Chapter Nine
“Harrison Lancaster…” Alice’s voice trembled so badly she could barely get the words out, and she didn’t dare lift her eyes to look at the man standing before her.
She’d grown up in the Lancaster household—no one knew better than she did how ruthless he could be, how cold-blooded his methods were. But even now, she couldn’t bring herself to accept defeat.
After all these years, after everything between them, she had to mean something different to him—didn’t she?
Take those former wives of his, for example. She’d made things difficult for every single one of them. Harrison had known, of course he had. And yet, he’d let her get away with it, hadn’t he?
The thought gave her a sliver of comfort. Alice blinked away tears, lifted her flushed face, and summoned her most pitiful, captivating expression as she looked up at him. “Harrison, I—”
“Darling, I want an apple!”
A lilting, playful voice sliced through the tension, cutting Alice off mid-sentence.
Anastasia tugged on Harrison’s sleeve and offered Alice a sweet, triumphant smile.
Really? Trying to seduce her man right in front of her? Did Alice think Anastasia was invisible?
And besides, where had all that courage gone? Back at school, those nasty rumors hadn’t started themselves. Hadn’t Alice spread every single one?
If she’d been brave enough to do it then, why couldn’t she own up to it now?
“Darling?” Anastasia clung to Harrison’s arm, swaying it back and forth, her tone syrupy and pleading.
Harrison glanced down at her, his expression unreadable, then turned to his bodyguard. “Peel an apple for my wife.”
The perks of a private hospital were endless: the fruit basket in the room was overflowing, and VIP care meant the staff anticipated every need—even the hospital director had personally checked on Anastasia’s twisted ankle.
The more Mr. Pierce thought about it, the more hopeful he became. Maybe, if he played his cards right, Harrison wouldn’t hold the recent fiasco against him. Maybe this was his way out.
As Harrison’s expression grew colder and more severe, Alice and Mr. Pierce could barely contain their anticipation, certain he was about to snap at Anastasia—maybe even cast her aside. And if he did, perhaps they’d be off the hook for good.
But then, Harrison finally spoke.
“Give it to me,” he said to the bodyguard.
Immediately, the bodyguard handed over the apple and a paring knife.
Anastasia’s face lit up with a dazzling smile. “You’re the best, darling!” she chirped, throwing her arms around his waist in a quick, affectionate hug.
She’d known it all along—even if he was angry, this man would always spoil her.
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