Chapter 99: Are you on drugs?
Anna released her grip on her boyfriend’s shirt, shoving the shopping bag into his hands without sparing him a glance.
With a sharp snarl, she crossed her arms over her chest, her nails digging into her skin as she let out a mocking scoff.
Anna’s lips curled in amusement, but there was a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
"Did you just yell my name?" she questioned, her tone laced with disbelief.
She hadn’t expected this cold defiance from Charles—him of all people.
Charles had always been the timid one—the kind of person who struggled to meet her gaze, who let her words cut into him without protest.
But now?
Now, he stood tall, his shoulders squared, his eyes burning into hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.
It wasn’t fear. No, it was something else...something daring, something defiant.
It was almost as if Charles was challenging Anna, daring her to act on whatever petty scheme she had brewing in her mind.
Charles scoffed, his lips curling into a smirk that held no warmth. "Did you really think I’m still the same person you used to walk all over?" he questioned, his voice low and edged.
’Why do I keep running into people who take me for a fool today?’ Charles wondered, exhaling a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped in frustration.
First, it was been Mrs. Wales and Aubrey—two people who had tested his patience more than enough.
And now, it was Anna and her boyfriend, stirring up old wounds he planned to bury.
’Who knows who else I’ll bump into before the day is over?’ he thought bitterly.
’At this rate, maybe the universe just enjoys watching me suffer.’
"So... you think you are now brave just because you now have the guts to speak back at me?" Anna probed as she slowly closed the distance between herself and Charles.
As Anna stood before Charles, her lips curling into a slow, amused smile. "Remember how you begged me to take you in as my boyfriend?" she drawled, her voice dripping with mockery, a teasing smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Charles rolled his eyes. "I remember everything that happened," Charles said coolly, his gaze locked onto hers. "But I also remember you begging me to buy you a diamond ring."
Slowly, Charles shifted his gaze to Anna’s boyfriend, who stood in awkward silence, unwilling to meet Charles’s eyes.
"I brought you a diamond ring, a necklace, flowers, and even a cake—to your house," Charles continued, his tone laced with quiet fury. "And what did you do? You turned around and cheated on me—with him."
Charles shook his head slowly, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "And now you stand here, demanding something back from me?" He questioned with disgust.
Once more, Charles averted his gaze back to Anna. "Back then, I thought I took back both the diamond ring and necklace while I was leaving your apartment," Charles utter with a firm voice as he sigh loudly. "Recently, I realised that I only grabbed the necklace."
He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"So, Anna—where’s the ring?"
Anna let out a dry chuckle, running her fingers through her hair before tucking a few loose strands behind her ear.
Her lips curled into a smug smirk as she scoffed. "I should be the one asking you that, not the other way around," she spat, crossing her arms. "The ring is mine—just like the necklace. So where is it?"
She tilted her chin up defiantly. "I want my necklace back. Since we already broke up, it’s only right that I take what belongs to me."
Anna voice was firm, laced with entitlement, as if she truly believed she had any right to make demands.
"Hahahahah!"
Charles threw his head back and let out a loud, unapologetic laugh.
Anna’s dead-serious expression, combined with the sheer absurdity of her words, was just too ridiculous to take seriously.
The laughter must have struck a nerve because, in an instant, Anna’s boyfriend stepped forward, positioning himself beside Anna.
His face was tense, his stance protective. "Are you laughing at my girlfriend?" he demanded, his tone sharp, his brows furrowing as he squared his shoulders. "Give my girlfriend the necklace that rightfully belongs to her so that we can be on our way." He spat.
’Geez! What are these two smoking?’ Charles thought to himself because they sound so stupid and dumb.
"First of all, Anna, how did you know I got you a necklace?"
Anna’s frown deepened as she eyed Charles with disdain. "I saw the necklace box, and it was obviously a diamond necklace," she snapped, her glare dropping to Charles feet as if he were beneath her.
Anna voice turned ice-cold. "You’ve always been poor from the start, so I know you must be enjoying the fact that my necklace is still with you."
She folded her arms across her stomach, her nails digging into her skin as she scoffed. "I’ve been to your apartment countless times looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found." She sneered. "Why? Were you hiding from me?"
Anna paused for a while before shifting her gaze to her boyfriend. "Babe, don’t I deserve to get what’s rightfully mine?" She questioned her boyfriend with pouted lips and he nodded. "You deserve to get what’s yours, babe," he purred.
"Wait, hold on, Anna." Charles uttered coldly before taking in a deep breath.
"Are you even aware that I regret ever falling in love with you?" Charles questioned, his voice laced with disgust. "Your behaviour is repulsive, and honestly, it’s baffling how you can stand there and act like this is normal."
Charles crossed his arms, his gaze flicking between Anna and her boyfriend. "But tell me—can either of you actually hear the nonsense coming out of your mouths? Or have you both doing drugs?"
He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Or maybe you’re just mentally unstable?"
"What?" Anna’s boyfriend scoffed through gritted teeth, his face twisting with rage. "What the hell did you just say?"
Before Charles could respond, the man’s hand shot up, aiming straight for his cheek in a blind, furious swing.