Chapter 417
Was the plan simply to agree to everything up front, and then-no matter what- make sure Mrs. Lancaster got her way?!
“Any other questions?” Harrison’s deep, commanding gaze swept across the room, the weight of it nearly tangible.
Logan jolted to attention. No, sir. I’ll take care of it right away!”
Only then did Harrison nod in satisfaction.
A week slipped by in the blink of an eye, with Anastasia buried in her revision.
At last, the big day arrived the day of the much-anticipated exam.
“I’ll drive you,” Harrison said at breakfast, gently dabbing Ana’s lips with a napkin.
Ana’s eyes crinkled in delight. She tilted her head and planted a playful kiss on his chin. “Okay!”
The exam center wasn’t far, and with so many drivers at their disposal, Ana could have easily gone on her own.
But the fact that Harrison cared enough to take her himself made her feel truly cherished.
As they arrived outside the testing hall, Harrison clung to her, peppering her with questions about whether she’d remembered everything. She listened patiently, the whole exchange reminding her of anxious parents dropping their kids off for entrance exams.
Back when she’d taken her own college exams-it felt like a lifetime ago—she and Penelope Sterling had been assigned to different test centers. Gabriel and Nora had gone with Penelope, leaving Ana all alone, nobody to support her.
The memory always left a faint ache in her chest.
But now, it was as if Harrison had filled that empty space in her heart. Maybe from now on, whenever she thought back to exam days, she wouldn’t feel so regretful. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs.net
Now she, too, had someone waiting and worrying, someone who cared.
“Did you hear me?” Harrison asked, noticing her faraway look. His eyes darkened, and he gave her cheek a gentle but firm pinch.
Ana snapped out of her reverie and grabbed his hand. “Yes, yes, I heard you “Repeat it,” Harrison demanded.
Ana hesitated, caught.
Harrison let out a low, disapproving grunt.
“Oh, come on, I’m going to be late!” She quickly pecked his cheek, grinned, and hurried out of the car. “Bye, love you!”
She darted away, only stopping once she’d put a safe distance between them. Turning back, she called, “I’m going in now! Wait for me when I’m done, okay?”
She waved, clutching her things, and ran off toward the entrance.
Crossing the threshold, she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder one last time. Harrison was still watching her from the car, his gaze so full of warmth it made her heart melt and her lips curl into a soft smile.
Who would have guessed that the cold, ruthless Mr. Harrison Lancaster would one day be the one nervously seeing someone off for exams? Just now, fussing over her, he looked no different from any other anxious parent out front.
Checking to make sure no one was watching, Ana blushed, pressed her hand to her lips, and blew him a kiss from afar before darting inside.
Back in the car, Harrison sat in silence for a long moment.
“Did you see that?” he asked at last.
Logan shifted awkwardly. Yeah, I saw.”
He felt like a loyal dog left waiting by the curb, only to be kicked for his trouble.
But Mr. Harrison Lancaster was lost in his own world, oblivious to his subordinate’s discomfort. His heart thudded in his chest, and, for once, a rare, genuine smile played at his lips, his eyes dark and burning.
He must have loved her in his last life, too.
There was no other explanation. How else could she make his heart race so easily?