Chapter 16
âWhat do you mean âsplit the bill? This reunion was organized by Cason, and he said itâs on him,â Monica realized she may have said the wrong thing and quickly glanced at Anastasiaâs expression
Anastasia frowned
Monica then came clean. âActually, everyone knows that Cason organized this reunion just to invite you. He even asked Ms. Sherry to come. I know youâre married, and I really didnât want to be the middleman, but when Ms. Sherry called, I couldnât say no. If you donât want to go, you can still back out.â
Anastasia respected Ms. Sherry a lot. After a silence of about ten seconds, she said, âLetâs go in.â
Monica linked arms with Anastasia and laughed. âWeâre going for Ms. Sherry, not because of Cason, Anastasia. Donât tell your husband, Iâm afraid heâll misunderstand and think Iâm trying to stir up trouble between you two.â
âHeâs not that petty Anastasia was already defending Herman.
The two walked in and were guided by the waiter to their booth.
When the booth door opened, everyone inside looked at Anastasia, the smartest and most beautiful woman in school. Seeing her again after five or six years, naturally aroused peopleâs expectations. The room was filled with over twenty men and women, and it was lively, but the moment Anastasia walked in, it suddenly fell silent.
After not seeing them for six years, Anastasia found these old classmates somewhat unfamiliar. Everyone had changed, losing their youthful vigor, and gaining maturity. Some were getting a beer belly. Most were married and had made some achievements in their fields. Basically, everyone wanted to show off how good their lives were. Men compared careers; women compared marriages or career paths.
Anastasiaâs gaze landed on a man in a white shirt. Apart from becoming more mature and handsome, he hadnât changed much. He was Cason, the most successful among these classmates.
Cason came from a fairly wellâoff family, studied abroad for a few years, and lived well overseas. Now he was back in the country to develop his career. He was not only handsome but also talented with a bright future Some female classmates even regretted getting married too early.
Cason stood up, unable to hide his excitement. âAnastasia, youâre here.â
Anastasia nodded, avoiding Casonâs gaze, and went to an elder woman, respectfully saying, âMs. Sherryâ
Ms. Sherry had retired, and Anastasia was her outstanding student. Seeing Anastasia, she showed a kind smile. âAna, sit down.â
As soon as Anastasia sat down, one of the male classmates recovered and said, âAnastasia, itâs been almost six years since we last saw you. How can you still look so beautiful? Youâve maintained yourself so well. The moment you walked in, we were all stunned.â
Before Anastasiaâs arrival, everyone was speculating whether Anastasia had transformed into a sloppy housewife or whether the years had taken a toll on her beauty After all, since graduating, Anastasia had lost contact with everyone. Only Monica had more contact with her, nobody knew her current
situation.
Anastasia just smiled politely, then one of the girls deliberately asked, âAnastasia, we were just discussing, you were our classâ top student, also the second one in our school to get into Riverdale College. What highâlevel position are you holding and which company are you at now? After all, you graduated from Riverdale College, you should be earning a high salaryâ
âDo we even need to say, Cason has already set up his own law firm, I heard he even bought a villa.â
âI just saw Casonâs car, itâs a Maybach worth over a millionâ
Anastasia had indeed gotten into Riverdale College, but she dropped out after one semester. Almost no one knew about this. Seeing Anastasiaâs difficulty. Monica helped her out. âYou guys are talking too much. Everyoneâs here, letâs start eating, Iâm starving.â
Monica changed the topic, and this question was temporarily shelved. Cason kept glancing at Anastasia from time to time
During the reunion, everyone got together and naturally started reminiscing about their school life and their current situation. The guys would exaggerate their achievements, the girls, apart from comparing whose marriage was better, would discuss the skincare products they use, be it La Mer or La Prairie. Anastasia didnât even know what La Mer was. She usually just used some affordable skincare products to wash her face, she wasnât that fussy Of course, the main reason was she couldnât afford it.
One of the classmates asked, âAnastasia, what skincare products do you use? Your skin looks so goodâ
Knowing that Anastasia was the school beauty and still so stunning, they were all interested in what brand of skincare products she used, and her personal life. They all knew about Anastasia and Casonâs past, it was just an unspoken understanding at this reunion.
Anastasia just smiled and said, âI use Neutrogena.â
Hearing Neutrogena, the girls exchanged glances, their eyes looking at Anastasia changed, filled with a sense of superiority.
Monica couldnât stand people looking down on Anastasia and said, âAnastasia is a natural beauty, unlike some people. Even after using skincare products worth thousands, their skin is still rough and spotty. You guys canât just focus on external care, you need some inner nourishment too. How about getting a membership card at my place? Since weâre all classmates, Iâll give you a discountâ Monica owned a beauty salon. Wasnât this just her way to pitch and gain customers on the spot?
Anastasia chuckled to herself. Monica sure didnât mince her words.
Everyoneâs faces turned sour and they politely mentioned they already had personal beauty consultants Anastasia didnât say much. She spent most of the time quietly eating, chatting a bit with Ms. Sherry, and avoiding Casonâs gaze
Then, a stunning lady approached Anastasia and said with a smile. âAnastasia, itâs been a while. Youâre getting more and more beautiful. You must have a boyfriend now, right? Why didnât you bring him today? We could all bring our partners to the partyâ
The lady, Demi, once competed with Anastasia for the title of the campus beauty queen. Demi had always had a thing for Cason and was now a partner
at Kirkwood & Associates. After Anastasia and Cason broke up. Demi started chasing him, even overseas, but hadnât succeeded yet.
Seeing Anastasia now, she immediately wanted to stir up some trouble.
Everyone turned to Anastasia curiously when Demi asked about her personal life. Cason was also waiting for Anastasiaâs response
Anastasia smiled and shook her head I donât have a boyfriendâ
Hearing her answer, a smile appeared in Casons eyes. Anastasia being single meant he still had a chance. Demi felt a pang of discomfort, thinking Anastasia mightâve been trying to keep Casonâs hopes up
Just as Demi was about to probe further, Anastasia said, âIâm already married.â
The room fell into stunned silence upon hearing this.