine about for emphasis.
I was dumbfounded. Suddenly, I saw Anthony moved the chair away from him, and with a ring in his hand, he got down on one knee.
This was completely unexpected and a little too sudden. Initially, there was a picture of Hannah and Chandler on the stage’s big screen. But it was replaced with a photo of a young woman.
Isn’t that picture taken when I first entered J University? I was only eighteen years old at that time. That picture was taken at the entrance of J University’s library, and I was holding a book that I just borrowed from the library.
“Some people are destined to be together at first sight.” Anthony’s voice resonated. “That year, you were eighteen years old, and I had just taken over Featherstone Corporation at the age of twenty-three. You were a fresh-faced and gentle girl. You weren’t my type at all, but that first sight of you was etched deep in my mind. Joe took that photo of you unintentionally, and I’ve grown attached to it for many years.”
I looked back at the man who was kneeling in front of me. At that moment, my heart began to flutter.
The hall grew quiet as the guests listened to Anthony. “When I saw you for the second time, it was in the Featherstones’ living room. You begged my grandfather to treat your grandmother’s illness. He then asked you if you would marry me. At that time, you nodded and agreed. I knew you didn’t want to marry someone you didn’t know, but I felt relieved knowing that you were going to marry me. Marriage was useless to me, so it didn’t matter who I was going to marry. But I was kind of excited when I got to know that I was going to marry you. It was not my original intention to force you to marry me. That was unfair to you. So after getting married, I was hardly home. It’s not that I didn’t want to see you, but I was worried that you would be uncomfortable being around someone like me who doesn’t show affection. I told you before that you can divorce me when you meet someone else that you love. The Featherstones will not mistreat you. But I never thought that you would stay in the Featherstones for three years. The funny thing was, the longer you stayed in the Featherstones, the harder it became for me to keep my feelings to myself. You have no idea how happy I was the night when I found out that you were pregnant. I knew then, with a child, our bond would be unbreakable. That’s why I thought of many ways to keep you by my side.”
Listening to him reminisce about the past, I was suddenly transported back to the day I received my ultrasound report and found out I was six weeks pregnant. It was years ago, but I felt like it only happened yesterday.
He continued speaking, “I almost lost it when I found out that you privately aborted the child, but thank God Dr. Ludwick said you were alright and that you actually lied to me.” He sighed in fond exasperation before moving on, “You really are a naughty girl, you know that? I didn’t call you out on your lie. I thought that as long as we had a child, you wouldn’t leave and everything would turn out fine. I thought we could live happily as a family, and that’s why I made a decision I’ll never be able to forgive myself for. All these years, I’ve unintentionally hurt you and failed to give you a sense of security. I didn’t love you enough and hurt you more times than I can count. Sienna, I… Even though I’m not exactly a thoughtful or gentle guy, are you still willing to spend the rest of your life with me?”
Staring at the ring he was holding out in front of me, I pursed my lips. “Anthony, you seriously suck at sweet-talking—even your proposal is so sad and pathetic. You’re lucky I like you, or I wouldn’t be bothered listening to your nonsense.”
The crowd erupted with laughter and Hannah’s teasing voice sounded. “Yeah. You know he’s bad at everything. Yet, he’s the only one you want. Ms. Stanhope, just quit the act and say yes to your dear Mr. Featherstone!”
Following that, everyone else unanimously urged, “Say yes!”
I studied Anthony in front of me, my lips twitching slightly. “You’re proposing to me with only a ring? What’s worse, this is Hannah and Chandler’s wedding. Are you here to give them your blessing or crash their wedding?”
The crowd burst into laughter again. One of the guests’ children even brought over the flower basket Chandler’s parents weaved, placing it beside Anthony. It was obvious that it was to replace a bouquet of flowers.
Without missing a beat, Anthony took the flower basket. Perhaps he felt that it wasn’t fitting that I carried a flower basket in my hands, he stood to his feet and left the venue. Everyone in the hall was momentarily stunned by his abrupt departure.
Fortunately, he returned several minutes later with a large bouquet of bright red roses in hand. As a handsome and captivating man, he painted an arresting sight while holding a large bouquet of flowers.
