Chapter 465 Guest
Once Eva emerged from the kitchen, she draped her arms around Amelia’s shoulders. Upon seeing how Eva clung to the latter, Rory beamed. “Amelia, who is this? The two of you look very close. Is she a relative of yours?”
Eva glared at Rory as she knitted her brows together. “I’m her cousin,” she retorted indignantly. “Who are you? Also, do you mind sitting a little further away from James? A woman should have the appropriate manners and bearing. Did you think you could pass off as someone from the upper class just because you tried? Just take a look at your tanned skin. It’s clear that you’re a country bumpkin.”
Immediately, a look of anger flitted across Rory’s gaze. She didn’t expect Eva to respond so impolitely. She lacks even the most basic mannerisms. How despicable!
“Eva, apologize to Rory,” Amelia uttered in a low voice.
Taken aback by Amelia’s words, Eva stared at her. “Amelia, what are you saying?”
Amelia heaved out a heavy sigh and softened her tone. “Eva, Rory is a friend I invited here. Since both of you are millennials, I assumed that the two of you would share many similar topics. It was rude of you to treat her with such disrespect. If you keep this up, I’ll get mad. Oscar will be here soon; you should get your act together.”
Unexpectedly, Eva did not blow her top. Instead, she cheekily bowed at Amelia. “I’m sorry. Please don’t hold it against me, or Amelia will berate me again,” Eva nonchalantly said as she turned to Rory.
The latter merely smiled and said nothing more.
When Eva trotted over, Rory instinctively moved away. She strongly disapproved of Eva’s appearance and behavior. Deep down, Eva’s bold mannerisms and rough demeanor reminded her of an uncivilized woman.
At the same time, Eva disliked Rory and the latter’s tendency to act more mature than her age. It seemed like their dislike for each other could have stemmed from their intuition or their difference in age. When Eva saw James sneaking glances at Rory, she couldn’t help but seethe in rage. Is James blind? How could he fall for such a pretentious woman like Rory?
Eva deliberately sat beside James. “James, look at me. Though you may not fancy me right now, you cannot take an interest in other ostentatious women like the one seated next to me. I am willing to wait for your love. There’s a saying in Chanaea that goes, marrying a woman is like a question that needs to be solved. If you marry well, prosperity and peace will bless your future. If you don’t, you will spend the rest of your life in bitterness. Hence, you should only either consider me as your wife. If not me, you should set your sights on other virtuous and wise women.”
Awkwardly, James averted his gaze before glancing dismissively at Eva. “Eva, I have not taken an interest in other women. Could you please sit a little further away from me?”
Following his words, Eva discretely moved away. With a loud voice, she declared, “James, since you’re playing hard to get, I’ll try my best to win you over. It’s the twenty-first century; men shouldn’t be the only ones doing all the work. If you sit idly and wait for someone you fancy to chase after you, you’ve practically lost the game of love! Right now, one must act swiftly and decisively when it comes to love. Now that I have my sights set on you, I will crush any pesky busybodies that try to get between us.”
James felt like she’d just slapped a target on his back.
Eva’s brazen declaration prompted Tiffany to laugh so hard that she collapsed into Derrick’s arms. “Eva, your boldness might scare him off. Not everyone can put up with your demanding nature.” Tiffany chuckled as she gave Eva a thumbs up.
Initially, Tiffany didn’t have a good impression of Eva too. Even so, recently, they started regularly conversing on WhatsApp. Through their exchanges, Tiffany’s opinion of Eva took a turn for the better. Although she can be loud and straightforward, she holds no ill intention.
Eva returned Tiffany’s thumbs up with one of her own.
Amidst their laughter, Rory couldn’t help but feel out of place. She had never been particularly close friends with Tiffany. Furthermore, Rory once had feelings for Derrick, who never reciprocated them because he only had eyes for Tiffany. Upon seeing them joke with each other, her inferiority complex began to resurface. It felt like they were scorning her lack of wealth and lowly upbringing.
Promptly, the sound of the doorbell relieved Rory of this awkward situation. Amelia quickly moved to open the door herself. When she saw the man standing at the entrance, she asked hesitantly, “Are you, Julian?”
Julian smiled warmly. “Amelia, it’s been a long time since we last met. I’m surprised that you still remember my name.”
