Chapter 501
A hush fell over the room.
Anastasia Sterling nodded. “Good. No one? Then this meeting is adjourned.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the exit.
The senior directors scrambled to follow her.
“Miss Sterling!” Ms. Evelyn called out, rushing after her, afraid she was leaving for good.
Once outside the banquet hall, Anastasia stopped and turned back. Her
expression had softened slightly as she looked at the directors. She was about to speak when Logan Lockwood approached, holding a phone.
“Ma’am, it’s Mr. Lancaster.”
Anastasia’s entire demeanor shifted. The controlled mask she wore dissolved, replaced by a lively warmth.
She took the phone, her voice turning sweet. “Hello?”
A deep, masculine voice slid into her ear. “Why aren’t you back yet?”
“I’m almost done. I’ll be home in a minute,” she cooed, her tone placating.
On the other end, Harrison Lancaster glanced at the time. “I’ll give you forty minutes.”
He expected her in his arms in exactly forty minutes.
Anastasia’s brow furrowed in a slight dilemma.
Forty minutes? That was precisely how long it took to get home.
She glanced at the directors, who were still watching her with hopeful eyes, and tried to negotiate in a soft voice. “I haven’t even gotten the medicine yet, and there are a few small things to wrap up. Forty minutes isn’t quite enough… Could I have another half hour?”
Another half hour?
An icy aura began to radiate from Harrison. She had finally taken a day off to spend with him, and now she Was planning to waste the entire day out? Forty minutes was the absolute limit of his patience, and she had the audacity to ask for more.
The silence on the line told Anastasia everything she needed to know. He was not happy. She was about to start coaxing him when she noticed the directors nearby and quickly walked a few steps away in embarrassment.
“Okay, not half an hour. How about just twenty minutes?” she whispered.
“Hubby, don’t be mad at me
After a good while of her sweet-talking, Harrison finally relented. He was helpless
against her charms and granted her the extra half-hour.
Hanging up, Anastasia let out a breath, a smile playing on her lips. Having a
clingy husband was both a blessing and a curse—sweetly annoying.
She walked back and handed the phone to Logan.
“Miss Sterling, this gentleman is Mr. Lynn asked tentatively, sizing up Logan. Both Logan and the stone faced bodyguards exuded an intimidating presence. But what intrigued them more was the way Logan had addressed her as “Ma’am.”
Anastasia didn’t hide it. “My husband was worried about me coming here alone, Googlá´‡ search
so he sent them to keep an eye on things.”
Her casual mention of her “husband” sent another shockwave through the directors. Seeing their stunned expressions, she realized they had no idea she was married.
Before they could ask, she cut in. “Let’s find somewhere to talk.” She still needed
to get the medicine, and she genuinely wanted to chat with them.
This was exactly what the directors wanted. They immediately led her to an adjacent lounge.
Inside the lounge, Anastasia spoke first. “Thank you all for defending me earlier.” Her words brought a flush of emotion to the directors’ eyes.
“Miss Sterling, we’re the ones who should be sorry Mr. Lynn sighed, rising as if to bow. “We’ve failed you.”
Anastasia was taken aback and quickly helped him back to his seat. “You are my elders. There’s no need for that.”
“No, there is,” Ms. Evelyn insisted. “We betrayed the Chairman’s trust.”