Chapter 219
+25 BONUS
Upon hearing that, Thomas was stupefied. Gregory’s expression also shifted slightly as he looked down at Anathea.
Anathea calmly linked arms with Gregory and turned to Thomas, smiling gently. “Tom, since my husband’s here, we can part ways here.”
Even if Thomas were dense, he’d still be able to read between the lines.
Anathea was married. He should keep his distance.
This was a subtle rejection from her.
Thomas pressed his lips together and finally swallowed the words he’d been about to say. “Oh, okay. Take care.”
Anathea nodded.
Gregory studied Anathea’s face, noticing how distant her expression was when she faced Thomas.
A small, restrained smile crept up on his face. He glanced at Thomas with a subtle look of satisfaction and provocation, as if he were basking in triumph.
Thomas‘ fingers curled slightly as he met Gregory’s eyes. For a moment, the air thickened.
Thomas eventually pressed the up button.
The outcome of the standoff was clear. Gregory’s lips twitched. He was in a better mood than he would’ve been if he’d just landed a nine–figure deal.
But as soon as the elevator doors slowly shut, Anathea quickly let go of Gregory’s arm and explained calmly, “He’s here for a flower arrangement class. We just ran into each other.”
She hadn’t forgotten the time Gregory had misunderstood her before and made her suffer for it. There was no way she was going to trip over the same stone twice.
Gregory’s smile faded. He turned to the side, watching her closely.
Anathea didn’t ramble when she explained herself. Instead, she was so calm it was as though she were discussing what to eat for dinner.
Her way of handling the situation made it hard to suspect anything
But what bothered him was her attitude. It was as if she didn’t even want to keep up the act for another second.
Gregory narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his hand to touch her face, deliberately asking, “Really? Was it really just a coincidence?”
He was teasing her on purpose.
With how easily embarrassed she got, if he did something this intimate in public, she would get adorably flustered.
But to his surprise, Anathea let him touch her without moving away.
She looked at him, her face devoid of emotion, or maybe even colder than that because her gaze wasn’t just calm– there was a trace of indifference.
She was acting more like Mrs. Sinclair.
Gregory frowned slightly, feeling a sudden, inexplicable discomfort.
Anathea didn’t care what he was feeling. She simply asked in a soft voice, “Can we go home now?”
Gregory didn’t answer. He pressed his lips together and turned away, striding off.
1/2
Anathea followed behind him.
Given Gregory’s long legs, he walked quickly. Anathea had to speed up just to keep up, remaining not too close, but not too far
either.
However, it seemed he was doing this intentionally, as he sped up as well.
Anathea frowned slightly but still tried to keep up.
The next second, Gregory came to a halt in front of the car and turned around without warning. Anathea stepped right into his arms, her forehead bumping into his chest.
“Sorry…” Anathea lifted her head from his chest, taking a step back to create some distance between them.
Gregory grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. He then pinched her chin, leaning down.
Anathea was stunned. A flicker of resistance flashed in her eyes, but she quickly smoothed it over and yielded quietly.
However, she didn’t close her eyes.
In the past, whenever Gregory did something like this, she’d instinctively shut her eyes because her heart would flutter and pound wildly.
Now, though, her heart was as still as water. She simply looked at him as he gradually got carried away by her compliance, his eyes softening with some foreign emotion.
Originally, Gregory had only meant to vent a bit of frustration and lightly punish her with a kiss.
After all, he knew how reactive she was. She would definitely push him away with a flushed face and say, “Someone might see us!”
And he loved to do the exact opposite of what she wanted.
