Crash!
“You’ll regret this, Nathaniel Hall!”
A loud noise of shattering glasses reached my ears right after we went out of the room. I jumped at the noise and looked back at the mechanical door nervously as a bad feeling ate me up from the inside.
“Don’t worry, Sienna.” Nathaniel’s voice pulled me back to reality. He still had that calm and reliable look on his face. “He’s just a nobody. I’ll take care of him,” he assured.
After the elevator door opened, Nathaniel led the way and went out. I caught a glimpse of his gaze as he walked out, and a wave of suspicion crept into my heart.
When Anthony saw how I was refusing to move, he patted me gently on my back. “Don’t worry, Nathaniel will make sure everything is okay,” he said softly.
I met Anthony’s determined gaze before I looked at the enigmatic man waiting for us outside the elevator. This was the first time I felt so unsure ever since I set foot on the island.
Will anything happen to us? Will our children be safe? We’re surrounded by the Halls, and Armond is after us. Will everything be okay?
“Anthony’s right,” Nathaniel tried convincing me to step out. “Both of you can trust me.”
He sounded genuine and honest, and he looked so too. If I had not seen with my own eyes how he took Armond down single-handedly, I would have been deceived by his looks.
The pressure from Anthony’s hand intensified on my shoulder. He was asking me to get my act together so Nathaniel would not suspect that we had already seen right through him.
I forced a smile on my face. “Of course. You’re the only person we can trust.”
Nathaniel and I nodded at each other, and I went out with Anthony holding my hand. We continued our visit looking at the research projects undertaken by the family.
After the confrontation in the morning, everyone seemed to be distracted. We took a cursory look at the facilities and had some casual exchanges before finding any excuse to leave.
I was worried about the children, so Anthony and I headed back to the castle the moment we could.
Before we arrived at the nursery, we heard someone arguing.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone have already insisted that no one other than our own nanny can touch the kids.”
“I understand, but I’m a certified nanny who has been working for the Hall family for many years. The children are almost one! You should really leave things to the professional. I’m not here to harm the children, I’m only here to make some assessments.”
“No, we’re good. We’ll take care of the babies ourselves.”
Joseph was arguing with the nanny Nicolas had assigned for the children. They were speaking in Ustranasion, and the negotiation was done cordially.
I stood at the door for a second, thinking about what I should do to turn down Nicolas’ offer, but Anthony barged right in.
“Get out,” he ordered. The whole room fell into dead silence at his sudden appearance.
The nanny Nicolas hired was a Chanaean woman. Despite her perfect skin and well-kept body figure, her eyes betrayed her age. Her dyed hair and colored contact lenses could easily make anyone mistake her for a local from M Country, but under a closer look, her skin tone said she was from Aploth.
The woman was taken aback by Anthony’s commanding tone, but she quickly recollected herself and tried negotiating again.
The woman took a step closer to us and started speaking to us in Ustranasion. “Mr. Hall has the best of the children in mind. They are the family’s heirs. They need special care and upbringing to ensure they grow up to be capable members of the family. I’m sure you can understand why…”
“Speak your native language,” Anthony interjected her impatiently.
The woman stared at him and continued speaking in Ustranasion. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re…”
“It seems like you don’t even know your mother tongue. How can someone like you teach my children? Get out of my sight, now,” Anthony threatened, not bothering to give her a chance to explain.
“How dare you!” Before the woman could continue, Joseph had already stepped in between them. He cast a severe glare at the woman and gestured at her to leave. “This way, please.”
Upon seeing everyone so adamant about her leaving, the woman stomped out in a fury.
Once the commotion died off, Anthony walked over to the children to check on them. When he was sure Gregory and Audrey were alright, his tense face relaxed.
“All of you may leave first.” I felt I had to talk to Anthony alone after some consideration.
Joseph and the nanny left without any objection, closing the door behind them after they left.
I went closer and squatted down beside Audrey, toying restlessly with her chubby hands. “Do you think it’s worth it, Anthony?” I blurted out anxiously.
My husband read my face and understood my concern almost immediately. “I’m not losing any one of you.”
I understood what he meant. It would not be a complete family anymore without me. He was willing to undertake great risks to keep the family intact.
“But it’s only the second day, and I’m already gripped by fear. What if something happens? I know the Halls will never harm the children, but what if…”
Armond would do whatever it took to get rid of us. What will happen to the children if something happens to us? The Halls are only gonna groom them into cold-hearted beasts.
As for Nathaniel, he might seem harmless, but God knows what he’s planning in his head.
I was so lost in all these worrying thoughts that I did not realize Anthony staring at me for some time. He circled his arms around me from behind, causing a familiar scent to waft around me and invade my senses.
“It won’t take long. My men are already on the island. I’ll bring you, the children, and the cure home safely. Summer is still waiting for us at home. You need to stay strong,” he whispered in my ears in a low voice.
My hard look softened instantly when I looked at my children.
Macy left and entrusted her daughter to me. There was no way I could leave Summer behind. Besides, how could I let Gregory and Audrey grow up without their mother?
I held on to Anthony’s hands around my waist and pursed my lips in determination. “I’ll stay strong.”
I knew there was no turning back since the day I fell in love with Anthony.
A week went by peacefully after Anthony sent the nanny away.
His men, who had already located the most possible spot where the antidote was hidden, were already planning on how to break in to acquire the cure.
But Anthony received a text from Armond the next day, asking him for a meet-up at the golf course on the island.
I obviously would never let him go alone. I started packing my clothes as the hour of their meeting approached, getting ready for whatever was to come.
As usual, Anthony looked calm and composed as he sat on the couch reading some documents.
I could not wrap my head around how he could remain unflustered under such a circumstance.
“Do I have something on my face?” Anthony asked, growing uncomfortable under my drilling stare. He put down the document in his hands and folded his legs before leaning on the couch. “Do you also want to put some foundation on my face? You’re putting on makeup on your own face, but you’re staring at me. You’d better move on to the next step on your routine though, one side of your face is so pale.”
I retracted my gaze and looked at the mirror, only to realize I had forgotten to put on foundation on one side of my face. I spread it out evenly as I talked to him. “Are you not worried at all about Armond? What if it’s a trap?”
I swore Armond as my nemesis a long time ago. I could never sit still at the mere mention of his name.
Anthony took up the documents again and replied lackadaisically, “I’m not a bit worried about Armond. On the contrary, It’s the person behind him who has to worry. Before he has a clear idea about the Moore and the Stanhope family, he will not dare to snatch the children away, and neither will he do anything to us. Because if he does anything hasty, there will be a bounty on his head.” Anthony paused for breath shortly before he continued, “I forgot to tell you that I’ve got some returns from an investment. I’ve already used the small amount of money to open a bank account in Sumanthova. The money will go to whichever bounty hunter in the world who’s able to chase the perpetrator down.”
It turned out that he had had everything planned out. I must have forgotten that I had married a shrewd man.
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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