Chapter 208

With that, she turned on her heel and strode off.
Samuel was left crouched on the ground, clutching his wrist, which throbbed as if
it had snapped in two. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his face ashen and
twisted in a grimace of pain.
“You little brat! Just you wait!!”
Burning with rage, he punched in a number and hissed through clenched teeth,
“Mrs. Sterling, about that deal you mentioned before I’m in.”
Anastasia had no idea what happened behind her as she walked away, still feeling the lingering weight of bad luck.
“Ana!”
A cheerful voice called out nearby.
Startled, Anastasia looked over and saw her younger cousin hurrying toward her. The frown that had settled on her brow vanished, replaced by a gentle smile she couldn’t suppress.
“Ana, what are you doing here? I waited ages for you at the front gate and never saw you!”
“Had something to take care of,” Anastasia replied, brushing off the question. She had no intention of mentioning the unpleasantness with Samuel.
“Oh! By the way, why weren’t you in class yesterday? Were you feeling sick?” Juliet Brennan asked, her wide eyes filled with concern.
Anastasia hesitated for a beat, then cleared her throat and looked away from Juliet’s earnest gaze. “I had some errands to run, so I took the day off.”
“Oh, okay!” Juliet nodded, never doubting her cousin for a second.
Relieved at her cousin’s trust, Anastasia discreetly rubbed her burning ears and let out a quiet sigh.
Suddenly, Juliet piped up again,
“Hey, Ana, didn’t you say you were looking for a great chef? I found one for you! He used to be a royal chef and now works at a five-star hotel downtown.”
“I even asked him, and he’s willing to teach someone!”
Anastasia blinked in surprise. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn
She’d only mentioned wanting to learn from a chef in passing a few days ago— she’d planned to handle it herself, not expecting Juliet to remember, let alone go out of her way to find someone for her.
Warmth bloomed in her chest. She reached out and affectionately ruffled Juliet’s hair. “Thank you, Juliet.”
Just those three words made Juliet’s eyes shine with pride.
“I didn’t really do anything,” she mumbled, suddenly shy.
Anastasia just smiled. “Come on, let’s get to class.”
Juliet obediently followed. Truthfully, she didn’t have any classes that day-she’d come to campus just to see her cousin, and now she trailed after her like a shadow.
Anastasia had four classes that morning: two for her major, then two electives. As soon as the first two were finished, she tugged Juliet out of the building and toward the gates.
“Ana, can’t we just go after class? The chef’s at the hotel all day-we won’t miss him, so why skip?” Juliet asked, genuinely puzzled.
“If I wait until after class, I’ll have to head straight home. And if I’m late, your brother-in-law will be annoyed,” Anastasia said, exasperated, though her lips curled with a hint of mischief.
Juliet looked at her, half envious, half delighted. “You and Harrison are so sweet together!”
Then a realization dawned on her.
“Wait are you learning to cook for Harrison?”
Anastasia’s smile deepened. “Of course.”
She’d promised Harrison she’d cook for him, but last time had ended with a kitchen mishap and a bruised hand. Still, a promise was a promise.
After all, his reaction had made it clear how much her words meant to him—and she had no intention of letting him down.
If she was going to do this, she wanted to do it right. So practice was a must.
Together, they found the hotel and quickly made arrangements with the chef. From now on, Anastasia would sneak out during her electives to take private cooking lessons.
When they left the hotel, there was still plenty of time before her next class. Heading back too soon would only raise Harrison’s suspicions, so Anastasia grabbed Juliet’s hand and suggested they wander the city for a bit.
Not far away-
“Mr. Lancaster, isn’t that your wife over there?”