Are you sure you want to go there? There will be a lot of people, including his whole family." Emilia asked the same question for the fourth time in the past hour. A sigh escaped Anthea's soft lips as she put down her iPad before looking up at Emilia. She was looking at her with a worried expression, making Anthea force a smile.
"Emi, I will be fine; trust me. You know, I have been waiting for this exact moment for five years. Now it's finally here." Anthea tried her best to ease her cousin's worry while getting up from the sofa and walking towards where Emilia was standing.
"I know, Thea. I trust you, but I don't trust that scumbag or his family. What if they do something to hurt you?" Emilia couldn't help but think about the worst possibilities. Her heart felt restless just thinking about the situation Anthea would be in if she really attended that damn New York City's elite society's party. Anthea had already suffered enough throughout her life; she didn't want her to suffer anymore. That bastard Rayan Allen should rot in hell for hurting her cousin.
"Just trust me, Emi. Everything will be fine. You know, it's the perfect time to let those despicable people know that I'm back. They can't hurt me anymore." Anthea held Emilia's hands in hers before giving them a light squeeze. She looked at her with a firm gaze, making her sigh.
"Besides, Silas will be there too." She added it with a smile. Finally, Emilia gave in and nodded her head with a smile. Of course, she trusted Silas with Anthea. He's the only one whom she could trust with Anthea.
"Alright, you can go if Silas is with you." Emilia grinned, making Anthea chuckle.
"Finally, you smiled. I was sick of that grim look on your face, Emi. You look awful when you are upset, so don't be upset, okay?" Anthea said with a smile while walking back towards the sofa.
"I wasn't upset, just a little worried." Emilia scoffed, making Anthea roll her eyes as she sat back in her previous seat. Seeing her not respond further, Emilia followed her before sitting opposite her.
"So what's your next plan for your beloved ex-husband and former in-laws?" Emilia asked mockingly while peeking at Anthea's iPad.
"For now, let me just surprise them with my presence," Anthea responded lazily without moving her eyes from her iPad where she was checking out some pictures. Emilia smirked without responding. She also glanced at the iPad alongside Anthea who swiped a few pictures one by one, her blue eyes solely fixed on the screen, noticing every single detail of every single picture. While swiping, a beautiful-looking woman's picture showed up on the screen making Anthea pause. Her fingers stuck in mid-air as she stared down at the picture of a familiar couple.
"Isn't that Aurelia Jones? Your ex-husband's fiancee?" Emilia asked as her eyes slightly widened while glancing at the beautiful woman. When she didn't hear any response from Anthea, she quietly glanced in her direction, only to find her expression completely blank as she stared at the picture.
"Yes." She responded dryly, pretending to be unfazed. Emilia bit her lips while staring at the picture. A disgusted expression took over her face just by looking at the couple.
On the other hand, as Anthea's eyes remained completely focused on the picture, she felt pure hatred bubbling up inside her chest. In the picture, Aurelia was holding Rayan's arms while entering a famous jewellery shop. They were probably there to pick up their wedding ring. As usual, Rayan Allen was dressed in his expensive suits, while the hateful woman was dressed elegantly, and her long blonde hair was put in an elegant bun. She was wearing a pair of black sunglasses, which covered her beautiful hazel eyes. Hazel! Anthea clenched her fist as the word crossed her head. She remembered the day when she first heard Rayan call that woman by that name. He gave her that nickname because of her eyes. Anthea clenched her fists before shutting her eyes. She was almost losing control just by seeing the despicable cheating couple. She needed to get a grip on herself. If she still behaved like this just by seeing their picture, then what would she do after finally facing them? She couldn't let her emotions overtake her and ruin her years of hard work. Anthea took a deep breath before opening her eyes.
"Are you alright, Thea?" Emilia, who was silently observing her, finally asked, worried.
"Yeah. Just seeing these two despicable people makes my blood boil." Anthea nodded before answering. She closed her iPad before getting up from her seat.
