Chapter 23: Crowned for Love

Anna covered her mouth and let out a big yawn, her eyes all misty. "I'm still under the influence of the jet lag."

Aurora shot her a look. "Who takes two weeks to get over jet lag?"

Anna just shrugged it off and headed upstairs, ready to wander into any random store.

Aurora was right on her heels, phone in hand, showing off a bunch of male escort clubs she’d found. Scrolling through the top-rated ones, Aurora's eyes lit up. "Check this out, Anya, these clubs are top-notch!"

Trying not to draw too much attention, Aurora leaned in close and whispered, "And look at this one, that body, that face, those abs."

Aurora was so caught up in the abs that she didn't even notice Anna walked off right after that. She looked up, saw Anna's back, and quickly ran after her, sending a bunch of hot pics to Anna's phone as she went.

Anna was making a beeline for a bubble tea shop, but before she could get in, Aurora caught up and dragged her into a clothing store.

"Anna, we're here to shop for clothes. How are we supposed to try stuff on with bubble tea in our hands?"

Just their luck, as soon as they walked in, they ran into Thalia and her sidekick Ruby Bennett, who were picking out clothes. Seeing Anna and Aurora, Thalia and Ruby quickly made their way over.

Aurora felt a wave of disgust just looking at them. But since they were already in the store, turning around would make it seem like she and Anna were scared.

Thinking fast, Aurora pointed to a nearby beige trench coat and said, "Anya, this coat would look great on you. Wanna try it on?"

Anna glanced at it, but before she could say anything, a delicate voice cut in. "I'll take this one. Excuse me, charge it!"

Thalia held a card between her fingers, looking all smug at Anna and Aurora.

As the clerk came to take the coat, Aurora shot them a glare that made them freeze in their tracks.

Turning around, Aurora crossed her arms and smirked, "Dating the president of the Tudor Group really went to your head, huh? Snatching things from others is your new hobby?"

Thalia just gave Aurora a dismissive glance, acting like she didn't even hear the sarcasm. She twirled the card in her fingers, tossed it into her bag, and then flashed her right hand, showing off a shiny diamond ring.

"Michael said he couldn't wait to get married. He just took me to pick out the wedding ring yesterday. The engagement announcement is out, and we'll be getting married soon. Hope you can move on and come to our wedding to wish us happiness," Thalia said with a smirk.

Aurora almost wanted to slap Thalia right then and there. But Anna subtly held her hand back, her eyes lazily drifting to Thalia's diamond ring. "If you can make Michael crazy about you, as your cousin, I naturally have to attend your wedding and personally congratulate you. But..."

Anna stepped forward, grabbed Thalia's wrist, and took a closer look at the so-called wedding ring. "This ring looks kinda familiar."

She pondered for a couple of seconds, then suddenly seemed to remember something and let go of Thalia's wrist.

Anna flicked her fingers like she’d touched something gross, giving Thalia an ambiguous look. "Thalia, don't say I didn't warn you. For a once-in-a-lifetime wedding ring, you'd better have Michael buy a new one."

Thalia's face instantly soured. She glared at Anna, unable to hide the hatred in her eyes. "Anna, what do you mean?"

Anna's gaze showed a hint of pity, but her voice turned cold. "Didn't Michael tell you that this diamond ring was the one he used to propose to me abroad last year?"

Thalia immediately clenched her fingers. She retorted, "Impossible! Michael gave this to me personally!"

Anna couldn't help but laugh. She pointed to the dazzling diamond ring on Thalia's hand. "This is a wedding ring from abroad, with a slogan 'Crowned for love.' It's the engagement ring Michael gave me at my birthday party last year."

Seeing Thalia's face turn pale, Anna added slowly, "If you don't believe me, you can take it off and look. The inner ring has my initials engraved."

Thalia's right hand instinctively clenched. She wanted to take it off and see for herself, but with so many people around, if it really had Anna's initials, she would be embarrassed in front of everyone.

Thinking this, she suppressed the impulse. Unintentionally glancing outside, she saw Charles and his "rumored girlfriend" Tina.

Her eyes flickered, and before Anna could turn around, she stepped forward. Approaching Anna, she whispered, "Anna, so what if this ring was given to you before? It's on my hand now, and Michael is mine alone."

Seeing Charles and Tina getting closer, she mocked, "You've had all the honors and admiration since you were young, but when it comes to men, you're no match for me. At least Michael has only ever had me, both in the past and the future. And what about you, marrying into the Percy family? You still can't keep your man."

Thalia glanced at Anna's still calm face despite her provocation and was about to ask the clerk to wrap up the coat when Charles walked straight to Anna and, in front of everyone, calmly wrapped his arms around her.

Handing over a black card, he directly told the clerk, "That trench coat, wrap it up."