Two weeks passed after Anthea had a heated argument with Rayan. Since that night, she hadn't seen or heard anything about him, as if he had vanished to prove his words. One week ago, Anthea and Sebastian decided to throw an engagement party to make everything official. To be honest, Anthea didn't have any plans previously regarding the engagement; however, she was furious with Rayan’s ridiculous words, which is why she impulsively said things about throwing the engagement party and inviting him to her engagement. She did that completely in the heat of the moment and then had to talk to Sebastian and arrange everything within the next two weeks. Nothing was going according to her plan; besides, the things Rayan said that day in the restaurant were stuck in her head. She couldn't understand why he would suddenly declare something like that. His words and actions made no sense to her at all. Besides, he was behaving like he still loved her, and being engaged to Aurelia meant nothing to
“I see you are here to spit nonsense and waste my time.” Anthea scoffed while crossing her arms over her chest. She then walked past him before walking towards the couch placed in the living room and sitting down. “You always think of the worst in me, don’t you?” Rayan’s voice held a hint of pain and frustration as he turned to follow her. Anthea pressed her lips together before meeting his gaze. That was the third time she asked her the same question. "Yes, because you gave me enough reason for that.” Anthea answered without hesitation. Rayan seemed to be at a loss for a moment as he stared at her without blinking, trying to figure her out. “Give me 30 minutes, then I will leave without any words.” Rayan’s voice was firm as he demanded, making Anthea slightly raise her eyebrow at him. Her initial reply was that she wouldn't; however, she was aware of how stubborn Rayan could be. He was here with a purpose, and he would never leave if she didn't listen to what he had to say. “Fine
The next day, Anthea woke up from her sleep from the continuous ringing of her phone. She didn't get a wink of sleep last night because of everything that happened yesterday. Since the moment Rayan left her apartment, she has been in a great dilemma. Her heart and mind had been in a huge war regarding everything she just found out. As the phone kept ringing, Anthea let out a groan before reaching out her hand to grab the phone from the cabinet. She blinked her eyes a few times to get rid of the sleepiness. As she checked the ID, she found it was a call from Emilia. Anthea checked the time and found it was around 9 a.m. in the morning, which made her sigh. “Hey.” She greeted her in a hoarse voice as soon as the call was connected. “You need to check the news; I'm coming over.” Emilia’s worried voice reached her ears, making Anthea frown. She tried to get up from the bed while wondering what Emilia was talking about. “What happened, Emi?” Anthea asked in confusion while removing the
Anthea rang the bell of Rayan's apartment with an impatient expression on her face. Her face had already turned as cold as ice the moment she stepped on this premise. At first, she had gone to his office without any prior notice; however, when she reached there, he wasn't present. Anthea quickly contacted his other assistant to learn about his whereabouts. To her surprise, Layla informed her that he hadn't come to the office besides it being the weekend. However, as far as Anthea remembered, he liked to work on the weekend too and rarely took any day off; therefore, it was a huge surprise for her. She called his number many times, yet all of her calls were directed straight to voicemail, which frustrated her even more. Anthea was on the verge of losing her temper when Layla suggested to her that she go to his apartment to visit him. She thanked Layla and cut the call before thinking whether it was appropriate to visit his apartment or not. She received his address from Layla via text
The moment Anthea stepped inside Nevaeh’s room, her heart dropped to her stomach at the sight of her. The poor baby was sleeping on the small single bed, her face pale and red due to the fever. Anthea walked towards her with small steps while clenching her fists tightly on both sides. Rosie, who was initially sitting beside the sleeping Nevaeh, looked up at her with an with an invisible shock on her face. Anthea spared her a small smile in acknowledgement before directly making her way over the bed and then sitting down on the left side of the bed. Neaveh’s small body was half covered in a blue floral-printed duvet. “Has she eaten anything in the morning?” Anthea asked in a small voice as she placed her hand on Nevaeh’s forehead. Thankfully, she wasn't burning up with fever. Her temperature had cooled down slightly, but there were still traces of fever. "Yeah, but not much. Rayan was able to feed her a few spoons of soup I had prepared in the morning.” Rosie answered with a sigh, gl
Anthea finished making the chicken porridge, along with some boiled vegetables. She then turned to look at Rayan, who was preparing some warm water with honey. Anthea’s heart flipped as he caught her staring at him. “Are you done?” He asked with a smile, making Anthea nod her head. She began to clean the kitchen counter while avoiding his eyes all of a sudden. “Yeah, almost finished. I will go and check if she woke up or not.” Anthea replied after wiping the counter.“You stay here; I will go and check.” Rayan proposed instead, stopping her from moving. Anthea didn't seem to mind it, and she nodded her head. Just as Rayan took a step, they both heard Nevaeh’s crying voice coming from upstairs. Both of them immediately looked in the opposite direction before looking at each other. “She seems to have already awoken. I will go and check on her. Meanwhile, you can bring the food. She must be hungry by now.” Rayan suggested seeing the anxious expression on Anthea’s face. Anthea heaved a