"It's alright. They will soon be paying for their sins. Just wait for a while, Thea." Emilia tried to assure her while following her behind. Anthea nodded while grabbing her things from her desk.
"Are we leaving?" Emilia asked while checking her wristwatch for the time.
"Yes. I need to meet someone." Anthea replied while grabbing her phone and car keys.
"Who?" Emila asked while also grabbing her phone from Anthea's desk.
"Clark," Anthea answered after a moment of pause, making Emilia's eyes widen.
"Did you get any updates? Wait, did he find her?" Emilia questioned, impatience dripping from her voice. The usual nonchalant mask on Anthea's face finally fell as her eyes flashed with sudden pain. She took a heavy breath before shaking her head and making Emilia's face fall.
"I'm sorry!" Emilia apologised before biting her tongue. She shouldn't have nagged her like that.
"It's fine. We will find her soon. I have to find her." Anthea quickly masked her emotion before forcing a smile. Emilia nodded before smiling back, not daring to push the topic any further, knowing it was the most sensitive topic for her. Without further conversation, they both walked out of Anthea's cabin.
Anthea's mind wandered back to the day she committed the second-gravest mistake of her life. The first one was to trust Rayan Allen, which almost ruined her life, but her second mistake made her lose the most important thing of her life. Anthea's heart filled with uncontrollable pain as she thought about the day. If only she could go back in time and stop herself from doing what she did. If only!
The first time she met Rayan Allen was when she was only 19 years old. He was three years older than her, 22 at the time. Their first meeting was in the orphanage, where she used to volunteer. It was the same orphanage she grew up in before being adopted. Even after being adopted she frequently visited and volunteered there. Rayan was a freshly graduated student who moved from New York City to Quebec City. At first, he was just a cold, aloof, and introverted boy who occasionally volunteered alongside her and played music with orphan children. He didn't talk or interact with people much. Anthea heard from one of the sisters of the orphanage that his mother also grew up here before being adopted. However, as time went by, she started to get to know him more before ultimately falling for him. He was extremely handsome and smart while she was clumsy, dumb and talked too much. They were the total opposite of each other. She liked to talk, while he liked to listen. But they had a mutual int
She slowly discovered her mother-in-law's real face; her two sweet sister-in-laws began to mock her; her father-in-law began to treat her with nothing but indifference; and then she discovered another shocking thing. Aurelia Jones, the girl she was introduced to as Sarah's best friend, was actually Rayan's fiancee. Former fiancée, to be exact. They were engaged even before Rayan met her. Though the engagement was arranged by their families, Aurelia was in love with him. Anthea's illusions about the people around her slowly began to crumble. She began to see the people's real faces. Her kind mother-in-law did everything she could to humiliate her and break her. Her sweet sister-in-law mocked her and made crude remarks. Anthea's whole life changed once again as she was suddenly thrown into New York City's elite society, where she was nothing but a peasant. She was like meat thrown into a pool filled with hungry creatures. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't match up to their expe
"We have reached Ms Morin." Samuel's gentle words snapped Anthea out of her thoughts as she noticed the open elevator door. She nodded before following him out of the elevator and walking towards the gala room where the 56th birthday party of billionaire Alexander Moore was taking place. He was a famous hotel chain giant in the USA and besides being business partners with her brother Roman Morin, he also had a good relationship with him. But that's not how Anthea knew him. Before knowing him, she knew his wife Megan Moore and daughter Kendall Moore. Megan was one of the close friends of her ex-mother-in-law Camila. They attended a few parties thrown by the Allens. That's where Anthea had met them. Kendall Moore was however friends with her two sister-in-laws and often came to the Allen estate. Anthea wasn't allowed to move around the house whenever a guest came over. She was told to stay in her room by her Camilla or her sister-in-laws because they didn't want to be embarrassed becaus
