Chapter 46
Anastasia noticed Lady’s gaze on her, but she didn’t let it bother her.
Straightening her shoulders, she met Lady’s eyes without flinching, then glanced down at May, who was still crumpled on the floor. Almost without thinking, she tugged at Harrison’s sleeve.
“What should we do with May?”
Harrison’s eyes lingered on his sleeve where her hand rested. Against his dark shirt, her pale, slender fingers stood out; he was seized by an urge to turn his hand and catch hers in his. For a moment, his large, well-shaped hand twitched, but he forced the impulse down, keeping his composure.
His voice was low and indulgent. “What do you want to do?”
Anastasia didn’t notice the brief flicker of emotion in him. Hearing his question, she immediately began her complaint. TÊœe sourcá´‡ of thɪs content ɪs
“I gave her a chance yesterday. I told her if anything happened again, being thrown out of Rosewood Manor would be the least of her worries. She didn’t listen -she ruined the gift your grandmother gave you, then tried to pin it on me. That’s just too much!”
Harrison nodded. “Mm.”
“I don’t think kicking her out is enough. We should call the police and let them handle it.”
Even a child knows that when there’s trouble, you call the police!
Harrison agreed, “Alright.”
“Huh?” She turned to him, surprised at how readily he agreed. “Did you even hear what I said, darling?”
Why did he seem so distracted?
Harrison finally looked away from her hand, his handsome face calm as ever. “You’re right. We’ll do exactly as you said.”
“Mr. Lancaster! I’m sorry, I really am!” May’s strength seemed to drain out of her; this time, the tears were real. The jade pendant alone looked priceless-how could she ever afford to pay for it? Was Anastasia really going to send her to jail?
Harrison’s brow furrowed, a flash of irritation in his eyes.
Logan, noticing that his boss was being disturbed, made a subtle gesture.
Immediately, two men stepped forward and dragged May away.
Only then did Harrison turn to Lady, his voice gentle. “Grandmother, what brings you here all of a sudden?”
Anastasia’s eyes flickered. She found it odd as well.
The jade pendant had been delivered by someone else; Lady clearly hadn’t planned on coming by. And yet, here she was, arriving at the very moment May tried to frame her. The timing was almost too perfect.
Lady was holding Alice’s hand, her tone warm and affectionate. “Alice came to see me just now-she mentioned you, and I started to worry, so I thought I’d come check on things myself.”
Alice?
Anastasia raised her eyes and glanced at Alice, a feeling of inevitability settling in. So that’s where May found the nerve. To break the jade pendant Lady had given Harrison-Anastasia would never believe Alice hadn’t encouraged her.
Just as she was thinking this, Lady’s gaze shifted and landed on her.
“So this is the young lady from the Sterling family? Quite a lovely girl.”
Her tone held a note of surprise. When the idea of a marriage alliance with the Sterlings had first come up, it was out of desperation-a hope that Cecilia’s daughter would be a decent match.
But it hadn’t taken long for her to dig up Anastasia’s history, which was night and day compared to her mother’s.
Poor grades could be overlooked-maybe she just wasn’t gifted academically- but skipping school constantly was a matter of attitude. She was hardly ever seen at school, except during exams. And if she wasn’t smart or hardworking, how did she manage to come out on top every time? Was she trying to broadcast to the world that she was cheating?
Thankfully, her stepsister was a model student and always pleaded her case, or the school would have disciplined her long ago.
Then, when Lady saw photos of Anastasia dressed up at various parties, she was so shocked she nearly fainted.