Sophie strolled in before Anna could stop her. She walked with deliberate confidence, her high heels clicking audibly against the worn wooden floor.
Glancing around with visible disgust, her nose wrinkling at the slightly peeling wallpaper, she turned to Anna with a sly, predatory smile on her face.
"What the hell are you doing here, Sophie?" Anna barked at her in rage, sensing Sophie was there for trouble.
Sophie pouted, moved closer to Anna and grabbed her shoulders. "Don't be like that, sister. Can't I visit my sister's matrimonial home anymore?"
Anna scoffed and yanked her hands free from her shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous. State why you're here and let's get it done with."
Sophie didn't respond.
"Is this about the company? Your mother must have already fed you with the lies she cooked up."
Sophie shook her head. "Of course not. I don't care what happens to the company. I'm here for something different."
Anna seemed taken back by the statement. She was there for something different? What could it be?
The sinister smile on Sophie's face was evident that she wasn't here for something good. Anna knew she couldn't trust Sophie for a minutes.
Behind Sophie, Aidan appeared from the hallway, drying his hands with a dish towel. Anna's eyes darted over Sophie's shoulder to him. Sophie, sensing the shift, turned, her gaze following Anna's.
As soon as her gaze landed on Aidan, she left out a dramatic sigh and ventured fully into the living room.
"Hi, brother-in-law. Nice apartment."
Anna grit her teeth in frustration. "Sophie…"
"Can I sit, Aidan?" she purred, her voice dipping into flirtation.
Anna immediately shot Aidan a glare, shaking her head subtly, hoping he'd get the message. But Aidan ignored the signal and nodded with a calm smile.
Sophie slouched to a sofa with another dramatic sigh, glancing around with irritation, her well manicured fingers grazing her legs as she crossed the right over the other.
"Sophie, say why you're here…" Anna was impatient.
"Oh, did I interrupt anything?" Sophie demanded sweetly, her voice steeped in mock innocence. "Perhaps an intimate moment between husband and wife?" Sophie teased with a wicked smile which made Anna looked away in embarrassment.
She remember the kiss she had almost shared with Aidan. She was tempted to curse at Sophie for coming and not only that, for also ruining that moment.
Now, more than ever, she was curious to know how kissing Aidan could have been. How his lips would have tasted on her lips.
"Sophie, why are you here?" Aidan's calm voice jerked both Anna and Sophie out of their thought.
Anna blinked back, clearing her throat and folding her arms to look cool.
"Well, I'm here for work. I found out you work as a bartender at Standalone and I wanted a private bartender to help me with an event," she grinned from ear to ear, her eyes fixated on Anna.
Anna didn't say a word. Her silence was louder than any insult.
"Annalyn, aren't you going to ask me what event it is?" Sophie sing-songed.
Still, Anna offered no reply.
"Anna?" Sophie pushed again, her voice turning sharper.
"What event do you need a private bartender for and why?" Aidan interrupted, his voice calm but firm, the seriousness in his tone silencing Sophie for a moment.
Anna, growing bored and finally realizing what Sophie was there for, slumped to the sofa opposite Sophie.
"Well, you're invited!" Sophie fished out a card and stretched it at Anna, who stared at her lazily before glancing around. "Don't be like that Anna, we're sisters!"
Anna was tempted to tell her they were not sister and they never will be but she remained silent, instead.
Sophie flung the card at her and she saw it was a wedding invitation card.
The event I need a private bartender for is my bridal shower event!" Sophie shrieked with excitement.
Anna snorted. Then it turned into a smile.
"Do you have something to say?"
Anna spared her a glance, responding with heavy sarcasm. "No, dear sister."
Sophie rolled her eyes, and slumped back into the sofa. "When were you going to ask who is going to be my groom?"
Anna didn't need to. She already knew. it was Warren
But she wouldn't be surprised if it was someone else. Sophie had no loyalty, no soul. She was a bitch, and this wedding invitation was just more proof.
"Well, since you decided to marry out of the blues to a man who works three jobs, I figured I could marry Warren in your place. So we're getting married. The wedding date didn't change, the name only changed. Is that okay with you?"
Anna knew all she was trying to do was hear whatever she would say and to provoke her.
She wondered how she managed to find where she and Aidan was staying and the thought angered her.
She felt like throwing her out now, before things escalate.
"When is the bridal shower party?" Aidan demanded, also taking a seat on the high stool, his arms still folded.
Anna couldn't believe he was asking that. Was he planning on taking the job?
"Well," Sophie turned her attention back to Aidan. "It was slated for tomorrow tonight, would you be available?"
Aidan didn't speak. He seemed lost in thought so Sophie added, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Don't worry, I'm going to pay you well. Well enough so you don't have to take anything else from my sister."
Anna was about to speak when Aidan turned to her, shaking his head slowly.
"Is that all?"
Sophie was surprised at his question. "You haven't answered if you'll take the job. I need to know before I leave."
With another sly smile, Aidan nodded his head and replied. "You'll have to go back to Standalone and discuss the terms with them. They're my boss and I can't go to anywhere without their permission, no matter how much the offer is."
"Awww, you're such a loyal gentleman. Anna is indeed lucky to have you." Sophie muttered with a tone of sarcasm.
Anna gritted her teeth in frustration and finally, Sophie stood up. "Still, I'd love to know if you're okay with taking the job. Even if standalone is involved and you're not interested, it doesn't matter. I need to know where I stand first and to know if going there will be worth it." She moved seductively towards Aidan.
Anna was tempted to step in between them but she didn't see the need. Aidan was staring at Sophie with pure disgust and it amused her.
"Will you take the job or not?" The question hung in the air. Anna knew this was Sophie's way of ridiculing her further. At the party, she would announce to the world how she got married to a penniless bartender who was living in a failing building like this.
So she signaled to Aidan and shook her head at him. She didn't want him to accept him.
Aidan seemed clueless at her signs so she mouthed. "Say no."
Aidan didn't say anything so she decided to help him. "Sorry, Sophie but my husband…"
"Will do it." Aidan interrupted her and it made Anna's stomach dropped, her entire body going rigid with fury.
"What?!" She hissed, eyes wide with disbelief.
He turned to her calmly, as though
she hadn't just been betrayed. When their eyes met, he said it again with quiet resolve.
"It's my job, so I'll take it."