Chapter 28
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 in between, he texted Martin and had the
latter set up a meeting.
Anathea had always known that Gregory was a workaholic. He didn’t just have to oversee Sinclair Group but also its many subsidiaries and foreign ventures. He’d always strived to push the company to new heights, and every time she saw him, he was preoccupied with work matters.
The next second, Gregory’s phone screen lit up with a new message from someone whose contact he’d saved as “Nat“.
Anathea accidentally caught a glimpse of it, making her movements falter as she helped herself to the oatmeal.
The only person she could think of with the nickname “Nat” was Natalie.
Anathea noted how Gregory’s face softened when he saw the text. He picked up his phone and began typing his reply.
She stared at his side profile and watched him reply to Natalie’s message as if it were important. There was a time when Anathea had texted him often, telling him she’d cooked up a storm and asking him if he’d be back for dinner.
However, his replies had always been monosyllabic—if he’d even bothered texting back at all. He’d always been dismissive of her.
the
Once, Anathea might have believed he was born stoic and treated everyone the same way. She’d allowed the possibility that he
was a little colder and more distant with her but never dwelled on it.
But on one occasion, she’d caught him texting Natalie and realized he was capable of writing long, non–monosyllabic messages.
Only then had she realized that he wasn’t stoic by nature–his indifference toward her had been deliberate.
Anathea continued scooping oatmeal into her bowl and dug in. The oatmeal was loaded with brown sugar syrup and seasonal
berries, but for some reason, it tasted like ash in her mouth.
“What is it? Don’t you like the oatmeal?” Brisa asked worriedly when she saw Anathea picking at her breakfast. “Do you feel
1/2
unwell?”
Gregory gave her a perfunctory look.
“No, I’m all right,” Anathea answered, shaking her head as she ate a hearty mouthful of oatmeal.
Gregory retracted his gaze and stood up. “Thanks for the breakfast, Grandma. I’m off to work now.”
He didn’t wait for Brisa to reply before grabbing his jacket and heading out the front door.
“Wait!” Brisa noticed the folder he’d left on one of the chairs and yelled, “You forgot your documents!”
Gregory had left in such a hurry that he didn’t hear Brisa.
“That punk! I wonder why he’s in such a hurry. Doesn’t he know he left his documents behind?” Brisa grumbled exasperatedly, picking up the folder and handing it to Anathea. “Nat, take this to him.”
Anathea set her utensils down and took the folder without complaint. She rose to her feet and left through the front door. When
she heard the sound of the ignition coming from the front yard, she picked up her pace.
“Gregory, you forgot your-” She stopped in her tracks as she beheld the scene before her.
Gregory was standing at the bonnet of his Rolls–Royce with his back turned to Anathea. Before him stood a slender woman in a bottle–green dress. She was holding his necktie, and they stood so closely together that, from where Anathea was standing, they
appeared to be kissing.
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