Anathea couldn't help but laugh when she saw how furious Evangeline looked."How are you laughing at a time like this? Aren't you pissed?" Anyone else would have been fuming and flipping tables if their husband humiliated them just to side with his mistress. And yet, Anathea looked unbothered. Even Evangeline was getting resentful on her behalf."I am pissed." An exasperated smile curved Anathea's lips. "But what can I do about it?"Could she march up to Gregory, grab him by his collar, and demand that he change his mind about removing her floral design? Or could she pull Natalie's hair and warn her to stay in line?There was nothing Anathea could do. Such was the difference that set Gregory and Natalie apart from her.Gregory was in charge of Sinclair Group and was the future head of the Sinclair family. Meanwhile, Natalie had Gregory's unwavering support, and she was unconditionally favored by him and Eleanor. She was also an important business partner of Sinclair Group.As f
Theo spoke so loudly that his voice echoed off the restroom walls. He froze, feeling awkward when he realized he might have come off as a little anxious. "Uh, what I meant was…""In that case, I'll return the handkerchief to you after I've washed it," Anathea said mildly, her expression betraying nothing.Theo studied her face and nodded dumbly in response.Anathea had no plans to linger and make small talk with Theo, so she shoved the handkerchief into her purse and bid him goodbye. "I'll get going then."With that, she turned to leave.Theo watched her walk away. For a long while, he didn't take his eyes off of her. He stared at the purse she was carrying, misshapen from the last time he squashed it, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.…Xander was stacking Lego bricks in the living room when Anathea came home. When he saw her, he bounded up to her. "Mom!"Anathea hummed in response as she changed into slippers."Mom, guess what? I did well in school today, and the te
Jenny lifted her gaze to Anathea. For a moment, she was at a loss. "Mrs. Sinclair, Mr. Xander…"Anathea said nothing. She looked at the cookies she'd made despite her exhaustion, only for them to be knocked over by Xander. Pursing her lips, she had Jenny clean up the mess on the floor while she resumed packing the remaining cookies and sweets.Jenny was upset to see Anathea holding back her emotions, but there was nothing she could do other than lend Anathea a helping hand.It was nearly 11:00 pm when Anathea finished packing all the snacks into a container."Mrs. Sinclair—" Jenny hesitated as she tried to make up an excuse for Xander's behavior.However, Anathea cut her off, "It's late, Jenny. You should call it a night."Jenny opened her mouth to argue. However, she swallowed the rest of her words and turned to leave.At that moment, Anathea's phone beeped with a new message. She unlocked it to see that Natalie had sent her a video of Eleanor, Gregory, and Xander.Xander happ
Anathea was a married adult; she knew perfectly well the meaning behind Natalie's photo. For the latter to post such a suggestive photo on social media meant she'd gotten Gregory's permission. It seemed they were having a beautiful night together, indeed.The comments section under the photo was a riot of guesses about who Natalie was spending the night with.Natalie's answer was the same to everyone. "Stop guessing, guys! You'll be the first to know the good news if I have any."Someone even teasingly asked if the mysterious man Natalie was spending the night with was any good in bed. Natalie replied with a blushing emoji and a bashful, "Yes, he's amazing!"Anathea locked her phone and numbly stared out the window at the same moon. She took deep breaths and calmed herself, blocking out any thoughts of Natalie and Gregory. Then, she turned off the lights and slept.She thought she'd be tossing and turning that night, but it turned out her body was more exhausted than she believe
Gregory was so rough with Anathea that, for a moment, her gaze became unfocused. He leaned down and bit the shell of her ear and said in a voice so low it was spellbinding, "Remember this, Anathea—you owe me! You have no right to refuse me unless I refuse you!"With that, he removed Anathea's final piece of clothing. But at that moment, she snapped out of her temporary daze. Hatred filled her, prompting her to bite his neck.A hiss escaped Gregory, and the pain had him releasing his grip on her. Anathea reached out and pushed the bedside lamp to the floor.There was a loud crash as the lamp hit the ground and shattered into pieces.The heat and lust vanished from Gregory's eyes, replaced by burning rage when he saw the repulsion and hatred on Anathea's face. His fingers clenched around her throat as he growled, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Anathea?""I don't owe you anything!" Anathea retorted loudly even as her voice came out choked and hoarse.This was the first
Gregory barked in the direction of the door, "Get out!"Only then did Cyrus stop pushing the door wider and immediately back up, but he couldn't help glancing at the large bed, where Gregory had pinned Anathea under him. While Cyrus couldn't see Anathea, he could make out Gregory's loosened tie and open shirt collar, looking like he was raring to go.Shocked, Cyrus quickly backed away from the bedroom door. So, Gregory and Anathea were getting down to business. But couldn't they have been quieter about it? Anyone who didn't know better would think they were fighting. He'd thought they were close to tearing the walls down!At the thought of this, Cyrus hurried off.Anathea was still shaking even as the bedroom door fell shut. Her emotions were in a clamor as she stared at Gregory hovering over her. She'd calmed down after lashing out at him earlier. Admittedly, she'd been too impulsive and lost control of her emotions.No longer emboldened or spurred on by rage, Anathea felt he
