When Yvonne finally saw John, the dissatisfaction on her face disappeared and she quickly put on a pitiful look. “Please don’t chase me away, John. I really can’t live without you. I’ll do anything you want me to, so just let me stay by your side. I know you’ll marry a woman from a wealthy family, but I don’t care. I don’t expect anything from you. Just let me stay with you. I really love you, John, so please don’t make me leave,” she implored with tears welling up in her eyes.
I did not like Yvonne, but for what reasons, I was not sure myself. Maybe I started disliking her back when John and I helped her. She was materialistic and greedy. “You have no loyalty.” I came forward and berated her, “You’re with so many men at the same time, and you still cling to John shamelessly when you know he’s already engaged. You came all the way here to make a huge fuss just so people think he’s a jerk who has wronged you. Now you’re telling me you love him? You’ve got to be kidding me, Yvonne Wilde.”
I finally knew why I hated her. She did not deserve to be loved.
A glint of anger shone in her eyes when she heard my voice. “You again? What did I do to make you hate me so much? Why do you keep coming in between us over and over again? What did I even do to you? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” she shouted at me.
“Watch what you’re saying. It’s true that you’ve done nothing to offend me, but neither have I done anything to break you and John up. You know full well that he doesn’t love you at all, but you still can’t get over him. It’s your greed that’s stopping you from letting him go. He’s already compensated you enough, so you should just take the money and lead your own life. But of course, you can keep hounding us, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ll regret it when I decide to get rid of you on my own.”
“What do you mean?” She glared at me, holding her arms as she shivered in her thin clothing.
“You know what I mean. The Stanhopes are not people you want to mess with unless you don’t want to live in K City or continue mingling in the rich circle anymore. By the way, didn’t you run a background check on that little boyfriend of yours, Franklin, before you guys got together?”
Yvonne stared at me in fright and disbelief as her body shook more intensely.
Looking at her disconcertment, a gush of thrill welled up in my heart. “From what I gathered, he’s a womanizer through and through. He hooked up with rich women and also those with questionable backgrounds. I heard he ended up having some kind of disease, so both of you have better have a heart-to-heart talk. You might want to do a thorough check at the hospital too. I think you’ll need it.”
“Sienna Stanhope! Watch your tongue!” she bellowed, “I don’t even know who Franklin is!”
I shrugged indifferently and let her have her say before turning toward the guards. “Send her out. It’s already late and everyone needs to rest. Call the police if she refuses to leave.”
With that said, I left with Anthony and Hannah.
Hannah finally spoke when we reached the car park. “You did a background check on Yvonne?”
“Yeah. She’s too greedy for her own good. The Stanhope family will never accept someone like her.”
“Thanks, Sienna,” Hannah said, her voice suddenly becoming serious. “I’ve wanted to discuss Kiki’s custody with Uncle Louis because I thought John would marry her. I’d never let someone like her come close to Kiki.”
A smile spread across my lips as she thanked me. “Don’t mention it. The Stanhope family helped me before, and John had supported me through my hardest time. Although I’m angry with what he’s done, I still don’t want his marriage to end on a bad note.”
“I’ll give John my blessing if he’s able to meet someone suitable. Kiki is his child, and no one can ever change that. If he meets someone he likes and they have a family together, I’ll still be happy for him,” Hannah replied with a hint of resignation in her voice.
Anthony drove the car over and I bid Hannah goodbye before hopping on. I fell into slumber not long after the car drove off. It had been a long and tiring day.
By the time I woke up, we were already back at the villa. It was not until I saw Anthony packing his stuff that I remembered we were going to A City tomorrow.
“They have clothes and toiletries over there, so just bring our travel documents and ID,” I said, squinting my eyes as I looked at him.
He turned around at my voice with a gentle smile on his face. “Did I wake you up?”
I shook my head and looked at the clock. It was already past midnight. “What time is our flight tomorrow?”
“Nine. What’s the matter?”
“We still have time. Could you help me bring my ID? I need to renew my passport soon. I’ll stop by J City and get it reissued after our trip to A City.” After we got married, I changed my address to J City, so I would need to go back there to get my passport renewed. It would also be a good chance to go see Macy, grandpa, and grandma. It had been a long time since I last saw them.
“Where did you put your ID?” Anthony asked after a slight pause.
“Hm, good question. I can’t remember. It’s either in the drawer or in my bag. Oh wait, it should be in that pastel color bag. I remember using it during the donation event for Sasha’s mother. It should be there. That’s the last time I used it.”
He went over to the wardrobe and took out the bag, ruffling through the content. “I didn’t know you keep a journal.”
“Come on, a lazy bum like me will never keep a journal.”
Anthony took out a small journal and looked at me. “What is this then?”
