Chapter 67 On Read
ANNA'S POV
I grabbed my bag and started walking down the stairs, my heels tapping lightly against the steps as my mind stayed fixed on the long day ahead of me. I was ready to head to the office and do exactly what I had set my mind to do. There was no room for distractions today, not from work, not from memories, and definitely not from James.
I’ve only replied to James once, just once, and he was already asking if I could come over to his place. The audacity still annoyed me. Was he actually serious? It was like there was a stone lodged in his head, or maybe he was just plain stupid. How could he even think of asking something like that while he was still very much married?
He had already told me that he wasn’t compatible with Melissa, and I am not trying to support Melissa after what she did to me, but at least he should have some respect for her.
She’s a horrible person but she still has feelings, and inviting another woman into your home while your wife is still around is an even more horrible thing to do.
I didn’t even bother to reply to his message request. I didn’t owe him that. I simply left the message on read. If his brain was actually working, he would understand that silence was my answer. And if it wasn’t, then that was his problem, not mine.
I walked over to the dining table where Mom and Dad were still seated, quietly eating breakfast and discussing something in low tones. I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on each of their heads, inhaling the familiar comfort that came with being around them.
“Aren’t you going to have something to eat?” my dad asked, glancing up at me with concern.
“No, I have a lot of things to do at the office,” I replied, already making my way toward the front door.
“Alright, wish you luck, honey,” my mom said warmly.
I waved slightly without turning back and stepped out of the house, the morning air brushing against my skin. I walked straight toward my car, my thoughts already shifting toward meetings, documents, and everything waiting for me at work.
That was when my eyes caught a small movement near the gate entrance.
I slowed my steps, then stopped completely.
To my surprise, Ryan was walking in, holding a huge bouquet of flowers, a wide smile plastered across his face like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Hi, good morning,” he said as he walked closer.
“Hey… good morning,” I replied, my gaze shifting between him and the massive bunch of roses in his hands.
“I, uhm, ordered this from Greece for you two days ago,” he said, stretching his hands forward to offer me the flowers.
I hesitated for half a second before slowly accepting them. The bouquet was beautiful, vibrant red roses arranged perfectly, and they were born free red roses to be precise. I leaned in slightly and took a small sniff. They smelled amazing. Fresh. Sweet. Familiar.
“How did you know born free red roses were my favorite?” I asked, genuinely surprised.
“Wild guess,” he said with a small chuckle. “I’m glad you like them.”
“I do, actually. Thank you,” I replied honestly.
It wasn’t anything too extravagant, but it was the effort behind it that mattered. What made it even more surprising was the fact that this was the first time I had ever received roses from a guy. Throughout my entire relationship with James, he never once thought of doing something like this, not even on special occasions. That thought alone made my grip on the flowers tighten slightly.
“You’re on your way out,” Ryan said after a brief pause. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“And your car?” I asked, glancing back toward the black convoy parked outside the estate gate, which I was certain belonged to him.
“They can wait here until I get back,” he replied casually.
I was about to turn him down, the refusal already forming on my lips, but I stopped myself. What kind of person would I look like if I turned him down after he had gone through all this trouble? He clearly came early in the morning just to see me.
“In that case… sure,” I said finally.
I waved at one of the maids standing nearby, and she rushed over immediately.
“How can I help you, ma’am?” she asked politely.
“Keep this in my room for me. Nothing must happen to them,” I said carefully as I handed the roses to her.
I noticed the small smile that appeared on Ryan’s face. From the way I spoke to the maid, it was obvious I liked the flowers, and I wasn’t trying to hide that fact.
We walked toward my car together where my driver was already waiting, and moments later, we were on our way out of the estate.
The ride was quiet at first, not uncomfortable, just silent. I was the one who eventually broke it.
“So… you want to tell me why you came to my place with roses this morning?” I asked.
“To talk, of course,” Ryan replied easily. “We haven’t spoken since that evening, and I want to fix that. I want us to speak more often.”
“You want us to be friends,” I cut in before he could finish. “I got that the last time you told me.”
“Okay,” he said calmly. “And the last time I said that, you didn’t really give me a clear answer.”
“That’s because if we were to be friends, you’d have to know things about me,” I said slowly. “Things I’m not really ready to share with anyone outside my family.”
“Things like your past?” Ryan asked. “Your ex, to be precise?”
I squeezed my brows together, shocked that he even knew about something like that. Then it clicked almost immediately.
Dan.
Ryan and Dan were best friends.
“Dan told you,” I said, a small grin forming on my face despite myself. When I get back today, I swear I’ll smack him in the face.