Chapter Text
Anthony Bridgerton had it all. Or so it seemed. He had a high-profile apartment. He was a CEO of multiple companies that he ran with an iron fist. He had a loving family, siblings and all and he didn’t want a single bit of it.
He wanted the redhead who haunted his dreams.
He wanted the redhead who had begged him to look at her and see her as a woman and not as his little sister’s best friend. He had looked. Fuck had he looked. And then he had touched her. Then he couldn't get enough of her. With one kiss, one taste he never thought of her as a kid again. She was all woman, warm and willing and in his arms. With one kiss, she consumed him.
He wanted the redhead with the sassy mouth that he yearned to taste. The take-no-crap balls out to the world attitude. The in-your-face to everyone who had ever said she was a failure.
He wanted the redhead who challenged him. Argued with him. Infuriated him to the point that he wanted to press her against a wall and let her know who was really in charge.
He wanted Penelope Featherington.
The part that really pissed him off is that he had her, he worshipped her and because of his bitch ex-girlfriend Kate, he lost the best thing in his life. Kate helped Anthony unwittingly break her heart. She wouldn’t see him anymore. She wouldn’t talk to him. She had blocked him out of her life just as solidly as his sister had upon learning that Penelope had been seeing Anthony and screamed at her for her betrayal.
No one would have thought the two of them would hit it off. Or that they had anything in common. Or that they even liked each other as the whole world seemed to believe that Penelope belonged with Colin.
How foolish everyone was to think that the obvious was what occurred between them. Anthony and Penelope’s story had grown in the silences between sentences. In the things that went unsaid. In glances and brushing hands together. In both sharing far more in common, far more core beliefs than anyone would have ever thought.
It had been intolerable for Eloise. She accused Penelope of using her just to sleep with her brother, and then when she did – she chose the wrong one. She called Penelope a scheming slut and evicted her from their shared apartment, leaving Penelope no choice but to move back in with her poison tongued shrew of a mother. Eloise didn’t have the slightest bit of remorse over leaving her friend essentially homeless. She had screamed at Penelope that she had been prepared for her and Colin to get together, but Anthony was off limits for reasons she didn’t elaborate on and refused to listen to Penelope explain how happy she was with Anthony.
Anthony often wondered if Eloise was the reason Kate came back into his life and ruined his relationship. He wouldn’t have put it past her.
After that, Penelope distanced herself from every Bridgerton much to Violet’s heartbreak and blocked Anthony out of her life. His calls. His messages. His letters. Everything went unanswered. Bounced back or was returned.
They had been on the way to building a wonderful life together, but Kate and Eloise had destroyed it.
Anthony understood why Penelope withdrew into herself. It was her defence mechanism. Some days he thought he knew her better than she knew herself. He missed her so much it hurt, and though he would never admit it, he had cried bitterly for her after she left. He had refused to wash the pillow she had slept on, it kept some of her scent still. The faint scent of oranges and rain clung to the muslin fabric.
Sighing he looked at his watch and put his game face on. Time to go face the family in another Sunday Brunch farce. It was all a farce and stopped meaning anything after Penelope left. The family had the good sense not to talk about The Day around him, but he was sure there was a phone chat that discussed it in detail. Eloise refused to acknowledge that she once had a friend for over twenty years that she had cut ties with over what Anthony was convinced was either jealousy, or misplaced love.
“Family.” He nodded as he entered the dining room.
“Welcome dearest!” Violet said cheerfully. “I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to come out of the study.”
“I had some things on my mind.” Anthony said tersely. “Shall we get this going?”
“The Lord Commander is in a fine mood today.” Benedict chuckled from his spot near his fiancée Sophie. “Tell me, what has displeased you now?”
Anthony scowled at his brother. How could he tell him that he was jealous that Benedict got to sit there with his arm around the woman he loved and Anthony had to endure the fact that his sassy redhead was across the street pretending he didn’t exist. “Nothing that concerns you.” Anthony replied.
“Everyone who believes that stand on your head.” Benedict said, looking around the room. “So it’s established that we all know you’re full of shit. What is it?”
“Work things.” Anthony said quickly. Usually as soon as he mentioned work, everyone shut up or changed the subject. No one wanted to hear him talk about asset ratios and dividends.
“Work things.” Benedict nodded and rubbed his hands together. “Work things like a certain Kate Sharma?” he winked at him playfully.
“Don’t you ever mention that bitches name in my presence ever again.” Anthony growled, causing Benedict to blink in surprise.
“Yea, yea sure man. No harm meant.” He chuckled nervously holding up his hands. “We’re all family here.”
“Eloise and Phillip will be here shortly.” Violet said quietly. “I would like you to be nice to your sister.”
“I didn’t realize it was being mean telling her exactly what I think of her.” Anthony shot back at his mother. “She ruined my life for no other reason than jealousy. I’ve lost more than anyone yet everyone seems willing to forgive her and play happy family. I’m sick of it.”
