Chapter 17
Anastasia didnât beat around the bush She understood Demiâs intentions, went along with it, and also used it as a chance to nip Casonâs 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 hadnât spilled the beans about Anastasiaâs marriage before.
Monica was at her wits end Anastasiaâs wedding was news to her too. As an onlooker, it wasnât her place to comment.
The folks at the table shared awkward glances, waiting for Casonâs reaction. Cason held onto his drink tightly, feeling quite bummed, and took a big gulp. A classmate joked, trying to break the ice, âAnastasia, how come you didnât tell us all about your wedding? Thatâs pretty low, donât you think? You think weâre beneath you or something? Weâre all friends here, you just had to say the word and we would have been there.â
It was all just small talk
The old classmates that hadnât 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, âWeâve already got our marriage license, but we havenât had time to hold the wedding yet. Once weâve picked a date, weâll definitely invite you all to the ceremony.â
Anastasia wasnât planning on throwing a party in the first place; she just wanted to shut everyone up. And just like she expected, the classmateâs 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, âAnastasia, why didnât you bring your husband afong? Weâd love to meet him, see what kind of man managed to sweep you off her feetâ
Demi hadnât expected Anastasia to be married, hearing the news, her defensive attitude towards Anastasia melted away, and she looked at Anastasia with a friendlier gaze.
âYeah, Anastasia, give him a call, letâs all get together, weâre all here anyway.â Demi egged her on, âDonât you all want to see what Anastasiaâs husband
looks like?â
âOf course, we do.â
âAnastasia, what does your husband do? My husband owns a fireworks factory. We could hang out more often.â
Anastasia originally thought that bringing up her marriage would shut everyone up, but it only led to more questions. Anastasia politely said, âHe works at Elysian Technologies, heâs really busy recently. Iâll bring him along next time we meet.â
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. Thatâs a big company, which department does your husband work in?â
âSome of us tried applying to Elysian Technologies after graduation, but none of us made it past the first round, we were all eliminated.â
âElysian Technologies has high hiring standards, with great benefits. Itâs an industry leader, countless graduates hope to join.â
âAnastasia, your husband must be really impressive, to be able to get into Elysian Technologies. What degree did he get?â
Anastasia wasnât entirely sure, she only knew that Herman worked at Elysian Technologies, she didnât know his exact position or department. Anastasia said, âI never askedâ¦â
âYouâre husband and wife, how could you not know? Anastasia, thatâs not right. Are you afraid weâll ask your husband for favors?â
A classmate mocked, âElysian Technologies is impressive, but itâs not like Anastasiaâs husband is the CEO of Elysian Technologies. Heâs just an average employee. Youâre all overthinking this.â
âOne can only earn so much as an employee, and besides, heâs still just a wage earner. Cason runs his own law firm.â
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. Anastasiaâs outfit didnât cost more than 200 in total, her skincare products were just Neutrogena, clearly showing her living conditions werenât great, so her husband probably wasnât 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, âHappiness isnât decided by wealth, as long as two people are in love, nothing else matters âShe didnât 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 wouldnât have a comfortable life How could the quality of a marriage with and without money be the same?
âAnastasia, donât be mad, weâre just joking around.â Demi tried to play peacemaker, resting her hand on Anastasiaâs shoulder.
Just then, Anastasiaâs phone rang. It was Herman Anastasia took a glance at the caller ID, before she could react, Demi blurted out, âThatâs your husband calling, isnât it? Invite him to join the gatheringâ
Anastasia, âHeâ¦â
Demi grabbed Anastasiaâs phone and answered with a smirk, âAre you Anastasiaâs hubby? Iâm her classmate. Weâre at Le Manoir Prestige. Anastasia said you should come over too. Everyoneâs dying to meet the lucky duck who bagged the stunner Anastasia.â