Stay (Wild Creek Ranch Series Book 6)

Chapter Forty

“Umm, Anastasia, I’ve completed the packing. Do you need help with lunch?” she asked, avoiding the glare from Anson. 

“No, leave us alone,” he growled, making Freya startled and nervous. 

“Actually, yes, can you poach an egg for mom?” she asked eagerly. Freya smiled, totally ignoring Anson.

“Yes, leave aunt Bianca’s lunch on me. I’m used to making food for her,” said Freya as Anson scoffed.

“Don’t you know basic work ethics? You don’t call your employer that,” he pointed out. 

“She insisted that I call her aunt Bianca,” said an offended Freya.

“So are you a maid?” asked Anson making Anastasia glare at him.

“Anson, go back to your restaurant if you’re going to be so grumpy,” said Anastasia.

“No, cooking doesn’t make you a maid. With both of them unwell, I do what I can to help them,” said Freya, her face looking little pale and hurt. Anson scoffed and strode out of the kitchen. 

“Don’t mind him. He’s just upset that dad and I are leaving,” said Anastasia.

“Mr. Farrell isn’t leaving now. He'll come later after the doctor gives him the permission to travel,” said Freya. 

“Who told you that?” asked Anastasia.

“Aunt Bianca,” said Freya with a smile. Lunch was made and they served it all on the table and summoned everyone. Anson grumpily sat and ate while glaring at Freya who wanted to escape but couldn’t since their dad asked her to join them for lunch. She sat nibbling at her salad while Anson pinned her with an angry stare all the time. 

“Good to see you dieting. You need it,” he leaned in to whisper into her ear, before excusing himself and leaving the table to receive a phone call. Freya was very quiet after that and stayed as far away from Anson as possible. It was decided that her dad would go later. Anastasia hugged her dad and helped Anson load her luggage to aunt Vida’s car. 

“Call me when you reach there. I’ll take dad next month,” said a grumpy Anson. Anastasia nodded and hugged him as well. 

“Take care, bro. I would love it if you too moved to LA with us,” said Anastasia. Anson hugged her back.

“You know that’s not possible. My restaurant is here,” said Anson. 

“You’ll do better in LA,” said Anastasia. Anson shook his head and Anastasia didn’t prod him further. Freya came out with the last suitcase and handed it to the chauffeur to load. Anson again glared at her but she ignored him and went to get his mom. 

Anson too went inside after her but Anastasia stayed back to talk to her dad who had come out to see them off. 

“Take care, dad. You could have come along with me. I’ll be worried about you,” said Anastasia. 

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll come down as soon as I get permission from my doctor,” assured her dad. Her mom and aunt Vida came out with Freya, followed by a scowling Anson. 

It was time to bid goodbye to her childhood home forever. She climbed into the car after the others and waving at her brother and dad, she tried to swallow the tears back. Memories of her time spent in the city made her upset and she just sat staring out of the window to calm herself. She was helping her mom, her family. It was her dying wish and she couldn’t deny her that. She would message Ryder in a few days, once she settled down in LA. It had been a fortnight since she had talked to Ryder over phone. He had graduated from college and had joined his family business full time. The calls and messages had become less frequent since he was always dead tired. 

They reached the airport and flew to LA in aunt Vida’s private jet. Her mom slept throughout the way while Freya worked with aunt Vida. Anastasia also sat with them, observing everything that they were doing. “Here, you can go through this file, Anastasia. You’ll find all information about the company here, our products, our branches, our clients and their reviews about us,” said aunt Vida, handing her own laptop to Anastasia. 

The whole time Anastasia sat reading and her eyes widened seeing how vast and successful the business actually was. How would she be able to handle it all by herself? She just wished Anson would help her. They reached in an hour and then after a fifteen minutes drive, they reached the huge, majestic and palatial mansion where Vida Slovene lived. Anastasia’s mouth hung open as she had never seen the place before. But more so since she had never seen a house grander than this. She tried to grasp the idea that this would be her home from now onwards.

“Welcome to Waverley Palace,” said Madame Slovene. “It’s named after my mom’s maiden name,” she explained with a warm smile. “Do you like your future home, Anastasia?” she asked eagerly. 

“Yes, it’s majestic, aunt Vida,” said Anastasia. The place gave her a happy vibe and she loved it immediately. But what stunned her more was that she could envisage her wedding happening on the large and sprawling lawns. She could picture her kids running all around the place with their furry friends! It surprised her and she blinked those thoughts away and rushed after her mom and aunt Vida.

“I’ll enroll you into FIDM here once you get a transfer,” said aunt Vida. Anastasia’s eyes widened hearing about the prestigious college of fashion. They went inside and Anastasia noted that despite the opulence, the place had a cozy feel to it. She could spend the rest of her life here with Ryder! But would he agree?