“Anthony Bridgerton! You should have known that crossing a line like that would bring long reaching repercussions!” Violet shot back.
“Crossing what line?” Anthony arched an eyebrow.
“Penelope was always for Colin!” Violet replied.
“Did anyone tell her or Colin that? Because I don’t think they would get together if they were the last two people on earth! Neither one of them is attracted to each other that way and they certainly didn’t think of each other that way! And let’s remember that Penelope is a grown ass woman capable of making her own decisions in life. She chose me. We chose each other. But for whatever reason I was the only one who was never able to bring their significant other to Sunday Brunch or Sunday outings because she was spoken for by everyone else!” Anthony burst, feeling his temper begin to rise. “You know what? Forget it. This was a bad idea.”
“Anthony wait – don’t go!” Violet called out. “I’m sorry but you couldn’t see what the rest of us could, that Penelope loved Colin and you stole his chance for true love away. This is your own fault. She was not your true love.”
“Jayzus Mother!” Benedict burst out. “The horse is dead, stop beating it! You and El might have thought that, the rest of us didn’t! Did you ever bother to ask the rest of us what we thought? No! You and Eloise went off on your own tangent and painted Penelope and Colin with a brush that they never asked for! There was no interest in each other romantically! Colin was head over heels in love with Penelope’s cousin Marina!”
“Marina simply got in the way of Colin and Penelope.” Violet said, stubborn.
“And now that she’s out of the picture, is Colin with Penelope?” Hyacinth piped up. “Or have we lost Penelope forever because you and Eloise just wouldn’t let her be happy?”
"Penelope was confused, and she is taking this argument with Eloise way too far, shutting herself off from us." Violet shook her head.
"You mean how Eloise evicted her out of their apartment and left her homeless?" Hyacinth questioned.
“The age gap between them is far too much anyway! What could Anthony have in common with someone the same age as his little sister?” Violet shrugged. “It’s better this way. Colin and Penelope just need a push to be together.”
“Yes, everyone deserves true love but Anthony.” Anthony muttered snidely.
“You have the lovely Kate dear.” Violet smiled. “You make a dashing couple.”
“I despise her.” Anthony hissed towards his mother. “And I’ll thank you to stop mentioning her name to me Mother. It will never happen. Ever. Got it? Stop inserting yourself where you are not wanted.”
Violet blinked. “Everyone deserves a second chance dearest.”
Anthony threw up his hands in frustration. “I can’t be here. I can’t deal with you or Eloise. You denied me my happiness. My love. And somehow, you, Violet Bridgerton are okay with that. I told you once and I’ll tell you again that I will never forgive you, ever, for what you did to me. Or what you all did to Penelope, the most innocent of all.” He shook his head and headed towards the study to get his coat.
“Still taking the sluts side I see.” Came Eloise’s voice from the doorway as she went to kiss her mother.
“You see nothing.” Anthony shot back at her. “Somehow you justified in your head what you did, that it was okay for you to steal the best thing in my life and then move on with your pathetic one.”
“Anthony stop talking about her. Can’t we just leave her behind?” Eloise shrugged as Phillip followed her in the dining room, averting his eyes in discomfort. Anthony had never had a chance to ask the man what he thought of how cold-blooded and vengeful his girlfriend could be, but he was willing to be that he knew who wore the pants in that relationship.
“I will never leave the woman I love behind.” Anthony said firmly. “I will keep trying with her every day, and if I ever get to a point where I have to choose between her and this family, the family loses.”
“Bold words. I look forward to shoving them down your throat.” Eloise sneered. "You'll always choose us. You're a Bridgerton. We choose each other first."
"I don't understand why you were so against Penelope and me being together anyway." Anthony rolled his eyes.
"Because she should never have gotten involved with any of my siblings, least of all you." Eloise snapped. "She chose you over me. She actually thought she loved you!" she laughed. "I showed her. Made her swallow her pride and forced her back where she belongs, in her childhood bedroom."
Anthony arched an eyebrow. “How’s the job hunt going?”
“Difficult, since I’ve been banned from every Bridgerton owned and run company.” Eloise retorted.
“Anthony! You change that immediately and let your sister have a job with the company!” Violet scolded.
“I will not. I am the CEO and I have the right to make those decisions. Be glad you still have your trust fund.” Anthony said coldly. “Because you came damn close to being cut off the day you destroyed my life.”
Eloise looked shaken. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You may test that assumption at your convenience.” Anthony smirked.
Without his redhead, he had become an even colder asshole than he used to be. Penelope had humanized him in ways he hadn’t realized. Now the whole world reaped the fallout of his loss. On the upside, his stocks and company were going beautifully, bringing in dividends and growth at an exponential rate. Magazines reached out to Anthony for interviews on how he kept it all together.
If they only knew that a petite redhead was all that had kept him together. Without her, the world was simply work.