Chapter 3

"It really worked! Thank you so much," Anna said, her voice full of gratitude.

"No problem," Zayn replied with a warm smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, making him look friendly and trustworthy. "I'm Zayn Watkins, the owner of Zayn's Café."

"Anna Lane," she blurted out instinctively, then, flustered, quickly clarified, "I mean... That's my name."

Zayn caught onto her nerves and, with gentle tact, steered the conversation elsewhere. "I saw you eyeing the art auction area earlier. Does that abstract piece catch your interest?"

"Oh, yeah," Anna replied, even though she hadn't actually looked at any of the auction items—but Zayn was already effortlessly guiding her toward a corner of the gallery.

"This one's by an up-and-coming artist, Tony Sutton. He's not afraid to play with really bold colors," Zayn said, nodding at the vibrant painting. "Actually, Zayn's Café is hunting for an illustrator to help redesign our menu."

"An illustrator?" Anna's eyes sparkled, then she quickly masked her excitement. "I mean, that's awesome."

Zayn gave her a thoughtful glance. "If you're interested, you should stop by Zayn's Café sometime. We give local artists space for small exhibitions, and we also buy original pieces." He handed her a business card. "Anytime—you're always welcome."

Anna took the card, her fingers trembling slightly. Just then, Lionel's cold voice cut through the air from behind her. "So, here you are."

Anna hurriedly stuffed the card into her purse, nearly tripping as she turned around. Lionel caught her, but his gaze was fixed on Zayn. "And who's this?"

"Zayn Watkins. Nice to meet you," Zayn said, extending his hand with easy confidence. "I just happened to help your wife out with a small problem."

Lionel shook his hand briefly, then slipped his arm around Anna's waist. "The party's about to start. We should head to our seats."

As Lionel half-urged her away, Anna glanced back at Zayn and gave him an apologetic smile. Zayn just nodded slightly, his eyes enigmatic and unreadable.

*****

After the party, Lionel stayed silent the whole ride home. It wasn't until they walked through the door that he finally spoke. "Don't talk to strangers so much."

"Mr. Watkins was just being nice and helping me out," Anna mumbled in her defense.

"Do you even know who he is?" Lionel said, loosening his tie. "He's the youngest son of the Watkins family.

"Instead of entering the family business, he went and opened Zayn's Café instead. People like him are the ones you really need to watch out for. They look harmless on the surface, but underneath..."

His words were interrupted by the doorbell. Cora hurried over to answer it, then rushed back, looking flustered. "Sir, Mrs. Eva Hoffman is here."

Lionel's mother, Eva stood at the doorway in a sharply tailored suit, her gaze sweeping over Lionel before fixing critically on Anna. "I heard my son married a trophy wife. I came to see if you really are just that."

Anna's fingers twisted together nervously, but she forced herself to look up and meet Eva's sharp gaze. "Eva, you came so suddenly. We weren't ready..."

"Ready for what? I'm not here for a meal." Eva strode right into the living room, her eyes roaming over every detail. "There's not a single proper plant in this house. All you ever do is cram it full of useless, flashy junk."

Lionel frowned. "Mom, what exactly brings you here?"

"What, now I need an appointment to see my own son?" Eva said, settling onto the couch. Her eyes landed on Anna again. "I heard you made a fool of yourself at the party today."

Great, gossip really traveled fast. Now even Eva knew all about it. Anna knew this was because of Lydia.

"It was nothing," Lionel said, answering for Anna, but his tone wasn't exactly defending her.

Eva snorted. "Your father let me stay home and be a full-time wife because I could handle everything for him. But these days, all young girls know how to do is shop and get their nails done."

Anna dug her nails into her palms. Suddenly, she remembered the textbooks and the business card from Zayn's Café tucked away in her bag.

"Mom," she heard herself say, her voice surprisingly steady, "I signed up for some classes at the adult university. They start next week."

The living room went dead silent. Lionel turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.

Eva raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What are you studying?"

"Illustration design," Anna said, mustering up the courage to add, "I've loved drawing ever since I was little."

"Ridiculous!" Eva smacked the table hard. "A Hoffman wife showing her face out there and heading off to classes?"

"Mom." Lionel finally broke his silence. "Let's talk about this later. What exactly did you come here for?"

Eva dug out some paperwork from her purse. "The Lawrence family's daughter will be back next month. Make sure you meet up with her. Our business ties don't just disappear because you're married."

Anna immediately understood—Eva was here to line up another 'option' for Lionel. That realization cut deeper than any party humiliation.

After Eva left, Lionel locked himself away in his study for the rest of the night. Anna lay in bed all alone, her eyes glued to the ceiling, her thoughts running wild. Suddenly, her phone lit up—the confirmation for her night school classes.

She gently tapped "Confirm," then hugged her phone close to her chest, like it was her own little secret no one else could ever know.

Outside, a thin new moon slowly climbed into the sky, its dim but stubborn glow shining on the promise Anna made to herself tonight.