She had been so busy since the day they had went to Jack's house that she had forgotten all about him. She got back from work looking all weary and tired to the point that she hardly ever took herself to her room. She only slipped out of her outer suit and her heels before she slumped into her bed and fell into a deep slumber.
She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing, it was an alarm she had set because she knew she had some pending work to do. She hissed loudly and raked her fingers through her messy hair before she sat upright on the bed. She pulled the phone and turned off the alarm before she slowly peeled herself away from the bed.
She had a quick shower before she walked down the stairs to get something for her stomach. It was only Kate that was in the kitchen and she flashed her a tired smile, "I'm so exhausted, Kate," she mumbled and sat lazily on the kitchen island. "What can you quickly make for me?" Before Kate replied her, she eyed what was baking in the oven, "Are those cookies?"
Kate turned to face her with a smile on her lips, she could be the same age with Anna or even a year older than her. "Yes, Anna." Sometimes she called her Anna, especially when they were alone because she could always refer to Kate as a friend. "Let me quickly get you some and what do you want to eat?"
Anna rested her head on the table and smiled appreciatively, "Anything can do, so long as I can have my stomach filled."
"I'll be working on it right away. How have you been? You seem so busy these days, I hope you're alright, Anna?" Kate asked as she went to make something fast and edible for her, without even turning to stare at her.
"You have no idea how tired I am, but thankfully having my neck deep into work makes me forget about the things that would have bothered and make me depressed." She smiled and closed her eyes.
"That's why I asked whether you're fine, Anna. Because you hardly ever become so serious with work until you have something in mind." Kate placed down a tray with pancakes and she sat down on the chair next to hers. "Tell me, Anna, what's wrong with you?"
Anna devoured into the pancakes first before she looked up at Kate with a smile, "Will you judge me?" She immediately shook her head.
"I'd never so that. You know we're friends, right? And there are times I come to your room just to lay my soul out to you because I know you always understand, and you never make me feel bad for opening up you. You also never judge me, Anna. How can judge you now?" She stood up and came back with an orange juice in her hand before she served a portion of it in a cup and placed it in front of her.
Anna took a sip and placed it down, she sighed and the sadness she had been trying so hard to forget came back to her and she knew she can always speak to Kate. Sometimes Maya didn't get what she felt, she tended to get furious at what she complained about because to her, those things weren't even worth a second glance from Anna Brayden. But no one had ever seen her as human. To most people, she was just a public figure that never got tired or sad.
But in the actual truth, Anna Brayden was human, and she had a very weak heart. "I can't seem to forget about what happened between us, Kate. I know it's not right for me to hold onto a lustful moment as such, but I can't help it even though I know holding onto it is damaging as much as getting it was."
"What are you talking about, Anna?" She could tell that it was a man, for sure. She knew about Nate for they spoke for a whole night after she came back Florida and she told her everything. Consoling Anna was hard, but she was so proud of the woman she was slowly becoming after that.
And just when she thought that Anna could finally be happy with Charles, it turned out to be the worst relationship she had ever had in her life and it broke her heart even more. "Tell me, Anna, will your heart be safe with him?"
That brought a sad smile on Anna's face, she wished this question would bring a smile on her face. She shook her head sadly, "I wish I could say yes, Kate. But no, he's the one behind all that happened between me and Charles, oh, Henry." The way Kate bulged her eyes out made her want to laugh but she knew better than that. She didn't even have the will left in her to laugh.
"I hate him so much, Kate, but he's so hot that I can barely resist the mere thought of him." From then, she began to tell her everything about Nate from the first time she had met him in the airport until the last time she had seen him and sometimes, Kate would smile sweetly, there were times she giggled and times she became furious at what Jack said or did.
It turned out to be a therapeutic night for Anna which she had never seen coming and when she went back to her room, she felt lighter. She had never spoken to someone the way she had with Kate and she slept with a beautiful smile on her lips.
She woke up the next morning with her chest lighter than she had ever woken up in the few days that went by. She got ready quickly because she was certain that Julia was waiting for her maybe an hour or more. She got down to the dining table and sat down while she flashed Mom a brilliant smile.
"Good morning, Mom. I haven't seen you yesterday, how have you been?" She asked as dived into her food, Julia was greeting her but all she did was nodded her head.
