Chapter 57 Encounter
Charles had just walked in and saw the scene; this guy was already getting on his nerves. And Diana, who he brought along, had the nerve to say she didn't have a dance partner. That really ticked him off. He stepped forward, grabbed Diana's wrist, and pulled her close. "Sorry, but she's with me."
Everyone knew Charles in this crowd, and the guy didn't expect the woman he was hitting on to be Charles's date. He quickly apologized, "Sorry, Mr. Percy, I didn't know she was with you. My bad." Then he took off, losing all his previous swagger.
Charles dragged Diana to a quieter spot, his tone sharp. "Were you trying to flirt with someone else while I wasn't around? Diana, you're still as infuriating as ever!"
Diana was pissed too and yanked her hand away. "Didn't you see? He came to me!"
Charles shot back, "And when he asked if you had a dance partner, what did you say?" His irritation grew as she argued.
Diana remembered what she had said and tried to explain, "I didn't know there'd be dancing today. When he asked, I just didn't think fast enough." She sounded sincere, like she wasn't lying.
Charles's expression softened a bit, and he warned in a low voice, "It better be like that. If you flirt with another guy in front of me again, you'll regret it." With that, he walked off, heading back to his spot.
Diana was fuming but had to keep it in. She lifted her skirt and followed him.
Charles noticed Diana trailing behind and smirked slightly. Diana had no idea what Charles had planned for her. She kept quiet, sipping her wine and scanning the room for an escape route.
Unlike others, Charles didn't need to mingle; people came to him. Just sitting there, he was the center of attention. Both women and men couldn't ignore him, almost like he owned the place.
Charles didn't care about the stares; none of these people mattered to him. The one he really wanted to meet today was Billy Richardson, the fourth-generation heir of the Richardson Group.
Billy had just come back to the country and was making his first public appearance today. Word was, he'd been managing the Richardson Group's assets from afar.
Balancing his studies and running the family business while keeping his team in line was no small feat.
Charles's eyes darkened as he glanced at Diana, who hadn't said a word. He felt a bit impatient. 'Isn't she usually chatty? Why so quiet today?'
"Diana!" Charles called out loudly.
Diana, startled, put down herwine. "What?"
"Talk. I didn't bring you here to just stand around," Charles said.
Diana prided herself on being calm, but Charles always knew how to push her buttons. Still, she couldn't lose her cool now, so she swallowed her anger and put on a humble act. "I'm not very bright. What do you need me to do, Mr. Percy? Serve tea? Give you a shoulder rub?"
Her obedient response left Charles momentarily speechless. He didn't really know what he wanted her to do either, but seeing her just standing there annoyed him. So, he was just trying to give her a hard time.
Seeing Charles at a loss for words, Diana stood up, her gaze steady. "Looks like I'm just annoying you, Mr. Percy. I'll get out of your sight to give you some peace." With that, she lifted her skirt and gracefully walked away.
Charles was about to call her back, but someone came over to greet him, cutting him off. Diana asked a servant where the quieter spots were. Following the directions, she made her way to the estate's small garden.
It was late autumn, so the garden was a bit barren, with not many flowers around. But Diana wasn't there for the scenery. She looked around and headed deeper into the garden, finally reaching the wall.
Charles had met so many people just now; she had no idea who he planned to pawn her off to. If he decided to hand her over to everyone, that creep could definitely do it. Instead of waiting around, she figured it was better to make a run for it. As for what to do after escaping, she didn't think too much. Her life was more important than anything.
Seeing the wall wasn't too high, Diana kicked off her high heels, ready to give it a shot. She considered taking off her dress, but the zipper was too tricky, so she gave up. Luckily, she was light and could step onto a nearby tree.
Even though the dress was a hassle, she'd trained with a 20-pound weight before, so a dress was nothing. But when she finally climbed the wall, she saw that the old estate's wall was embedded with sharp glass shards to prevent theft.
The sharp pieces stood upright, leaving her with no way to proceed. But she had no other choice. Carefully, she tried to grab the slightly less sharp shards and prepared to climb up.
Just then, a man's voice came from below, "Who's there?"
Startled, Diana slipped and fell from the wall. But instead of hitting the ground, she landed in a warm embrace. She heard a rapid heartbeat, unsure if it was hers or the man's.
When she was helped to her feet, she saw the man's face clearly. He had short hair, deep eyes without any aggression, a high nose, and pink lips. He looked just over 20 years old. Diana thought he looked familiar but couldn't place him. But when the man saw her face, his eyes widened in disbelief. He asked, "Diana?"
Diana nodded, realizing this was someone the original Diana knew. "Do you know me?"
The man looked a bit disappointed at her question. "You don't remember me? Well, we didn't interact much." His voice grew quieter, and Diana couldn't catch what he was saying.
But then he seemed to remember something and perked up, introducing himself, "I'm Billy Richardson. We went to the same school. Do you remember? I went abroad later."
Hearing Billy say this, Diana remembered there was a Billy in the class next door in high school.
He was said to be very handsome, but the original Diana was busy with studies and family matters and didn't pay attention to him. "I remember. You were in the class next door."
Billy was happy to see Diana nod, glad she remembered him. He had seen a white figure moving around the garden from the second floor. Thinking it was a guest who got lost, he came down to guide them. But he saw Diana climbing the wall, and now she had fallen.
Billy then asked, "What are you doing here? Are you here for the party?"
Diana felt a bit embarrassed, scratching her face awkwardly. "Would you believe me if I said I climbed up to see the view?"
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