A few minutes ago,
A black SUV arrived at the Hopkins Restaurant. Adam got down first and offered his arms to Anna, who delicately wrapped her fair hand around his biceps and gently descended from the car. With a gentle smile on her face, she looked up at Adam and said in a demure voice,
"Adam, can you accompany me to go shopping later tonight? It's my mom's birthday Friday; today's a good time to get something for myself and my mom. Today's the arrival date for the Louis Vuitton new release."
After Anna completed her sentence, she realized Adam's attention was elsewhere; his jaw was clenched, and there was a ferocious look on his face. Her gaze followed where he was watching, which had made him so angry when he growled, making her nearly jump out of her skin.
"Let go of her!"
'Odelia? Why was it her? Why would they meet today of all days?' Anna thought in anger when she saw what had caught Adam's attention, but upon taking a closer look at how plain and simple Odelia looked wearing a blue jeans trouser, a white and blue checked shirt, and sandals combined with the large round glasses and her hair that was in a fringe and covered half of her face, she felt like Odelia looked like a 27-year-old woman compared to the 22-year-old woman she truly was.
Anna smiled inwardly in glee, seeing Odelia's haggard appearance, but outwardly, she plastered a concerned look on her face and gasped exaggeratedly.
"Odelia? Is that you? What happened? Are you okay?"
When Odelia heard Adam's growl, she had wanted to walk away and not give them the time of day, but she didn't even know when she couldn't control herself and turned to look at the adulterous pair in front of her. What an unfortunate coincidence; of all the people she could run into, she had run into the two people she hated in her entire life.
It seemed the pictures she sent to Adam didn't do much damage; maybe their love was stronger than she thought. But since she had planted a seed of doubt, she was sure that soon enough, that seed would sprout and grow into a big tree; she planned to slowly watch the show unfold then.
Looking at Anna's caked, made-up face, Odelia nearly rolled her eyes in irritation at Anna's fake acting. 'What happened to her? Didn't she know it better?' She had been purposely dressing as plain as possible so that those internet trolls wouldn't recognize her and cause unnecessary problems for her.
She had made her hair into a fringe to cover the slight bump on her forehead the last time she fell in her bedroom, but she had gotten comfortable with dressing like this for a while now. She had just dressed simply and plainly, but when she saw the dramatic expression on Anna's face and her reflection on the glass and stared at the elegantly and delicately dressed Anna, she couldn't help but realize why he had picked her over her.
Compared to her formal and strict style of dressing previously, it wasn't a surprise he chose the delicate and gorgeous Anna.
"Phillip, can you hear a dog barking? We had better leave before we get bitten," Odelia said with a tone full of disdain and with gracious and firm steps as if the straps of her sandal had not come undone a few minutes ago. She walked back towards the car to get back into it and leave. She didn't want to breathe the same air as these people; her fingers had just touched the door handle when Adam's hand grabbed onto her wrist to stop her.
Feeling Adam's hold on her, she screamed bloody murder, her voice shrill as if she had been scalded by a hot iron.
"Let go of me!" she yelled and frantically tried to get away from his grasp. Phillip, who had been savoring the feeling of Odelia's body close to his just a minute ago, was in a daze and was in his own world. He had just realized what was going on and walked towards them.
"Mr. Gray, please respect yourself and let her go before your girlfriend misunderstands and begins to spread rumors," Phillip said calmly, trying not to draw attention to Odelia because he knew just how malicious the tabloids could be. Adam was the one who was currently holding onto Odelia, but those new outlets would twist the facts and say that Odelia was clinging onto Adam and refused to let go just to make more money off her predicament.
A conflicted look flashed past Adam's eyes as he released his hold on Odelia, his eyes taking in her angry and disgusted face, and his chest felt slightly uncomfortable. He was not used to this side of Odelia, who looked at him as if he were a stranger whom she was disgusted by.
He didn't know what had come over him; after seeing Odelia in another man's arms, he just lost it; he shouldn't have been so impulsive.
"Odelia, it's Mum's birthday banquet on Friday; I hope you can come and greet Mum. She misses you," Anna said demurely.
Odelia chuckled darkly and locked eyes with Anna with an intense gaze. Anna's heart skipped a beat seeing the intimidating look in Odelia's eyes.
"Don't worry, dearest sister, I wouldn't miss it for the world," Odelia said in a chilling voice. She opened the car door and directly sat down, cutting them off. 'She was glad Anna had invited her; if not, she would have gone anyways, but wouldn't it be best to receive an invite?'
A dangerous glint passed in her eyes as she continued to watch them until they completely disappeared from her view. She couldn't deny it; seeing them together was such a painful scene; she had loved that man ever since she knew the meaning of love after all.
But remembering everything she heard that fateful day from his lips in the penthouse, she willed herself not to shed even a single tear over such a man.
She was going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes and put them all in their place. And the first place for her revenge was her mother's birthday banquet.