"I'm fine, Anna. I wanted to wait for you, but we went out with Katharine and came back late, so I know you were asleep by then. How are you?" She didn't know whether it was because she was observant that she always noticed or maybe it was because she knew her Mom so well to know when she had something in mind.
"You want to talk to me about something?" She lifted her face to hers and instead of an answer, Daphne waved at all the workers that surrounded them dismissively. That gesture was enough to tell Anna that she indeed had something to speak to her about.
"I want to talk to you about something, Anna, it's quite serious and I want you to give me all your attention, okay?" Anna nodded her head as she sipped the drink that was next to her.
"Go on, Mom. I have a meeting by 11 am today."
"I've gotten a husband for you, Anna." The immediate jerk Anna made as she looked up at her, "I know, you're an adult that can get yourself a husband but Anna you can't stay like this. Men have broken you to the point that I'm certain you wouldn't want anything to do with men..."
Anna had placed down the spoon she was eating with and felt a huge blow to her heart. There were times when her mother wasn't serious, times when even if she spoke, Anna knew it was just so she can annoy her or show her the power she still had over her. But this time, Daphne Brayden was so serious to the point that Anna wanted to choke on herself.
"No, Mom, you don't mean this, do you?" Her eyes were shaking involuntarily that she found it so hard to breath normally.
"I mean it, Anna. I haven't told you about this because I don't want to add more pain to your wounds. When I had to take over you at the company while you left for Spain, we had a meeting with the directors, and they brought up something about the will of your father."
Anna became pale as she waited more. "He wrote that you have to be married at the age of 22 or else, the company can never be rightfully yours. They haven't forgotten, Anna. And they said you've been distributing the shares of the company recklessly and also recently, one of the directors called me that you've withdrawn a huge amount of money from the company's account."
Mom sighed before she continued, "I don't know why you did because I'm sure you have a huge amount of money in your personal account and other sources of income your father had left for you. They said you can only be responsible when you get married, so I have no other choice but to get you a husband since I know you don't have a boyfriend now."
Anna was just staring at her and she knew if she stayed where she was, it would be so hard for her to breath and she might have to visit the hospital instead of the meeting room she had been planning with. "But why will Dad write that in his will, Mom?" She didn't know why he would do that to her. Did he have any idea what his decision would make of her? She didn't even know what to say now or what she was supposed to think of. The will of her father? The decision of the directors or the husband Mom had gotten for her?
She palmed her face before she stood up, "I don't know why Dad did what he did, Mom, but I believe we can all respect his decision. Can we talk more about this when I'm back from work?" She asked and Daphne nodded her head at her before she watched her leave.
She barely understood what they spoke about in the meeting room and when they were out, Julia noticed the situation she was in. "Are you okay, ma'am? Should we go back home?"
She slightly shook her head, "I don't even know how I feel, Julia. Can you please leave me alone?" Julia sadly nodded her head before she walked out of the office, slowly closing the door behind her.
Anna wanted to know exactly what she was feeling, but then she felt cold and her whole body system had been stopped. She wasn't ready for any man in her entire life now, she wanted to stay single for the rest of her life, but it seemed like this wasn't going to happen.
Who was the husband Mom had gotten for her? That thought piqued her curiosity to the point that she felt as though she had been pinched and all Julia saw was Anna walking out of the hospital. "I'm going home, Julia. Take care of everything in the office please, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am. I'll tell the driver to get ready before you get downstairs." She didn't even reply her when she walked out of the office and on their way home, she felt the urge to keep tell the driver to either speed up or lose his job. But then she dreaded the answer Mom will give her. She didn't want to know who the husband was.
Like her, Anna Brayden will finally have a husband she knew nothing about and didn't love? Before, she would have been so excited about this because she had never wanted something in her life like she wanted a husband. But men had forcefully took that fantasy out of her mind and all she wanted now was to be alone.
Mom was in her room and Anna gave Kate her bag to take to her room before she rushed there. She was watching a program when Anna entered, and she lifted her face.
"Mom, who's the husband?"
Daphne tapped the place beside her, "Come here and sit down, Anna."
Anna shook her head, but she moved closer. "I just want to know who it is before I know the decision to make."
"Jack Roberts, you recognize him, right?" She took a step backwards as she kept on shaking her head. No, she didn't hear her right. Her Mother could never think of Jack to be her husband. It just wasn't right!