Chapter 133

Anthony stared at his wife, Sarah, who was giving him her usual attitude. They were supposed to return home, as they didn’t live in this country, but she had refused. According to her, she needed to stay close to her friends right now.

He had already asked the staff to pack their bags, and the jet was ready, but she remained adamant.

"Let’s just go, okay? I promise we’ll be back soon," Anthony urged.

Sarah looked at him with a sad expression. "No, you can go without me."

"I can’t leave you here, especially since you're so far along. You're almost due, and we agreed you would deliver in Country C, didn’t we?"

Sarah reluctantly nodded. "Yes, but... I could have the baby here. It’s not like giving birth here would stop our child from being a citizen of your country."

Anthony sighed in frustration, sitting close to her and gently turning her face to him. "I know you're worried about your friend, but Alexander is perfectly capable of protecting his family."

"I know, but we can’t leave now, not yet," Sarah replied seriously.

"Why? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I’m just worried." She bit her lip. She couldn’t risk telling Anthony about Lily's plan, or Alexander would find out, which would ruin everything. Plus, Lily wouldn’t forgive her. The real reason she couldn’t leave was because she needed to help Lily in some way.

Anthony felt something was off but didn’t push for more details. He just nodded.

Sarah sighed in relief, grateful he wasn’t going to pressure her to reveal more, and then tried to change his mind about leaving.

"Baby, can’t we just stay? I can give birth here," she said sweetly.

Anthony almost fell for her charm but quickly snapped out of it. "No, love, we’re going home. Be a good wife and let’s go."

Sarah felt like crying. How was she going to explain to Lily that she was leaving?

Sensing her emotions, Anthony kissed her forehead and her lips. "Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon. I’ve got a lot of business to handle, and you’re almost ready to give birth." Sarah turned away from him.

"Do you want me to help you get dressed?"

She declined. "I’ll do it myself."

"Okay, I’ll wait for you outside." Anthony kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

Once she was sure he was gone, Sarah quickly grabbed her phone and called Lily. It rang once, but she didn’t pick up. She tried again. Lily had said she was meeting with Michael and Jacob today, so she was probably with them.

Sarah was supposed to help Lily with her plans, especially since she had skills in espionage and going undercover, but now everything was at risk. Finally, Lily picked up. "Hey Sarah, where are you? We’re waiting for you."

Sarah bit her bottom lip, unsure how to explain.

"I won’t be able to come, Lily. I’m sorry."

"What? Why? What happened?" Lily asked, concerned.

Michael and Jacob were also alerted.

"No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that Anthony insists we leave the country today. I tried to convince him to stay, but he won’t budge, so now I’m about to get dressed so we can leave."

Lily was sad to hear this, but she understood. With Sarah so close to delivering, maybe leaving was for the best.

"It’s okay, Sarah. I wish you could stay, but I think it’s for the best."

"But how can I help you if I’m not here?"

"We can still communicate through our secret chat group and video calls. Don’t worry."

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked, still uncertain.

"Yes, I’m sure."

"What do Michael and Jacob think about this?"

Lily looked at the two men, and they nodded.

"They think you should go as well."

Sarah sighed. "Okay, I’ll miss you," she said sadly.

"I’ll miss you too."

"Please don’t lose to that woman."

Lily laughed. "I won’t. I’m going to win."

Sarah smiled. "Good."

"I love you, Sarah."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

After the call ended, Sarah felt downcast. The door opened, and Anthony walked in, noticing she still wasn’t dressed and appeared unhappy.

Worried, he sat next to her and pulled her onto his lap. "What’s wrong, my love?"

"Nothing, I’m just sad about leaving."

"I promise we’ll be back soon, okay?"

She nodded.

When she thought she’d have her friend by her side, it turned out she wouldn’t.

Meanwhile, Michael, Jacob, and Lily continued with their planning. Michael voiced his concerns about their strategy.

"Seems like it’ll just be the three of us now," Michael said.

"Yes, but we’ll do just fine," Lily replied confidently. "Sarah will still help us from afar."

"So when do we strike?" Michael asked.

"We strike when Ariana makes her move."

Michael was confused. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"I thought Lily explained everything to you," Jacob chimed in.

"No," Michael replied, looking at Lily.

Lily then explained, "Jacob has successfully hacked into Ariana’s phones, computers, and those of her close associates. We’ll know when she plans to make her move."

Michael was stunned. "Wait, what?"

"We’ll act when she does," Jacob clarified.

"That’s smart, hacking her devices. But why wait for her to attack? Why not strike first and expose her with the evidence you’ve gathered? There’s no need to take unnecessary risks."

Lily understood but had a different plan. "We’re setting a trap for her."

"You should review our entire plan; it’ll make more sense," Jacob added.

Michael knew the plan, but he wasn’t fully comfortable with how they were going to execute it. Why wait for Ariana to strike? He feared things could go wrong.

"Don’t worry, Michael. Everything will go smoothly. I won’t let anything get out of hand," Jacob reassured him. Michael just nodded, and they carried on with their strategy.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Anthony were already at the airport, preparing to leave. Although Lily had given Sarah the green light to go, she still wished she could persuade her strong-headed husband to stay. She stared at Anthony, who was talking to the pilot, a frown etched on her face.

Later that night, as Lily finished meeting with Jacob and Michael, she returned home. When her car pulled up to the gates of her family’s estate, she noticed a familiar vehicle parked nearby. Her heart skipped a beat. It was Alexander, and he was alone—no driver or guards in sight.

Alexander stepped out of his car and strode toward Lily’s vehicle as it came to a stop. He motioned for her to get out, and she did.

He scanned her from head to toe before asking, "What have you been up to today?"

"Your men have been following me everywhere, so why ask what I’ve been doing?" she replied.

Alexander knew where she had been, but he couldn’t understand why she had spent so much time with Jacob and Michael. He had come here because he desperately wanted to see her.

Without warning, Alexander pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Why can’t you just come home?" he asked, his anger melting away.

"I promise I won’t be angry anymore. Please, come home with our daughter," he pleaded.

Lily swallowed hard and bit her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from agreeing. Only he knew how much she longed to be with him, to share the same bed, to kiss him, to make love to him. But she had to hold back—returning home would ruin everything.

"Alexander, I..."

"Go on," he encouraged.

"I can’t. Not while our enemies are still out there."

"You don’t have to worry about that. I’m going to catch whoever is behind this soon. Just come home," he pleaded again.

Lily shook her head. "I can’t," she said. If she went back, Ariana would continue to move freely.

Alexander clenched his fists, his anger not directed at Lily but at the person keeping them apart.

"Fine," he said, "but don’t do anything behind my back, or I won’t forgive you." With that, he turned and walked back to his car, driving off in a rush.

Lily stood there, deep in thought, a new fear creeping in: the fear that Alexander would discover her plan.