Chapter 20 Anne's Cleverness Backfires
I guess I was too head-over-heels in love to notice how possessive Anne could be.
Anne gave Edward a hearty pat on the shoulder and said, "Edward, let's go find Diana."
I didn't want to watch them, so I turned away and sipped my hangover soup.
Melissa suddenly chuckled. "Miss York may be all grown up, but she still gets excited like a little girl."
I had this gut feeling that Edward and Anne wouldn't end up together.
I closed my eyes and tried to stop thinking about it.
"Diana!" Edward carried Anne into the bedroom, and she hopped off his back.
"Where have you been? I missed you so much!" Anne's eyes sparkled with laughter, making anyone feel warm inside.
"It's been so boring without you!" Anne plopped down on my bed.
"How'd you sleep?" Edward reached out and ruffled my hair.
I quickly moved back to dodge Edward's hand.
Honestly, I slept like a baby.
"Edward, can I have a chat with Diana?" Anne clung to Edward's arm, acting all spoiled.
"Sure, I have some work to do at the office anyway." Edward tidied up Anne's hair. They looked like a couple.
"Diana, did you and Edward have a fight? Weren't you supposed to go back to the Howard Mansion last night?"
"Edward and I are fine. Something came up yesterday. I'll go see Hayden and Clara when I'm feeling better," I said, trying to stay patient.
"Diana, you haven't been home lately. Did you run away?" Anne's endless questions were getting on my nerves, and I rubbed my aching temples.
"Diana, do you know how much I missed you? Every time I ate, I wondered if you had something to eat. When I went to bed, I wondered if you had a comfy bed. I was really worried about you!" Anne leaned her head on my shoulder. I couldn't see her face, but I felt a lot of irritation.
"I can't imagine how we could live such a good life without Edward!" Anne's words made my heart tighten.
I had to admit, marrying Edward did make my life easier.
"Back then, you were just an intern. If you hadn't married Edward, the Cooper Group might not have survived! By now, Diana, you might have had to work for someone else. How awful!" Anne's words were like a thorn in my heart. When my dad passed away suddenly, the whole Cooper Group was in deep trouble.
"With Edward, what more could you want, Diana? If I were you, I'd just be happy being Mrs. Howard and not worry about anything else." Anne's hopeful voice reached my ears. She definitely wanted to be Mrs. Howard.
"If you like being Mrs. Howard so much, it might not be impossible," I teased.
"Oh, Diana, what are you saying? You're Edward's wife. If you and Edward don't want me, I'd be an orphan."
What a joke. Anne's got the former head of the Howard Group as her adoptive dad, a super talented mom, and a rich brother. How could she say she's an orphan? Meanwhile, ever since my dad passed away, my once-loving mom has been all about her career, and my husband, who’s got women all over the place, makes me feel more like an orphan.
I clenched my fists, anger and frustration mixing in my heart.
On one hand, I wanted to be independent, to build my own life, but Edward was totally against it. Anne's words planted a seed of doubt. Was she right? Would I be nothing without Edward?
I screamed inside, 'I’m not someone who just depends on others. I have my own dreams. I can make myself better. Edward’s the one holding me back.'
"How do you know I can't be happy without Edward?" I snapped, realizing Anne was messing with my head.
Anne's eyes went wide, like she couldn’t believe I’d push back. After a moment of stunned silence, she fired back. "Diana, is it so hard to admit that Edward is amazing? What's wrong with letting him support me?"
I sneered, "If you want, then by all means, let Edward support you forever."
Anne's face turned red, her eyes wide in disbelief. She wasn’t used to me standing up for myself.
Anne, being the crybaby she is, started to tear up. "Diana, are you abandoning me?"
I couldn’t help but marvel at her twisted logic; her imagination was something else.
"Anne, you're so cute. How could I ever abandon you? But I should probably get to work now, to earn money to support you!"
Anne had tried to get a read on me, but she fell right into my trap. She was still young, and her college degree was basically bought by Edward from some sketchy university. She had no real skills. Compared to my law degree from a top school, she was out of her league. At least I figured out one thing: Anne really cared about being Mrs. Howard.
With that figured out, the rest of the conversation didn’t matter. I decided to make a quick exit.
The phone on the bedside table started buzzing.
Anne grabbed it before I could and quickly unlocked it.
Damn! My phone password was our wedding anniversary, which wasn’t exactly a secret, so Anne easily got in.
"It must be Edward texting you. I'm so jealous that you get messages from him all the time. I don't get any. How could this be?" Anne found Edward's chat box, and the last message was from ages ago when Edward asked me to bring clothes to Anne at the hospital.
"It's just a reminder to pay the phone bill." I snatched the phone back and opened the text message page, waving it in front of Anne.
While she was distracted, I saw that Lila had invited me to visit the law firm. Of course, I had to go. I earned that job after downing two bottles of wine. If I didn’t show up, David might come up with another scheme to mess with me.
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