Chapter 318 An Invitation
Eugene took the outburst in stride and kept sipping his drink.
After a brief silence, as if something had just clicked, he suddenly said, "Hey, did you hear that your rival in love from the Richardson family is getting engaged?"
Charles glanced at him, quickly realizing he was talking about Billy.
Diana had mentioned it before, but he hadn't really paid attention. He didn't think it was actually happening.
So, Billy was throwing in the towel?
With a hint of curiosity, Charles asked, "How'd you find out?"
Eugene fiddled with his phone, pulling up a photo to show him.
"Frank got an invitation. He asked me to go with him. The fiancée is from the Washington family. What's her name again?"
"Chloe."
Charles looked at the invitation on the phone, a bit surprised. His only competitor was getting engaged?
Why did it feel so unreal?
"I heard they're going all out, having the event on a cruise ship. Supposedly, it'll last three days and nights. A lot of people in Evergreen City got invites."
Eugene put away his phone and turned to ask, "You going? You could take Diana, make it a little getaway."
Charles shot him a look and said, "Billy was adamant about being with Diana before. Why would I go?"
Eugene looked up, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I almost forgot, Billy daring to compete with you for a woman is pretty bold."
"But now that he's engaged, he's out of the picture, right? Shouldn't you go show off your victory?"
Charles felt a slight stir at his words, actually considering going.
But Diana was in a bad mood lately and probably wouldn't agree.
Besides, even if Billy was engaged, he still didn't like the idea of them meeting.
"No way. They'd have to be crazy to send me an invitation."
The next day, at the Percy Group.
"Mr. Percy, this is an invitation from the Richardson Group."
Nolan placed a red-covered invitation on the desk among the many documents.
Charles, still nursing a hangover, paused his temple-rubbing and looked at the invitation, identical to the one Eugene had shown.
'The Richardson family really must be crazy,' he thought.
"From the Richardson Group?"
"Yes, to be precise, it was sent by Vance. He said he hopes..."
Nolan nodded slightly, repeating what Vance's messenger had said, but hesitated at the end.
"Just say it. When did you become so hesitant?" Charles frowned, urging him on.
Nolan closed his eyes briefly and finished, "He said he hopes you and your wife will come to give his son your blessings."
Everyone knew Charles was divorced, so who was this "wife"?
Clearly, Vance sent this to make sure Billy and Diana were completely separated, signaling to Charles that no one was competing with him anymore and Diana was still his.
Nolan finished, feeling a bit anxious, silently repeating to himself, 'You told me to say it, don't blame me later.'
Surprisingly, Charles didn't say much, seemingly pleased by the term "wife."
He completely forgot what he had told Eugene the day before and took the invitation, flipping through it briefly.
After a moment, he asked, "Nolan, do you think I should go?"
Nolan was taken aback. Since when did he get to decide?
His mind raced as he looked at Charles, carefully choosing his words. "Technically, the Richardson family and our Percy Group aren't close, so there's no need to go."
Seeing Charles' deep gaze, Nolan quickly changed his tune. "But, I hear the cruise has beautiful scenery, far from the city's noise. If you go, it could be a nice break for Ms. Spencer."
"Since you put it that way, let them know I'll be there," Charles said, putting down the invitation.
Nolan nodded and left, secretly sweating.
What was with Charles? He clearly wanted to go but waited for Nolan to give him a reason. Since when did his words carry so much weight?
At the Percy Mansion, Diana had locked herself in her room, discussing plans with Dean.
Her phone buzzed suddenly. She glanced at it and saw Charles' name.
Since exchanging contact information, they rarely communicated. This was the first time Charles had messaged her like this.
Diana read the message and couldn't help but sigh. Dean heard her and asked, "What's up?"
"We might have an opportunity."
Diana looked at the message again. It was simple: [Want to go with me?] and a picture of the invitation.
Dean, puzzled, asked, "What opportunity? I think I have a better chance of breaking you out with a tank."
Diana rolled her eyes and interrupted his joke. "Seriously, I have a chance to go on a cruise. Do you think we could use it to escape?"
Dean got serious, considering the possibility.
After a moment, he replied, "The open sea is a good place to escape. I'll contact some professionals. You can swim, right?"
"Yeah." Diana nodded, following his train of thought.
Finally, she quickly typed a response.
She started with "Okay," but then thought it might make Charles overthink.
After a moment's hesitation, she deleted it and sent a "?" instead.
Diana: [Why are you taking me to Billy's engagement party?]
Charles, holding a document, had been distracted by his phone.
After waiting several minutes, he finally saw Diana's reply and called her.
Diana's eyes widened. She quickly ended her call with Dean, took a deep breath, and answered, trying to sound calm.
"The Richardson family sent an invitation. They want our blessings," Charles said, his voice low, with a hint of something unspoken.
"Are we close with them? Do you want to give them blessings?" Diana's voice rose in disbelief.
Her use of "we" to include herself and Charles pleased him.
"Yes, he was once your friend. Now that we're together, it's only right to give our blessings," Charles said, clearing his throat and continuing his nonsense.
Unexpectedly, Diana was silent for a moment before replying, "No, I'm not in the mood."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