Anathea finished the last bite of her breakfast and drove to the studio for work that day.Although her floral designs had been removed from the upcoming exhibition, one day had been enough for her designs to attract the attention of many. As a result, Eden Studio had gained newfound fame, albeit on a lesser scale, following the exhibition.The studio had received a huge number of orders. Anathea had also been appointed by name enough times for her orders to overwhelm the studio."Nat, you're getting a little too famous for us!" Evangeline was grinning from ear to ear. "I knew you could do it! Screw the guy who said you weren't a 'good fit' for them!"A good-natured laugh escaped Anathea's lips."By the way, I know you'll have a tough time taking on all these orders, so just pick the ones you want to work with. As for the rest, I'll take care of turning down the orders on your behalf," Evangeline said thoughtfully.With Anathea gearing up for the International Floristry Competiti
Anathea immediately felt as though the bag was burning her hands. "Mr. Harrington, my purse is not that expensive. You really don't need to replace it."She put the bag back in the box and pushed it toward him.Even though the Jacobsons used to be wealthy, they were never flashy. That was why Anathea had always preferred practical and comfortable things. She'd never carried anything this extravagant.And now, Theo had just casually handed her a luxury bag, which completely caught her off guard."I'll decide if it's expensive or not," Theo said, not giving her a chance to refuse. "Just take it.""Thank you, Mr. Harrington, but I really can't," Anathea replied calmly.Her wariness toward him had grown ever since the whole scorpion liquor incident. Something about him always kept her on alert.Theo picked up on her cautious behavior instantly. As he realized how reckless he'd been before, his head throbbed.Rubbing his forehead, he said awkwardly, "About last time… I owe you an ap
Carl quickly pulled his hand back and glanced nervously at the time. "Uh, I still have rounds to do, so I'll be going now."Before Anathea could respond, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his white coat and practically fled down the hallway.As Anathea watched his retreating back, she felt a little puzzled, but she didn't dwell on it. She simply thought that being a doctor really was a noble and exhausting job.Thanks to Carl, Fiona no longer had to live in constant pain.Through the small glass window in the intensive care unit door, Anathea gazed at Fiona's face. Her pale lips curved into a faint smile.But in the next second, a voice rang out beside her. "Wait, aren't you the mistress who ruined someone's face? You've got some nerve showing up here."The words instantly drew attention from passersby around them—many of them were the same people who'd previously berated Anathea. Now, seeing her again, they immediately launched into more judgmental murmurs."That's right!
"Have you finally decided to speak?" Gregory let out a chuckle. "I thought you'd gone mute after your little trip to the station."Anathea tried to ignore the sarcasm in his words. She cleared her throat and asked, "Can you take me to the hospital? I want to see my mom."Her tone was filled with a quiet pleading. Though Gregory had assured her that Fiona was okay, Anathea needed to see it with her own eyes before she could truly relax.Gregory studied the urgency in her expression, then pursed his lips and gave a brief order to Dexter to head to the hospital."Thank you," Anathea murmured after lowering her head. She hadn't eaten anything, and the lack of strength made it hard to speak.Her stomach felt empty, and the acidic churn inside made her uncomfortable. She frowned in discomfort.The next second, a hand with long, elegant fingers appeared, holding out a sandwich toward her.Anathea blinked in surprise, then glanced over at Gregory."Take it," Gregory urged. "It's all th
The sight of a tall man holding a petite woman in his arms drew more than a few curious stares.Anathea spotted two of the officers who'd interrogated her earlier. She lowered her head, and her shoulders shuddered faintly.Gregory felt her body tense and instinctively tightened his hold on her.The officers who'd brought Anathea back were now all trailing behind Gregory, respectfully escorting him out."This way, Mr. Sinclair," one of them said politely.Gregory gently placed Anathea in the back seat of the car and closed the door, then walked around to the other side.Seeing that, the two officers gave a slight nod. "Safe travels, Mr. Sinclair.""One more thing." Gregory paused in his steps. "Could you send me the surveillance footage from the consultation room at the hospital?""About that…" One of the officers looked troubled. "When we got the report and went to retrieve the footage, the recording from that particular room was already gone."In other words, someone else had
