17 Chapter 17 Anything She Tries Blanche's POV T Forced fruit never tastes sweet . Especially since I couldn't have kept that marriage going even if I tried . Even if I hadn't asked for the divorce , Zain would have done it after our second child . But I didn't want to be a breeding tool anymore . Much less a caged bird . Watching my tears fall , Demetrius's heart ached . Beyond offering comfort and wiping away my tears , there was nothing else he could do . After Carry dashed onto the stage , Zain didn't follow immediately . Instead , his gaze drifted sideways - just in time to see Demetrius wiping tears from Blanche's cheek . They stood so close that from Zain's angle , they looked practically pressed together . By then , Joanna had changed out of her gown . Taking Carry's hand , she walked toward Zain . " Zain , " she called softly . Zain snapped back to attention , his eyes warming as they met hers . " Dinner together ? " Joanna suggested . " Sure ," Zain answered with a smile . Carry tugged at Zain's arm . " Daddy , I want roasted meat ." Joanna booped her nose playfully . " Little foodie , " she teased . Outside the concert hall , the cool air cleared my head . The weight lifted off my chest . Zain and Carry walked away from me , not the other way around . I had nothing to apologize for . Seeing I looked more myself , Demetrius spoke up . " Want to grab dinner ? " I thought for a second , then nodded . " Why not ? " I was hungry . Besides , I didn't want to turn Demetrius down . At the restaurant , Demetrius held the door for me . The moment I stepped inside , I froze . Right at the center table sat six people , including Zain , Carry , and Joanna . < 17 Chapter 17 Anything She Tries Zain and Carry had their backs to the entrance , completely unaware I had entered , Joanna sat beside Zain , her view toward the doorway blocked unless she turned around . Across from Zain sat two men and a woman . I recognized both men , Drew and Nicholas . But the woman was a stranger to me . In our wealthy circle , men tended to bring different women to different events . Even married ones . As for Zain , Joanna was the only one ever by his side . Everyone in his world knew Joanna well . But very few knew Zain actually had a wife named Blanche . Demetrius followed me in . Seeing me frozen in place , he asked right away , " What's up ? " But the words were barely out of his mouth when he spotted Zain and the others nearby . Grabbing my arm , he said , " Let's grab a bite somewhere else . " I didn't budge . Instead , I held him back . Looking straight at him , I said in a steady voice , " It's fine . Let's eat here . " It wasn't me who'd screwed things up . I wasn't about to hide from anyone . Demetrius looked at me for a few moments , then smiled . " Alright ." I chose a table near the entrance , quite a ways away from Zain . The two groups sat back - to - back , so no one could see the other party . Demetrius handed the menu to me and let me order . I didn't play coy and picked two dishes I liked . Soon , the food arrived . I had barely taken my first bite when I heard Carry's excited voice from nearby . " Uncle Stewart , you know what ? Miss Joanna is super talented . She played the piano beautifully . I've never heard anything like it ." Drew chuckled at Carry's words . He leaned across the table to look her right in the eye . " Listen , Carry , " he said , " Your Miss Joanna is the real deal . She just finished her master's and is heading for her doctoral degree . And her family's got money . " On top of that , she's got a pile of piano awards and certificates . Oh , and she does some modeling and acting on the side . She doesn't just do things well . She can do an amazing job at anything she tries . Seriously ." Drew was clearly impressed . Carry , swelling with pride at his words , turned to Joanna . " Miss Joanna , " she said seriously , " you're so awesome . Really amazing . " Joanna patted her head , her voice warm and affectionate . " You'll do amazing things too , sweetie . Because you have an exceptional dad ." Carry glanced at Zain , her pride growing even bigger . Her dad was an exceptional man , and Miss Joanna was so popular that everyone admired her . Nicholas sat across from them . No matter what anyone said , he seemed pretty chill . Gossip just wasn't his thing . 16/01 < 17 Chapter 17 Anything She Tries But Nicholas kept thinking the woman by the door looked familiar . It took him a while to place her . He finally remembered seeing her when he visited Carry . She was Zain ' wife . Thinking this , Nicholas murmured , " Think I spotted someone I know . " He still wasn't sure she was Zain ' wife , but he tossed it out casually anyway . The moment Nicholas said it , Zain , Carry , and Joanna all turned to look toward me . I had my back to them . All they could see was my back . Carry let out a huff . " Ugh , so annoying , " she complained , " I keep running into Mom everywhere ." Zain looked away . He put some food on Carry's plate and said , " Eat up ." Carry was huffing and puffing , her appetite suddenly gone . ' Running into Mom at the concert was bad enough , she thought , ' but at a restaurant too ? She must be following us around secretly . But ... maybe she couldn't help it ? Maybe she wants to say sorry ? ' The thought made Carry's mood brighten up a little . Since the two groups were sitting back - to - back , it wasn't until Carry sneaked another peek that she realized Blanche was gone . Carry was thrown for a loop . She couldn't figure out Blanche's intention . Zain hadn't noticed when Blanche had left either . He just didn't care enough to ask . Demetrius drove me back to Callum Mansion . When we arrived , Amber was waiting in the doorway , wrapped in a coat . I got out of the car , looking puzzled . " Amber , what are you doing out here ? " I asked . Amber glanced at me , then her eyes shifted to the driver's seat . There sat a tall and handsome man . His clothes were clearly well - off . The car he drove was low - key but solid , radiating quality . Demetrius noticed Amber checking him out . He met her gaze naturally and introduced himself , " I was Blanche's university classmate , two years above her . " Amber smiled . " Hello . " Demetrius gave a slight nod . His good manners showed in the little things . Demetrius and I chatted for another moment . " Next time , dinner's on me , " I insisted . A warm , deep smile lit up Demetrius's eyes . He knew me too well . Letting me feel I owed him was the perfect way to guarantee countless more meet - ups . We'd been close friends back then . But since I got married , things had naturally faded away . After Demetrius left , Amber looked at me with a thoughtful , curious look . " Just a classmate ? " she pressed . 16.01 17 Chapter 17 Anything She Tries I nodded , my reply quick and firm . " Yeah , just a classmate . But we were close friends " Seeing I clearly wasn't in the mood for any talk about romance , Amber dropped it . Instead , she suddenly turned serious . " Dad's waiting for you in the living room . Says it's something important . " The look on Amber's face told me this wouldn't be easy for me . Comment 0 Leave the first comment for this chapter . Send Gifts Show support to the author by leaving comments when sending gift . 16:01