Chapter 608
“Cousin, I never received any gift from you, and I had no idea you came looking for me,” she said, a bitter smile on her lips. “Instead, Nora and Penelope told me you were all throwing a massive birthday party for Lauren and had completely forgotten about me.”
“Forgotten about you? A party for Lauren? That birthday party was for *you*!” Benson interrupted, his voice strained. “We called the Sterling house several times, but you wouldn’t take our calls. We sent someone to pick you up, but you refused to see them. Do you have any idea how heartbroken Grandma and Grandpa were?”
Anastasia stared at him, bewildered.
Benson’s mind was reeling. “You really… never got my gift?”
“No… I didn’t even know you came to see me, or that Grandfather and Grandmother had called.”
At that, the truth became painfully obvious. A fool could see there was more to the story, that they had been manipulated. And at the center of it all were Nora and her daughter. It was clear now: Nora had deliberately engineered the entire misunderstanding.
The cruel irony was that because of one woman’s lies, she and the Brennans had been estranged for all these years.
Benson was even more stunned. If this was the truth, then all those years they thought she was ignoring them… how much had she suffered at the Sterling house, all alone?
A wave of profound guilt and sorrow washed over him. He looked at the elegant young woman before him, his heart twisting in pain. á´›his chapter is á´œpdated by
“Ana
Seeing his expression, Anastasia quickly forced a smile. “It’s okay. It’s all in the past. Besides, my life with the Sterlings wasn’t all bad.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. While Nora had schemed against her, she had also maintained the facade of a benevolent stepmother in front of Gabriel. She couldn’t be openly cruel, so she had resorted to more subtle ways of leading Anastasia astray.
“We’re going home right now,” Benson said suddenly, grabbing her hand. “We need to tell Grandma and Grandpa.”
He had barely taken two steps when Harrison appeared in the doorway. His gaze dropped to Benson’s hand on Anastasia’s, and his eyes darkened instantly. “What are you doing?”
Anastasia came to her senses and pulled her hand back. She looked at Benson with an amused smile. “Cousin, let’s go tomorrow We’ waited this long one more day won’t make a difference.” ‘
Benson’s lips thinned, his reluctance clear, but he eventually nodded. “Alright. I’ll
be waiting for you at home tomorrow.” His tone was noticeably gentler than before.
With the past cleared up, Anastasia was ecstatic. “Don’t rush off today, cousin. Why don’t you stay a little longer? There’s so much I want to talk to you about!”
“Okay,” Benson agreed, the harsh lines of his face softening into something akin to affection.
“Then let’s go find Juliet downstairs,” Anastasia said, taking his arm. “The three of us haven’t hung out together in so long!”
She glanced over at Harrison and grinned. “Hubby, my cousins are here to keep me company today, so I won’t bother you while you worl workin You should go to the study so you don’t have to work late again!”
With that, she pulled a willing Benson away, who let himself be led with a much- improved expression. Behind them, Harrison’s handsome face turned thunderous.
Benson glanced back, and for a split second, the two men’s eyes met, sparks flying in the air. But Anastasia, oblivious, noticed nothing.
As their figures disappeared down the hall, Harrison took out his phone and called Logan Lockwood downstairs.
“Keep an eye on Ana.”
“Sir?”
Logan was completely baffled by the order. Why would she need watching in her own home?