Chapter 821: An Unexpected Encounter
Alright, so after making the wish, blowing out the candles, and slicing up the cake, it was finally chow time.
Carol felt like she was finally rescued.
Stella was working overtime trying to set up Charles and Hannah, always fishing for stuff to get them chatting.
But man, the stuff she came up with was so awkward, it made both Carol and Maximilian squirm.
Stella goes, "Hannah, let me tell you. Charles is a total boss. I’ve never seen a sixteen-year-old run a company without any help from his folks."
Hannah, "Yeah, I know, you’ve told me like a million times."
"Really?" Stella blinked, thinking hard. Yeah, she probably had mentioned it before.
She’d basically spilled all the tea about Charles trying to hook them up, but Hannah still wasn’t biting.
Stella asked, "Have you been getting any crap at the company? Has Charles had your back?"
Watching Stella struggle to find stuff to talk about, Maximilian couldn’t take it anymore and called out to Charles, "Hey Charles, I heard your company’s new mobile game is blowing up."
Charles replied, "Yeah, it’s doing pretty well! We’ve got some feedback from players, and we’re still tweaking it to make it better."
This got Hannah all interested.
Hannah said excitedly, "Is it Galactic Fury? I’m playing that too! I signed up as soon as it dropped, and it’s a blast! I don’t think there’s anything major wrong with it; people are just being picky. With so many folks playing Galactic Fury, it’s never gonna be perfect for everyone."
Charles grinned and started chatting with her.
Their convo was way more chill than Stella’s awkward topics.
Stella sat there, smiling like a proud matchmaker.
She knew it! They were perfect for each other.
Carol and Maximilian exchanged a look.
Maximilian’s eyes flicked between Charles and Hannah, giving Carol a knowing look with a sly smile.
Carol got the hint, covering her mouth and nodding back.
From the looks of it, Charles was definitely into Hannah.
It was clear Charles had a thing for Hannah.
Looked like Patricia wouldn’t have to worry about Charles anymore.
The meal wrapped up on a high note.
Stella had the chef bring out a whole spread of desserts and fruits, hoping they’d get even closer.
Even though Hannah loved food, she looked at the table full of fruits and patted her stomach.
Hannah said, "Stella, I’m stuffed."
Stella said, "If you can’t eat, Charles can! He’s got a big appetite and eats a ton."
If Stella kept talking like this, Charles would never find a wife.
Hannah said, "Don’t listen to Stella. Charles eats like a normal person. You saw he didn’t eat much earlier, probably not even full..."
Charles quietly put down his fork, deciding he was done eating.
Hannah stifled a laugh and forked a few grapes for Charles.
Hannah was embarrassed, "Charles, it’s cool; take your time..."
She’d noticed earlier that out of all the fruits, Charles had only eaten five grapes and one cherry, so she figured he liked grapes.
Charles raised an eyebrow, surprised that Hannah noticed his thing for grapes.
Hannah picked up a cherry, planning to eat a couple to be polite, when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled out her phone and saw the caller ID.
It was Austin.
She excused herself from the table and headed out to the garden to take the call.
Hannah said, "Austin, you..."
Austin cut her off, "Where are you right now?"
Hannah instinctively glanced back at the house and said, "I'm at school..."
Not great at lying, she felt guilty for constantly deceiving Austin about her internship.
"I just left your school." Austin's blunt statement totally busted her lie.
Hannah panicked, "I..."
When did Austin get back?
Wasn't he supposed to be in South Korea for some research thing?
Austin said sternly, "Hannah, don't lie to me. You've always been good; don't let me down."
"I'm at Stella's place! It's her mom's birthday today, and she invited me to the party!"
Austin commanded, "I'll come pick you up right now. Get ready."
Hannah obediently agreed, "Okay!"
Austin added, "Don't tell them I'm coming!"
Since Hannah started at D University and roomed with Stella, everything had gone haywire.
The once obedient Hannah had started to rebel.
He suggested changing dorms; she refused.
He told her not to be friends with Stella; they became besties.
He told her not to intern; she joined Charles's company.
Everything was slipping out of his control.
If he had known Stella would get into D University, he would never have let Hannah go there, let alone share the same major and dorm.
Hannah asked, "Why?"
Austin replied, "No reason! You know I always have your best interests at heart. Just do as I say."
"Alright!" Hannah ultimately chose to comply.
She knew Austin meant well and had always arranged everything perfectly for her, never doing anything to harm her.
Since he said not to tell, she would obey.
Austin coaxed gently, "Good girl! I'm nearby, I'll be there soon. Wait for my message!"
Hannah replied, "Okay!"
After ending the call, Hannah put her phone back in her pocket and walked back inside with her head down.
"Stella, I have an urgent matter and need to leave!"
Stella, surprised by her sudden departure, stood up anxiously.
Stella asked, "Why are you leaving so suddenly?"
Hannah explained, "It's urgent!"
Carol, seeing the time, said, "If it's urgent, you should go. I'll have the driver take you back."
Charles offered, "I'll take her!"
Hannah shook her head and declined, "No need, I'll go by myself. You all continue chatting. Bye!"
With that, she grabbed her bag and left.
Stella, watching Charles still sitting, laughed angrily and pulled him up from his chair.
Stella urged, "Go take her home. It's nighttime; what if something happens?"
Charles agreed that Stella was right. It was nighttime, and if something happened to Hannah, it would be bad.
Charles agreed, "Alright, I'll take her! I'll be off then."
Stella waved her hand, urging, "Hurry up!"
Charles glared at her, grabbed his car keys from the table, and chased after her.
After leaving the Reed family, Hannah stood by the roadside waiting for Austin.
Soon, two cars arrived simultaneously.
One was a black Maybach from the Reed family, and the other was a Bentley from the opposite side of the road.
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