Chapter 216
Anna’s POV:
I sat in the private dining room, straining to hear the conversation coming from the adjacent room.
Blake had agreed to have a glass of red wine with Scarlett, and the manager had left, clearly pleased about the commission from an expensive bottle,
As soon as we were alone, Daniel leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the thin wall separating us from Blake and Scarlett.
“Blake, you’ve been too high–profile lately,” Scarlett’s voice drifted through. “Word about you and Anna reconciling has reached even me.”
Blake remained silent. I could picture his expression–that impassive mask he wore so well.
But we’re supposed to be in a relationship, as far as the public knows,” Scarlett continued. “If I’m going to leave, you should at least give me a dignified breakup. I don’t want to be the subject of gossip.”
I wasn’t surprised when Blake finally spoke, “What do you want?”
Blake had always been soft–hearted toward people he cared about.
“My show is filming its final banquet episode,” Scarlett replied. “There will be a lot of people there, and the ratings will be high. I want you to accompany me to put these rumors to rest. After I leave the country, we can just say our relationship didn’t survive the long distance.”
Daniel shot to his feet, face flushed with anger. “That bitch-
I grabbed his arm. “I don’t care,” I said quietly.
e
R
Daniel sank back into his chair, drained his water glass, and slammed it down. “I’m sorry I ever spoke highly of him to you. I feel like I helped create this
mess.”
Our commotion must have been audible because Scarlett said, “Sounds like the couple next door is getting impatient. This is a public place, not their bedroom.”
She lowered her voice to a sultry whisper. “Blake, it’s been so long since I felt that kind of passion. Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping.”
“Pumping my ass!” Daniel exploded.
I clamped my hand over his mouth and pulled him toward the door. As we left, I heard Blake ring for the waiter.
Outside the restaurant, Daniel was still fuming. “The nerve of that woman! What does she mean by breaking rumors about you and Mr. Wright‘?”
He shook his head vigorously. “I’m making this decision for you. You have to attend that final banquet. Let her see who the real rumor is.
I’d been on the fence about going, but now my curiosity was piqued. What would Blake do if both Scarlett and I showed up? Whose side would he choose?
‘Fine,” I said. ‘I’ll go.”
After leaving the restaurant, I couldn’t stop thinking about Blake’s situation with Scarlett. But there was another pressing matter I needed to handle.
I took a cab across town to Emily’s place. I needed to sort out whatever was happening with her. But before I could knock, the door swung open from inside.
Emily stood there with a familiar–looking man, apparently heading out. He appeared to be in his mid–twenties, younger than Blake but with well–defined, handsome features.
His gaze was cool yet tinged with a hint of wildness. Occasional flashes of shrewdness in his eyes suggested depths you wouldn’t want to u
timate.
.
This must be Emily’s new boyfriend that Daniel had mentioned.
1/3
Chapter 216
“Anna?” Emily exclaimed with genuine surprise. “Anna, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is my boyfriend, Ethan Hamilton. I was just telling me i’v him to meet my best friend, and here you are!“.
Turning to him, she continued, “Ethan, this is my absolute best friend, Anna, who I’ve told you so much about.”
I shook his hand. “Were you two heading out? Seems like I’ve come at a bad time.*
“Yes, Ethan was taking me to meet some of his friends,” Emily replied. “Did you need something?”
I was about to say it could wait, seeing that Emily seemed fine, but Ethan interjected, “Why don’t you join us?”
“Great idea!” Emily looped her arm through mine. “Ethan found this amazing restaurant. Come with us!”
I found myself sliding into the backseat of Ethan’s car, Emily bouncing in beside me with the enthusiasm of someone genuinely happy.
As Ethan navigated through Boston’s evening traffic, Emily and I discussed the latest projects at EcoMarine Group,
Despite being clearly smitten with her new boyfriend, she still spoke passionately about our upcoming projects. Her continued dedication to her career relieved me somewhat.
When our work conversation ended, Ethan spoke up. “I won’t call my friends tonight. There are too many of them, and I don’t want to overwhelm Ms. Anderson. Tonight is specially for Anna.”
Emily raised her eyebrows at me, clearly proud that her boyfriend was making such an effort.
The drive to the restaurant was mostly uneventful. I sat in the back with Emily, trying to analyze this Ethan character from the corner of my eye.
When we arrived at a trendy downtown spot with mood lighting and hushed conversations, Ethan handed his keys to the valet with practiced ease.
Inside, we chatted casually over dinner. Ethan ordered an expensive bottle of wine and warned us the alcohol was particularly strong, but Emily insisted she could handle it.
Two glasses later, it became painfully obvious that she couldn’t.
With Emily slumped against him, Ethan played with a flip lighter–click, blue flame, extinguish–and said, “The day Em and I met, she was in a bad mood and got drunk. She came onto me, insisted we grab a hotel room for a wild night. How could I say no? I was all in.”
I mentally rolled my eyes at Emily’s aggressive approach.
‘We can skip the details,” Ethan added.
I felt like that single sentence had conjured an entire R–rated scene in my head.
Ethan chuckled. ‘I can tell you’re wary of me. If you want, I can share more details. I’d love to discuss things with you, Anna,”
“No thanks,” I replied. “Keep those sweet memories to yourself.”
His demeanor shifted abruptly. “Fair enough. It’s been a while since someone made me want to open up like this. Where do you live? I should give you a ride. You’re my girlfriend’s best friend, after all. I’d feel terrible if something happened to you.” His eyes held mine with undisguised calculation.
My face darkened. Now that Emily was unconscious/his true nature was emerging. “I’ll help you take Em home, and I’ll stay over at her place. You can see yourself out after that.”
Ethan scooped Emily up and said meaningfully, “You seem afraid of me, yet you’re willing to be alone with me for your friend’s sake. You must really care about Em. The Hamilton family has some influence, but we can’t compare to the rising Wright family. When you’re with me, you can relax completely. I wouldn’t dare do anything to you.”
Walking beside him, I felt the air tense. “So you did know who I was.”
2/3
Divorcing My Husband Over His Stepsister’s Secret