Gregory's expression shifted in an instant. Reaching out, he slid his arm around her waist, catching her before she could collapse.Anathea completely lost her strength—her whole body just gave out. She couldn't even stand.Gregory frowned and lifted her into his arms.Everyone else in the room looked stunned. This wasn't what they'd expected. Wasn't Gregory supposed to be here to settle the score with Anathea?Then, why…Sensing the curious looks being thrown his way, Gregory shot them a cold glance and asked flatly, "Where's the lounge?"They snapped out of it and quickly led the way.As Gregory held Anathea in his arms, he could feel just how light she really was. Her waist was so small it barely spanned the width of his hand, and even through the fabric of her clothes, he could feel the sharp outline of her bones.His frown deepened.Anathea didn't resist. She didn't have the strength to. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything since Fiona had been taken in for surgery that mor
Even though they didn't exactly agree with Eleanor pressuring them like this, the Sinclair family had serious weight in Castenea. And Anathea really had hurt Natalie. That part wasn't up for debate.So, if Natalie decided to press charges, the officers would go strictly by the book, just like Eleanor had instructed.The officer got up and left the interrogation room, leaving Anathea sitting there alone. She lowered her eyes, clinging tightly to the hem of her shirt. She could tell what they were trying to do. They were trying to put words in her mouth. It was clear they were trying to push the entire blame onto her and make it seem as if she'd attacked Natalie intentionally.Hence, she refused to speak. If she answered anything, she would be done for.But it wasn't like staying silent would get her anywhere better. She'd still hurt Natalie, and everyone was siding with the latter. Anathea had no one to speak up for her, no one to lean on. The only person she could count on wa
They'd been married for five years. During the first year, Anathea used to call Gregory like clockwork, always asking if he would be coming home for dinner.But Gregory would either answer with a cold "yes" or "no," or he would just ignore the calls. Eventually, Anathea had stopped calling.He tried to remember the last time she'd actually done it—when she'd gone to Sinclair Group and begged him to let Eden Studio go. Other than that, she hadn't reached out again. There were no more gentle questions about dinner. Nothing.Staring at her missed call, Gregory rubbed his temples and called her back.It rang for nearly a full minute, but there was no answer. He frowned and tried again, getting the same result. So, he called Martin instead.Martin picked up instantly. "Mr. Sinclair! Finally! I've been trying to reach you!"He sounded panicked."What's going on?" Gregory asked."This morning, Mrs. Sinclair and Ms. Whitman got into a fight at the hospital. Things got pretty serious."
Raindrops on the window started out as faint streaks, then merged into steady streams, finally forming a full-on curtain of water.Gregory stared out at the rain, which was only getting heavier. His brows drew together slightly. For some reason, a strange feeling crept into his chest. He felt as though something was missing."Greg? What are you zoning out about?" Adrian rolled up next to him in his wheelchair, curious.Gregory snapped back to the moment. "It's nothing.""Well then, come have a drink already!" Theo waved him over, topping off Dominic's glass while he was at it. ''It's Romanee-Conti. You fine with that?''"Yeah." Dominic nodded, then glanced toward Gregory."By the way, I heard you're planning to develop a new project in Syntherra. Any chance you'd be interested in partnering with Lancaster Group?"Gregory's eyes flickered knowingly.So, it wasn't a coincidence that they'd met up at the cemetery. Dominic had planned it all out, showing up just in time to cross pa
A crowd had gathered outside the ward, buzzing with curiosity as they peeked in. A few who didn't know what was going on started asking questions."You don't know about it? Two women started fighting right in the orthopedic wing! It got really intense, and there was even blood!""And I heard one of them was the wife of the CEO of Sinclair Group. The CEO's mother even showed up at the hospital herself and called in a specialist for emergency treatment.""For real? Is it that serious? Whoever hurt her is done for, then.""Of course. The cops are already here. I doubt she's walking away from this."Everyone started chiming in, each adding their version of the story."Seriously? Risking your whole future for some medicine is dumb.""Where did you hear that? I heard they were fighting over a guy. Didn't you catch what they were arguing about? That was no fight over medicine—they were fighting over a man!"As the gossip spread, the truth got more and more twisted."Plus, wasn't the
Gregory, in particular, had changed drastically. He was no longer the polite, easygoing guy he used to be. Now, he was the decisive and sharp-edged CEO of Sinclair Group.So much had changed. Nothing was the same anymore."I'm sorry. We should've made sure Adam was buried right along with you," Theo muttered bitterly, his hand brushing over the photo on the gravestone."Adam doesn't deserve that. If he's going anywhere, it's straight to hell. There's no way he'd ever be allowed to meet them," uttered Gregory coldly."But I can't accept that!" Theo snapped, eyes bloodshot as he turned to Gregory. "He should've paid for what he did with his life!"He still hadn't gotten over Gregory letting Adam off the hook—not even in the slightest. And deep down, Theo didn't believe that someone as cold and unflinching as Gregory would've let Adam go just because Anathea had asked him to.Besides, rumor had it Gregory had met with Adam right before the latter had been sentenced. No one knew wh