He walked to my side, got down on one knee, and gazed at me with passion in his eyes. “Sienna, I’m an idiot, but you’re the only one that I want in life. I will love you in my own way and also in yours. We still have decades left to live. Are you still willing to continue this decades-long journey hand in hand with this idiot?”
Stifling my smile, I watched this man, who had always been apathetic and stingy with his words, suddenly saying so much in one go. I bet it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to claim that this was probably the most he had said in one breath in his entire life.
“What are you waiting for, Sienna? Put your hand out for him to slip the ring on!” Hannah impatiently urged beside me. Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and pushed it forward.
The ring, warm from Anthony’s grip, was smoothly slipped onto my finger. Our mini-interlude enlivened the already blissful occasion and everyone applauded to offer us their blessings.
The wedding was very lively and joyous.
Only when the sky darkened did the guests disperse. Hannah tugged on my arm as she tried to persuade me to stay in the suburbs for the night. Although Anthony didn’t say a word, from the way he kept a tight hold on my hand, I could tell that he wasn’t accustomed to living in such conditions.
After politely refusing, Hannah sent me to the door and we chatted briefly. Before leaving, I hesitated slightly and decided to say, “Hannah, John came today. He wanted me to offer you his blessings. He said thank you for taking care of him for so many years and that he was lucky to have known you.”
Hannah looked dazed for a moment and her eyes dimmed slightly. After some time, she replied, “I do resent him, but I have to thank him too. If I didn’t meet him, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m grateful to him for allowing me to become who I am now. If he hadn’t brought me to K City, perhaps I would’ve lived on the border all my life just like those war-torn women. I’d either be a corpse left in the wilderness or made into an object for man to violate however they liked. Sienna, thank him for me. I don’t regret meeting him, and I certainly don’t regret falling in love with him. I sincerely hope that in the future, someone can build a warm and beautiful home with him.”
I took in a deep breath and nodded with a smile. “I’ll definitely pass on your blessing to him. You have to live happily too, alright?”
After bidding her farewell, I got into the car and noticed that Joseph was at the wheel. Glancing to my side to look at Anthony, I suddenly felt the palpable changes in our lives.
Without realizing it, we no longer spoke of dreams or hobbies. Instead, it was home, stability, and an ordinary life that we sought.
I wondered if this was what happened when people reached a certain stage in life.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Anthony took my hand in his, breaking me out of my daze. His palm was pleasantly warm and I couldn’t help but look up at him with a content smile. “I was wondering whether my hubby is getting old.”
In between words, I lifted my free hand to the corner of one of his eyes and gently touched the smile lines there.
“Call me that again, hmm?” He raised the front seat barrier before cupping my face with both hands. His obsidian eyes flickered alluringly as he spoke in a deep and sultry voice.
I was stunned for a moment before asking in confusion, “Call you what?”
He pressed his lips against the corner of my mouth and said in a husky voice, “Don’t you know how you should call me, honey?”
My cheeks flushed a crimson red due to the way he addressed me. It was clearly a very common form of address between married couples, but somehow, it sounded so seductive coming from him. My thoughts were scrambled and I felt a tingle run down my spine, forming goosebumps all over my skin.
Being pressed against his body, I could smell the faint fragrance of his shower gel. Realizing that he was about to smash his lips against mine, my eyes widened and I quickly evaded him.
Laying in his arms, I chastised, “Stop it, Anthony. Joseph is driving.”
He hugged me close and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Mm. Then, call me again,” he demanded in a deep voice.
I blinked in bewilderment and called out, “Hubby.”
He didn’t release me but tightened his arms around me instead. “Mm, again.”
I was speechless but gave in to his request anyway. To my chagrin, he kept this childish act up.
After calling him over and over again throughout the ride, I leaned against his shoulder, slightly tired. “Anthony, why did you propose to me all of a sudden? And why did you buy such a big ring? It’s so flashy.”
He reached out to touch my ring and smiled. “Joe said that girls like rings—the bigger the better. I asked him to get pink diamonds from Smealand. I didn’t know what you liked but wanted to give you a surprise, so I left it to the design team. Don’t you like it?”
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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