Sinceing of age, Arthur had met countless women who approached him with ulterior motives, but Sophia was different. She
was refreshingly bold and. blunt. She was so naive that offending him was something she never thought to be afraid of. At the
same time, he wondered if she was just a really good actress, one who was simply employing a different method of getting close
to him and seducing him thereafter.
If that were the case, he ought to have seen the cracks in her pretenses by now, but he did not. Was she just really well trained,
or was she being her true self?
In another vi, Mason was awake and waiting for his sister to return. She had told him that she wanted to go night sailing, but it
was already well past midnight, and she had yet to return. Knowing how crazy she could get when it came to having fun, he grew
exasperated and somewhat furious. She’d better not
get herself into trouble, he thought grimly.
Meanwhile, over in thergest and most opulent vi, a warm glow was shining through one of the windows, Under the red
covers of the luxurious bed, two figures were entangled in what could only be described as an amorous affair.
The next morning, Anastasia woke up without any prompting whatsoever. She opened her eyes and found herself in the warm
embrace of the man sleeping next to her. She dared not let her gaze flicker to his shoulders, which were decorated with w
marks that served as at reminder of their heated endeavorsst night.
She could not bring herself to wake her dearest husband. Hence, she quietly took in the dark hair tousled over his forehead and
his young, deep-set features. A pleased smile curled on her lips as she stared at him, wanting to burn the image of his face into
the back of her mind..
After watching him sleep for a while, she decided to get out of bed and put on her clothes. However, she had only just lifted a
corner of the covers when a strong pair of arms pulled her backward.
“Stay in bed with me for a while longer, Mrs. Presgrave,” the man muttered, his warm breath tickling her corbone as he
nuzzled his chin into the crook of her neck. A hoarse chuckle escaped him as he added devilishly, “I was very satisfiedst night.”
Anastasia had been tipsy the night before, which resulted in her present groggy state, but the moment he said this, a particr
memory surfaced in her headspace and made her blush.
“| like it when you take initiative, Mrs. Presgrave,” he went on to tease, opening his eyes. Basking in the sunlight that spilled
through the window, they looked like two sparkling obsidian pools.
Anastasia quickly reached out to p a hand over his mouth, then said shyly, “Okay, stop.”
Elliot drawledzily, “Shall | go over the details of what you did that | loved most?”
“No thank you.” She did not want to hear about it as her face had turned positively crimson.
The day after the wedding, the guests who had to get on with the busy schedules of their lives bid their farewells and left. The
weight on the flushing bride’s shoulders was finally lifted by a fraction. Visibly more rxed now, Anastasia decided that she was
going to have fun today.
That afternoon, she got a call from Mason, telling her that he had to get back to work, so she bid him goodbye..
Katrina, on the other hand, had woken up in Jacob’s bed. She was like a cat that ate the canary, and she was more than pleased
to have him be her new prey.
Over in Vi No. 58, Arthur decided to leave as well, and that afternoon, he gave Elliot a heads up before getting off the ind.
As for Sophia, she stood on the deck of the departing yacht and watched the strip. of white shore grow into a speck. She thought
about how she had pinned Arthur down on the sand thest time, and the corners of her lips tipped up into
a mischievous grin.
She turned around and nced at the man whose silhouette radiated elegance, repressing the urge tough as she thought
about how rare it must be to see himpletely caught off guard like he had that night.
Among the wedding guests who left were Presgraves’ extended family, and those who stayed were the women in the family.
Lori, in particr, did not look like she was about to leave anytime soon.
That evening, Harriet gathered all thedies into one dining area and set the men up in another so that dinner could be a more
intimate affair. Lori was seated next to Anastasia, and when she saw Jared, she praised heartily, ‘Well, aren’t you just the
most adorable little boy I’ve ever seen!”
“Hello, Aunt Lori, Jared greeted sweetly.
“So, what do you want to be when you grow up, Jared?’ Lori asked, making small talk with the child.
“| wanna be as great as Daddy,” JaredAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.
answered without even thinking.
“A brilliant dream indeed.”
Then, the little boy turned to look at his mother and said, “After that, I’ll marry someone as beautiful as Mommy.”
Anastasia sputtered at his childish humor
and said, “I suppose | should be relieved.
that you''ve already got that part of your
life all worked out.” Loriughed and pointed out,
“Children have such a wonderful naivety
about them, don’t you think?”
Having listened to all this, Harriet beamed and encouraged lovingly, “I’m looking forward to seeing you all grown up, Jared.”
“By the way, Mrs. Presgrave, I’ve heard that you have a knack for jewelry design, and | was wondering if you could help me take
a look at a few of my sketches,” Lori said enthusiastically as she gave Anastasia an expectant look.