I understood what he was planning. He wanted us to divorce and to let the kids bear my last name because he wanted everyone to think that our relationship was over.
The look in his downcast eyes was unfathomable while he exuded an air of melancholy. At this moment, he looked like the aloof man I knew when we first met.
I knew that Anthony would be trapped in living hell for the rest of his life if he were to watch the enemy who killed his parents live a happy life.
“Go ahead and do it.” I gritted my teeth. I was not sure if I would regret it, but I knew that only in this way could Anthony have the chance to break free from a life of misery.
As though not expecting me to agree to it so soon, Anthony looked up at me in surprise.
Smiling at him, I reached out to touch his chiseled face. “You’ll protect yourself, right? I can trust you to do that, right?”
He held my hand and assured me in a gentle voice, “Of course. I haven’t repaid you for all the things I’ve owed you. I don’t dare to die without your permission.”
Not knowing what to say, I looked down at the agreement and tore it in half.
“Why?” Anthony was taken aback.
I pursed my lips and gave him a sidelong warning look. “I don’t want these things now. I want you to give them to me slowly over the remaining decades of your life!”
I don’t want a two-year guarantee. What I want is a lifetime one.
While on the way to visit Jackson at the hospital, Emery called me on the phone. “Check your Facebook. John has gone crazy!”
Launching my Facebook, I found out that John meant what he said the day before and got people to gather the dirt on Mitchell after he left.
Those scandals, which were initially suppressed by the Ziegler family, were exposed by a magazine called 24-7 Entertainment. Of the top ten trending topics, six were related to the Ziegler family, putting them in the center of public attention.
Anthony turned off my phone as he did not want me to keep looking at it. “Zachary is right. John’s still too thoughtless.”
“Why?” I did not understand. “The fact that the topics about the Ziegler family become trending shows that they can’t do whatever they want anymore, isn’t it?”
It had been more than twenty years since Anthony’s parents passed away. Many things had changed, and statements made online could often easily make waves. So one needed to win the hearts of netizens to thrive. Admittedly, some people used public opinion for profit, but it was a very small number of people.
It was precisely because of this that Anthony could be so active under the noses of Ezra and the others.
“Putting aside the fact that Mitchell has been sent abroad, witnesses will be needed if those cases are taken to trial. As a future lawyer, do you think there’s a possibility of conviction in cases without witness and evidence?”
“Are you saying that the Ziegler family will buy off witnesses?” Although I had not passed the exam, my sense of justice as a lawyer-to-be screamed inside of me. “There would be victims who would rather ask for justice than the money.”
Letting out a sigh, Anthony wrapped his arm around me. “There’s a long and painful process before justice is served. This is the same case for me, let alone the common folks. How many of them do you think can survive the ordeals? Compared to offending the Ziegler family and bringing troubles on themselves, they see hiding away and living a stable life as a blessing.”
I said nothing as despondency crept in. In other words, John went to all the trouble to dig up dirt on the Ziegler family only to end up embarrassing them to a small degree.
As the intensive care unit was not open to visitors all the time, we could only stand outside and see Jackson through the window.
Lying on the bed, Jackson was covered in bandages. Only the ventilator could prove that he was still alive.
He could still scold me the day before, but he could not even open his eyes at this moment. The thought brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. Not daring to cry, I covered my mouth and nose for fear of disturbing Jackson.
Anthony patted me on the shoulder to comfort me. “I’ve arranged for some people to renovate Jackson’s clinic and to appease the patients who caused troubles. After he wakes up, he can start over. This is an unfortunate accident. Since you’ve had depression before and are now pregnant, you can’t get too sad, or you may easily lose control of your emotions. How can you take care of your kids then?”
Hearing this, I could only compose myself and try not to dwell in the frustration.
However, there was still a pressing matter to be dealt with. While keeping my eyes on Jackson, I asked Anthony in a hushed voice, “Are you going to attend the dinner tonight?”
