Chapter 242 Oliver’s Excuse
Anastasia didn’t know why she would think of Elliot now and then even though they had already agreed to go back to being strangers. No, stop this, she chided herself. I have to stop thinking about him. I still have work tomorrow. She still had to work for a living, and she couldn’t afford to lose sleep right now. In fact, she had to catch up on rest.
However, the more she tried to convince herself to sleep, the harder it was for her to actually drift off into slumber. She gave up in the end, and at some point, sleep came to her without having to be beckoned.
Early the next morning, she woke up and opened her eyes blearily. Then, she reached for her phone and texted Oliver, telling him to meet her at the basement parking lot later.
Her phone rang shortly after, and she answered the call. “Hey there, Oliver. How much longer will you need?”
“Uh, Anastasia, I don’t think I can carpool with you anymore. I… I need to make a trip back to my hometown, and I’ll probably be there for half a year,” Oliver said on the other line.
“That’s sudden,” she remarked. “Did something happen back home?”
“Oh, no, it’s just… I figured I should keep my parents company for a while. Anyway, don’t worry about me. Remember to drive safe to work,” he replied, adding a gentle reminder at the end.
She nodded and said kindly, “Well, you take care as well and don’t overwork yourself.”
Oliver’s reluctance did not wane even after he had hung up, but he was admittedly relieved. After all, getting too close to Anastasia would only evoke the Presgraves’ wrath and put him on their assassination radar.
When Anastasia had dropped Jared off at school, she got a text from Felicia telling her to drive safely to work and that she had already helped her check into work. Upon reading this, Anastasia felt a surge of warmth go through her, and words couldn’t describe how grateful she was to have such a considerate person for a superior.
Now that she was no longer anxious to get to work on time, she slowed down and found herself maneuvering through the streets easily. She hardly hit any traffic on the way, and by the time she pulled into the company building’s basement parking lot, she deliberately chose not to park in the spot Elliot had reserved for her, but in one of the ordinary spots instead.
She had only just gone up to the office when Grace told her that Felicia wanted to see her. Since she didn’t want to dawdle, Anastasia headed straight into Felicia’s office.
Felicia was dressed in a rose-red suit today, adding a vibrant edge to her already-professional appearance. Although she was 36 this year, she was still full of life and zest.
Presently, it was only after Anastasia had walked into her office that she looked down at Felicia’s fingers as they flew across the keyboard, and she noticed the diamond ring Felicia was wearing. She couldn’t help smiling as she leaned forward and asked knowingly, “Felicia, has someone perhaps… proposed to you?”
At once, Felicia grew bashful as she glanced at the ring on her finger. “You’re the first one to notice, and yes, I’m seeing someone right now.”
“Congratulations! Do I hear wedding bells?”
“No, we’re still in our early stages! We just want to take things slow for now.” Felicia was known to have strong ideals, and it went without saying that her values and principles in life were carried into her newfound relationship as well.
Having exchanged pleasantries, Felicia opened up a cabinet and produced an intricately-wrapped gift box. Then, she opened it to reveal an ornate jewelry case painted over with floral motifs. In the case were nestled two necklaces that glittered breathtakingly under the natural light.
“I didn’t think these would be ready so soon!” Anastasia exclaimed in surprise. The necklaces were designed by her, and she had toiled over them in earnest. To see them brought to life now made her feel like she was on cloud nine, and any other designer would relate to this.
Felicia hummed in response as she gazed at the jewelry proudly. “The workmanship and the design are flawless. If these weren’t limited edition pieces, I would have petitioned to have them sold at all of our boutiques.”
“What time will the client be coming to collect these?”
Needless to say, Felicia had contacted the customer at the very first instance. “I’ve already given them a call, and they said they’ll be here in the afternoon.”
Anastasia nodded. “Let’s have lunch together. I’ll make reservations.”
Felicia agreed to this with a nod.
When Anastasia left the office afterward, she did not notice the malicious gaze fixed on her.
Alice had never expected Anastasia and Felicia to get along so well, much less be on such friendly terms. She couldn’t put pressure on Anastasia now even if she wanted to, for Felicia would only nip it in the bud.
Alice knew that the only way for her to climb up the corporate ladder now was to have Felicia and Anastasia kicked out of Bourgeois. Otherwise, her career here would stagnate.
That afternoon, Anastasia and Felicia brought their assistants along with them to lunch. The whole affair was a lighthearted one as they exchanged funny anecdotes and enjoyed the reprieve from work.
Meanwhile, over at the luxurious villa, Hayley had already gotten a call from Bourgeois at 10.00AM telling her that her jewelry was ready to be collected. This was the moment that she had been waiting a whole month for, and now that she could finally gloat in Anastasia’s face, she was not going to let the chance go.
