Anna's POV I stood my ground despite the way his body had me pinned against the wall. The dim lighting of the hallway cast half his face in shadow, making him look like a stranger rather than the man I'd once promised to love forever. "Jack, you're drunk," I said flatly. "Step back." His brows furrowed into a deep V-shape as he studied my face. "What happened to you? You used to be this sensitive, vulnerable girl. Always carefully watching everything around you like a little mouse. You're so much like Lucy, actually. Why are you being so cruel to her?" I inwardly scoffed. *You're the mouse, your whole family are mice.* He was clearly parroting Lucy's performance. Right on cue, Jack launched into a description of her pitiful circumstances. "There's nothing there, Anna. The house is practically falling apart. The weeds in the yard are taller than a person. They had to buy new bedding when they arrived because there was nothing left. Do you know how—" The anger inside me ignited
Anna's POV Flowers. Goddamn too many flowers. My office had transformed into some botanical nightmare overnight. Roses, lilies, orchids expensive arrangements with cards attached from men whose names I barely recognized from Skyview City's social circuit. The scent was overwhelming, cloying sweetness that made my stomach turn. "Ms. Shaw, another delivery just arrived," Rachel announced, her usual composure visibly tinged with disgust. "This makes seventeen today." I exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose as I stared at the latest monstrosity—an ostentatious arrangement of white roses and gold-painted leaves. The accompanying card offered to gift me a sports car, asking only for one night with me in return. I felt nauseated. The online rumors about Samuel and me had unleashed a feeding frenzy. Apparently, Skyview City's bachelors saw me as some prize to be claimed—a business asset with a conveniently attractive package. "Get rid of them," I said, my voice sharp as
Anna's POV William's face lit up instantly. "Perfect timing! Bring it here, please." The butler handed him the tablet and discreetly withdrew. William adjusted his position on the bench, patting the seat beside him. "Come sit, Annie. Let's see what my wayward son is up to." I hesitated, suddenly feeling like an intruder. "Maybe I should give you some privacy? I can wait inside" "Nonsense," William interrupted, already tapping the screen to accept the call. "Marcus would want to see you too." Before I could protest further, the screen fickered to life, revealing Marcus sitting in what appeared to be a luxurious hotel room. His hair was damp, and he wore only a black silk robe loosely tied at the waist. He'd clearly just stepped out of the shower. "Marcus!" William's voice boomed with delight. "Finally remembering your poor old father, are you? Marcus's expression remained impassive, though I detected a subtle softening around his eyes. "Father. You look well." "And you look l
I had specifically come to have lunch with William today, and after chatting with Catherine for a while, I got up to find William. Ever since sending Marcus back to Europe, I had been afraid to face William. After all, Marcus left because of my rejection. The rain outside had stopped, and William wasn't in the living room but in the garden outside. "Annie!" His face lit up with genuine warmth as he waved me over. "Perfect timing. Come, come. I have something fascinating to show you." Relief washed over me at his welcoming tone. I noticed an elegant birdcage on the stone table. Inside perched a sleek gray bird with a vibrant red tail, watching me with an intelligence that was almost unsettling. "William, what kind of bird is this?" I asked, leaning closer to examine the creature. Its dark eyes followed my movement with eerie focus. "It looks remarkably... aware." William's laughter filled the room, a deep, genuine sound that had always made me feel at home. "This is an African Gr
Jack's POV I stood in the living room of Rosa Villa, the door still vibrating from the force with which it had closed behind Anna. The message couldn't have been clearer if she'd painted it on the wall— she didn't care enough to even offer an explanation. The utter dismissal left me feeling hollow, like I'd become nothing more than a nuisance to be brushed aside. "Jack... I turned to see Lucy standing behind me, her eyes filled with unmistakable sympathy. I hadn't even noticed her following me here. "Anna's already gone, Jack," she said softly. "She doesn't care about you anymore." Her words pierced through me like shards of glass. My ears rang with denial, my mind refusing to process what she was saying. This can't be happening. Not Anna. Not like this. How could the woman who once pledged herself to me at the altar change so completely? The Anna I knew would have at least offered an explanation, would have cared enough to clear up a misunderstanding. We had built a life to
Anna's POV At the mention of Lucy's name, I took the tablet from Rachel's hands and carefully scrolled through the photos again. The angles were deliberately misleading—in one, Samuel appeared to be whispering intimately in my ear; in another, a dismissive glance I'd thrown his way had been captured in a way that made it look like a coy smile. "It must be her," I agreed, a cold laugh escaping my lips. "Look at these camera angles—in this one, Samuel's face is practically pressed against mine. And this one? I never smiled at him like that. That was clearly a dismissive smirk." I scrolled through the comments, each one more vicious than the last. They speculated wildly about my "relationship" with Samuel, suggesting I was desperate to align myself with Heritage Group. Some even implied I'd orchestrated my divorce from Jack to pursue wealthier, more powerful men. The comments made my blood boil, but I refused to let it show. Instead, I exited that trending topic and clicked on