Chapter 145:
âAlright.â She smiled at Denzel. âBy the way, I was fiddling with your phone last night and accidentally invited someone. Bryan is coming over for a meal. He accepted the offer. You donât mind, do you?â
Denzelâs heart sank. He quickly grabbed his phone to check the chat history.
But the message Ann had sent made very little sense to him.
âHis grades have improved a lot under Ms. Curtisâs tutelage. She is coming again tonight, and I plan to invite her to dinner. Feel free to join us.â
The timestamps showed that it had taken Bryan a while before sending a reply.
âWhatâs wrong?â Ryann asked as she looked at Denzel and studied his reaction. âAre you upset by what I did?â
âOf course not!â Denzel vehemently shook his head.
âYouâre awesome, do you know that? Mr. Dawson rarely accepts social invitations, especially to an intimate gathering. Yet, you managed to do it!â
Denzel was beaming with excitement. He proceeded to call his boss to say that he was taking a leave of absence from work. Then, he made a few additional calls to arrange for professional cooks to service them during dinner.
Reading Ryannâs message reminded him that Adalinaâs studies were indeed improving as of late. And seeing how Eileen and Bryan were also acquainted, he saw no reason not to invite Eileen to dinner.
He could also compliment Eileenâs efforts in front of Ryann and hopefully help her boost her reputation.
When Eileen received the dinner invitation, her first instinct was to say no. However, after mulling it over for a while, she decided to go.
Lá´¬tÑÑÏ chá´ÏÏÑrs ιn gðªlÉ´ovÑlð.ð¸Ð¾ð She believed that the dinner was orchestrated by Ryann. The woman probably wanted some sort of proof that would quell her suspicions. Eileen couldnât really blame her for that. Even if there was an ulterior motive behind tonightâs dinner, she decided to soldier through the whole affair.
Eileen finished some work during the day, then began to prepare the teaching materials she used for Adalina.
As she did so, she pondered ways to keep her job and gain Ryannâs trust without hurting or offending anybody in the process.
She wrapped things up at around five in the evening, then bought some flowers on her way to the Vance residence.
Unlike before, the gates were wide open today, with servants bustling in and out of the premises.
Eileen got out of her car, baffled by this unexpected scenario. She was just a tutor, after all. Surely, they werenât preparing all this for her.
With a cloud of apprehension hanging over her head, she slowly entered the house and ran into Denzel. He was decked out in a business suit and looked like he was just about to go.
âOh, Ms. Curtis! Youâre here.â Denzel jovially led her to the living room. âYou even brought flowers; how kind of you! Now, come and have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.â
Eileen walked and sat on the sofa. She caught a glance at the dining table on the way. It was laden with over ten dishes, and the servants were still coming in and out of the kitchen.
She smiled at Denzel. âMr. Vance, you donât need to go to so much trouble.â
âOh, itâs no trouble at all! It might take a while before everything is ready, so feel free to relax here!â When Denzel noticed the look of unease on Eileenâs face, he quickly added, âOr you can go upstairs and tutor Adalina for a while.â
Eileen didnât even hesitate. âGreat! Iâll go upstairs.â
She went upstairs and pushed through Adalinaâs door.
The girl was texting on her phone, and she quickly put it down when she saw Eileen.
âYou need to have a proper balance between work and play in order to learn,â Eileen said. âYou can play with your phone if you like!â
She thought Adalina might be afraid of getting reprimanded.
Adalina smiled awkwardly and said nothing. As if on cue, her phone buzzed several times, indicating a bunch of new messages.
Eileen said, âJust carry on with what you were doing. I arrived early, anyway. Your parents invited me to dinner.â
She settled down by the window and also took out her phone. Seeing this, Adalina finally grabbed her phone and continued texting.
Eileen glanced at Adalina, who was grinning as she typed on her phone. Adalina must be chatting with her friends.
Eileen didnât pay much attention to Adalina and checked her own emails. About ten minutes later, they heard the honk of a car outside.
Adalina immediately put her phone down. She paused for a few seconds before saying, âIâll go change my clothes, Ms. Curtis.â
âWhat for?â Eileen asked in confusion. âWeâre not going out; weâre just having a meal downstairs.â
But Adalina was already rushing into the cloakroom without a backward glance.
âWe have a dinner guest,â came Adalinaâs muffled voice as she rifled through her clothes. âItâs only right that I change into something more presentable. Here, what do you think of this dress?â
Adalina came out holding an orange dress that had a sash around the waist. It was a good match for her temperament.
âYou still consider me a guest?â Eileen asked, smiling as she walked over and ruffled Adalinaâs hair. âIâve already seen you in your pajamas many times before. You donât have to bother with your appearance.â
âYouâre certainly not a guest,â Adalina said as she rushed off to change.
Before long, she came out again, bouncing with youthful excitement and grinning from ear to ear.
Eileen had never seen Adalina in such a good mood before.
âDo I look nice?â Adalina stood in front of the mirror, her cheeks red as she carefully arranged her hair.
âYou look great,â Eileen replied, getting increasingly curious now. âWhy are you so excited, anyway?â
Adalina lowered her head without saying anything, though her lips were still curled into a smile.
Sounds of conversation came from downstairs.
Eileen frowned. She didnât know the Vance couple had invited someone else.
âLetâs head down a little later, Ms. Curtis,â Adalina suddenly said. She looked nervous as she sat back on her bed and played with her phone.
Eileen could no longer contain her curiosity. âDid your parents invite someone else to dinner?â
She had just finished speaking when she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hall. The sound stopped right in front of Adalinaâs room, then the door was pushed open. A figure came into view.
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