Chapter 779 Birthday Banquet
But just as she was basking in her little victory, it hit her like a ton of bricks—last time at school, Clarence had bragged about teaching Abella how to play Go and even hinted she should be his student.
"If Abella's his student, with their connection, Clarence might invite her to his birthday bash too," Lola thought, feeling a pang of jealousy. Abella was seriously lucky to have Clarence mentoring her.
Without that stroke of luck, Abella probably wouldn't even know what Go is.
Thinking about it, Lola shot a WhatsApp message to Henry.
Lola: [Hey Henry, got an invite to Clarence's birthday party? I heard he usually keeps it low-key, but this time it's a big deal.]
Lola: [I'm really into the violin, and I heard some big names will be there. Maybe I could meet Stringless and get some tips.]
Lola: [You know I'm not the real Medici daughter. If I had some mad skills, I could be worthy of you. Your family might accept me too.]
Lola: [I don't want the Medicis to pull strings for me. I want to use my violin skills to impress Stringless and have him take me on as a student.]
Lola: [Can you help me out, Henry?]
She hit send.
At the last intercollegiate competition, Elsa's violin skills were better than hers. The judges were all over Elsa, praising her talent. Feeling confident, Elsa even called Abella on stage to compete.
In the end, Abella's performance blew everyone away and got rave reviews.
Lola figured if she could meet Stringless this time and get his guidance, she'd outshine both Abella and Elsa, becoming a rising star in the violin world.
By then, not just the Medicis, but everyone would see her in a new light, including Bonnie.
Even without the "Medici family daughter" title, if she became a violin master, she'd easily break into high society.
And Henry? Who knew if he'd even be worthy of being her boyfriend by then!
Feeling a bit smug, she imagined her future.
Clarence's birthday party was at his private manor, which was super grand and beautiful.
The invite said 7 PM, but before then, luxury cars were already rolling up the road to the manor. These cars, worth millions, carried people who were either loaded or had serious clout.
The grand gates were wide open, with the butler and eight servants standing at the entrance to welcome the guests.
Clarence couldn't sit still in the main building, so he came to the entrance to wait for the guests himself.
He kept checking the time. It was almost 7, but his friends hadn't shown up yet, and even Abella hadn't sent him a message. He wondered if she had arrived.
Thinking this, he kept looking out the gate.
The first to arrive were Noe Vaughan and his granddaughter.
Facing the butler and eight servants' welcome, Noe and his granddaughter responded politely.
After all, they were Clarence's servants and couldn't be looked down upon.
After giving the servants a nod, Noe looked up and saw Clarence, all decked out, standing there to greet the guests himself. That was a rare sight.
Noe chuckled as he walked over. "Clarence, after all these years, you finally threw a birthday bash. As your old buddy, I finally get to wish you a happy birthday in person. This is a special day. We gotta have a few good drinks later!"
"Water instead of wine, no more drinking for me. The young ones won't allow it," Clarence replied with a grin.
Noe thought he meant a young relative and laughed. "You're lucky, having young ones to look after you. I have a young one who loves to manage things at home too. Let me introduce her, my granddaughter Betsy Vaughan. Betsy, hurry and greet Mr. Wodehouse."
"Mr. Wodehouse, happy birthday to you," Betsy said, handing over a gift with both hands.
"You even brought a gift? Thank you, thank you," Clarence said, accepting it.
"Betsy's been into Go since she was a kid and has been learning it for over ten years. For all these years, the person she admires most is you. When I told her we were friends, she didn't believe me!" Noe added, "Betsy, see? I wasn't lying. Clarence and I go way back."
Betsy grinned mischievously. "Grandpa, for once, you're not exaggerating."
"You cheeky kid, what are you saying?" Noe laughed. "Clarence, we'll head inside and wait for you."
"Alright."
As soon as Noe left, another guest stepped up to chat with Clarence.
Taking advantage of the moment, Noe whispered, "Betsy, find the right moment later to catch Mr. Wodehouse's attention. Try to get him to take you as a student. He's the type who won't take recommendations, even from old friends. He has to personally approve of his students. Got it?"
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll make you proud," Betsy said confidently. She had won many Go awards since she was a kid and heard that most of the guests at this party were older, with few young people.
She was sure she'd stand out in the crowd!
"Clarence, it's been ages! You look younger every day!" The newcomer was a stunning lady, smiling gracefully as she held Clarence's hand. "Happy birthday to you."
"Blanca, thank you." Clarence noticed she had brought her daughter but not her father. He remembered the invite was addressed to her father, not anyone else.
Blanca Fife seemed to guess what he was thinking and explained with a smile, "My father wanted to come personally, but he hurt his leg recently and has to rest in bed. He didn't want to worry you, so he didn't mention it. He repeatedly told me to bring the child to your birthday party. Oh, and this is the gift he carefully prepared for you. You must accept it."
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful." Clarence accepted the gift with a smile, but he knew exactly what she would say next.
"Oh, and this is my daughter, my father's favorite granddaughter, Colleen. Colleen, greet Mr. Wodehouse."
As expected, these people were here to recommend students to him.
"She's grown so much!" Clarence kept his cool, smiling kindly.
"Mr. Wodehouse, my name is Colleen. Happy birthday to you," Colleen Webb said gracefully.
"Thank you."
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