Chapter 70 Rex Sets the Stage
Charles didn't rush off after seeing Daphne order a meal and head upstairs. He consciously made his way to her kitchen. For someone who didn't cook, her kitchen was as pristine as new, with only a few basic spices and nothing else. He found the coffee maker and dug out some coffee beans. Half an hour later, the meal Daphne ordered was delivered, and Charles's self-made breakfast was ready as well: coffee, sandwiches, and fried eggs. Daphne's expression tightened imperceptibly when she saw the spread while eating her porridge. She only cared about one thing: “Did you clean up the kitchen?”
“No,” Charles lied.
Daphne's enjoyment of her porridge instantly faded, her irritation flaring up: “Charles!”
Unaffected, Charles continued eating his breakfast, his gaze meandering towards Daphne, igniting a pensive reflection. Having led an independent existence for an extended duration, he wondered: she had been living on her own for so long, how did she solve her meals? There was hardly anything edible in the house—if not for piecing together what was available, he wouldn't have managed to prepare even a simple breakfast.
"Do you eat takeout every day?"
"Is that any of your business?"
"I'm just concerned about your living situation on behalf of Grandpa."
Daphne didn't answer. She didn't believe his excuse. She quickly finished her breakfast and reminded him,“Remember to clean up the kitchen later. Return everything to how it was before.”
"Do me a favor," Charles said after he finished eating.
Daphne looked at him skeptically, not quite believing Charles would make such a request.
Charles cleaned up conscientiously before starting to talk with Daphne,“Give me a list of the domestic gastric cancer diagnoses.”
Daphne was perplexed, yearning to delve deep into the recesses of Charles's mind, searching for the source of his unwavering poise and audacity in making such a plea. Did her countenance convey the impression of someone disposed to offer him assistance?
"Why don't you just ask for Kayla's outpatient records?" she retorted, seeing right through his actual motive.
Charles didn't hide it:"Yes."
"I'm not interested."
"It's Grandpa who wants it," Charles insisted.
Daphne stared at him, not understanding what he was up to.
"Grandpa doesn't believe Kayla ever had gastric cancer. He wants me to show him all of Kayla's domestic outpatient records and her treatment records abroad," Charles said earnestly. "You would be faster at finding them."
"Why don't you ask Kayla directly?" Daphne shot back.
Charles walked over to her, his gaze lowered:"Or is it that you can't find them?"
"Right, I can't find them," Daphne admitted openly, her eyes sincere. "My computer rejects Kayla. Anything about her gets automatically deleted like a virus."
Charles was speechless.
Daphne grabbed the car keys beside her and tossed them to him:"There's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out."
Charles caught the keys.
He just assumed she was still angry about yesterday's incident.
"Yesterday's mess wasn't Kayla's fault. Don't be mad."
"If it wasn't Rex who brought me back yesterday but Evan," Daphne suddenly wanted to know the answer, "would you believe what she said or not?"
At her words, Charles's expression shifted.
Daphne understood instantly:"You would have believed her, wouldn't you?"
"Why would you be with Evan?" A wave of fury coursed through Charles upon the utterance of that name, evoking an intangible web of trust that bound Daphne and Evan together, leaving him utterly bereft of control over his tumultuous emotions.
Daphne explained a possible reason:"Friends meet up and have meals together."
Charles gripped the car keys tighter but ultimately said nothing and left. He didn't know how to answer the question. If Kayla had said it was Daphne with Evan, he would have been furious. He knew Daphne wouldn't do anything inappropriate with Evan, but just the thought of their trust and obedience to each other was enough to unsettle him.
Seeing him avoid the question, Daphne felt no emotion. She went back upstairs to busy herself with her own affairs.
That afternoon, after Daphne had finished reviewing all the projects dummy dad had given her and was planning to rest, she received a call from Rex.
"Daphne, want to come out and play?" Rex's casual voice came through. "I've set up a little gathering with a few familiar friends."
Daphne declined:"No thanks, I've got some things to handle here."
"Evan will be there too," Rex said with a meaningful tone.
Daphne was silent.
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Rex continued,“Get ready, I'll come to pick you up soon. That's it, hanging up now.”
He cut off the call before Daphne could respond.
The people at the villa watched him, amused:"Aren't you afraid your brother will kill you for this?"
"He wouldn't dare," Rex, always eager to stir trouble, grabbed his car keys, bid them farewell, and left the villa. This gathering was specially organized for his brother, to give him a sense of urgency. Without a little push from Evan, the two would divorce, and Rex didn't want to be hassled every day by his brother to help him win her back.
On his drive to Daphne's place, he made calls to both his brother and Evan. He knew Evan but wasn't very close. However, that didn't prevent him from inviting Evan out using Daphne as bait.
At 7:30 pm, Rex brought Daphne to the villa.
Before Daphne could ask, Rex explained,"It's too flashy for our group to go to bars or nightclubs, so I organized the gathering here at the villa. It's empty most of the time anyway."
"Hmm," Daphne responded indifferently, not adding more.
She had been to many such gatherings in Gedser, usually dragged along by Kevin and the others. Most of the time, she'd just sit in a corner and sleep, occasionally forced to play some games.
When she arrived, only Austin and Samuel were there.
Seeing them, she suddenly guessed:"Charles is coming too?"
"Of course."
"..."
"He'll be a while still, and Evan is on his way," Rex informed her,"There's food and drinks here. If you're hungry or thirsty, help yourself. We'll start the games when everyone arrives."
"I'm not playing. I'll just watch," Daphne refused immediately.
After a while, Evan arrived in his usual iron-gray suit, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. After a brief greeting to the others, he sat down next to Daphne with a smile and started a casual conversation.
Watching this scene, Rex smiled meaningfully.
Austin took out his phone and sent a WhatsApp message to Charles:"If you don't show up soon, your soon-to-be ex-wife might just end up being paired off with Evan by your brother."
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