Chapter 780 Ms. Medici is Here
As soon as Clarence wrapped up his spiel, a few more folks stepped up.
"Mr. Wodehouse, it's been ages! Remember me? I'm Bradley. Back in the day at that Go tournament, my dad snagged third place. We met backstage, and I told you I wanted to be a Go champ like you. You even gave me props." The guy talking was Bradley Olson, a slick businessman with eyes that screamed "I mean business," even when he was grinning.
He had his daughter with him, but before he could get to the point, another guest butted in.
"Clarence, it's been forever. You still look as lively as ever. If my husband were still around, he'd be thrilled to see you looking so good." The speaker was an elegantly dressed older lady named Dawn Ramirez. She got all choked up, her eyes tearing up as she grabbed Clarence's hand. "We haven't seen each other in, what, seven or eight years? Last year, my husband was really sick. Before he passed, he kept saying he wanted one more game of Go with you. Said you were the best and most respectable opponent he ever had."
Bradley saw her tears and thought, 'This old lady's really stealing my thunder here.'
Thinking that, he reached out to shake Clarence's hand, but Dawn beat him to it.
"Clarence, let me introduce you to someone. This is Faye. When my husband was alive, he taught her all his Go tricks and told her to play a game with you someday to fulfill his last wish. We can chat about it later when you have time." Dawn knew how to play the game. She gave Faye Ramirez a kind look.
Faye jumped in, "Mr. Wodehouse, today’s your 60th birthday. I'm so stoked to finally meet you. My grandpa always talked about you. Just like he said, you’re amazing. This is my grandpa's most prized possession. Lots of folks offered big bucks for it, but he wanted you to have it. Only you deserve it."
Faye handed over the gift box with both hands.
"Such a precious gift, how can I accept it?" Clarence tried to decline.
He had invited her grandpa to the party because he really respected him as a Go player. Clarence had a good impression of him and didn’t know he had passed away last year.
These past years, Clarence had been living a quiet life in the mountains with a few buddies, not caring much about the outside world. His only focus was on making Abella successful and having her carry on his legacy.
He didn’t even know Faye’s grandpa had passed away.
"Mr. Wodehouse, you have to accept it. No one else in the world deserves it more than you. This was my grandpa’s last wish. Please accept it," Faye insisted.
"Alright, I’ll accept it with gratitude," Clarence said, taking the gift and extending his hand. "Please, come inside."
Dawn shot a triumphant look at Bradley and led Faye inside.
Bradley, who was used to being the big shot in the business world, couldn’t swallow his pride. He quickly said, "Mr. Wodehouse, I haven’t introduced my daughter yet. This is Enid."
"Hey there," Clarence nodded, spotting more guests rolling in. He extended his hand and said, "Come on in, folks."
Seeing the crowd around Clarence, Bradley had no choice but to take Enid inside first. "Enid, you gotta make me proud later. Outshine that Faye! Did you snap pics of those awards before we left?"
Enid nodded. "Got 'em all."
"Good. You need to find a way to make Mr. Wodehouse happy. If you can become his student, this trip won't be a waste!"
They already had money; what they needed was clout.
If Enid could get famous, she'd have no trouble finding a better match.
"But Dad, I wanna be Stringless' student. I love the violin."
"That's cool. You can learn from Mr. Wodehouse and still study violin with Mr. Stringless. It won't clash." Bradley patted her back. "I'm counting on you to steal the spotlight."
"Don't worry, Dad. I'll make you proud," Enid said confidently, sure of her looks and talents.
Clarence's feet were killing him, and his smile was starting to fade. He watched as wave after wave of guests went inside, but Abella still hadn't shown up.
He was getting anxious!
'Could my friends have deliberately stopped Abella from coming, planning to collectively stand me up? Would they dare?' Thinking this, he pulled out his phone and sent a voice message to the group. "I'm telling you, if you dare stop Abella from coming to my birthday party today, I'll come after each of you tomorrow."
Rodolfo: [Oh my, listen to that sour tone. It's the birthday boy himself. What, Abella doesn't show up, so you're blaming us?]
Kenneth: [Clarence, aren't you jumping the gun? It's only 7:15. It's still early! Abella probably just finished dinner and is on her way.]
Clifford: [If Abella makes it at the last minute, you'll be lucky. Abella is super busy! You need to chill and respect that, got it?]
Ian Hudson: [Why the rush? I haven't even left yet. Can Abella be faster than me?]
Clarence checked the time; it was indeed only 7:15. But why did it feel like an eternity had passed?
"You guys entertain the guests. I'm going inside to rest for a bit," Clarence said, his mouth dry from all the chit-chat.
The butler respectfully said, "Mr. Wodehouse, Ms. Medici has arrived."
"Where? I don't see her," Clarence said, craning his neck to look around. "Where is she?"
There were indeed some luxury cars pulling up outside, but none of them were Abella's. He looked around but didn't see the familiar figure.
"I wasn't finished. I meant, when Ms. Medici arrives, I'll let you know. You should go inside and rest for now, have some tea."
Clarence resisted the urge to smack him. "Can you finish your sentences next time?"
He thought Abella had really arrived.
What a false alarm!
Seeing seven or eight guests getting out of their cars and hurrying towards him, Clarence quickly said, "I'm going inside."
"Mr. Wodehouse!" At that moment, a voice called out.
Clarence looked up to see a girl walking towards him, arm in arm with Henry, wearing a graceful and elegant smile.
He knew Henry was invited, but who was this girl? Why did she look familiar? And why was she holding Henry's arm?
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