Chapter 214
By now, the movie had reached the part where the protagonist’s mother passed away. The large cinema fell silent, with faint sobs audible here and there Audrey leaned against Yann’s chest, crying bitterly. Yann took her hand in his, offering silent comfort.
Audrey had never experienced maternal love since childhood. From the moment she could remember, Lucia had constantly complained and grumbled.
at making money nor romantic.
She would always gripe that George was neither
After her complaints, Lucia would order Audrey to ask George for money, telling her to cry more so that George would feel sorry for her and find a way to grab more money.
Lucia often said to Audrey, “Why can’t you understand me? I also want to live a good life, but you keep dragging me down. How can I pursue my own happiness?”
After George’s wage–issue case was won, Lucia approached Audrey, claiming that part of the money was marital property and another part was Audrey’s living expenses, insisting that she not divide it among the migrant workers.
The mother in Audrey’s memories was annoying, and she had finally managed to fade Lucia out of her life. Today, however, the movie had unexpectedly made her think of her mother again. Disappointment made her feel torn.
After the movie ended, Audrey walked out in silence. Yann put his arm around her shoulders to shield her from the excited children rushing around. Holding hands, they left the cinema, and Audrey raised her head to take a deep breath.
“I’m hungry,” she said.
“What do you want to eat?” Yann asked.
Audrey replied, “I want to eat tacos.”
“Let’s go,” Yann said.
Ryder drove the car over and opened the door for them.
Only after getting in the car did Yann take out his phone. He had put it on silent for a better movie–watching experience. Half an hour ago, Talia had called him, but he hadn’t answered.
Because of this unanswered call, the guests had begun to question whether Talia had tricked them into coming to the party.
Some guests who were already not very interested in Talia had asked to take back their gifts and leave. Half an hour later, two–thirds of the guests had
left.
Talia clenched her champagne glass in anger, but she couldn’t afford to lose her composure and curse at people. Jocelyn put a coat over her shoulders. The villa had strong air conditioning, and with many guests gone, it was indeed cold now.
“Find what happened,” Talia said, handing the champagne glass to Jocelyn and putting on her coat. She walked to the door, trying to a guests to stay.
remaining
Jocelyn turned to make a phone call and saw Serená take a pastry from the dining table and turn to eat it secretly. She gestured to the butler, who immediately went over and dragged Serena forcefully to the kitchen.
Soon, Jocelyn got the news that Yann had no other plans after leaving Earl’s place. It was easier to inquire at Stride Commerce–Audrey had canceled her dinner with Baldwin Biotechnology, seemingly intending to attend the housewarming party.
As for why they hadn’t shown up, she couldn’t find out.
“I beg your pardon, Ms. Price,” a guest said with a polite smile, motioning for Talia to have a private talk.
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Chapter 214
Talia took a couple of steps with him. “Yes, please.”
“Do you know who Mr. Winifred’s wife is?” he asked, staring into Talia’s eyes, trying to capture important information from her subtle expressions
The occasions Yann attended were basically formal, either business announcements or political collaborations. If Talia wasn’t very close to Yanh, he wouldn’t have attended a woman’s housewarming party. So this guest suspected that Talia was Yann’s wife.
Talia naturally understood his implication. She gathered her coat and said vaguely, “There was supposed to be a surprise for everyone tonight, but unfortunately, Mr. Winifred had some unexpected issues.”
That guest’s eyes lit up. Without Yann’s personal admission, no one would believe Talia if she claimed to be his wife.
With his hint, the few remaining guests decided to w
a little longer. In case Yann really came and saw their sincerity, he might even give them a helping
hand.
Audrey had a cream cake as a late–night snack because Steven had told her not to eat spicy food while taking medicine.
By the time they finished their snack and returned to Royal House, it was half past eleven.
There were no guests left in Talia’s villa. The butler directed the servants to clean the dining table and the flower baskets and decorations in the living
room.
A servant going out to take out the trash saw a car heading for Villa No. 16 and hurriedly went back to report.
Zoe had contacted Brooke and confirmed that she didn’t need to make lunch there, so she settled down in Royal House and usually lived there. She prepared slippers for Audrey and Yann and handed a clean handkerchief to Yann.
Zoe was very attentive and had noticed that Yann had a habit of changing slippers and washing his hands as soon as he got home. When Calvin was around, he would hand Yann a towel; now that Calvin wasn’t there, she took on this task.
Yann was very satisfied with her. After wiping his hands, he put Audrey’s bag on the shelf and said, “Zoe, prepare some ice.” Audrey had cried tonight, and if her eyes weren’t iced, they might be swollen tomorrow.
“Okay,” Zoe said. Just as she came out of the kitchen with the ice, the doorbell rang.
“Please give it to me,” Yann said, taking the ice and wrapping it in a towel.
Zoe went to open the door and saw two women outside–one capable and valiant, the other sweet and cute.
“May I ask who you are looking for?” she asked.
“We’re here to visit Mr. Winifred,” Jocelyn said with a smile, introducing, “This is Ms. Price. Please tell him we are here.”
“Wait a moment,” Zoe said, closing the door. She couldn’t help feeling worried. It was strange to have guests visit in the middle of the night.
The two women were clearly dressed up carefully, and they had come to visit just as Audrey and Yann got home, without mentioni to see Audrey. Zoe was afraid they would mess with Audrey.
She hurried into the living room and said, “Mr. Winifred, someone called Ms. Price is here to visit you.” As she spoke, she looked at Audrey.
Audrey wanted to ice her eyes herself, but Yann insisted on doing it for her. They were both stunned when they heard this.
they were here
“Just say Mrs. Winifred is going to rest and can’t see guests now,” Yann said, not even glancing at the door. He pressed Audrey’s shoulders, making her lie on his lap.
“Is that a good idea?” Audrey grabbed Yann’s hand. “She’s already at the door, and we are neighbors after all.”
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Chapter 214
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Yann placed the ice–wrapped towel on her eyes and said to Zoe in a flat tone, “Tell them to submit a visit application next time they come.”
“Yes, Mr. Winifred,” Zoe said, satisfied. Yann was protecting Audrey, and she wasn’t disappointed.
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When the door opened, Talia instinctively tried to enter, but Zoe blocked her, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Winifred has rested and can’t receive guests. Mr. Winifred asks you to submit a visit application next time you come,” Zoe said.
Talia asked, “But they just-” Jocelyn interrupted Talia’s question and said with a smile, “Since they’re unavailable now, we’ll visit tomorrow.”
Talia was reluctant to retreat but was pulled back by Jocelyn.
Zoe slammed the door and let out a snort inside.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
