Chapter 74: Dangerous Secret
Anna flinched, her expression twisting into a mixture of unease and distaste. She had hoped that after last night’s incident, Marienne would be more cautious around her—especially now that they were bound by a dangerous secret.
It would have been the reasonable thing to do: avoid provoking one another without cause and keep a healthy distance to prevent drawing unwanted attention. But of course, Marienne had other ideas. As always.
"Marienne," Anna greeted her stiffly, casting wary glances at Constantine, who also looked somewhat taken aback by the other woman’s familiarity. "What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here today."
And that was the truth. When Constantine had invited her out for brunch, Anna had deliberately chosen a quiet coffee shop on the first floor of a department store—an unassuming place, far removed from the usual haunts of her new social circle.
Today, she had craved distance from judgmental eyes and whispered rumors. But fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor—because Marienne was the one person Anna couldn’t seem to escape, no matter how carefully she planned.
It was as if life itself was mocking her, weaving irony into every carefully constructed effort to remain composed and detached.
"You two seem to know each other well," Constantine remarked, rising to his feet and extending a hand with polite curiosity. "Constantine Greenfield. Pleasure to meet you."
"Marienne Rochester," she replied smoothly, her smile as poised and artificial as ever as she shook his hand. "Yes, Chloe and I have recently bonded over... a certain affair."
"Please, join us for a light drink," Constantine offered, pulling an empty chair toward Marienne with a charming smile. "Any friend of Miss Dumas is a friend of mine."