“Please come in. We can continue our conversation inside,” Amelia offered as she moved aside to let him in.
Julian accepted her invitation graciously. With gifts in hand, he made his way into the living room. Upon noticing the large crowd, Julian chuckled. “Amelia, it looks like you have a lot of guests today. If I had known this earlier, I would have brought more fruits.”
Amelia took the fruits from Julian’s outstretched hand and called Anthony over to greet him.
“Hello, Mr. Julian. My name is Anthony. But since you are so handsome, I’ll let you call me by my nickname, Tony,” Anthony greeted as he looked up to meet Julian’s friendly gaze.
A look of delight flitted across Julian’s face when he noticed that the little boy looked like a mini replica of Oscar. He retrieved the limited edition Ultraman he’d bought and handed it to the boy. “Tony, I bought this Ultraman for you as a special gift. Do you like it? Even if you don’t, I can purchase other toys for you.”
When Anthony received the gift, he lit up with joy. “Tony, what should you say to Mr. Julian?” Amelia asked.
“Thank you, Mr. Julian. I love it!” Anthony beamed at Julian as he hugged his new toy.
While patting Anthony’s head, Julian asked, “Tony, can I carry you?”
Anthony opened his arms in response to Julian’s question. As Julian scooped him up, Anthony wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and pecked him on the cheek. “Mr. Julian, this is my thank you gift!”
Although Julian was taken aback, he quickly broke out in laughter. This little rascal knows his way into my heart. Not only is he bright, but he’s also a sweet-talker. I’m sure people find his charm irresistible.
“Tony, you’re such an adorable child. I like you a lot,” Julian praised him.
Upon hearing that, the bright smile on Anthony’s face got wider.
After that, Amelia introduced Julian to the people he hadn’t met before. “Julian, since I’m sure you’ve met Derrick, I’ll skip over his introduction.”
Julian nodded his head at Derrick. “Mr. Hisson is a man of many talents. It’d be hard for anyone to forget about him once they’ve met him.”
“I can say the same for you, Mr. Hayes. It is an honor to meet you here,” Derrick replied graciously.
Their polite exchange caused Tiffany to wave her hand. “Stop flattering each other. We are at Amelia and Oscar’s shared apartment, not a business meeting. There’s no need to be so formal.”
Though Tiffany had interrupted their conversation, Derrick didn’t look the slightest bit annoyed. Instead, he caressed her cheek lovingly.
On the other hand, Julian shifted his attention to Tiffany. “Though we have not met in eight years, you remain as straightforward as always. I am in awe of your boldness, Tiffany,” Julian remarked with a light-hearted chuckle.
Similarly, Tiffany returned Julian’s smile with one of her own. “Mr. Hayes, thank you for your praise. It’s an honor that you could still remember a nobody like me.”
Julian burst out laughing when he heard Tiffany’s teasing reply. “Tiffany, you truly haven’t changed. In fact, I dare say that you’ve become even more humorous. I heard from Oscar that you got together with Mr. Hisson. I must admit, I thought that the both of you weren’t compatible with each other. Yet, seeing the understanding that you have for each other has changed my mind. The two of you are practically a match made in heaven.”
Tiffany shot him a thumbs up. “Mr. Hayes, I love how refreshing you are. Although many people have said similar flatteries to me, they then turn around and gossip behind my back, claiming that I’m too ugly to be with Derrick.”
“Too ugly?”
Tiffany merely grinned. “Well, it can’t be helped that Derrick is too stunning. His beauty makes me look like an ugly witch when I’m standing next to him.”
“Tiffany, you never fail to pique my interest.” Julian chuckled.
Tiffany shrugged in response.
“Amelia, I caught wind of your return a while ago. However, I was overseas at that time. When I arrived home yesterday, I raced out to purchase these gifts this morning before coming here.” Julian shifted the conversation back to Amelia.
“I’m glad that you could spare the time to visit us.” Amelia smiled gently. “Oscar will be home soon. Why don’t you join us for a meal? It’s such a rare occasion that everyone is present. We should seize this chance to enjoy each other’s company.”
“Of course, it’d be wrong of me to decline your generous offer,” Julian agreed without a second thought.
“I’ll get Molly to buy more dishes.” With that, Amelia excused herself to the balcony to call Molly. Inside, her guests continued to chat amiably with each other.
