Chapter 5

“So you failed to convince your father to call off Juliette’s wedding?! My mother said Tristan’s wedding has been moved up, and they’re getting married on the same day as us!”

Andrew stormed into Anastasia’s office, his face twisted with anger.

Anastasia, who had been focused on her work behind her desk, looked up and pretended to be startled.

So the news about the wedding has already been announced, but the bride and groom are still being kept secret? Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Judith, Anastasia thought happily.

She hid her satisfied smile, replaced it with a fragile expression, and rose to approach Andrew. She still had to play the role of the helpless woman as convincingly as possible. Otherwise, Andrew might ruin her plans with Tristan.

“I’m sorry, Andrew… I did everything I could, but Dad said this was the best decision for Juliette. Besides, Juliette will be safe if she marries Tristan in his current condition. Your uncle would never hurt her.”

“Which part of this do you call safe?! Even if he’s acting like an idiot right now, he still has plenty of enemies after him! If he were truly safe, he wouldn’t be kept hidden away at the Westwood estate!” Andrew snapped.

Anastasia smiled faintly to herself.

So, the person you’ve been worried about all along is still your precious Juliette?

“Then what am I supposed to do, Andrew? Please, I love you so much. I don’t want our wedding to be called off! I’ve already announced our wedding to all my friends… Please…”[]

Anastasia clasped Andrew’s hands tightly, but he immediately shook her off with a rough jerk.

He turned around and reached for his phone, which was vibrating in his pocket.

“Yes?” Andrew’s voice instantly softened, becoming gentle and concerned.

Anastasia knew exactly who was calling her fiancé.

“I’ll be there right away. Wait for me,” Andrew said hurriedly.

“Where are you going?”

Anastasia grabbed his arm.

“Let go! I have to see Juliette! She’s terrified and crying because she has to marry my idiot uncle, and this is all because of you!”

Andrew roughly shook off her hand again before storming out without looking back.

Anastasia merely curved her lips into a faint smile, letting the man run off.

The moment the door to her office closed behind him, she calmly returned to her chair and continued working as though nothing had happened.

The Laurent family’s living room was filled with shopping bags from various luxury boutiques. Juliette and Barbara were busy unpacking the items one by one and showing them off.

“Sister, look what Andrew gave me!” Juliette pulled out a watch box from a renowned luxury brand and proudly held it up in front of Anastasia. “It’s a consolation gift he gave me because I have to marry his idiot uncle!”

Anastasia smiled calmly.

“Didn’t you already know that I’m the one marrying that man? Don’t you feel guilty spending his money? Or should I take all of those things since I’m the one who actually needs comforting?”

Anastasia’s words instantly silenced Juliette.

But Barbara, who was sitting beside her, turned deathly pale.

Anastasia caught the strange reaction immediately.

Barbara doesn’t know about the bride swap yet.

“What did you just say?!” Barbara stared at Anastasia and Juliette in disbelief.

“Juliette hasn’t told you, Mom?” Anastasia asked innocently. “I went to see Dad yesterday and asked him to cancel Juliette’s marriage to Tristan. Andrew was extremely worried about Juliette. He even threatened to call off our wedding if Juliette still married Tristan. So I gave them exactly what they wanted.”

“Have you lost your mind?!”

Barbara’s furious reaction made Juliette stare at her in shock. Barbara grabbed Juliette’s hand and tried to pull her to her feet, but the spoiled Juliette immediately shook her mother off.

“Why, Mom?! Anastasia has already given Andrew to me, and she’s the one who’ll have to deal with that idiot! Why are you getting angry?! Besides, I’m the one getting married, not you!” Juliette grumbled irritably before turning and storming out of the room.

“What exactly are you trying to accomplish, Ana?”

Barbara now stared at Anastasia with a cold, piercing gaze. The gentle mask she usually wore in front of Henry had completely fallen away.

“I’m not trying to accomplish anything, Mom. In the end, Andrew would have humiliated me in public if I refused to cancel Juliette’s wedding. I didn’t want to be humiliated, so I chose the middle ground. Besides, I don’t want to keep being labeled as the spoiled, wicked stepsister. I’m simply trying to do what’s best for Juliette. Who knows? I might end up dead at Tristan’s hands tomorrow or the day after.”

Anastasia deliberately made her voice sound pitiful.

“Good night, Mom. I need to get plenty of sleep so I’ll look beautiful on my wedding day the day after tomorrow,” she added before walking away.

From the reflection in the glass of the family room, Anastasia watched Barbara’s panicked and tense expression.

That woman is planning something, Anastasia thought.

If there weren’t something suspicious going on, Barbara wouldn’t have reacted so angrily when she learned that her plan to marry Juliette to Tristan had fallen through.

Could this have something to do with Juliette’s tragic death in my previous life?

Was that robbery back then actually not an ordinary robbery at all?