Anastasia's Contract With The CEO

Chapter 5: Stacy's Pov

"You know I didn't mean to tell you all that, right?" She gave Anastasia an apologetic look. A flash back of Scarlet angry face came to her mind as she immediately shook the thought off.

Anastasia, looking a bit confused, decided to accept the apology graciously, thinking it was just harmless banter among friends.

"I understand you were looking out for me". She gave Stacy a warm smile.

"You left without a word". She had a mixed feeling she might have been wrong but her looks said otherwise.

"I was angry".

"Am I forgiven now?" With a friendly smile, Stacy playfully teased Anastasia, pretending that she was just joking around and trying to get a rise out of her.

"Of course, I have nothing against you, you remain my friend".

She felt a stab behind her back, staring at her rivalry was her least expectations, it seemed strange.

"How's life with you?"

"Fine I guess". It felt like a dream, Scarlet felt free around her unlike the last time they met.

"You should come see me tomorrow maybe".

"I definitely will".

So calm, so gentle was unlike the Scarlet she knew. Stacy had always been intuitive when it came to her best friend. Stacy couldn't help but notice that something was amiss. Anastasia's demeanor seemed off, and her appearance had subtly changed. Stacy decided to keep her suspicions to herself for now, not wanting to cause any unnecessary tension.

"You absolutely look great". Unable to shake off the feeling that something was genuinely wrong, Stacy couldn't resist probing further. She leaned in closer to Anastasia and asked, "You seem different today. Is everything okay?"".

"Oh, I just felt like changing up my look a bit, you know, trying something new."

Stacy, trying her best to believe her friend, nodded in understanding. She didn't want to press further if Scarlet wasn't ready to share.

"Am hungry, what's in the house?"

"The maid should know".

Stacy felt quite disappointed her plan didn't work after all, she felt embarrassed.

"Do you want me to order something for you?"

"No, don't worry, I'm not that hungry".

"Sure?"

" Yes". She eyed Scarlet closely, she felt stupid as she acted like a fool. " How long have you been married to him?" Her inquisitiveness had taken the best part of her.

"Two weeks". She shrugged her shoulder.

"Tell me about it".

" Normal stuff you know, but he's quite the stubborn type".

"I know". She nodded her head in agreement. "Why did you leave town?" She gave her a questionable gaze.

"I needed my head cleared out you know, after everything you told me".

"I wouldn't have made that stunt, I regretted my actions after you left without a word". Stacy noticed Scarlet had avoided her eyes from meeting hers. Something was up which she had sensed the moment she sighted her

"We should forget it since it's past then". They exchanged smile.

"Yeah, he's a good man". Stacy didn't know why she said that but she felt slightly jealous over the reconciliation.

"Yes he is".

The sound of Scarlet words made her more angry, this wasn't meant to be like this, she had only worsen things. She forced her gaze into the television to avoid her emotions from being obvious.

"Is he still proud?"

"More than you can imagine but I can handle that".

"Your strong heart is admirable". Stacy feigned a smile at her.

"You look better than the last time".

"Yeah". Stacy feigned to be focused on the television.The fact that Scarlet had changed her appearance and seemed reluctant to share the real reason was a cause for concern.

Just then, Jace approached the duo with a somber expression. "Hey, guys, I've got some urgent work I need to take care of," he explained. "I hate to do this, but I have to leave."

"Full of excuses, when will that stop". Stacy eyes him as she walked to hold Scarlet's hand.

" I'll see you soon, remember what I told you".

She nodded her head in response.

"What did you tell her?" Jace raised an eyebrow at them with a suspicious look.

"It's not your business". Stacy feigned an angry look towards Jace who cared less about their feeling.

"Whatever. Can we go now?"

"When next am I seeing her?" She gave friendly wink to Scarlet.

"Probably next week".

"No way, I'm taking for some hours tomorrow".

"Fine but not without the guards".

Stacy didn't find it hard to recognize his stern voice while he said that.

"Alright I'll meet right up the gate". She responded as her attention returned to Scarlet.

"You should stop by anytime, okay?"

"Sure I'll".

***

As Stacy drove home, her thoughts kept circling back to Scarlet's unusual behavior. She knew her friend well enough to sense when something was bothering her.

Her worry reached its peak as she paced round the house, it felt like she was losing her senses. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number of someone she thought might be able to help. Ethan, a mutual friend who had a knack for finding information when needed.

The phone rang a few times before Ethan picked up. "Hey, Stacy, what's up?" he asked, sounding casual.

Stacy wasted no time and got straight to the point. "Ethan, I need your help. I'm really worried about Scarlet, and I can't get in touch with her. She's been acting strange lately, and I just have this gut feeling that something's not right."

Ethan, knowing how close Stacy and Scarlet were, instantly became concerned. "Of course, Stacy, I'll do what I can to help. Do you have any leads or information that might help me track her down?"

"I'll send you her number, I think it can be useful?"

"Yes we can start with that".

"Thank you, Ethan. I really appreciate this. Just let me know if you find anything, and I'll be ready to take action." She hung up the call almost immediately. The Scarlet she knew was unforgiven, her guts told her this was a different Scarlet.