Chapter 17
Anastasia didn’t beat around the bush She understood Demi’s intentions, went along with it, and also used it as a chance to nip Cason’s ideas in the bud Her frankness left Monica with no room to salvage the situation
Cason shot Monica a look, his eyes asking what was going on. Monica hadn’t spilled the beans about Anastasia’s marriage before.
Monica was at her wits end Anastasia’s wedding was news to her too. As an onlooker, it wasn’t her place to comment.
The folks at the table shared awkward glances, waiting for Cason’s reaction. Cason held onto his drink tightly, feeling quite bummed, and took a big gulp. A classmate joked, trying to break the ice, “Anastasia, how come you didn’t tell us all about your wedding? That’s pretty low, don’t you think? You think we’re beneath you or something? We’re all friends here, you just had to say the word and we would have been there.”
It was all just small talk
The old classmates that hadn’t kept in touch since high school. If they suddenly received a wedding invitation, it would likely stir up some gossip.
That was life. It was all human relations.
Anastasia pretended and said, “We’ve already got our marriage license, but we haven’t had time to hold the wedding yet. Once we’ve picked a date, we’ll definitely invite you all to the ceremony.”
Anastasia wasn’t planning on throwing a party in the first place; she just wanted to shut everyone up. And just like she expected, the classmate’s smile froze onto his face, he awkwardly laughed it off and promised to come, before keeping quiet.
Monica silently laughed to herself. This was the Anastasia she knew, using words to silence others.
Another female classmate piped up with a sour tone, “Anastasia, why didn’t you bring your husband afong? We’d love to meet him, see what kind of man managed to sweep you off her feet”
Demi hadn’t expected Anastasia to be married, hearing the news, her defensive attitude towards Anastasia melted away, and she looked at Anastasia with a friendlier gaze.
“Yeah, Anastasia, give him a call, let’s all get together, we’re all here anyway.” Demi egged her on, “Don’t you all want to see what Anastasia’s husband
looks like?”
“Of course, we do.”
“Anastasia, what does your husband do? My husband owns a fireworks factory. We could hang out more often.”
Anastasia originally thought that bringing up her marriage would shut everyone up, but it only led to more questions. Anastasia politely said, “He works at Elysian Technologies, he’s really busy recently. I’ll bring him along next time we meet.”
Who would keep in touch after a class reunion? Who knew when the next meeting would be? Anastasia was just making excuses
Hearing that he worked at Elysian Technologies, Demi glanced at a visibly upset Cason, and smiled at Anastasia. That’s a big company, which department does your husband work in?”
“Some of us tried applying to Elysian Technologies after graduation, but none of us made it past the first round, we were all eliminated.”
“Elysian Technologies has high hiring standards, with great benefits. It’s an industry leader, countless graduates hope to join.”
“Anastasia, your husband must be really impressive, to be able to get into Elysian Technologies. What degree did he get?”
Anastasia wasn’t entirely sure, she only knew that Herman worked at Elysian Technologies, she didn’t know his exact position or department. Anastasia said, “I never asked…”
“You’re husband and wife, how could you not know? Anastasia, that’s not right. Are you afraid we’ll ask your husband for favors?”
A classmate mocked, ‘Elysian Technologies is impressive, but it’s not like Anastasia’s husband is the CEO of Elysian Technologies. He’s just an average employee. You’re all overthinking this.”
“One can only earn so much as an employee, and besides, he’s still just a wage earner. Cason runs his own law firm.”
That comment was a lightbulb moment for many
Indeed, Anastasia merely mentioned that he worked at Elysian Technologies, and he could just be an average employee. Anastasia’s outfit didn’t cost more than 200 in total, her skincare products were just Neutrogena, clearly showing her living conditions weren’t great, so her husband probably wasn’t anything special either
Everyone else there was either their own boss or married well. The guys casually showed off their BMW car keys, and the gals were all carrying LV bags. Seeing the once envied Anastasia not living so well and not marrying well, a sense of superiority painted their faces.
Anastasia caught onto their meaning and calmly said, ‘Happiness isn’t decided by wealth, as long as two people are in love, nothing else matters “She didn’t want to see them looking down on Herman, belittling him.
Seeing Anastasia get mad, someone scoffed, and others pretended not to hear and took a sip of their drinks. Surely, a poor couple wouldn’t have a comfortable life How could the quality of a marriage with and without money be the same?
“Anastasia, don’t be mad, we’re just joking around.” Demi tried to play peacemaker, resting her hand on Anastasia’s shoulder.
Just then, Anastasia’s phone rang. It was Herman Anastasia took a glance at the caller ID, before she could react, Demi blurted out, “That’s your husband calling, isn’t it? Invite him to join the gathering”
Anastasia, “He…”
Demi grabbed Anastasia’s phone and answered with a smirk, “Are you Anastasia’s hubby? I’m her classmate. We’re at Le Manoir Prestige. Anastasia said you should come over too. Everyone’s dying to meet the lucky duck who bagged the stunner Anastasia.“
