Chapter 247: Chapter 247



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Everyone had already arrived when Matthew and Dolores came downstairs. Theresa took care of Simona, and Samuel was able to feed himself without the help of the others.

“Looks like I’m not that late, as I’ll be just in time for dinner.” Charles wheeled in his wheelchair.

He stood looking at Dolores with a smile on his face. “You said you’d invite me to dinner, but I’ve had to come over to you to eat. You shouldn’t be the one to invite me. Instead, I should be the one to invite you.”

Dolores returned and was met with the doll’s joke that made her forget.

Dolores felt sorry for that, “I’m sorry I forgot.”

“That’s all right, didn’t I come looking for you?”

“How about buying me lunch in the morning?” said Charles as he looked at Matthew.

“Mr. White, are you too poor to buy a meal?” Matthew teased Charles as he feigned a smile. He placed his hand around Dolores’ shoulder and slid it down to her waist.

With a loud snap, Dolores’ body instantly clung to his.

“If it wasn’t Miss Flores inviting me to lunch, then there would be no point or taste to what I ate,” Charles said as his gaze roamed over the large hand around Dolores’ waist. His gaze flickered slightly as he smiled softly.

Dolores’ gaze darted back and forth between Charles and Matthew as she wondered why she had the impression that they were comparing and fighting with each other.

Why had the atmosphere become so tense?

She couldn’t go back on her word, because she was the one who had recommended inviting Charles to lunch. “It’s okay, you can join us.”

Charles smiled as he looked at the table not far away, where all the members of his family had seated half the table “Is it appropriate to invite me to dinner with so many people? Shouldn’t you ask what I would like to eat?”

“I’m sorry I’m not considerate enough, so where and what does Mr. White want to eat?” For a moment, Dolores’ expression changed subtly as she had not expected Charles to become so demanding today.

He was usually very easy going.

“Turn right out of the hotel, there is a breakfast store called FSB not far away. The store’s breakfast is delicious, I especially like the store’s lard bun, I wonder if Miss Flores, could you invite me to eat it?”

“Okay,” Dolores replied while keeping her smile on her face.

Dolores didn’t seem to understand at this point in the conversation that Charles just wanted her to invite him alone, so Charles took the floor and reminded her, “You are inviting me alone, aren’t you?”

Dolores said without hesitation, “Yes.”

“Then isn’t it convenient for Mr. Nelson to follow you?” He said as he smiled kindly.

She was pushing her luck!

Matthew’s words were on the tip of her tongue, but just as she was about to blurt them out, she felt a sharp tug on her back.

He turned around to see Simona running towards him. She grabbed the edge of his shirt and said, “Daddy, come eat, I peeled eggs for you.”

“Simona is such a good girl,” Dolores said as she touched her daughter’s hair. “Then please take care of Simona,” she said as she looked at Matthew.

“Daddy, Daddy, hurry up and see the eggs I peeled for you…,” Simona lured Matthew to the table in the same way she lured Dolores to her room in the morning.

“Come on,” Dolores commented as she approached Charles.

Charles took the lead as she turned her wheelchair to lead the way.

They didn’t drive as it wasn’t far and Tom, who was usually with Charles, didn’t follow her.

“You’re not furious now, are you?” Charles spoke as he walked out of the hotel.

“I was the one who said I’d buy you lunch, but I forgot so I should be the one to feel guilty,” Dolores replied with a smile.

“What I mean is that I invited only you to lunch.”

Dolores felt surprised at his insistence on asking her out.

“Actually, I have something I’d like you to help me with, and it’s not good to talk about it on the inside, so that’s why I called you.” confessed Charles.

This was the reason he phoned Dolores so early and mentioned the deal to ask her out.

“I’d like to help if it’s something I’m capable of.” Dolores said sincerely. Anyway, he saved her, even though she was forced to pay for Matthew. But anyway she still considered Charles as her friend and it didn’t hurt.

“I’m relieved to have your words.”

“The store is just across the street,” Charles said with a smile.

