I could feel his hands tremble in mine. He suddenly seized me and dragged me into the bedroom.
He proceeded to sit me down on the bed, then walked over to the closet. He pulled out a small plastic bag, then stuffed the pill bottle that had been encapsulated within into my hands.
Vitamin A Supplement Lozenges, the label read. The package looked familiar. Anthony had been taking these since Summer fell ill. He’d reassured me that nothing was wrong with him, and they’d since been relegated to the back of my mind.
“Over the years, my doctor has been trying various methods to increase my intake of Vitamin A. There aren’t many others with a similar condition, so no one, including me, really took it seriously. Recently, however, I compared my medical records to the Hall family’s and realized that this is a hereditary chronic illness. There’s a seventy percent chance that I’ll go blind after the age of forty. That’s also the reason why the Halls cast me out,” Anthony said lightly.
He sounded matter-of-fact as if he had long since accepted the fact, but I could detect a hint of self- degradation in his tone.
He seemed understanding, but I felt a bitter wave of outrage rising within me nonetheless.
If his eyes were the problem, that would explain Anthony’s unusual behavior over the video call. As long as he wasn’t doing a drug trial of any sort on my behalf, I thought there was no need to further worry myself.
However, this hereditary blindness was no fault of his. It wasn’t even a complete guarantee that he would lose his sight. Yet, the Halls had thus decided to forsake their own son because of it. It was an utterly heartless move on their part.
Realization dawned upon me with a flash. The reason for Tiffany’s arrogance was suddenly crystal- clear to me.
As Anthony’s younger sister, she must have scorned what she perceived as her brother’s inferior genes. The fact that Tiffany hadn’t inherited the illness must have convinced her that she was clearly his superior.
What an utterly debased family! I fumed to myself. It was ridiculous that one could despise others for their genetic makeup in this day and age.
Anthony tilted his head and looked at me bemusedly. “What’s wrong? Are you concerned for me?” he teased.
I remained silent. Anthony paused, then continued determinedly, “It’s only a possibility, after all. I’m still holding out for that remaining thirty percent that everything will be fine. Besides, even if I can’t see, Joe is back at the headquarters of the company, and Joseph is a capable, steadfast worker. He’s worthy of the hopes I’m pinning on him. I’ll only be losing my sight, not my mind. As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep striving. I won’t let you and the children down…”
“I was thinking,” I said, interrupting Anthony, “that even if Featherstone Corporation goes bankrupt, we’ll still have help from John and the Moore family. Besides, I think I’m capable of raising three children. All I’m worried about is letting you down. You can’t enjoy the wealth and influence of being a president any longer. You’ll have to make do with our uneventful, quiet happiness. I suppose I’ll be your sugar mommy… “
I trailed off, noticing Anthony staring at me in bewilderment.
“Are you upset?” I asked timidly.
Any man who took pride in his masculinity usually recoiled at the idea of getting a sugar mommy.
Anthony wrinkled his brow for a moment, then abruptly chuckled. “Are you saying that you’ll raise me as well?”
I hadn’t expected him to respond so jovially. My tentative smile widened into a grin. “Sure, what’s your price?”
At my joke, Anthony burst into peals of genuine laughter. In that instant, the dark shadows that had hung over him seemed to have fled. He finally looked rejuvenated.
I saw my chance. Gently stroking his injured hand, I declared, “You’re mine now! I don’t like people who are constantly putting themselves down. You have to stay positive, or I’ll drop you off my list. There’s a long line waiting after you.”
A wicked gleam appeared in his eyes. He pinched my chin, compelling me to meet his eyes. “Then I’ll have to be a good boy and work hard then, won’t I?”
“You know it…” I nodded playfully.
Anthony dipped his head towards me, and before I realized what he was doing, he stole a kiss from me. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
I felt my cheeks instantly burn crimson. Gritting my teeth, I countered cheekily, “It’s a borderline pass. I’m sure you can do much better than that. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Anthony’s dark eyes seemed overwhelmed with emotion. He reached out and pulled me over, his arms encircling me in a tight hug. We were so close that I could hear the throb of his heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his chest with every breath.
At that moment, the world and its worries seemed to fall away. All that remained was Anthony and me, wrapped in our mutual embrace. The two of us sat like this for what felt like an eternity. It was barely a few minutes later, however, when Anthony suddenly sprang up. He ran out of the room with me in tow, saying, “I’ve spent enough time feeling sorry for myself. It’s time to deal with the obstacles getting in my way of being a sugar baby.”
Seeing his renewed vigor, I merely smiled and allowed him to lead me down the stairs.
When we reentered the living room together, Bill and Tiffany were still seated inside.
Tiffany straightened up when she caught sight of Anthony, saying brightly, “Anthony, have you changed your mind? I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t be able to walk away from our family just like that.”
Anthony said nothing, silently leading me over to the sofa. We sat down facing Tiffany, and he took his time to settle down, crossing his legs before replying evenly, “I can rejoin the Hall family but on one condition. My children will remain with the Stanhope family.”
