I was still unsatisfied at being so easily convinced by Anthony. Even though I was already agreeing deep inside, I purposely started to argue, “How sure are you that you can control him?”
Human beings were ever-changing. Not even God could anticipate how something might turn out, much less us.
Anthony suddenly lay down on my lap and closed his eyes. At ease, he murmured, “Even the strongest hero falls to temptation.”
As he spoke, he even stretched out languidly like a cat basking in the sun. Even though I started trying to get him off, it was practically impossible to move him.
I couldn’t do anything. The very moment I looked up, I noticed Joseph looking at us through the rearview mirror as he studied us secretly with a devious smile on his face. My cheeks heated up and all I could do was turn away and look at the passing scenery, deciding to leave Anthony be.
–
We finally got home and met the people we had been missing for so long.
“My dear Scar! I’ve missed you!”
Someone dressed in a floral suit with gold-rimmed sunglasses strutted toward me with open arms.
I instinctively stepped back and Anthony reached out to press a hand against the other’s chest. “Excuse me, who are you calling Scar? In this house, there’s only Mrs. Featherstone. If you make the same mistake next time, I’m kicking you out.”
After he spoke, he pushed lightly and the man stumbled back a few steps.
He pulled a face and took off his sunglasses as he ranted, “I’ve been wondering why you’ve become so sensitive recently. Don’t you know what manners are? I was already polite enough since she was your wife! If not for that, I’d already been hugging her!”
I finally got a proper look at him.
Holden really never changed. His actions and fashion sense were still as flamboyant as ever. As always, he was also extremely loud.
I had only heard about him from John. For example, he ganged up with the Hawen mafia to get rid of some disrespectful and huffy seniors. I also heard about how some big donations in his name had suddenly turned him into some angel of two small neighboring countries. He worked with both the dark and light sides, and he had a steady grip over his place as the head of the Taylor family.
“No, thank you,” I said with disdain as I walked past him and gently coaxed both kids to go upstairs first.
Holden looked at me with an ambiguous smile as he mocked, “The two of you must be baby-printing machines.”
His tone led me to believe that he almost definitely had misunderstood things.
He was so talented at babbling on and on that I felt like I had aged ten years by the time he finished prying. I decided to just change the subject and move into the main topic. “What brings you here, Mr. Taylor? I know you’re a busy man, so just come out with it. I would hate to waste your precious time.”
Holden chuckled evilly before following me to the living room and sitting down with one leg idly crossed over the other. “It’s been six years and yet you’re still so sharp with your words. I guess the saying of time mellowing out women really doesn’t apply to you.”
“The same goes for you, too.” I chuckled. “Your skin looks just the same as before.”
“Really?” Holden actually lifted a hand and caressed his own cheek and chin.
“Yep,” I said with a forced smile. Of course, I swallowed down what was supposed to come after it; that his skin was just as thick.
Holden caught sight of my expression and immediately figured out I was mocking him. His eyes narrowed and he whined, “Scar! Why are you mocking me again-”
Suddenly, a pair of hands roughly shoved a piece of fruit into Holden’s mouth.
Holden frowned and chewed. “What is this?”
“Dragon fruit,” Anthony said coldly.
“Sh*t! I have trypophobia!”
After that, he made a beeline for the bathroom.
After a series of loud retches, the sound of the toilet flushing rang out.
Anthony glanced at me and shrugged innocently. “I had no clue.”
Holden walked out of the bathroom. “Sh*t. Anthony, are you a proper man or not? That was below the belt!”
Anthony leaned against the sofa wordlessly.
I burst out laughing. “Well, as the saying goes, do stupid things, win stupid prizes. God’s teaching you a lesson.”
Holden suddenly started babbling even more. “God? I fought God a long time ago and I’m only standing here because I won! If not, I’d probably have been chopped up and fed to the fishes. No one can teach me a lesson now unless I want to be taught.”
As he spoke, he returned to his comfortable perch on the sofa and lay down casually, completely making this place his home.
He almost seemed as if he were dozing off for a second before he bounced back up like a spring. After he sat up straight, he suddenly stared at me intensely, looking almost like a wolf staring at its prey.
“Just to remind you, if you keep staring at me like that, the man behind you is going to teach you another lesson.”
Holden was staring at me like a predator staking out its prey, and Anthony was like the hunter right behind him with his rifle pointed straight at Holden’s head. As for me, the poor deer stuck in between, I felt goosebumps beginning to rise on my arms.
It was already hard enough to hold back my laughter at the mere sight of Holden, so I really couldn’t find it in me to actually be serious on top of that.
Holden looked back and waved Anthony away. “I’m talking business here. Don’t butt in, buddy.”
He placed a hand on the armrest of my armchair and leaned over. His sentimental gaze was still staring into my soul. “You’re pretty good at keeping secrets, huh? I’ve known you for so long, and yet I’ve never known that you were such an artist.”
Anthony reached out and pulled him back. “Hey, watch it. Haven’t you heard that you should never go after your friend’s wife?”
“But-”
“No exceptions.”
Holden was speechless and sighed heavily in response. “All right, I see what you’re doing. I can’t believe I’ve spent the last six years helping you find your wife and this is how you treat me! What happened to us being friends?”
The two of them stared each other down, as stubborn as bulls. For some reason, the whole scene looked strangely comedic.
“Hey, hey, you’ve been friends for so long! Is it really worth it to fight right now?” I quickly decided to become the mediator. “It was just a joke! Just be the bigger person and step down, both of you. Let’s get back to business. Why were you talking about art just now?”
Holden was clearly still in a huffy mood and he said impatiently, “There’s an organization in Eastern Epea who’s been selling art pieces under your name. It’s really made a huge change to our currency!”
When we heard the word ‘currency,’ Anthony and I exchanged glances. Clearly, we had arrived at the same conclusion.
Suddenly, a familiar male voice called out from the doorway, “Oh, do you guys have a visitor? Maybe we should have come another day.”
I turned to see Nick and Rose walk in.
Nick was holding Rose’s hand and she was holding onto his arm affectionately. Every few steps, they would glance at each other as if making sure the other person was still there. It definitely seemed like they were on great terms.
I could tell from just Rose’s gaze alone. She was smiling so hard her eyes shone and crinkled at the corners.
Because of our past issues with Jackson, Nick and I weren’t exactly close anymore and we chose not to interact with each other if possible. All I heard about him was whatever I got from Cameron, and I was happy to hear that he was on good terms with Rose again. I was also glad to hear that he had managed to expand the company through the Walker family’s help and was extremely successful now. Apart from being happy for him as an older sister, I was also relieved to see that the two of them were so lovey-dovey.
The giant river flow of time had always been unforgiving with washing people away. Unfortunately, as mere human beings, we couldn’t do anything but watch them leave. Luckily enough, there would always be those people left behind that could huddle together for warmth.
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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