Chapter 235: Talking To Anita

Angel found Anita Goodman inside a private bar located within the Goodland building. The place was nothing like the ordinary bars scattered around the district. It was a private lounge, designed for people who preferred to drink in peace without worrying about strangers overhearing their conversations. The lights were dim, the furniture expensive, and the atmosphere carried the sort of quiet luxury that made it clear only a select few were welcome.

Anita was sitting comfortably on one of the leather couches, looking as though she owned the entire building, which she did. Beside her stood Tessa Johnson, holding a tablet in one hand while waiting for her next instruction. The sight immediately caught Angel’s attention, especially because Tessa looked nothing like the confident Alpha she remembered.

"Hello, my friend. Come in and have a seat," Anita greeted her the moment she noticed her arrival.

She patted the empty space beside her on the couch, inviting Angel to sit with her, but Angel chose the seat opposite her instead. She had no intention of pretending they were close friends simply because Anita had decided to call her one.

Anita did not appear offended by the rejection. Instead, she snapped her fingers and turned towards the woman standing beside her.

"Pour my dear friend here a drink, will you?"

Tessa immediately opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass for Angel before approaching her with it. She placed the drink within reach, but she did not meet Angel’s eyes.

Angel watched her carefully as she collected the glass.

This was definitely not the same Alpha she had known before. Something had changed, and it was not difficult to guess what it was. Power had a way of changing people, especially those who had once been desperate to climb the ladder and finally found themselves working for someone who had no intention of sharing her position.

Angel remembered Charlie telling her about the difficulties Tessa had been facing while working for Anita. Apparently, Anita had been giving her a hard time, and judging by what she was witnessing, the situation had only become worse.

Well, that was what happened when someone chose to work with Anita Goodman. The woman loved being in charge, and sharing power with anyone was probably the last thing on her mind.

"So now you have your business partner serving drinks?" Angel remarked, taking the glass from Tessa.

Tessa did not even look at her.

Anita let out a laugh, clearly amused by Angel’s assumption.

"Business partner? Tessa Johnson is nothing more than my personal dog. You know, someone who goes around helping me run my business." She leaned back against the couch, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "I remember nine years ago, when she came begging me to hire her as my secretary with her credentials."

Angel was speechless. She stared at Anita for a moment before scoffing, struggling to believe the woman had actually said that aloud. She could hardly wait to tell her wife about the state of her old school bully’s life. April would probably have plenty to say about it, especially after hearing how Anita was treating someone who had once been her business partner.

Angel shifted her gaze towards Tessa and shook her head slightly.

For a moment, Tessa’s expression tightened, but she quickly looked away, shame written all over her face. Whatever her reasons for remaining at Anita’s side, it was clear she did not appreciate being humiliated in front of other people.

Angel took a sip of her wine before turning her attention back to the woman sitting opposite her.

"So, what is it, Anita? What do you want?"

"I already told you. Take your rightful place, regain your inheritance, and we become buddies."

"And I told you..." Angel began, her patience already wearing thin.

"You don’t have to remind me, Del Rose Mary, or whatever you call that last name of yours," Anita interrupted, waving her hand dismissively.

"It’s Del Rosario," Angel corrected her.

"See, Amigo?" Anita said with a knowing smile, as though Angel had just proved some point she had been trying to make. "Do you know why I created Goodland here in this district?"

Angel raised an eyebrow.

"I heard no government would allow you to operate outside this place because of your company’s bad content."

"No, no, no!" Anita exclaimed, laughing as though Angel had told her the funniest joke. "I have my ways of getting what I want."

She crossed one leg over the other and settled more comfortably into the couch, apparently enjoying the opportunity to tell her story.

"I told Tessa that my company had to be built in the Morningstar district. If it wasn’t in this district, she could consider her career over. She was slow, but she finally managed to get the deal done."

Anita paused to take a sip of her drink, allowing Angel to absorb her words before continuing.

"When I received the good news, I was so happy. I thought I was finally going to reunite with my buddy. I had everything planned out in my head, and then I heard the sad news."

Her smile faded into an expression of exaggerated sorrow.

"Angel Morningstar had been disowned by her mother, Sloane Morningstar, and kicked out of the district like a nobody. That was terrible news, Amigo. After everything they put you through, they still threw you away like a dog. I was sad, very sad."

Angel stared at her, completely unimpressed by the performance.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me, Anita. I am not your friend. I hated your guts, and you knew that very well."

She could not understand how Anita had managed to convince herself that they shared some special friendship. They had never been friends, not even for a single day. If anything, Anita had made her Military school years more miserable than they needed to be, and Angel had never hidden how much she disliked her.

Yet here she was, sitting across from the same woman, listening to her speak as though they were two old friends who had simply lost touch over the years.

Anita’s smile remained firmly in place.

"I know you hate me, but I don’t hate you. I love you the way I would love my twin sister."

Angel’s fingers tightened slightly around her glass.

There was something deeply unsettling about the way Anita spoke, particularly the ease with which she could say something so ridiculous while maintaining that sweet, almost affectionate expression. She sounded as though she genuinely believed the things coming out of her mouth, and that made the situation even worse.

"By the way," Anita continued casually, as though she had just remembered something unimportant, "have you seen that bitch?"

Angel remained silent, waiting for her to explain who she was talking about.

"I need to tell her that our mommy and daddy are no longer with us." Anita’s smile widened, and she tilted her head slightly. "I sent them to a better place."

She allowed the words to hang in the air for a moment before looking directly at Angel

"And you two are going to send your mommy to a better place."