Chapter 13
When Angela found out that Austin had shown up in Nifelheim City with Rosemary, looking for a way to reconcile with me. she was furious.
Her eyes blazed with anger, and she clenched her teeth. “That jerk really thinks he can waltz back into your life and make you change your mind just by showing up?
“How shameless can he be? His arrogance doesn’t hide the fact that he’s nothing but trash.”
Seeing how upset she was, I gently grabbed her arm and said softly, “I’m not angry, so why are you worked up?”
Angela took a deep breath, still fuming. “The class reunion is at the Bluestar Hotel tonight. I’m going to make sure I give him a piece of my mind.”
I shrugged. “Isn’t the charity auction you’re hosting the day after tomorrow? Austin’s trying to get me to drop five hundred thousand to buy that ruby Amanda wants.”
Angela almost laughed in disbelief. “That guy is unbelievable. He didn’t come to Nifelheim City just to patch things up with you. He’s after your money, isn’t he?”
She took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. “He’s got the nerve to ask you to buy something? That ruby has nothing to do with him! Laurel, tonight, I’m going to expose that jerk in front of everyone.”
“No need, Angela,” I said softly. “This is between Austin and me.”
Angela gave me a worried look. “Laurel, I’m your best friend. He’s bullying you, and you don’t have anyone to back you up. How can I let this slide? Who else is going to help you if not me?”
The truth was, I had never seen my father. My mom never spoke about him either.
The only photo I had of him was hidden away in a drawer in my mom’s room.
In it, my parents looked close, almost intimate. But when I asked Bonnie about him, she avoided the subject and only said. that my father had lied to my mom and warned me not to bring him up around her.
As I grew older, I started to wonder if I was my father’s illegitimate child. My mom had been incredibly beautiful back then -like someone out of a painting.
Growing up without a father, I naturally longed for a complete family. But after six years of giving everything to a relationship I thought was real, I realized I was the only one making all the sacrifices.
“Angela, your family works with the Herrera family. This isn’t something you should get involved in. I can handle it,” I said, gently patting her hand.
Angela and I had been classmates and neighbors since elementary school. We grew up together, stayed in the same class all through high school, and went to the same university.
She went abroad to study and only came back to Nifelheim City last year. As for me, I chose a school in Newton City to be closer to Austin.
“Don’t worry, not many people know who I really am,” Angela said with a smirk, then sighed.
She added, “But some people in our class group are starting to wonder if I’m ‘being taken care of. Can you imagine? If I were, how much would I be getting each month?”
1/3
Chapter 13
1 had no idea Angela was the daughter of the Adams family, one of the four major families in Nifelheim City.
I only knew that her parents were often away, so she would drop by my house for meals and praise my mom’s cooking.
She rarely mentioned her parents and often seemed envious of the fact that I always had my mom by my side.
Meanwhile, her parents were busy with work and hardly ever home.
So, most of the time, apart from the housekeeper who took care of her at home, there was no one else at her home.
As we got into the car, Angela kept venting about Austin.
But when she noticed I was completely unfazed, she sighed in relief. “Laurel, I was worried you might still be hung up on Austin. But seeing you like this, I feel better.
“It looks like you’ve really cut ties with him. So why are you still stressing about the charity auction the day after tomorrow?”
“That ruby is something Amanda has her eye on,” I explained.
Angela was worried. “So what? Why should his mother’s sixtieth birthday concern you? Doesn’t he have enough money? Don’t let him sweet-talk you back into his life.”
I sighed, seeing the worry on Angela’s face. “Angela, I’m done with him. There’s no turning back.”
I had been inexplicably attached to Austin for six years. He was always in my thoughts, always in my heart.
But I had never cared for his money or asked for expensive gifts. I just wanted a simple, warm family.
I’d compromised and bent over backward to stay with him until the day I realized I had been the only one giving. I was done.
Angela still didn’t seem convinced. “Then why do you care about the auction?”
“Because Amanda’s birthday is next month, and Austin isn’t going to wait until the last minute to prepare,” I said, pulling out my phone to scroll through Rosemary’s social media posts.
When I saw her showing off a bunch of luxury items, I couldn’t help but laugh.
It was obvious Austin had bought them for her.
Angela parked the car and leaned in to look at the photos on my phone, making a face. “You still haven’t deleted this poser?”
I chuckled. “I’m not deleting her. Actually, I’m adding Austin back.”
With that, I accepted his friend request and removed him from my blacklist.
“Laurel, you…” Angela started, clearly annoyed, but stopped short when I pulled out a marriage certificate.
“It’s real,” I said, calm as ever.
Angela’s jaw dropped. “You… When did you and Alex get married?”
I calmly took the certificate back from her and winked. “This morning. Didn’t you tell me to seize the opportunity?”
“Isn’t that too fast?” Angela said, pinching her cheek to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
2/3
Chapter 13
When she realized it was real, she sighed, her face full of dread. “Laurel, how could you just go ahead and get married?
“I was just telling my mom yesterday that I’m not getting married anytime soon! Now it’s all ruined.
I’m going to be forced into blind dates every day. How could I let something like men get in the way of my career?”
Before Angela could finish her rant, Austin’s call came through.
He demanded, “Laurel, the high school reunion is tonight. I’m bringing Rosemary with me. If you’re uncomfortable, don’t come. You can stay at the hospital with your mom, and book a room at Bluestar Hotel for us so we don’t have to keep running around.”