“Yes,” Anthony replied as he put more weight on my shoulder. “You’ll use the identity as Mrs. Featherstone for the last time to put on an act with me.”
If we wanted the divorce agreement to be convincing later on, we did need to show some signs of discord prior to our so-called divorce. Hence, I responded in silent agreement.
After standing outside the ICU for one hour, Anthony got Stella to come over and asked her to give him a first-hand report on everything concerning Jackson. Then, he left with me as my legs were severely swollen due to the pregnancy.
After walking out of the elevator, we bumped into Lydia, who came with her kid. She merely took a glance at us and entered the elevator without even sparing us another glance.
The wait was torment. I had been waiting for the news of Jackson getting better the entire day, but I only received a text from Stella that read The doctor said that Mr. Kane still needs to be under observation.
Worried, I was out of spirits when we left for the dinner. As Anthony helped me walk outside, my mind was preoccupied, so I was stunned for a second when I saw John.
“Why are you here?” Judging from his formal attire, he seemed to be going with us.
“Why can’t I be here?” John did an annoying shimmy and asserted proudly, “After all, I’m the only one who’s embarrassed the Ziegler family big time in the past ten years. Besides, I’m representing Uncle Louis and the Stanhope family today. Alright. Let’s get in the car.”
Then, he went up to me and helped me to get in the car of the Stanhope family, whereas Anthony got in the Featherstones’ car that was parked behind us.
We soon departed.
Glancing at the car behind me from the rearview mirror, I tilted my head and asked John, “What are the two of you up to?”
I was there when Cameron and Zachary came the day before, but I did not hear them say that Ezra invited the Stanhope family. Moreover, John had sent the internet into a frenzy with Mitchell’s scandals in the morning and had become a thorn in the side of the Ziegler family. His presence at the dinner would only irk them.
Looking at me, John flashed me a fake grin. “Nothing. I just want to meet the Ziegler family, so Anthony brings me along. That’s it.”
The expression on his face sent chills down my spine. Knowing that I could not find out the truth from him, I stopped pressing him for an answer.
The car drove for more than half an hour before it finally stopped.
Being a property magnate, the Ziegler family owned a villa that was located in a winery with the best scenery in the suburbs. It looked like a castle when looking from afar. It was not even seven in the evening, but the decorative lights were already switched on. The fountain danced among the beams of lights like the elves of night, adding a mysterious and solemn air to the castle.
The Featherstones were the richest family in J City, and their villa was considered decent even when compared to those in K City. However, I only saw the gap between J City and K City after seeing how impressive the Ziegler family’s villa was in person.
Meanwhile, John was accustomed to it as he walked inside with me arm in arm, whereas Anthony walked behind us.
When we entered the building, we saw Cameron and Zachary, who had long arrived, chatting.
Seeing us, Cameron rose to her feet and came over to greet us. “You’re here.”
Thinking that she could look after me, John let go of me and walked together with Anthony.
Afterward, the others also stood up and exchanged greetings. After a brief introduction, I finally got to know Ezra, whom Zachary and Louis dreaded.
Sitting across from me, he wore a plain outfit and held a folding fan in his hand. His hair was gray, and he looked amiable and all smiles, which was completely different from what I had imagined him to be. Yet, his disposition as a government official was discernible.
After chatting for a short while, we went to sit at the dining table. I did not know what was wrong with John as he insisted to sit next to me, so Anthony could only sat between Zayne and Zachary.
Where one sat at the table often determined one’s status. The Ziegler family was obviously the host, but Ezra sat at the head of the table, which showed that the Ziegler family respected Ezra very much.
After wine was poured into glasses, Ezra clinked a spoon against the side of his wine glass, attracting everyone’s attention.
“Let’s toast for Mr. Featherstone and Mr. Ziegler who have buried the hatchet.”
It turned out that Ezra was playing the peacemaker, which surprised everyone.
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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