Chapter 11
Mary’s face instantly went pale, a cold anger tightening her features.
Before she could respond, Anastasia had already turned on her heel and strode
away.
Anastasia respected Mary’s status and had no intention of clashing with her head- on, but that didn’t mean she’d let people walk all over her.
She headed upstairs in search of Harrison, but instead found Logan standing guard outside the study.
“Is Mr. Lancaster inside?” she asked as she approached.
“Mr. Lancaster is busy at the moment,” Logan replied, a hint of deference in his tone.
“Oh.” Disappointment flickered across Anastasia’s face-she’d hoped to see him in person. “I need to go home for a bit. Please let Mr. Lancaster know for me.”
That morning, she’d received a call from Nora asking her to come home. She’d intended to ignore it, but then remembered something important she’d left at the house, something that shouldn’t stay there much longer. She’d decided to make the trip. The source of thɪs content is ÍŸ.net
Logan nodded in acknowledgment.
The Sterling family home.
As soon as Anastasia stepped inside, she was greeted by a poised, elegant woman whose gentle smile and warm tone seemed to fill the foyer. “Anastasia, you’re back?”
This was her stepmother, Nora.
Anastasia caught the practiced smile on Nora’s face, and a shadow flickered behind her own eyes.
How many years had she been fooled by this woman’s mask? She’d even once loved Nora as if she were her own mother. What a joke.
She managed a smile, careful to keep it polite but distant. “Yes, I’m back.”
Nora’s expression faltered for a split second. There was something odd in Anastasia’s tone-something unsettling, as if the girl standing before her wasn’t quite the same person. But after a closer look, Nora reassured herself: this was still the same naive, easily managed Anastasia. She was just being paranoid.
Nora gestured toward Gabriel, who stood nearby, his face set in a cold scowl. With a gentle chiding, she said, “Why are you giving your father the silent treatment? Go on, apologize to him properly.”
Apologize?
Anastasia couldn’t imagine what she ought to apologize for. For refusing one of Gabriel’s demands? For hanging up on him first? Nora’s words, as always, were laced with calculation.
If Nora had phrased it differently, the Anastasia of her previous life-so desperate for her father’s love-might have actually gone over and bowed her head. But of course, Nora had chosen to say “apologize,” as if hoping to provoke her rebellious streak.
Thinking back, Anastasia realized how much Nora had contributed to the rift between her and Gabriel over the years.
But it didn’t matter anymore. She had no intention of reclaiming this father in her new life.
She didn’t move an inch toward Gabriel. “I just came to grab something from my room.”
With that, she turned and headed upstairs without waiting for a reply.
Nora let out a sigh, the picture of exasperated concern. “She’s just upset, Gabriel. Don’t take it to heart.”
Her words only stoked Gabriel’s anger further. Nora’s lips curled ever so slightly, but neither of them suspected anything out of the ordinary. Anastasia’s defiance was nothing new-father and daughter had always been at odds.
Standing at her bedroom door, Anastasia took in the familiar yet strangely distant surroundings, her emotions a tangled mess.
She went to the cabinet where she’d always hidden her most important things and started searching.
There, she’d kept something precious-her mother’s medical notes. That was the real reason she’d come home today.
Her mother had once been a celebrated healer, and the notes she’d left behind were a coveted treasure. Aaron had deliberately gotten close to Anastasia for
them; the notebook was one of his main targets.
A moment later, Anastasia’s face went white.
The notes were gone.