Chapter 36

“Anastasia, how are you getting home? Don’t tell me you’re taking an Uber?”
“No way, right? Are you seriously telling us your hubby doesn’t even have a car?” Their mocking voices floated over, but Anastasia only lifted her eyelids lazily. “Whether my husband has a car or not is none of your business. Maybe focus on finding a boyfriend of your own instead of obsessing over mine?”
Just then, someone passing by overheard and shot a curious glance at Penelope and her friends, their expression a mix of surprise and amusement.
“You-!” The girl who’d spoken earlier flushed crimson, whether from anger or embarrassment it was impossible to tell. “Who cares about your husband? Like anyone would want your loser of a hubby, the one who never shows his face, doesn’t know how to behave in public, and can’t even afford a car!”
Anastasia’s lips twitched, her expression turning briefly odd.
—Mr. Lancaster, a good-for-nothing who can’t show his face or afford a car?
If only he could hear them now! She shot Penelope a sidelong glance.
None of these girls knew who she’d married, but Penelope certainly did. These rumors didn’t start themselves. There was no way Penelope was innocent in all this-she clearly couldn’t stand to see Anastasia doing well.
“Just to clear things up,” Anastasia lifted her chin, pride flickering in her voice, “my husband is better looking than anyone you know and could outshine anyone in a crowd. As for cars-God knows how many he owns, but I’m sure it’s more than what you’ve got sitting in your garage. Of course you’re not interested-you’d never have a shot anyway!”
One of the girls scoffed. “Yeah, right! If his garage is so full, why isn’t he here picking you up? You’re still stuck calling a ride like the rest of us.”
Anastasia was about to retort, when suddenly-
“Ma’am.”
A deep, respectful voice cut in from behind.
Anastasia spun around in surprise to find Logan standing there, dressed impeccably as always.
She blinked. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to drive you home, of course,” he replied, gesturing towards the car parked nearby.
Anastasia glanced over and her eyes widened with delight.
The window was partly rolled down, and she caught a glimpse of someone in the back seat-a familiar silhouette. Harrison!
Her heart skipped, and her cheeks flushed pink.
Had he heard everything she just said?
“Ma’am, if you’d like to get in,” Logan prompted.
The girls across from her were dumbstruck, staring first at Logan’s crisp suit and then at the gleaming car.
“My husband’s here to pick me up. See you around!” Anastasia tossed over her shoulder, barely containing her glee as she hurried toward the car.
Logan held the door open for her. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on.net
She was just about to get in when she paused and turned back. “Penelope, you’ve met my husband. You know exactly who he is and what he does, so why let them talk like that?”
With that, she slid into the back seat and the door clicked shut behind her.
As the car pulled away, the girls stood frozen, a mix of confusion and disbelief on their faces.
Penelope, meanwhile, looked shell-shocked and bitterly envious.
Did she see that correctly? Was that really Mr. Lancaster in the back seat?
Mr. Lancaster, personally picking up Anastasia?
What did Anastasia ever do to deserve that?
“What was that supposed to mean? Did you lie to us?” one of the girls demanded, her tone suddenly hostile.
After that fiasco with the dress, their trust in Penelope had nosedived.
“I didn’t—” Penelope stammered, desperate. “I never said her husband was poor, just that… it was complicated.”
“Complicated? Do you take us for idiots? You told us he was broke. Does that look broke to you?”
You didn’t need to know much about cars to recognize that wasn’t something you could buy with pocket change.
“I never said he was poor,” Penelope protested, sounding both wronged and helpless. “I just said it wasn’t convenient to talk about his situation