Chapter 1

Anna had lost count of the number of days that had passed since she last saw her husband. They had a disagreement, and in her anger, she didn't return home. However, as she usually does, she patiently waited for him while keeping herself occupied with work.

It had been three years since Anna started working at her husband's friend's company. Nathan, her husband, hadn't said anything about it, so she assumed he didn't mind. Julian, who had been a long-time friend of her husband, was also a colleague at the company. During her lunchtime, Anna often found herself alone as she had few friends in the workplace. She was grateful that Julian was still around, providing some companionship.

One day, Julian approached Anna and said, "You don't really need a salary from this company. You can take care of yourself just fine." He seemed to be suggesting that being a friend of the company's president had its perks. However, if this was the main reason Anna was offered the job, it made her feel uneasy. She had come to this company to work and distract herself from overthinking her marital problems, not to receive special treatment.

As Anna tried to focus on her work, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. She didn't want any favors or special treatment; she wanted to prove her worth and contribute to the company on her own merits.

Even though Anna often had to travel overseas for her work as a runway model, her friend Julian brought up an interesting point. "What about you? You don't really need a salary from my company. You can provide for yourself just fine," he argued. While being a friend of the company's president seemed advantageous, Anna felt uneasy about the possibility of getting the job solely due to her connection.

Anna had come to the company to work and distract herself from overthinking her marital problems. But now, Julian was trying to dissuade her by saying, "Your co-workers have already done their part and worked harder than me. Isn't it unfair? Are you losing your mind?" It was an awkward response, and Anna felt frustrated. "You're terrible! It's as if I'm causing trouble for them at work. I just invited you to the newly opened coffee shop outside," she said, expressing her disappointment.

Julian laughed at her response, finding it shallow but understanding that his friend had a reputation for being spoiled, which her co-workers sympathized with. "Just ask me like a normal person. I'm not going to kick you out. Maybe my brother will, though, because of your behavior," he said with a smile.

Anna retorted, "My company, my rules. Besides, your brother and I want..." The sentence seems to be cut off, so it's unclear what Anna was going to say next.

If before it was just parties and galas, now she has his own company and earns a lot from modeling. And even so, she is happy for it. She finished his work in just a few minutes and thought of using the restroom before meeting up with his friend. However, as she walked by, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two individuals who were speaking quite loudly.

"What are you doing? If I had that fair skin, I would use it to attract a wealthy partner!" one of them exclaimed. It wasn't his intention to eavesdrop, but the volume of their voices made it difficult to avoid hearing their conversation.

The other person responded, "Well, doesn't his wife come from a wealthy family? It's pointless if he doesn't like it!"

The first person disagreed, saying, "No! That's ridiculous. Arranged marriages don't exist in the Philippines! The gossip going around is that this is what caused the death of his son from his first wife..."

She accidentally let go of the cellphone she was holding, causing it to make a noise.

She didn't know if they were referring to her or if she was just too sensitive. However, she does not want to assume. They are kind to her.

"Anna, it's you. Did you eat? We're going out for lunch, are you with me? Food is free."

She smiled at what she said, his coworkers are really kind. But since she and her friend already had a plan, he politely refused them.

"Too bad, Trisha is still free. But next time, you can't say no?" He laughed before saying goodbye to her.

........

"I'm really sorry, I still bothered you," Gavin apologized.

"No, it's my brother's fault. I should be the one to say sorry. I think I spoiled him too much, that's why you reprimanded me like that," Julian replied.

"It's okay, I'm used to Julian. So it's not a big deal," Gavin reassured him.

Just as they were talking, Julian's manager called. Julian had disappeared to wander around. Gavin wasn't surprised; it wasn't the first time Julian had run off like this. It reminded him of their college days when Julian's frantic visits to find his brother were a common occurrence. Being Julian's best friend, Gavin often understood the need for those scoldings.

"Thank you for understanding, and sorry again for the inconvenience," Gavin expressed his gratitude.

She didn't wait for Gavin's car to leave before entering the gate of their house.Even though it's typical that the two are siblings, she still can't help but be jealous of them. Because she is the only child, so when she has her own family, she wants her husband to have many children.But in life, you don't get everything you want. And Anna knew very well how much true that is.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***