Chapter 296 Flamboyance
There at the doorstep stood a figure dressed in a flowing white silk dress, her form seductive, her features stunning. Mirlinda?
Was Anna actually here to seek Mirlinda's help? What in the world?
"Anna, let's just go." She wouldn't allow her friend to ask favors of such a despicable mistress.
"Sara," Anna caught her again, clarifying, "It's fine. I'm here to cook for Mr. Dalio. Mirlinda and I have a professional relationship. That's it."
Really? Well, that was different. Sara wouldn't have stood by if her friend was stooping to ask a favor from someone like Mirlinda.
Taking Anna's hand firmly, Sara faced Mirlinda and quipped, "So, all that scheming to marry Mr. Dalio, and you still can't win over his stomach? How sad."
Mirlinda stood speechless, clearly wanting to retaliate but unable to—because Sara’s jab hit too close to home. The recent attempts by Mirlinda to please Simon with fancy chefs or her own elaborate steak dishes had been met with forced courtesy if not outright regurgitation.
Mirlinda tried to mask her fury, her gaze icy as she retorted, "What's it to you? Thought you could ride the coattails of your rich friend's marriage, and now you're playing the outraged card because it didn't pan out? Are you looking out for your friend or just nursing your desires?"
"You—I'm not as conniving as you are. Are you asking for a fight?" Sara stepped forward, ready to bring more than just words to the confrontation.
"Sara, don't," Anna quickly grabbed her arm, explaining, "She's pregnant; there's no need to get upset with her. Will you wait for me in the car or come inside and help me?"
Sara suppressed the intense irritation she felt, glaring daggers at Mirlinda, "The thought of stepping into the house of such a despicable person scares me. I might catch her sleaziness. No, I won't go in."
With that, she turned on her heel, strode to the car, yanked open the door, and climbed in.
The phrase "might catch her sleaziness" enraged Mirlinda, turning her complexion an ugly shade, veins throbbing on her forehead, "Don't bring her here again! Just looking at her annoys me."
Anna said nothing.
What could make these two so antagonistic toward each other without any real conflict?
She walked into the house without a word, heading straight to the kitchen to search for ingredients and began to prepare something seriously.
She didn't start with any conditions or stray into any unnecessary topics.
This approach left Mirlinda confused and unable to get a read on her.
Holding a plate of fresh imported cherries, Anna approached with grace and asked coldly, "With the Vittorio family facing such a tragedy and your boyfriend Giorgio also gone, you don't seem the least bit worried? Also, the news online seems quite abuzz, doesn't it?"
The questions seemed casual, void of any emotion.
Anna paused with the food in hand, looked up with a calmly beautiful gaze, and met Mirlinda's eyes, "You don't need to beat around the bush, asking if I'm really with Giuseppe or indirectly probing whether I'm more concerned about Mr. Dalio. Those are my personal matters. Besides, even if I said I wasn't worried about Mr. Dalio, would you believe me?"
Of course, she wouldn't.
If Anna wasn't worried, she wouldn't be here making food.
Mirlinda felt as if a needle had pricked her heart.
How would any woman feel, admitting in front of another that she cared about her husband?
And yet, she had agreed to let Anna come!
Anna continued, "As for my personal news, I came to see you because of it. Can you investigate for me who's manipulating public opinion from behind the scenes?"
Mirlinda's eyebrows knitted in surprise, "You suspect someone is trying to harm you?"
"Mhm," Anna responded noncommittally.
When it came to such matters, it seemed women could always find common ground and stand on the same side.
Setting aside personal feelings, Mirlinda said, "I think I know who it might be."
"Really?"
Anna was incredibly curious how Mirlinda could be so certain so quickly.
"I'll look into it, following that lead. I'll let you know once I have some results."
"Okay." There was no use in more talk without any results.
Anna went back to focusing on her cooking.
About half an hour later, she had a big jar of pickled vegetables ready, "Incorporate a bit of this with your meals as a side dish. It's good for flavor."
Mirlinda was puzzled.
Was that it?
"Are you sure?"
Anna subconsciously started to nod; she believed that Simon would probably partake, but then she paused, considering that if she appeared too eager to agree, it might affect Mirlinda's mood.
Instead, she said, "Not sure, but he can give it a try. I've got to go now. Contact me when you get any updates on the investigation."
Without a hint of hesitation, she quickly stepped away.
Just like the last time, she didn't bother to ask Simon or even consider looking.
Mirlinda's beautiful eyes squinted slightly.
She didn't know if Anna was truly kind or just putting on an act. In any case, she needed to stay alert.
Outside.
As soon as Anna stepped out, Sara approached her and said,
"Anna, you're out. Look at this; I knew I was right! Katherine, that little wretch, she's at the accident site accompanying Mr. Vittorio, taking care of him, solving problems, and now the whole internet is singing her praises for being so benevolent and virtuous. Then, they compare her to you and make you seem worthless. She's nothing but a manipulative witch, a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Sara was fuming as she handed her phone to Anna.
Anna glanced at the comments, which were all saying things along the lines of 'Same cells, same blood, how can there be such a disparity in character.'
She calmly responded, "Don't worry about it. They have mouths; let them talk."
"But you can't just ignore Penny!" Sara protested.
"Huh? What does this have to do with Penny?" Anna asked, puzzled.
Sara explained, "You're Penny's mom, and you need to maintain a positive image. Otherwise, what will people say, or how will they treat Penny when they find out you're her mother?"
Anna fell silent.
She hadn't considered this.
It looked like she couldn't let the negative news fester.
She decided, "Help me find the evidence we had before, and let's issue a statement."
"Sure!" Sara agreed emphatically, glancing toward the villa in the distance.
She had to contact Simon for help soon, to infuriate that home wrecker!
This was for trying to create division!
Anna suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, once the evidence is ready, let's wait a bit before releasing it, especially with the collapse incident still fresh. It's a major issue, and chasing clout could backfire."
Sara nodded, "...Okay."
As a result, the internet took Anna's silence as an admission of guilt, and the public's criticism grew louder and fiercer.
Even people started to spread various rumors, "I went to school with her, and she was not reserved, often seen with many men."
"I'm a neighbor from her hometown; she was always temperamental and disrespectful to her parents."
"Anna? I'm an ex-boyfriend of hers; she has some seriously disgusting quirks..."
"Please tell us what quirks."
"Please +1."
These baseless remarks were rampant.
Even though Anna knew how devastating online harassment could be, she never imagined it would escalate to this level.
The question was, could she withstand it until the news of the collapse was old news?
With a "snap!"
Lost in thought, Anna had just stepped into the house when a sudden slap flew toward her.
With a loud smack, she tumbled unexpectedly to the right, crashing to the floor.
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