For the last few days, Anathea had been getting up early to go to work and hadn’t returned until late into the evening. Xander had gone to bed without bedtime stories during her absence, and lie was starting to feel neglected, which explained his madden needy behavior toward Anathea.
However, Anathea gently nudged him away and said, “Start dinner without me, Xander. I need to take care of something”
Anathea had just received a customer’s order detalls for a floral arrangement. She needed to pick out the materials to complement the verse of choice and come up will a design propisal
Xander froze. He’d heard Gregory Jummor him with the same excuse plenty of times whenever he went into Gregory’s study. “I need to take care of something,” the man would say impassively
“Mom…” Xander posted, looking like an abandoned puppy. “It’s been so long since you spent time with me. Can’t you have dinner with me tonight?”
Anathea grew exasperated when she saw the tears in Xander’s eyes. He looked as if he might cry any second. There was no stopping the waterworks when they started, so she said with mild resignation, “Alright. I’ll have dinner with you, but let me wash my hands first.”
“Okay!” Xander’s eyes sparkled, and he looked visibly chipper. Not even Gregory could switch expressions that quickly.
Sighing inwardly, Anathea set her phone on the table and went to the sink to wash her hands. A second after she turned her back on her phone, Evangeline’s message popped up in the studio group chat
Anathea’s phone screen lit up with the notification. Curious, Xander glanced at the message and saw the words “work arrangement“.
“Let’s eat dinner,” Anathea said when she returned from washing her hands.
“Okay.” Xander nodded and bounded over to the dining table. He exclaimed, “Wow! Tom, what’s with the feast today?”
Anathea and Xander usually had a simple meal for dinner. But tought, Thomas had made seven dishes.
Thomas didn’t have to answer for Anathea to figure out what was happening. He’d made Gregory’s favorites, after all.
Sure enough, the next second, they heard the sound of a car pulling up at the driveway.
Jenny’s respectful greeting followed. “Welcome home, Mr. Sinclair” She added a pause later, “And good evening, Ms. Whitman
“Dad! Ms. Whitman!” Xander beamed when he saw Gregory and Natalie. He beckoned them over to the dining table with a wave. “Join us for dinner!”
Anathea had none of Xander’s enthusiasm. In the past, she would’ve gone up to Gregory and taken his jacket, but she didn’t so much as glance over her shoulder at him this time. Instead, she took her seat at the table and began eating as if Gregory and
Natalie were invisible.
Gregory frowned as a stormy look etched itself on his face, but he routely handed his jacket to Cyrus. With long stric approached the dining table and took his seat.
Natalie followed suit. She appeared to be in a good mood and even greeted Anathea. It seemed the business trip had gone well.
Natalie brushed off Anathea’s indifference. Upon taking her seat, she brought up details and moments from her business trip with Gregory, who gave her noncommittal respouses now and ther
Gregory never liked it when Anathea asked him about his work–at that he would’ve told her anything. But now, he didn’t seem to mind having a conversation about work with Natalie, and they talked as if they were in a bubble of their own completely closed off to others at the table.
Anathea had no desire to join their conversation, so she kept on easing dinner. Everything was fine until Xander suddenly asked,
Chapter 32
+25 BONUS
“Mom, are you going to work again tomorrow?”
The words were well–articulated and hung in the air as a silence tell upon the dining table. Anathea stiffened when she felt “Gregory staring at her. He asked darkly, “Work?”
Xander was oblivious to the questions and emotions brewing In Cory’s eyes. He had no qualms about telling everyone what he’d observed in the last few days. “Yeah, work. Mom’s been going to work these days. She doesn’t come home until late
“Does she now?” Gregory narrowed his eyes
es at Anathea as if he wanted to bore a hole through her.
Chapter 33
