Semua Bab Why the Crocodile Tears?: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Isabel frowned when she heard the crowd praising Natalie and Gregory. She glanced at Anathea, only to notice the latter's unfazed expression. It was almost as if she was used to such commentary.An uneasiness settled within Isabel. She felt disgruntled as she recalled the time her ex-boyfriend had cheated on her. If she ever ran into the trollop who'd ruined her relationship again, she swore she'd make her pay.At that moment, Natalie took Gregory's hand and twirled around him before he pulled her in by the waist and dipped her. As she went down, she turned her face to Isabel and Anathea.Anathea narrowed her eyes when she noticed the territorial gleam and provocation in Natalie's gaze. It was as though Natalie was saying Gregory was so taken with her that Anathea no longer meant anything to him.However, Anathea remained straight-faced as she stared at Natalie, looking completely bored with the childish mind games the latter had cooked up.But Isabel's eyes widened, and her voice

Isabel hated herself for being so impulsive earlier. Natalie was the homewrecker, but by picking a fight with her, Isabel had made her look like the innocent damsel-in-distress destined to marry Gregory. The incident had also put Anathea in a precarious position with Gregory.But Isabel was sure of one thing—Natalie was the man-stealing whore who'd come between her and her ex-boyfriend. She couldn't believe Natalie would deny having done something like that and still dare to seduce Gregory! She should've known better than to see Gregory as her role model since she was young. Men were all the same after all!"Is Gregory blind or something?" Isabel seethed. "How could he leave an angel like you for a trollop like Natalie? Just thinking about it pisses me off! Ow, ow—Anathea, that hurts! Gentle dabbing, please!"Anathea dabbed an iodine-soaked cotton bud on the cut on Isabel's cheek. When she saw the latter wincing and gritting her teeth in pain, she chuckled. "You need to learn yo

Anathea's breath hitched. She hadn't done anything to deserve such condescension. She was already agitated from what happened earlier that night. It didn't help that Gregory was pinching her chin so hard that it hurt. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had to degrade her with his words, too.Resentment and rage welled up in Anathea. Without another thought, she sank her teeth into the skin between Gregory's thumb and index finger.Gregory hissed sharply as pain and outrage flickered across his face. "Are you rabid all of a sudden, Anathea? Let go!"Anathea ignored his command and bit him even harder as if in revenge. What did he take her for? Even if he hated her, he had no right to degrade her. Tears stung her eyes as bitterness overwhelmed her."Anathea!" Gregory seethed through gritted teeth, clenching her wrist. "If you don't let go the next second, I'll—"He was cut off when a teardrop fell on the back of his hand. He froze, staring at the droplet nestled between his knuckles

Anathea didn't want to lose any more family than she already had. Having made her decision, she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.When she woke up the next morning, Gregory had already left. She paid no mind to it and got out of bed to wash up. She thought he'd left for work, but when she went downstairs, she saw him slowly eating breakfast at the dining table."Good morning, Nat. Come here and have breakfast," Brisa said as she beckoned Anathea over with a wave. She then turned to Gregory and said, "Your wife's here."Upon hearing this, Gregory gave Anathea a cursory glance and returned to reviewing the company's finances. Anathea brushed off his cold indifference; she was already used to it. However, Brisa took offense to his attitude and snapped, "What's the matter with you, you punk? All you ever do is work, work, and work! What, is the company going to collapse without you?"Gregory made no retort and simply listened while Brisa nagged. When she took a break i

Anathea lowered her gaze. Of course she remembered Evangeline's dream. When Evangeline had first approached her with the grand idea, she'd insisted that Anathea jump on the bandwagon, claiming the idea wouldn't work without a bona fide genius like her.It had been five years since they'd had that conversation, and Anathea had forgotten the details. Even her passion for floral designing had been overtaken by her love for Gregory and Xander. In the end, she'd been left dreamless and scarred.There were times when she desperately wanted to break off her shackles and be free to do what she wanted. "Am I really qualified?"Unfortunately, she spiraled into self-doubt. She took out her résumé and scanned past the awards she'd won five years ago, her gaze landing on the blank space that should have been filled with her working experiences. She confessed, "There's a five-year gap in my working experience."Anathea had to admit that she'd been stuck in the same place for five years while