His shout reverberated in the living room, his booming voice bouncing off the walls. Even I was shaken.
I could imagine the shock for Anthony. The Halls abandoned him when he was a kid, and now they even targeted the people he loved the most. I could not help but wonder if they took Anthony as their son or as their enemy.
Tiffany’s usually well-composed face turned estranged. Her neckline stiffened as she swallowed hard. “Yes… But.. I didn’t do anything! I only overheard dad talking about it when he was in his study,” Tiffany explained, her lips shaking in fear.
“Ah! You jer…”
Anthony flung his fist toward her before she could even say the word “jerk.”
But instead of dealing her a square blow, Anthony’s arm froze in the air for a good ten seconds before it landed on the couch beside Tiffany. By the time everyone came back to their senses, there was a huge dent in the couch because of the impact.
Tiffany was one of the few women on the Forbes list. Despite her shriek and her trembling body, she still managed to feign composure, acting indifferent. “Dad is in charge of all decisions at home. I’m just his puppet. I didn’t get much say of my own for the past twenty years either, so you can’t blame me, Anthony,” she said, tidying up her clothes in an attempt to conceal her nerves.
“As for the poison in Sienna’s body, only Dad has the antidote. You should calm down and think things through clearly. Since he’s willing to listen to me and accept you, don’t you think going back with your children is the best option now? Try being a good son to him. Who knows, maybe he’ll soften his heart. You’re a businessman yourself. You should know there are times when we need to lose the battle to win the war.”
Although Anthony was on the verge of going berserk, Tiffany was still able to talk to him calmly, showcasing just how strong her will was. But as strong as she may seem, her evasive gaze soon landed on Bill, and the two took it upon themselves to leave immediately after.
Once they were gone, the whole living room fell into dead silence. Anthony’s head drooped low in devastation, and he stood motionless for a long time.
As I expected, Nicolas had been watching his every move. Everything that happened was within his calculation.
Anthony’s every move from J City to K City, including his career, his family, and the child we lost, were all under his supervision. Nicolas had the opportunity to save our first child, but he had not done so. Since he saw Anthony’s child as a shameful stain to his family, there was no reason for him to save that child, and neither would he accept me as Anthony’s wife.
However, Nicolas had no choice but to back down now. He realized that Anthony and the Stanhope family were not people he could mess with anymore. If he wanted the children, he had no other option but to accept me and Anthony, no matter how much the Hall family despised us.
To put it plainly, both of us were necessary evil he had to bear because he wanted the children.
“There’s nothing we can do now. Both of you only have one option. That’s to go back to the Hall family and try to get the cure for Letty. As for our next step, we will play by ear.” John’s apathetic voice cut through the silence, but I could still sense a hint of anger in his tone.
The surrounding air suddenly turned solemn.
Everyone had heard what Tiffany said clearly—I was poisoned because of Anthony. Although it was not his fault per se, everyone was still exasperated.
Anthony did not reply to John. Seeing him seemingly unmoved, the latter’s fists tightened as he got ready to speak again.
“Give us some time to discuss this,” I intervened before John could open his mouth to say another word.
John might not know what Anthony was thinking, but I knew. His parents had made his life a living hell for the past twenty-plus years. It would not be easy to welcome his parents with open arms overnight.
Louis shot John a glare, hinting him to give Anthony and me some time alone. The others did not say a word after that.
Anthony’s furrowed brows did not relax even after he and I had headed upstairs.
Since he was not in a good mood, I dragged him from our room to the baby room next door.
The nanny stopped playing with the babies when we entered. “Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone, the kids are very playful today.”
“That’s great. Thanks for attending to them. We’ll take over from here,” I said.
“Of course,” the nanny replied and left the room promptly.
Gregory held out his hands when he felt I was close. I picked him up and carried him in my arms.
After a few months of diligent care, both children looked healthy and strong.
When I looked at Anthony again, the frown on his face had disappeared, and he was holding Audrey securely in his arms. There was love and gentleness written all over his face as he looked at our daughter.
I let out a sigh of relief at the sight.
Children were the purest beings on earth. They could certainly heal any pain and hurt in the world.
“Anthony,” I called out to him softly. He cast his gaze on me, and our eyes met. “I’m fine,” I continued.
It took him a while to finally understand what I meant.
“I don’t want you to make your life miserable for my sake. Life has already been hard enough for you. I don’t care about the poison, so you don’t have to worry about it. I’m happy to simply have you and the kids by my side. I only want to spend the rest of my life with you and our children.”
A frown played on Anthony’s brows again, but he remained silent.
I avoided his gaze and looked at our children. “You don’t have to take what John said to heart. We can go and live in a place where no one can find us. I’ve already thought about it. None of us owe each other anything, so we should just put all this behind us and live a happy life.”
If we could not face it head-on, we could always run away. There must be a place on earth where Nicolas could not find us. That would be our home.
I might not have much time left, but Gregory and Audrey could still keep Anthony company. They would love him and take care of him.
Both of us had been so busy for the past ten years. We never really had time to slow down and enjoy life.
Just as we were deep in thoughts, the baby girl in Anthony’s arms began mumbling.
Both of our gazes turned towards Audrey simultaneously. Anthony met her gaze, and she broke out in a wide smile, snuggling in his embrace.
This elicited a smile on Anthony’s face, and he held her closer to his face. “I’m here, Audrey. I’ll stay with you and Mommy forever,” he told her in an endearing tone as if Audrey could understand what he was saying.
“You’d better keep your word,” I teased with a smile.
Anthony looked up at me in a determined manner. “When have I ever broken a promise to you? Let’s get ready. We’re going to see the Hall family.”
“What? Why? Aren’t we going into hiding? Are you sure you want to go to the Hall residence?”
“I’m sure,” Anthony said with a warm smile on his face, “You can’t always expect me to be the bigger man. I want to be selfish and greedy this time around. I can’t just go and hide somewhere. I want to keep you by my side for as long as I can. I want to stay with you and the kids. I’m not letting anyone go.”
He drilled his gaze through me, and his tone turned commanding. “Sienna, you’re not ditching me and running away this time. I’ve endured the past twenty years, and I don’t want to lose you at the end of this journey. I will make sure all the suffering I went through is worth it, so let’s go to the Halls and reclaim the life we’re supposed to have.”
Three days later, we brought the kids and the nanny along to the Halls’ private island.
After we arrived at M Country from K City, we took a private jet and landed on the coastline of international waters. The propellers spun furiously, causing turbulent ripples on the water surface. A foreboding shadow eclipsed our hearts as we landed on the mysterious and dangerous island.
A castle-like frontage came into sight the moment we got off the jet. Greeneries covered the places where seawater could not reach the structure. A pebble-paved path parted the grass, leading all the way up to the top of the hill. Walking through the island of tropical plants felt as if we were meandering through a tropical rain forest, save for the slimy swamps.
The sequestered island made it a good hiding place for Nicolas for the past twenty years.
I busied myself with observing the surroundings, failing to notice the accessorial rock on the path. If Anthony had not caught me by the waist in time, I would have tripped and fell.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to fake a smile to calm myself down.
Being in a foreign environment was disconcerting.
“Be careful,” Anthony chided, holding my hand tight. “Don’t be nervous. The Halls are only interested in the kids. They don’t care who we are, so relax and treat this as a vacation.”
His words indeed rang true, but I could not help but recall Nicolas’ threatening words when he said he would make Anthony disappear from the surface of the earth the first time we confronted him.
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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