Everyone saw the bloodied shard of glass hit the floor and gasped in unison.Natalie had fallen and was twisting on the ground in pain.Anathea was hurting too. When Natalie had tackled her, it had triggered a sharp, searing pain in her abdomen."Ah…" She clutched her stomach, nearly passing out from the agony. She could feel a warm flow pooling inside her body.The bodyguards nearby hesitated when they realized Natalie's target was Anathea. They exchanged uncertain glances. They knew Anathea was Gregory's wife.But after Gregory had left, Eleanor had instructed them to escort Natalie to her follow-up appointment. With everything going down like this, none of them knew what the right move was anymore."What are you standing around for?" Natalie roared, struggling to her feet and pointing at Anathea. "Get her! Now!"Suddenly, she felt a sharp sting on her face. "Ugh…"She froze, catching the strange looks people were giving her. A bad feeling crept up her spine. She slowly reach
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
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
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
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."
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
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
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
"Speed up," Gregory said suddenly.Dexter flinched in surprise and glanced uneasily at the current speed. It was already close to 60 miles per hour."Speed up!" Gregory ordered again."Yes, sir!" Dexter's heart skipped a beat as he pressed down harder on the gas.What was originally a 30-minute drive was cut down to 15.By the time Dexter finally brought the car to a stop, his facial muscles were twitching, and his right foot wouldn't stop shaking.Cyrus looked surprised when he saw Gregory. "Mr. Sinclair?"Gregory rarely came back this early.Gregory stepped out and slammed the car door shut behind him with a loud bang. His heavy footsteps echoed as he strode into the house."When was the last time Anathea came back here?" he asked."About a week ago. She hasn't returned since the day she left." Cyrus was confused. "Is something wrong?"Something was very wrong.That meant ever since that night Anathea had walked out, she hadn't come back. If it hadn't been for that whole
As Gregory watched Xander's face scrunch up in distress, he was at a loss.Because of his busy work schedule, he rarely had time to spend with Xander. To him, Xander was just someone he was connected to by blood. There wasn't much emotional attachment beyond that.As the CEO of Sinclair Group, Gregory could handle major projects and manage relationships with shareholders and directors with ease, but he had no idea how to handle a crying child. Right now, watching Xander cry so hard, he didn't know what to do.Xander continued sobbing while repeating, "I want Mom! I want Mom! Did I make her angry? Is that why she doesn't want me anymore?"Gregory's head was pounding from the sound of Xander's crying. He glanced at his phone and saw that Anathea still hadn't responded to his message.What was going on with her?A cold anger formed at the edges of Gregory's brow.Could Anathea really be so heartless that she didn't care about Xander at all? If she didn't care about Xander, did that
Gregory's expression darkened in an instant. He quickly stood up and called the family doctor, Mateo Nielsen, to head over to Xander's location.When they arrived at Natalie's house, they found Xander collapsed on the floor. His face was flushed bright red."Xander!" Gregory rushed forward and lifted him into his arms. When he checked Xander's forehead, he found it burning hot.Xander had a fever."Dad…" Xander weakly opened his eyes. His throat felt like it was on fire, and his whole body ached.Usually, when he felt like this, Anathea would be by his side. She would stay up all night to care for him and check his temperature again and again.He suddenly missed her. "Where's Mom? I want… Mom…"Gregory didn't respond. Instead, he handed Xander over to Mateo, who quickly started checking his temperature and running tests."Mr. Xander has been eating too much unhealthy food lately, which caused an infection and triggered this high fever," Mateo explained. He gave Xander an inject
Every year on their wedding anniversary, Anathea would cook an entire feast by hand, bake a cake, and wait for him to come home.She'd been a devoted wife, always doing her part to hold the marriage together. That was proof of just how much she cherished it.Gregory's eyes lingered on Anathea's WhatsApp profile picture. It had been taken five years ago on their wedding day by a staff photographer.She was sitting in front of the wedding cake in her wedding dress. With her eyes gently closed, she clasped her hands together as she made a wish.His finger brushed lightly across her serene profile on the screen, as if he could sense the joy she'd been feeling in that moment.He couldn't help but wonder what Anathea had wished for that day. Probably a long, happy marriage with him. Yet they didn't even have a single wedding photo together.Gregory pressed his lips into a thin line.When Anathea prepared all those things on every anniversary, she must've been hoping he'd make even the