Anthea made Anthea comfortable on the bed before taking the food tray for Rosie with thanks. She carefully placed the food tray between her and Nevaeh before feeding her the first bite. The little girl obediently sat on the bed while her eyes remained glued to Anthea with the same excitement as before. Rayan, on the other hand, was also sitting in the other corner of the bed, watching the scene unfold in front of his eyes with a smile. For some goddamn reason, he was smiling a lot today, which obviously irked Anthea. She tried her best to ignore his stares, focusing all of her attention on Nevaeh. “Do you like it?“ Anthea asked nervously as she fed Nevaeh the first spoonful of porridge. Nevaeh instantly nodded her head with a smile, making Anthea feel relief. She wasn't a bad cook, but for some reason, she felt nervous about Neaveh not liking her hand-cooked food. “It’s yummy. Better than Aunt Amalia. I like it.“ Nevaeh answered in an adorable voice while playing with her pushie. An
After returning from the garden, Anthea cooked another meal for Nevaeh while the little girl kept sitting on the kitchen island with Rayan standing beside her. Nevaeh kept asking Anthea all kinds of questions, to which Anthea patiently replied. Rayan helped her here and there with the cooking, which she didn't refuse in front of Nevaeh. If she was being honest, she seemed to have softened around him a lot since the previous night after he proved he wasn't involved in her father’s case. After cooking and feeding Nevaeh dinner, Rayan fed her the medicine, which made her fall asleep quickly. Anthea left Nevaeh’s room to find her phone, which she hadn't seen for more than a few hours because she was occupied with Nevaeh. She made her way back into the kitchen, where she previously thought she had left her phone. However, after searching for a while, she still couldn't find her phone, which made her groan in frustration. “Where did I put it?” She asked herself while trying to remember w
"Why are we here, Rayan?" Anthea asked the moment she realised where Rayan had brought her! This was the place she dreaded coming to the most.Her father’s grave! Anthea’s mind went blank just thinking of this place. She had never visited this place in the last six years. She just couldn’t go there. Never. It had given her so many memories, sorrows, and pains, along with happiness. "Just trust me, please, baby.""But Rayan, you know I can't." Anthea shook her head; her voice sounded broken and vulnerable. Rayan quickly hugged her, rubbing her back to calm her down. "I know it's hard. But you have to be strong. You are strong. It's high time, Anthea; you need to let this heartbreak go and confront your fear. He's waiting for you, baby," Rayan encouraged while caressing her hair lightly. "You know I can't. It's too painful. I just can't face him, Rayan. How am I going to answer him? He's mad at me, I'm sure. Anthea let out a sob as tears slowly started to fall from her eyes. "Don't
“How did it go?” Anthea asked anxiously as soon as Rayan stepped into the living room. He smiled at her before pulling her into a tight hug. “Everything went well. I have already submitted all the evidence and they are taking the case directly to the court. He wouldn't be able to escape this time.” He answered while burying his face in the crook of his neck, trying to relax. Anthea let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god! You should have taken me with you.” She expressed it heartily while hugging her arms around Rayan’s back. “No! I don't want his dirty eyes to land on you, even for a second. I will take care of everything from here while you just stay here and take care of Nevaeh and our family.” Rayan raised his head and shook it before speaking. Anthea sighed again, totally understanding his concern. “I'm glad finally it's over with the Jones and we can relax.” Anthea smiled, changing the subject as they broke the hug while walking towards the couch. No one was present in the livi
Sebastian just got out of his car and was about to enter the Jones Corporation when a few men walked towards him before blocking his path. “Mr Jones.” One of the men called him before flashing him his ID card. Sebastian, who was surprised by the sudden unwanted visit, looked at the ID card of the man and realised they were from the Central Bureau of Investigation. “What brings you here, Officer?” Sebastian asked, trying to smile politely at them, but deep down he already had an ominous feeling rising inside his chest. “You are under arrest. Please raise your arms and cooperate with us.” The officer announced this loudly, grabbing some passersby’s attention who let out visible gasps while witnessing the scene. Sebastian was quite startled too, as he didn't expect some CBI officer to suddenly appear and tell him that he was being arrested. “What?” He looked at the officer in confusion, not understanding what was going on. “Handcuff him.” The officer ignored his words as he gestured
