The morning in their home had changed since Flynn's accident. Bella refused to join for breakfast, and Marleen was always rushing to get ready to go to the hospital to take care of Flynn. Today was the first day Anastasia had taken a break, so she woke up an hour late. She couldn't sleep in longer, as her mind was preoccupied with too many thoughts.
As she walked down the stairs, she saw her mother searching for something. "What are you looking for, Mom?"
"Ah, my phone. I remember putting it here before I went to cook breakfast," Marleen replied, her eyes scanning the table.
Anastasia quickly helped her mother look around. "Here it is," she said, finding the phone on the dining table. As she handed it to Marleen, she noticed that her mother was already dressed and holding her handbag. "Where are you going?" Anastasia glanced at the clock and saw it was still early. "Isn't it too early to visit Dad?"
"Ah, I'm going to have breakfast with Mrs. Harrington before heading to the hospital," Marleen said with a smile. "Regarding your marriage..." She began to explain the purpose of the meeting without Anastasia asking. "I'll tell them that you've refused." She gave Anastasia's hand a reassuring tap, indicating that she needn't worry.
"Mom…" Anastasia's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden news. "Will you be okay? I mean, the company." Though her heart was slightly relieved, she remained concerned about the company's situation.
"Don't worry. I can handle this. Your marriage and your happiness are for you to decide, not us." Marleen rubbed Anastasia's cheek affectionately. "So… bring your boyfriend around as soon as possible, okay?"
"Ah, okay," was all Anastasia could reply, since she didn't have a boyfriend to bring. "Do you want me to send you there?" She quickly changed the topic.
"No, it's okay. The driver will take me," Marleen said with a constant smile. Seeing her daughter happy was a source of joy for her, even though she was deeply troubled by Flynn's situation. She didn't want to show her sadness. "Could you ask Bella to come down for breakfast? She rarely eats at home these days."
Anastasia nodded. For now, it was the least she could do to ease her mother's worries. She knew that going to see Bella after this would likely result in an argument. She was determined to resolve things with Bella and restore some calm to the house.
After she waved goodbye to Marleen, Anastasia was walking up the stairs when her phone rang. The name "Daniel" on the screen immediately made her heart beat faster than usual.
"Hello?" Anastasia answered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Hi, Anastasia," came Daniel's voice on the other end of the line, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Ah, hello, Mr. Daniel," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
"I'm sorry to disturb you during your leave. About the meeting I asked you for today—can we meet right now?" Daniel's words came out in a rush. He needed to sort things out quickly before Anastasia knew his identity.
Last night, he had promised he would make sure the marriage happened no matter what and had asked his mother, Diana, to stay out of the discussion and listen to Marleen, even though Marleen wanted to break the arranged marriage.
"Right now?" Anastasia asked to confirm.
"Yes, I mean… I'm in a rush. My parents want to push the wedding ahead, and I really don't think I can wait any longer. So, can we meet and discuss this?" Daniel paused, gulping and taking a breath. "And if, after you listen to everything I have to say, you still don't agree to help me, I won't bother you anymore," he added, trying to sound pitiful.
A moment of silence happened between them before Anastasia replied, "Hmm, okay. Where do you want to meet?"
Daniel almost jumped at that moment before trying to steady himself. "Do you know about the Brew and Bliss Cafe? I mean the one near the junction around our office."
"Yes, I know it," Anastasia replied, trying to keep her voice steady despite the sudden rush of emotions.
"Great. I'll be there in 20 minutes. Please, I really need to talk to you," Daniel added, his tone almost pleading.
Anastasia hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Okay, I'll meet you there."
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Daniel arrived at Brew and Bliss Cafe a good fifteen minutes before the time he suggested to Anastasia. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. After all, he was just here to talk, to fix the mess he had unintentionally created. Yet, his palms were sweaty, and he kept glancing at the entrance every few seconds.
He ordered a black ice coffee, hoping it would calm his nerves. As he waited, he kept rehearsing in his mind what he was going to say. He knew this conversation had to go perfectly. He needed Anastasia to agree to the marriage, not just because of his promise to his parents, but because deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was meant to be.
The bell above the cafe door chimed, and Daniel's heart skipped a beat. He looked up to see Anastasia walk in, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on him. She gave a small, polite smile before making her way over to the table.
"I'm sorry, did you wait long?" she greeted him as she took a seat across from him. She looked a bit tense, and Daniel could tell that she was just as uneasy about this meeting as he was.
"Nah… I've just arrived," he said, trying to reassure her.
But Anastasia glanced at the glass of black coffee in front of him, which was almost finished.
"Ah, this—I am a bit thirsty. The weather is quite hot today," Daniel said, uttering nonsense. The weather outside was quite gloomy, as if it were about to rain.
Anastasia looked down as she held back her laughter. "I see," she said softly, her eyes momentarily flicking to the window, where the cloudy sky contradicted Daniel's words.
Daniel cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Anyway, thank you for coming on such short notice," he said, attempting to steer the conversation back to the reason for their meeting. "I really, really need your help… and you can just name any amount you want." He went straight forward.
Anastasia looked at Daniel for a few moments. 'He said no pressure. He said he would let me listen first then decide,' she nagged in her mind.
Daniel's legs were shaking a lot under the table as he waited for Anastasia's answer.
Anastasia suddenly raised five fingers, deciding to test if he would agree with that amount, though she strongly believed he ultimately couldn't afford it.
"Five thousand?" Daniel asked.
Anastasia shook her head.
"Then fifty K?" Daniel asked, trying to confirm the amount. Anastasia shook her head once again. He knew, but he was just trying to see if she would really ask for the amount Edward mentioned last night to save the company from bankruptcy.
Anastasia finally opened her mouth and revealed the amount she wanted, "Five million."