The employees watched Anathea with a mix of surprise and sympathy. They carefully observed her expression.
But Anathea’s demeanor remained calm, as if she were unaffected by their gossip.
She picked up a blue rose that had fallen to the floor and handed it to one of them, reminding, “Make sure to handle the thorns before wrapping it, or the customer might hurt their hand.”
“O–okay, thanks for the reminder, Nat.”
They took the rose. As Anathea turned to leave, one of the employees whispered, “I think Nat is great. She’s beautiful, gentle, and talented. Why would Mr. Sinclair treat her like that?”
“Maybe he’s blind.” Another employee speculated seriously. “As they say, the grass always looks greener on the other side. Even Mr. Sinclair isn’t immune to that.”
Anathea sat in her office, opening her phone to check the latest trending news.
One title read, “Mr. Sinclair Spends 50 Million Dollars on a Tiara to Make His Princess Smile.”
The attached photo showed Natalie with a joyful smile, gazing at Gregory with loving eyes.
Who would have thought that at the Presgraves‘ party just over a month ago, she’d been abandoned by Gregory and left awkwardly standing on the red carpet alone?
Now, a month later, Natalie had become the center of attention again.
Anathea’s gaze fell on Gregory’s face in the photo. His usual indifferent expression was softened as he looked at Natalie.
Just the night before, he’d angrily questioned her, asking why she didn’t like him anymore.
Wasn’t the answer obvious?
Anathea’s lips curled into a faintly mocking smile. No wonder he’d left early this morning. He’d been busy preparing a birthday gift for his beloved.
Anathea locked her phone, refusing to look at it any longer. She focused on her work instead.
She had lunch with Evangeline and the other colleagues.
“Nat, eat more meat! Look at you. You’ve lost so much weight,” Evangeline said with concern while piling food on Anathea’s
plate.
“You worked non–stop this morning. Don’t overwork yourself. Take it easy. Your health is the most important thing.”
Anathea nodded. In truth, she didn’t feel tired at all doing the work she loved. In fact, she felt a sense of fulfillment.
She enjoyed this feeling. Plus, she needed to make more money so she could hire the best team to help Adam with his case. She’d already contacted a famous lawyer abroad who specialized in such cases and was waiting for a response.
Anathea glanced at her inbox every now and then, not wanting to miss any updates. But there was no reply yet.
The clock on the wall ticked away, and the sun outside slowly moved toward the west.
Anathea finished her work, stretched, and was about to head home
Just then, her phone buzzed with a new message. Anathea’s eyes briefly lit up when she saw quickly faded.
“Come to the Sinclair residence and bring Natalie her birthday gift.”
as from Gregory, but the glow
The message was cold and detached, as if he were treating her like ust another employee tasked with a job.
1/2
Chapter 233
Anathea pressed her lips together.
+25 BONUS
At the Sinclair residence, Eleanor had gone to great lengths to prepare for Natalie’s birthday. She’d hired a world–renowned architect to design a special parlor just for Natalie.
It was a beautiful, grand glasshouse. The transparent glass roof was covered with lush, dark green branches. The branches reached from the floor to the top, adorned with clusters of round, delicate roses.
The roses were white with a hint of pink. The petals overlapped with tinges of red and a touch of purple, clustered in groups of three or five. They excluded a rich fragrance.
From afar, the entire glass parlor looked like a painting–elegant and surreal. It evoked admiration from the guests.
“I didn’t know Madam Eleanor dotes on Ms. Whitman so much. She went all out just for a birthday party!”
“Of course. Ms. Whitman is Madam Eleanor’s goddaughter and was even chosen as her daughter–in–law