Gregory rubbed his temple.Only now did he realize just how ridiculous and irrational his actions had been. Everything he'd done was completely unlike him. But why?He couldn't make sense of it.As Adrian studied the flicker of emotions on his face, a glint of mischief lit up his eyes. Smiling, he asked, "Greg, wanna guess what I just saw in you?""What?" Gregory frowned. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be anything good.Just as he expected, Adrian said, "A jealous husband. That's what I saw."His words were like a stone tossed into a seemingly calm lake—one that had long been churning beneath the surface. At once, wave after wave stirred in the silence of Gregory's chest.He froze.A jealous husband? Was he jealous over Anathea?The realization hit him like a jolt.As Adrian watched him, he'd already pieced things together in his mind. Gregory's feelings for Anathea weren't just about possessiveness. He likely had had feelings for her for a while now, though he had
Gregory paused for a moment at Adrian's words. He tightened his grip on his phone and replied coldly, "I'm coming over now."In the garage, the silver-black Maybach gleamed under the lights."Who would've thought this car would end up rear-ending someone like that?" Adrian clicked his tongue. "I remember your driving skills were always top-notch. How could you crash this badly?"Gregory didn't answer, but Adrian didn't need him to. He quickly accessed the Maybach's dashcam footage and saw the scene from the accident."My God, you actually did it on purpose?" Adrian exclaimed. "Greg, you've got quite the temper!"Gregory pressed his lips together. His tone was laced with displeasure as he asked, "You called me here just to show me this?""Of course not." Adrian chuckled. "Let's see what really pushed the usually unflappable Mr. Sinclair to lose control."As he said that, he pushed the laptop toward Gregory and hit the play button.The video showed Anathea and Thomas maintaining
Gregory liked resilient and tough women, didn't he?As she talked, Natalie casually brought up the "Modern Tranquility" exhibition. "With Ms. Langley's piece anchoring the show, it was a huge success. Looks like it didn't make a difference whether Ms. Jacobson's work was there or not."She said it lightly, but her words were deliberate. The implication was clear—Anathea was replaceable.In reality, once Anathea's work had been taken out, attendance for the exhibition had dropped by nearly half. But Natalie only paid attention to the high-profile guests. Ordinary people didn't count in her eyes.Gregory didn't respond. He remembered agreeing to remove Anathea's piece. He could still recall the look in her eyes back then—stubborn, but faintly pleading. And he'd ignored it.He pressed his lips into a firm line.Natalie tried to continue the conversation, but Gregory leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. He was clearly no longer interested in talking.Seeing this, Natalie fe
Compared to Theo's agitation, Gregory remained calm. "So? What's the issue? Isn't this exactly what all of you have been pushing for?"Theo was caught off guard.That was true. Both he and Eleanor had repeatedly urged Gregory to divorce Anathea and marry Natalie. But now that Gregory had agreed to take Natalie to the party, Theo had turned around and asked if he even knew the real purpose.It was a little contradictory."I…" Theo opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Still, uncertainty lingered in his voice as he asked, "Have you… really moved on?""Yeah." A flicker of something unreadable passed through Gregory's eyes.Noticing no hesitation in Gregory's response, Theo assumed he was finally getting things back on track. After a reassuring pat on his shoulder, Theo took a seat when Eleanor called them to eat.Natalie was thrilled that Gregory had agreed to attend the party with her. It was as good as acknowledging her as his wife.Delighted, she took the initiative to
"I asked him to come. It's been a while since we've all had a meal together, and I thought it would be nice to catch up. It's not too much to ask, is it?" Eleanor said, glancing over at Gregory.Gregory's expression stayed neutral. He walked up to her and greeted softly, "Hi, Mom."Eleanor nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips.The harmony they displayed in front of others was in sharp contrast to the tension in the car the other night. It was almost jarring.But neither of them seemed to mind. They wore the masks of a devoted son and a kind mother without missing a beat."Greg, take a look. What do you think of Nat's work?" Eleanor asked.Natalie looked up at him with eyes full of hope. She didn't care what the others said. She only cared about what Gregory thought.Gregory merely glanced over briefly and muttered, "It's fine."The same piece everyone else had raved about got a measly "it's fine" from Gregory. Eleanor's smile froze, and Blake looked just as uncomfortable.