Chapter 344
Anastasia was ravenous, yet she had no desire for any kind of food. Even the smell of strong flavors caused a nauseous sensation, making her want to vomit. Anastasia attributed it to her nerves, telling Herman, “I need to find a place to rest.”
“Sure.” Herman led Anastasia to a rest area.
After sitting down, Anastasia still felt a bit queasy, “I need some lemonade.” For some reason, she craved something tart, as if her stomach was still feeling greasy.
“Okay, I’ll get it for you.” Herman went to the beverages area to fetch the lemonade.
Anastasia took out her phone from her purse to call Salma. She hadn’t seen Salma and Pattie after stepping off the stage, which made her worried. After the call, she learned that Salma had taken Pattie to the restroom, and Anastasia felt relieved.
Just as she ended the call, Lauren and other socialites she had met at the reception came over.
“Mrs. Salstrom, you were absolutely stunning today.” These socialites had sharp eyes, and they no longer dared to call her by her first name.
“I’m telling you, even as a woman, I was absolutely captivated by Mrs. Salstrom.”
“Mr. Salstrom is truly a lucky man.”
Lauren joked with a smile, “Anastasia, I always told you to win Herman over, so I could admire him more often. But you were faster than I expected, and you’ve already won him over.”
Anastasia laughed, “You knew about it all along and didn’t tell me. Just call me Anastasia. Mrs. Salstrom sounds so formal. I’d be even more nervous.”
Everyone knew about it, except for her.
When the topic came up, it reminded Anastasia of Monica. She was still at the reception when Anastasia took the stage, but she was nowhere to be found now. The banquet hall was so large that it was difficult to spot someone among hundreds of people.
As they were talking, Herman arrived with the lemonade, “Anastasia.”
As soon as Herman arrived, the beauties quickly made room for him to sit next to Anastasia.
After taking a sip of the lemonade, Anastasia felt much better. Lauren casually commented, “Anastasia, aren’t you finding this lemonade too tangy?”
Earlier, Lauren had tried the lemonade and found it extremely sour. She felt like it would even induce a need to urinate.
“It’s quite refreshing.” Anastasia replied, “I guess I had something greasy earlier, so something tart is just perfect.”
One of the ladies asked, “Anastasia, are you pregnant? My sister-in-law who’s expecting has been craving sour things like sour oranges and lemons. It makes my teeth ache just looking at her, but she seems to enjoy it.”
The lady’s comment startled Herman, but he quickly dismissed the possibility. He was well aware of Anastasia’s health condition.
Anastasia glanced at Herman and laughed, explaining to the lady, “No, I just suddenly felt like having something sour.”
Then, Anastasia found an excuse to send Herman away, “Why don’t you go do your thing? I’ll chat with the ladies.”
Herman being the only man in a group of women was indeed awkward.
“Alright.” Herman said in a deep voice, “Call me if you need anything.”
Anastasia smiled, “Sure.”
Herman got up, affectionately caressed Anastasia’s head, and walked away, leaving the ladies in awe of their sweet interaction.
Once Herman left, Anastasia was immediately teased by the group. “Anastasia, you must have saved the galaxy in your past life. Did you guys see Mr. Salstrom’s gaze? So gentle and full of love. It makes me want to fall in love.”
Anastasia felt at ease with this group. There was no stiffness.
Pattie, after using the restroom, found Anastasia and called out in her childlike voice, “Mommy.”
This made the ladies look at each other in surprise. Because Pattie looked so much like Anastasia; especially in their matching dresses, they looked even more alike.
One of them exclaimed, “Anastasia, you and Mr. Salstrom have kept your secret well. Your daughter is already so big.”
“Wow, she’s so cute, pink and tender. Her eyes are like Anastasia’s, and her nose and mouth are like Mr. Salstrom’s.”
“I saw some netizens pushing for a baby in the live chat earlier, but you’ve already had one.”
Upon hearing this, Lauren took a closer look at both of them, “Anastasia, are you sure she’s not your biological daughter with Herman?”
Lauren knew that Pattie was adopted, but the resemblance was uncanny.