“Don’t you have something to say?” Dolores was puzzled.

“Things matter, but eating is more essential. I can’t let you starve.”

No doubt Charles was a regular at this joint. When he reached the door, someone opened it for them and ushered them into the compartment without having to say anything. They were then served the store’s breakfast special, which featured the lard buns Charles mentioned.

“Try it,” Charles said as he picked one up and put it on Dolores’ plate.

Dolores looked down as she could see that the crust was crystal clear and looked like glass and there was a ball of filling in it. As she picked it up and was about to put it in her mouth, Charles reminded her, “Eat it in one bite, otherwise it will spill out because there is soup inside.”

Dolores stuffed the whole bun into her mouth. The soup and the filling, which had a strong seafood flavor, occupied her mouth. It was not greasy but satisfying. With just one bite, they could eat something that was so wonderful. He covered himself as he knew his eating face must be ugly.

“This is the right way to eat and enjoy,” Charles said as he handed her a tissue.

Dolores took it as she swallowed the food in her mouth and took a spoonful of porridge. It was white porridge, there was no unique taste as she took it. The faint smell of marrow lingered in her mouth after she swallowed it.

“This porridge is called pork bone soup. First the meat was extracted from the pork bone, and the white bone was condensed into a soup. Then the rice was washed and put into a ceramic jug. Next, the bone soup is poured in. It is simmered for an hour. This porridge looked no different from regular white porridge, but the nutrition and taste in it were far beyond white porridge.”

“Are you still studying and looking for good food?” asked Dolores as if she had a great discovery.

Charles took a drink of water, his eyes fixed on the water swirling gently in the cup.

After a while, he slowly raised his eyes, “I’m not really studying. I mean I’ve been researching food for you overnight, do you think?”.

Dolores was swallowing the porridge. Because of Charles’ comments, she wasn’t sure if she should vomit or swallow the porridge. It was getting stuck in her throat and she wasn’t able to get it up or down, which made her choke as she let out a sigh. Ahem… Charles passed her some water, “Drink some water to ease the cough.”

Dolores took the cup and poured herself a mouthful of water to swallow the porridge. She put the cup down and picked up a tissue to wipe her mouth, “Mr. White, this joke is not funny.”

Dolores pretended not to understand what exactly he meant and took it as a joke.

“You can consider it a joke,” Charles laughed.

Dolores said when dinner was almost over, “Tell me, what can I do to help?”

“It’s about the joke that day,” Charles said after some thought.

Dolores calmed down and stood her ground as she doubted he would find any clues as well.

How could he be so quick?

“Mr. Nelson thinks it was a companion of mine,” she said. When she heard about Lacey, the typical smile on her face was fading.

Lacey’s name represented more than just a person. It represented his memories of when he was in the orphanage.

She was as close as her familiar. They were both orphans.

Since they both grew up in the orphanage, so he stepped in to help Lacey when he confirmed she was his childhood friend.

“She was shy and kind-hearted since she was a little girl. Once, some kids who were also orphans like us took a puppy and wanted to burn it to eat it.”

“Were you shocked?” he laughed as he clearly saw Dolores startled.

Dolores nodded sincerely.

“The orphanage’s daily expenses were funded entirely by donations and government grants, but how much of that money actually reached the orphans?” When he got to this, his tone was obviously sarcastic. “Not to mention having meat to eat, there were times we couldn’t even get anything.”

“The few orphans who were older than us not only dared to plan, but also dared to act. They said the cub’s meat was too nutritious and fragrant to be burned for food. Seeing that, he released the cub. We all could not leave the orphanage, if the cub escaped, it was impossible for them to get it back. When the few orphans learned what she had done, they surrounded her and gave her a violent beating, I went to call the dean to come and save her, and then she stayed in bed for a week. I asked her if she had any regrets and she said no. So I don’t think such a kind-hearted girl would do such a terrifying thing.”

Dolores was unsure, not daring to draw a conclusion because people might change.

“…So do you know anything about her now?”

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