"Samuel, is everything prepared?" Anthea inquired urgently as she entered the lobby of her floor, already running late for the crucial meeting. “Yes, Ms. Morin. I was waiting for you to arrive,” Samuel replied, rising from his seat, files in hand. “Alright. Give me five minutes, then we will leave."She responded briskly without glancing back, disappearing into her office. Samuel nodded as he checked the files for the last time. The meeting with Rayan Allen loomed in half an hour, the project's finalisation hanging in the balance. The meeting was initially supposed to take place in the morning, but Anthea had some emergencies, which made her postpone the meeting to the afternoon. Inside her office, Anthea wasted no time, heading straight for the attached washroom. She walked in front of the glass mirror before staring at her dishevelled reflection. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh, realising she looked like a total mess. Faded makeup and unruly hair stared back at her, reminding

Anthea thanked Samuel, who drove her home before getting out of the car. She directly walked into the elevator and pressed the button on the penthouse before taking a step back. The silence in the void of the elevator matched exactly what she was feeling inside. Empty. As the elevator reached the top floor, Anthea slowly got off the elevator while clutching her handbag to her chest in a tight grip. As soon as she reached the entrance of the penthouse, she rang the bell with a shaky hand. In just a few minutes, the door pulled open before Emilia came into her view. “Thea! Is everything alright?” Emilia asked worriedly as soon as she opened the door. Just a glance at Anthea’s face showed she already knew something terrible had happened. The bag in Anthea’s hand fell with a thud on the floor as she looked at Emilia before throwing herself in her arms, catching her completely off guard. Emilia stumbled on her steps slightly while still managing to wrap her arms around Anthea somehow. “Th

Anthea forced herself to stay calm and act neutral, even though her insides were in turmoil. She slowly shifted her eyes from the scene before focusing her gaze on Asher, who was looking at her with guilt too. What's with them and their guilty expression? Did they think she still cared? Or did they really think of her as a porcelain doll who was easiest to break?“It's fine as long as it doesn't affect my work, Mr. Parker.” Anthea forced a smile, trying hard to act normal. She couldn't let those people get her or break through her. She wasn't so easy to break.“Thank you, Ms. Morin. Now please follow me.” Asher sighed out of relief as he smiled at Anthea, who nodded at him. The three of them walked and reached where Rayan, Aurelia, and Nevaeh were.“Look, daddy. It's the pretty lady who called me princess.” As soon as Nevaeh saw Anthea appear, her face bloomed into a beautiful grin as she rushed towards her father, leaving her mother standing there. Rayan smiled down at her before nod

“Who’s Lily, Daddy?” Nevaeh asked, looking between her father and Anthea innocently as soon as she heard the unfamiliar name. Anthea was the first one to snap out as her face slowly became apathetic while her lips pressed in a thin line. Rayan noticed the change in her emotion, making him take a step back. “What happened, Daddy?” Nevaeh was again questioned innocently as she stared at her father with those innocent blue eyes. Rayan looked down at her before shaking his head slightly. “She’s Lily.” Rayan’s direct and honest tone almost made Anthea choke on her saliva as she snapped her head towards him with a sharp glare. She didn't expect him to answer Nevaeh honestly; however, he surprised her. Anthea took a long breath, trying to refrain from saying anything in front of the child. “Really? I like the name so much.” Nevaeh answered while giggling adorably. Anthea looked at the innocent, smiling face, her heart aching badly. “That’s not my name. My name is Anthea.” She denied Rayan

“Oh, my God! Is that a pink lily of the valley?"Lily exclaimed in awe as she stared at the small plant covered with small pink flowers on Rayan’s hand. As she slowly shifted her eyes between the plant and Rayan, she noticed him smile while gently nodding his head. “Yes. I know you wanted this.” Rayan answered while chuckling softly at her awkward face. He then pushed the flower plant in her direction while gesturing to her to hold the plant. Lily’s smile widened as she finally took the plant from his hand. “Is that a pink lily of the valley I see?” Abigail’s voice held a hint of surprise as she walked over to Lily. “Yes.” Lily answered excitedly while bringing the small plant near her nose before taking a long whiff of the flower. The sweet fragrance of the flower hit her nose, making her instantly obsessed with it. “It smells like heaven.” Lily murmured under her breath while taking another sniff of the flower’s sweet smell. “Just like you.” She heard Rayan say as he stared at h