A look of disquiet crossed Tiffany’s face. “You can’t do that. The babies have the blood of the Hall family running through their veins! You can’t leave them in the hands of outsiders.”
“You’re wrong,” Emma finally spoke. There was a tremor in her voice from the state of agitation she was evidently under. Impassionately, she continued, “The Stanhope family has always treated any children as their own. Now that Anthony and Sienna have reconciled, how can you call the Stanhopes outsiders? If we’re talking about bringing up children, what do you have to say about a certain family that brutally abandoned its child for ten years, not caring whether it lived or died? What right do you have to decide for Anthony and Sienna’s children?”
Emma turned to look at John after speaking. There seemed to be a fleeting acknowledgment of mutual agreement between the two. However, it was only a brief flash that quickly faded back into their original stiffness.
Anthony paid no heed to John and Emma’s marital rows. Carelessly, he answered Tiffany, “You’re too late. I’m already part of the Stanhope family, and so are my children. Sienna is the only one who has any say over where we go.”
Anthony paused to direct an intent look at me. “Isn’t that right, Honey?”
Caught off guard, I scrambled to keep up with his theatrical performance. “That’s right! Anthony’s mine. Don’t you use Facebook. Ms. Hall? The entire Featherstone family belongs to the Stanhope family now.”
No one would have expected that our plan against Thora yesterday would actually prove to be helpful today. The Hall family only had themselves to blame because they were the ones who were in the wrong.
Tiffany was at a loss for words. Clearly, she had not seen this coming. She darted her agile gaze around, trying to figure out a solution.
I let down my guard when I saw the expression on her face, but Anthony was far from relaxing his vigilance. He nudged me with his elbow and his brows arched subtly, hinting me to corner Tiffany.
Men were always so combative. They went all out when they were faced with threats. Judging from Anthony’s expression, I could tell he would not easily let Tiffany off the hook.
I could not choose to not cooperate with him, so I started speaking again. “Since Mr. Young is Mr. Hall’s representative, please kindly relay our intentions. The deal he offers is tempting, but the Stanhope and the Moore family are not in want of anything. We’re not desperate to an extent where we need to sacrifice our children, so I suggest he stop wasting his time before he loses everything.”
I stopped briefly and held Anthony’s hand in mine before continuing, “He might be a nobody to all of you, but to me, he’s everything. I hope the two families can each go their own ways after this. This is how things should have been since the accident happened. If the Hall family stops meddling with us and minds its own business, then the Stanhopes will back down. But if your family insists on creating trouble, then you’d better pray that you guys have someone who’s a match for Anthony. The Stanhopes live only by one mantra: we will not let any offender walk away unpunished.”
I was fully aware that I might have sounded overconfident and snobbish, but what I said was no exaggeration. I had to stamp the Hall family to the ground and put them in their place.
Anthony might not be in his best state, but I could still take care of him. If he did go blind, the Stanhope and Moore family could still be his support. Even in the worst-case scenario, we would have Sally help us. She was one of us, and she was kind-hearted. I was sure she would do everything within her capacity to help.
The point was, Anthony’s life could still go on without the Halls interfering.
My condescending words were obviously no music to Tiffany’s ears. “Don’t be too sure of yourself. You probably have no idea what our family is capable of. Do you think you will be able to keep the kids just because you want to?”
I gave her an indifferent shrug. “Of course. It goes without saying that children should stay with their mothers. It’s the only reasonable way to do things, after all. This is how society works… Unless you mean to tell me this rule doesn’t apply to the Hall family. Come to think of it, I might be wrong to assume the Hall family plays by the rule.”
Without waiting for retaliation from Tiffany, I turned toward Bill. “Mr. Young, you’re a philanthropist yourself. I’d advise you to take a good look at who you’re working with. Associating with people with dubious morality is only going to hurt your good name.”
The first time I heard of Bill Young was when he was involved with Armond. Now that the man was working with Nicolas, I wonder how it would affect his hard-earned reputation.
Gloom settled over Tiffany’s face. “You don’t have to insult our family in such an indirect manner. You can start numbering your days if my father finds out what horrid words just came out of your mouth.”
Before I could say another word, Anthony sprang toward Tiffany and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground in a violent tug. “Your family poisoned her?” he bellowed.
Everyone present was suddenly alarmed. Many were originally here to see how Anthony and I would teach Tiffany a lesson, but when they heard Anthony’s sharp question, all of their curiosity was piqued. I could see John’s tightly clenched fists quivering as anger burned in his eyes. Even Emma was looking at Tiffany in terror after she got a grasp of what was going on.
I myself could not believe Anthony’s very own father was the one who poisoned me.
When Tiffany realized she blundered, she tried deviating from the topic. “What poison? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she cried out as she struggled to free herself.
Unfortunately, Tiffany was too late. Rage was already spreading in Anthony’s bloodshot eyes like a wildfire. No one could say for sure what he would do at this rate. “I’m asking you one last time. Did Nicolas do it?” he roared.
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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