The moment that question was asked, all eyes turned to Anathea, and the room buzzed with whispers.
“Yeah, Mr. Sinclair of Sinclair Group announced that his wife’s name is Anathea Jacobson. It’s the same exact name. What are the odds?”
“But she looks kind of different from the photo Mr. Sinclair posted
Anathea smiled a little when she heard that. Of course there was a difference. In the photo Gregory had posted, she was totally
barefaced.
For the competition, she’d gone full glam with heavy makeup–sharp cat–eye liner and bright red lipstick. It was completely different from her usual soft, elegant style. Even Hannah had to do double take to recognize her.
It was normal that these reporters, who’d only seen her once, couldn’t connect the dots.
She kept her cool and smiled. “No, I haven’t seen it. I’ve been focusing on the competition. I don’t follow celebrity gossip.”
“Ms. Jacobson, do you know Mr. Sinclair from Castenea?” another reporter asked.
Anathea’s face didn’t even twitch. “No, I don’t.”
She was so calm and detached. No one could pick up on anything strange between her and Gregory. For a second, everyone thought maybe they’d really gotten it wrong.
“I hope everyone can focus on my work. Thank you,” she said politely and nodded slightly.
When she was about to leave, a kid’s voice suddenly rang out. “Mom!”
Anathea froze for a moment, turning toward the sound. There, wiggling his way out of the crowd, was Xander, waving at her excitedly.
It had been almost a month since she last heard that sweet word–Mom.”
In the past, hearing Xander call her that would always fill her heart with warmth. But now, all she felt was a bitter sting because she still remembered every word he’d said at the hospital crystal clear.
“I like Ms. Whitman! I don’t like you! I want to be with Ms. Whitman! And if you ever hurt her again, I don’t want you to be my mom anymore! I want Ms. Whitman to be my mom! I’ll ask Dad to marry her and kick you out!”
Every word had been like a knife, severing whatever fragile bond was left between them.
So, now, Anathea looked at Xander the same way she would a stranger.
Without a hint of hesitation, she turned around to leave.
However, she didn’t expect Xander, who was usually so well–behaved, to run up and grab her leg, clinging on tight.
“Mom, don’t leave me!”
But instead of feeling moved, Anathea felt a deep rejection rising inside her.
“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not your mom,” she said coolly, prying his hands off her leg.
Xander immediately burst into tears. “My mom doesn’t want me anymore!”
The scene quickly spiraled into chaos, with reporters snapping photos left and right. Anathea frowned slightly.
A cold voice cut through the noise, filled with an unmistakable warning. “If you keep this up, you’re going to regret it.”
Immediately, Xander stopped crying, though he still looked miserable as he let go of Anathea.
“Xander.”
ཨཽ ཇ ་། ད་
1/2
Chapter 187
+25 BONUS
Stunned, Anathea blinked and turned toward the voice.
Everyone else instinctively stepped aside, creating a path.
There he was–Gregory, dressed in a sharp black suit, standing calmly at the bottom of the steps. Even though they were standing on different levels, he was perfectly eye–level with Anatlea as he locked eyes with her.
The chilling, commanding presence he radiated made it clear that he was used to being at the top.
“That’s Mr. Sinclair!”
