What would I do with you Anastasia?

Grace was quite excited to welcome Anna as it was her way of showing gratitude to her for what she did for Nathan. When Regan came to know about it, he was amused. In fact, he felt a bit jealous with Anna for the love and attention that she managed to congregate by his parents in a short period.

After a few hours when he came downstairs from his study, he saw Grace who was busy in the kitchen. He went to her, kissed her cheeks and said, "Mom..... don't you think it's too much? I mean just look at these things. It feels like you have invited a whole dynasty for the dinner."

Grace smacked his arm and said, "Why do I feel that someone is jealous over here. Why don't you go in your study and continue with your work? Anyways, it's nothing... That girl saved your father Reg. He means the world to me. And all of these....." She pointed towards the preparations and continued. "is my way of conveying my gratitude to her which is nothing."

"Of course mom... But atleast sit for a while and relax. You are stressing yourself too much."

"Not at all son because me and your dad already love her. She is a lovely child. Just talking to her makes us happy."

Regan was again surprised on her mother's thoughts about Anna.

'This girl is really something. She has bewitched all the Knights. What would I do with you Miss Prescott?' He thought and chuckled.

They were talking when Grace got a call. It was Anna. After all that happened, Regan was the last person to whom she wanted to meet or talk. So, she decided to call Grace and cancelled the dinner by giving an excuse of her being unwell. Grace tried her best to convince her but gave up at the end owing to her health. Regan heard their conversation and frowned. He saw how all of this upset Grace. She said nothing and went to her room. He was burning with rage when he saw his mother upset but at the same time he was anguished with the thought of Anna being unwell. He immediately called his driver and went outside.

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Anna was feeling awful for lying to Grace, specially after hearing her distressed tone. She was pacing back and forth reconsidering her decision. She didn't want to hurt anyone but how could she make her heart understand that whatever happened was not her fault.

'Whatever it is Anna..... how can you hurt those people? How sad she sounded... I... I can't do this to them. But what should I do now? Should I call her again that I am fine and would come over? No... I should just call her and...and...' She was deliberating over it again and again for convincing herself that whatever happened was neither their fault nor even Regan's. She took her phone to call Grace when she heard her doorbell rang. She placed it in between her ear and shoulder and went to check it. As soon as she opened the door, her phone crashed down on the floor.

It was Regan himself standing in front of her. She was shocked would be an understatement. 'This man is going to be my death one day. How does he manage to dismay me everytime..... especially with his timing.' She thought.

She quickly came out of her reverie and said, "Ummm..... Hi Regan..... What brought you here at this hour? Can I help you anyway?"

He was standing there in a daze taking in her appearance. She was looking...so different. She was wearing a jeans short with a tee. Her hair were tied in a messy bun leaving some tendrils here and there on her face. There was no makeup on her face. Just a little gloss on her lips may be..... but she looked beautiful. She was actually looking like a girl in her teens.

When he did not answer, she cleared her throat and waved her hand in front of him. He quickly snapped back and frowned seeing her pink in health. Back then, he was quite worried but now he was infuriated on her for lying. So he directly asked her, "You look well Anastasia. Then why did you lie? Do you even realize how did your distortion hurt mom? If you already had your plans, you could have rejected it earlier."

She flinched at his threatening tone and gulped. She didn't know how to answer him. Tears welled up in her eyes for she knew she was at fault. She lowered her gaze which pissed him more. He was ready to admonish her again when she spoke.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her. It's just that after all those news and gossips about us..... I didn't want to....." She could not complete as her voice cracked.

He frowned on hearing her. After a couple of seconds, he registered her words and understood the reason for her denial. He realized how crudely he talked to her a minute before. Her gaze was still on the floor but he could see the gloominess on her face. He didn't know how to pacify the situation and console her. At the same time, he saw a tear that slipped from her eye. He felt as if someone just squeezed his soul. His expressions softened immediately and he said, "Anna..... I am sorry okay. I should not have talked to you like that. But this..... this should not be your reason for denial Anna. I understand that the gossips might have distressed you but it's a part of our world. Today it's us... tomorrow it might be something else."

When she heard him saying this ,she looked up at him with widened eyes and asked innocently, "Is it so?"

At the very moment, he thought her to be the cutest thing on earth. He could not believe that she was the same girl who bravely saved her father and confidently convinced him and the others about her perseverance and determination towards her work.

He smiled and simply nodded his head. "Anna..... you cannot run from what people say about you. You should face it and move ahead as if nothing had happened otherwise it will only give you hurt and pain. It's your heart that should know better about you..... what you feel and what you do, right?

She nodded her head in a yes. She quickly wiped her glossy eyes with the back of her hand. "I am sorry." She said again.

He could not understand why he had the sudden urge to held her in his arms securely. He wanted to see her smile even for a single second to bring his heart at ease. "Okay, so if you are really sorry, then can we reconsider our dinner plan and tell mom?"

"Okay"

"Perfect"

Regan called Grace and told her about the whole thing. He then turned to look in her direction and said, "So Anastasia..... I think you should get ready now. We will head back together."

"Oh no no..... I would come by my own. Don't worry okay. I will join you around by seven in the evening."

"It's not okay Anna..... And figuratively, I am already here. So let's go together please? I insist."

"Okay..... I'll go and change then. Please make yourself comfortable." He nodded and she went into her room. He sat on a chair when his eyes roamed around the space. He could feel her presence and her scent around him which was quite intoxicating. He could not believe that he just said sorry and please to someone that too so easily. If Drake would hear about it, he would definitely die out of shock. He thought and chuckled. 'You make me feel and experience many things that I thought I would never Anna... How do you do that? What would I do with you Anastasia?' He thought.