Chapter 306

Driven by a sense of guilt, Anastasia was uncharacteristically obedient that night, so much so that Harrison’s famously iron self-control nearly unraveled.
The next morning, with no classes to rush to, Anastasia burrowed deeper into the covers, determined to steal a little extra sleep. For once, Harrison didn’t get up either; he simply stayed beside her.
Suddenly, Anastasia’s phone buzzed.
She glanced at the man still asleep at her side, then carefully twisted out of his arms and fished her phone from the nightstand.
It was a message from Maggie-
[Maggie: Anastasia, you’re still not up yet?]
[Maggie: Shirley asked me to pass something on. She wants to make a bet with you, or something.]
[Maggie: Seriously, is she out of her mind? You never did anything to her, so why is she always bothering you?]
Anastasia frowned and typed back at once-
[Just tell her I don’t have the time or patience for her games. Leave me alone.]
She tossed the phone aside, then gingerly rolled back into Harrison’s arms, closing her eyes and resolving to go back to sleep.
She really didn’t have time for Shirley’s nonsense-not when she had a perfectly good reason to stay in bed with her husband.
But while Anastasia wanted nothing to do with Shirley, Shirley clearly wasn’t planning to let her off easy.
Before she could drift off again, her phone started vibrating nonstop.
Anastasia grabbed it, switched it to silent, and sneaked a glance at Harrison. Seeing that he was still sound asleep, she let out a sigh of relief. Official source ıs
Annoyed, she checked her messages.
[Maggie: Anastasia, Shirley just tagged you in the college group chat. You need to check it, now!]
Anastasia had muted the college group chat ages ago, back when she first joined. Thanks to Maggie’s reminder, it took her a while to dig through her notifications and find it.
That’s when she saw it: Shirley had somehow joined their college chat group. God knows who let her in.
[Shirley: @Anastasia, what’s wrong? Too scared to accept a simple bet?]
[Shirley: Here’s the wager. Still not interested?]
[Shirley: (Photo attached)]
The moment Anastasia recognized the picture, her blood ran cold.
It was her mother’s bracelet.
Those keepsakes should have been locked away in the bank. How on earth had Shirley gotten her hands on them?
It didn’t take a genius to figure out Penelope had something to do with this.
[Shirley: @Anastasia, meet me by the lake in half an hour. We’ll talk face to face.
If you’re even a minute late, I just might ‘accidentally’ drop this into the water.]
Anastasia’s grip on her phone tightened so hard it nearly cracked. Her mother’s things were sacred-Shirley was playing with fire.
Her eyes turning icy, Anastasia swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“Where are you going?” Suddenly, a hand caught her wrist.
She turned to see Harrison awake, watching her with sleepy eyes. Instantly, she tucked away her anger and pressed a kiss to his cheek, her voice light as she said, “Something’s come up at college. I’ll be back soon, promise.”
Harrison clearly wasn’t thrilled-especially since he’d been looking forward to a lazy morning together-but he let her go. “Be careful.”
When Anastasia reached the campus gates, Maggie, Sandra, and her cousin Juliet were already waiting.
“Anastasia!” they called, jogging up to her. Together, they headed for the lake.
By the time they arrived, Shirley and Penelope were already there, flanked by a small crowd of onlookers eager for drama.
The moment Anastasia saw the bracelet in Shirley’s hand, her anger boiled over. Her expression turned steely, and her presence was so commanding that the crowd instinctively parted, letting her stride to the front.
“Enough, Shirley. What do you want?”