After the dinner ended, everyone was sitting around and casually chatting when Roman got up from his seat before walking towards Rayan, who was talking to Elijah. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?” Roman asked Rayan after reaching him. He excused himself from Elijah before nodding politely at Roman. “Of course.” He answered, making Roman nod. Elijah excused himself before giving them some space to talk. “Let's go somewhere quiet.” Roman offered, making Rayan nod. They were about to walk out of the VIP dining lounge when Anthea’s sudden voice stopped them. “Where are you two going?” She asked, looking at them with a frown. Rayan was about to answer her when Roman beat him to it. “Smoking!” Rayan blurted out while trying to cover something from Anthea. The moment the answer left his mouth, Anthea’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her husband with a scowl. “Rayan! I told you to quit smoking.” She glared at him, looking totally pissed. Rayan sighed as he looked at her angry expre
“Anthea, Rayan!” Athena greeted her enthusiastically as soon as Anthea, Rayan, and Nevaeh stepped into the private dining room. “Hey!” Anthea smiled while walking towards her, while Rayan stayed behind her, holding Nevaeh. “We were waiting for you!” Athena said, smiling heartily. Anthea smiled back, her eyes shifting to Roman, Elijah, and Emilia, who were already sitting on the chairs. Emilia waved her hand slightly when she met Anthea’s gaze. “Oh my God! Is that our little princess?" Athena exclaimed in joy when she caught sight of Nevaeh, who was walking beside her father, looking like an angel. Athena was totally awestruck by the sight of Nevaeh. “Yeah!” Anthea nodded with a chuckle, while Rayan smiled. “Nevaeh, say hi to your uncles and aunts." Anthea turned around before instructing Nevaeh with a smile. She looked at her mother before looking at Athena, who was still looking at her with a smile. “Hi!” She grinned shyly while trying to hide behind her father. Rayan let out a
“You didn't tell me you were coming here.” Rayan asked in surprise when he met Anthea in the hallway of the hospital. He was just returning after checking in with his father. He thought she would be going to the office directly after meeting Silas. “Because I knew I would find you here.” Anthea replied with a barely visible smile on her face. Rayan already noticed her dim expression, causing him to frown in concern. “Is everything okay?” He asked, walking towards her before holding her hand. Anthea glanced at him before nodding her head slightly. “Yeah. How is Mr. Allen?” She asked, trying to change the subject. Rayan also realised it but said nothing. He quietly followed her back to the VIP ward. “Better than before. He will be moved to the general word tonight after they did some last inspection.” He replied while intertwining his hands with her. “That's good news.” Anthea nodded, a genuine smile spreading across her lips at the good news. It didn't even pass 48 hours and his c
“You know where. How could you forget what you went through because of him? If it wasn't for family and me, Silas didn't finish his sentence and stopped midway when he noticed Anthea's eyes glaring sharply at him.“So you really think that just because you helped me in my darkest phase, you have some sort of right over me?” Anthea asked, her eyes flashing with coldness at the sudden realisation. “Anthea!” Silas uttered, looking at her with a blank expression. Anthea couldn't read what was running inside her head but at the moment, she barely cared. “Answer me, Silas. Is that what you think?” Anthea pressed further, her expression remaining the same. At that moment, she was sure about one thing: Rayan didn't lie or misunderstand anything. It was she who was blind and delusional. She couldn't see the truth, which was already before her eyes. “Did Rayan tell you this?” Silas suddenly asked back, his expression hardening. He didn't expect that son of a bitch, Rayan, to vomit every sin
“Drop me at this address.” Anthea said this while showing Rayan an address on her phone. “Why? You are not going to the office?” Rayan, who was driving the car, asked before taking the phone from her hand and then glancing at the address. “No. I'm going to meet Silas.” Anthea answered with a sigh. She noticed Rayan’s face hardening as soon as the words left her mouth. For a moment, he didn't say anything. “Okay. I'm going to the hospital to check on Dad. Call me if anything happens.” He nodded after a moment of silence while focusing on the road. “Okay. How is your dad?” Anthea nodded back before inquiring about Benjamin. She didn't receive any news on him from the moment she left the hospital with Silas. “He's improving.” Rayan muttered while taking a turn. The address Anthea showed him wasn't far. “I'm glad to hear that.” She sighed in relief, knowing Benjamin was getting well. She just hoped nothing bad would happen and he would eventually recover. Last night, they talked, an
“Because Silas told me you were in his house and you were going to stay with him when he came to pick Nevaeh up.” Rayan answered, feeling angry and helpless. He shouldn't have listened to that bastard in the first place. He should have known better. “What the hell!” Anthea stared at him in shock. “You don't believe me?” Rayan’s face hardened as he noticed the disbelief in her eyes. She was unwilling to believe him, which meant she trusted that bastard over him. Anthea shook her head immediately. “No! It's not like that. Why would he say something like that?” She denied it before inquiring. Rayan’s expression changed again as he took a step back from her; however, his eyes never left her. “Because he wants to provoke me and create misunderstandings between us.” He answered while grinding his teeth. Anthea frowned as disbelief crossed her eyes. “What are you saying, Rayan? Silas would never do something like that.” She shook her head, trying to deny everything Rayan just said. Ther