I stared at the book in confusion before I finally recalled something. “That’s Sasha’s. Renee gave it to me when she was at the hospital. She said it belonged to her mother.”
“So this is Sasha’s diary?”
I nodded and Anthony flipped through it. I got out of bed and took a curious look. The journal seemed painfully ordinary, and I figured there would not be anything exciting. After all, it was written by someone who had already passed away.
“I don’t think there’ll be anything interesting. I should probably return this to Sasha’s mother. I think she will appreciate having something in remembrance of her daughter.”
But beside me, a frown settled on Anthony’s brows as he closed the book. “I finally know why Abe was suddenly in charge of Imperial Hotel after you saw him dead in Moranta. This is why Armond gave you all the evidence without holding back although he knew you were investigating him. The truth is, he already had everything planned.”
I could not get my head around what Anthony just said, so I took the journal and started looking at it myself.
It took me a while for what came to my sight to register. I did not spend much time thinking about why Abe still appeared at Imperial Hotel after I saw him dead with my own eyes. It turned out that he had a twin.
“So is the person at A City’s prison Abe or Sasha’s husband?” I solicited Anthony’s opinion.
He lowered his gaze as he looked at the man in the photo. The man looked exactly like Abe, but he looked just like an ordinary lad without the uncanny gleam in his eyes. His complexion was fair and his gaze was tender as he held Sasha in his embrace.
If Sasha had not mentioned the man’s elder brother in her diary, I would have mistaken the man in the photo for Abe.
“We can only be sure after we meet the guy in A City,” Anthony said carefully as he closed the book. “You should just stay at K City tomorrow. Go back to Moore Residence. Holden will go over to K City in two days’ time. He’ll bring you around the city then. If the company needs my signature, you can just sign in my stead.”
I blinked my eyes at him blankly. “I thought we’ve already decided to go to A City together? What’s with the change of mind?”
“We can’t be sure if the corpse you saw at Moranta is Abe’s if the guy in prison is not him. He’s a wanted criminal now, so none of us can say for sure that he’s not concocting some evil plan. You need to stay in K City. At least you’ll be safe staying with the Moore family. They don’t dare to do anything to you over there. Besides, judging from the situation now, Armond is already fixed on giving up all the assets in A City, so he won’t be in A City. Chances are he’s gonna stay with the Murphys in K City. I’ll sort out everything in A City and get back real quick. You just wait for me in K City, alright?”
I calmed down and thought about his suggestion before finally nodding. “You stay safe, okay? Keep me updated.”
He nodded and pulled me into his arms with a sigh. “Everything will be okay soon.”
“Promise me something?” I asked, looking up at him.
“What is it?”
I suddenly did not know how to bring this up to Anthony. It was really not the time to bring up in-vitro fertilization. I pulled back and looked at him in the eyes reluctantly. “Anthony… Let’s talk about this after you get back. I’ll go take a shower first.”
I really did not have the courage to bring this up to Anthony. I was scared, and my desire to have a child had waned off. Taking care of Summer and seeing her grow up was already good enough for me. It was just that the Featherstones was an influential and wealthy family. I felt like I needed to have a child to inherit the family business. That was the least I could do for George and Anthony. I had already lost two children because of my own carelessness.
Over in the bathroom, I looked into the mirror and pondered about this for a long time. Anthony and I had a good life and we were blessed to have each other. Not everyone got to have the people they loved in their lives, like John and Rylee. Life was full of challenges and difficulties, and no one could foresee the future.
All we could do was to appreciate and love the people by our side, and hope that they could remain safe and sound for the rest of their lives.
When I finally got out of the bathroom again, Anthony had already packed everything. When he saw my wet hair in a towel turban, he clicked his tongue impatiently. “How many times have I told you to dry your hair immediately after taking a shower? You’re gonna catch a cold like this. Come over here and dry your hair.”
I nodded quietly and sat on his lap like I always did. “Is Joseph going with you tomorrow?” I asked, cuddling in his embrace.
“Nope. His wife is pregnant with their second child and she might deliver anytime soon, so he has to stay with her,” he said, rubbing my hair dry with the towel.
I was surprised to know that Joseph and his wife were already having their second child. That could be us. I could not help but shoot Anthony a guilty look. “I’m sorry, Anthony.”
A sweet smile played on his lips as he replied, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m responsible for what happened too. I should’ve taken better care of you, so you don’t have to feel bad. We have Summer now and that’s enough for us. Don’t you always want to apply for grad school? You should prepare for it and take the entrance exam next year.”
I was glad Anthony still remembered I wanted to further my studies. “Sure. I’ll go ask Hunter for more information soon. Make sure you come home as soon as possible, okay? Should you just ask Boris to go to A City with you?”
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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