Chapter 256
+15 BONUS
Most of the time, Indya couldn’t pull herself out of her work mindset. But chatting with Blake, even briefly, could help her completely disengage.
Blake. “You’re in the mountains, and so am I.”
Indya let out a soft laugh, remembering that Blake had just joined a new film crew – this one seemed to be a production set in the mountains.
Indya. “It rains a lot here. It’s been raining every day. I really hate this kind of weather.”
Just as she sent the reply, there was a knock at the door. She lived on the same side as Shannon and Jessica, so she thought it was Shannon coming to discuss tomorrow’s schedule.
Wearing only her pajamas, she got out of bed and opened the door. The moment she saw who it was, her expression changed, and she closed the door a little – clearly not intending to let the person in.
“What are you doing here?”
Anthony shook the thermos in his hand. “I know you don’t sleep well when it rains. I brought you a bedtime drink.”
Indya glanced at it and said softly, “It’s alright. I don’t need it. Give it to one of your colleagues.”
With that, she moved to close the door.
—
Earlier that day, one of Anthony’s colleagues – her name was Linda – had stuck close to him all day. Every time Anthony approached her, Linda would shoot Indya an intense glare. As a woman, how could Indya not understand what that meant? She couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
And to think Anthony had claimed to be single all these years abroad – didn’t he already have someone by his side?
Just as she was about to shut the door, Anthony reached out and blocked it with his hand. Looking somewhat hurt, Anthony stared at her. “Don’t be like this, okay? Can’t we at least be friends? I remember you used to love to have something to drink before going to bed. Every night before bed, you’d ask me to get a drink for you. What, do you actually hate me that much?”
How could someone be this full of himself? Indya felt a wave of helplessness. So she laid it out for Anthony. “This matter is unimportant. It’s not that I don’t want to drink something before going to bed – I just don’t want anything to do with you. Anthony, we broke up a long time ago. Understood?”
“Didn’t you say we could still be friends?”
“That was a lie. I don’t want that anymore. Please leave, or I’ll apply to be transferred out of the project group tomorrow. Anthony, I don’t want us to end up acting like enemies.”
With a bang, Indya slammed the door shut. Even the neighbors could hear it.
Shannon, thinking something had happened, came to open her own door, still wearing her face mask. She saw Anthony standing outside Indya’s room, holding the thermos and looking completely lost. Seeing him, Shannon could almost recall how helpless Indya used to be.
Shannon peeled off her mask and said to Anthony, “Anthony, Indya already has someone she likes. And that person’s identity and status are far out of your league. Stop wasting your time on her.”
Anthony’s eyes darkened as he gave Shannon a chilling once-over.
—
That kind of gaze made Shannon extremely uncomfortable – perhaps this was the real Anthony. But Shannon wasn’t scared at all. She leaned against the doorframe and said, “What, Indya didn’t tell you? Did you really think that after all these years apart, you still had a chance? A woman like her had plenty of people pursuing her. She doesn’t need you.”
“But they’re not right for her,” said Anthony.
Shannon couldn’t help but laugh – a short, sharp sound that she didn’t even try to hold back. She then said excitedly, “Are you trying to say that you’re the right person for her? Who do you think you are, Anthony? Over all these years, countless good men have come into Indya’s life – but she’s never needed to rely on any of them. And you…”
She looked him up and down, remembering the information she had uncovered in her investigation.