"You are here. I was looking for you." Megan beamed at her husband as soon as their eyes met. Her eyes then swept over Anthea, who was standing there holding her husband's hand. "And who might this beautiful lady be?" She asked curiously while smiling at Anthea warmly, making her smile back. As expected, she didn't remember Anthea at all. Well, they only met twice in the past but didn't have face-to-face interaction ever. Camila made sure she never came into contact with any of their high-class guests or friend circle. Anthea now knew why. That's because she was already plotting to throw her out and marry Aurelia to Rayan, so she didn't want to taint their names with hers. She made sure no one knew about her existence in Rayan's life, so it would be easier for them in a future so-called perfect love story. "Let me introduce you," Alexander said while pointing at Anthea. "This is Anthea Morin. Do you remember Roman Morin?" Alexander proceeded to introduce Anthea. She could see all the
"This is Benjamin Allen, one of my close friends and business partners. Beside him are his wife, Camila Allen, and their daughter, Sarah Allen. They also have another daughter and a son who are not present at the moment." Alexander introduced the Allens, first making Anthea's eyes casually travel towards them. As their gazes collided, Anthea stared straight at Benjamin, refusing to look away. "Hello. It's nice you met you guys." Anthea greeted them with a sweet smile on her face, completely masking her real emotion. Her expression remained unfazed as Benjamin stared at her, trying to read her. When Anthea didn't back off from the staring contest, he gave up and looked away first. "Likewise, Ms. Morin." Benjamin, as usual, was quick to get a grip on his emotions before greeting her back like a professional. He was a businessman after all. His voice seemed to snap Camila and Sarah back to reality too. Camila put on a fake smile before opening her mouth. "It's nice to meet you too, Ms.
For a moment, everything around the two of them completely froze as they stared at each other. Anthea had imagined this moment countless times since the day she decided on her vengeance; however, none of that imagination could ever compare to the things she was feeling right now. Five years! Five fucking long years later, she was once again standing in front of the man who ruthlessly broke her heart and destroyed her life. All the past memories of betrayals, heartbreaks, and sadness flashed through her, making it almost impossible to stand on her feet. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her blood pressure and heartbeat rise. However, Anthea fisted her palm in a tight grip and mentally pushed herself to stay calm and act normal around him. She couldn't let him see her real emotions at any cost. "He doesn't matter to you, Anthea. Don't let his presence affect you. You are stronger than this." She chanted the sentences in her mind like a mantra while forcing herself to stay calm
Anthea slowly shifted her eyes back to Benjamin before letting out a small chuckle. The old man stared at her with a neutral expression, trying his best to mask his real emotion. Even though he was still coping with the shock because of her new identity, he couldn't let it affect his business. Not a project like this. They couldn't lose something like this. He needed to handle this situation here first and then find out what was going on. Why was Lily Wisley pretending to be Anthea Morin? To find his answers, Benjamin needed to stay calm and handle everything here first."It seems like Ms. Jones is already not fond of me. I wonder what did I do to offend her on our first meeting!" She twitched her lips before saying those words with a regretful expression. Her words made Alexander's brow crease as he glanced at Benjamin, trying to tell him to handle the situation. Benjamin got the message clearly, which made him purse his lips."It's not like that. I think there's some kind of misunde
Anthea was walking through the crowd while silently scanning the room for Emilia and Silas, who, despite her pleadings, decided to come. She already told them that she'd manage everything, but they wouldn't listen to her, especially Emilia. Her first purpose had already been served; now she only needed to mingle with a few people to get them to remember her face. She already knew most of the people around her. She wouldn't jump into her revenge plan without a proper plan, would she? A few men came towards her and offered her drinks on her way, which Anthea politely declined with a smile. A frown took over her face when she couldn't spot Emilia or Silas in the crowds. "Maybe they didn't even enter the venue." She mumbled to herself with a sigh before turning around. However, once she turned around, she almost bumped into someone, making her immediately take a step back. Her lips curled up in annoyance as she glanced at the person while narrowing her eyes slightly. Rayan, who almost b