Chapter 99: Are You Interested In Me?
Jill realized that she could not outwit Jake. Since this was the case, she decided to be cheeky and said, "If you insist on calling me Aunt, I’ll call you by your nickname, Dumpling."
Jake hated it when other people called him Dumpling. He did not enjoy being compared to one. However, he did not get angry because he knew that was exactly what Jill wanted.
Instead, he stuck his tongue out at her and said, "Aunt Jill, you always do this when you can’t outwit me. You’re so petty."
"Hey, you rascal..."
Before Jill could finish talking, Wendy laughed helplessly and interrupted her, "Alright, let’s get to business." She was still protecting her child, even though he did not seem to need it from her.
While it was fun to mess around with Jake, Jill knew that they were here for serious business. She immediately changed the topic and said, "I communicated with the staff from MC Enterprise yesterday. They told me that the welcome party will go on as planned tonight. However, I do not know if Michael will be there. Since you’re the person that he’s looking for, I’m sure that nothing will stop him from showing up tonight. But I think it’s also likely that he might give it a miss since I introduced myself as Corrine yesterday. After all, MC Enterprise is the biggest company in Lake City. It’s already generous of him to agree to this party in the first place, and it proves just how much he values this partnership. Perhaps he might only agree to show up if you give him a call." With that, she handed Wendy’s phone back to her.
Wendy took the phone. She pursed her lips, deep in thought. She was the one who had personally requested this party. of course, she had spoken to MC Enterprise about this using her identity as the HG Enterprise representative. It had been important that there was a welcome party for her return to Lake City.
Five years ago, Michael left her behind at a party to go to Yvonne. Today, she wanted to reclaim the dignity that he had robbed from her.
Hence, she had to make sure that Michael attended the party tonight. She wanted him to personally witness her glorious return to Lake City!
Since Michael had agreed to come down to the airport personally after hearing her voice yesterday, she decided that she would call him again to convince him to attend the party tonight. In any case, they were finally going to meet again. She did not mind letting him hear her voice again. She keyed in the familiar digits and called Michael.
...
Michael felt flustered when he saw his screen, but he still answered. He did not know who was waiting to talk to him on the other end of the phone. Was it Wendy or Corrine? However, he had heard Wendy’s voice from this number before. Even if it was just a hallucination, he would be happy to suffer through it. There was no way he would refuse to pick up.
When the call went through, Wendy did not remain silent like she did yesterday. Instead, she spoke up, "Mr. Lucas, will you be attending the party tonight? The representatives of HG Enterprise value this partnership very much, and we hope the same from you."
Was that. Wendy’s voice? When Michael heard her voice again, he found himself unable to suppress his emotions. Tightening his grip around the phone, he said, "You’re Wendy Stewart, right?"
"Mr. Lucas, I am Corrine," said Wendy without any noticeable change in her tone. "I just wanted to ask if you will be attending the party tonight."
"I’ll be there as long as you are," said Michael.
Even though he had felt disappointed after meeting "Corrine" yesterday, Wendy’s voice made him feel hopeful again.
"In that case, I’ll see you tonight, Mr. Lucas," said Wendy. With that, she hung up on him.
It was hard to believe that they were finally going to meet again tonight. As much as she did not want to, the thought of it still agitated her.
After hanging up, Wendy handed the phone back to Jill and instructed her to leave the hotel with it. If she was right, Michael would probably ask someone to track the location of her phone right away. And she was.
Michael immediately summoned Mr. York and had him track the location of the phone. By the time Mr. York traced the coordinates, Jill had already left the hotel. After confirming the address, Michael drove down personally to meet the owner of the phone. However, his hopes were dashed once again when he came face to face with Jill Lynn.
"Mr. Lucas?" said Jil. "Why are you here? Didn’t we agree to meet at the party tonight?"
"Were you the one who called me?" Michael frowned. He said sternly, "That’s impossible. Where is the real Corrine hiding?"
"I am the real Corrine," said Jill as she smiled dazzlingly at Michael. "You personally came down to the airport to pick me up yesterday. Have you forgotten that?"
"What game are you playing?" Michael was sure that the person standing before him and the person he spoke to on the phone was not the same. The sound of Wendy’s voice had been etched into his mind and heart a long time ago.
"Mr. Lucas... " Jill’s face suddenly grew stern. She looked Michael up and down, and said in a concerned tone, "Pardon me for being frank, but are you interested in me? Is this your way of hitting on me? Let me tell you, even though I might not be a celebrity, my father is still one of the most renowned designers in this world. I’m sure he wouldn’t agree to the lowly tactics that you are using right now."
Michael took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down. "Don’t worry, I have absolutely no interest in you," he said. He only wanted to know where Wendy was. However, it was obvious that she was deliberately avoiding him right now.
He was not stupid. Now that things were developing this way, he could ascertain that Wendy was the person he had spoken to over the phone. This meant that she was manipulating everything behind the scenes. He could also easily guess her goal. He knew that she was under the impression that he chose Yvonne over her five years ago, and she probably still held a grudge against him for that.
This time, she was deliberately messing with him again and again so that she could get her revenge. Of course, Michael had no grievances about Wendy wanting to do this. All that mattered to him was knowing that Wendy was alive. She could manipulate him as much as she wanted, and he would have no complaints.
He only hoped that she would show up at the party tonight.
Now, all Michael had to do was wait patiently for the party to begin. Since Wendy did not wish to be found right now, he knew that nothing he did would amount to anything. It was only a matter of time before they met again, anyway.
"That’s good to hear," said Jill as she pointed at the empty seat opposite her, "Do you want to sit down for some coffee with me?"
"No, thanks," said Michael. With that, he turned around and left. Since it turned out to be Jill and not Wendy, he did not want to waste any more time.
After leaving, Michael called Mr. York and instructed him, "Make sure that tonight’s party is as grand as it can get. I want to give Wendy a welcome party that everyone will talk about for a long time."
Mr. York sighed when he heard Michael’s instructions. He really did not know why Michael was so fixated on the theory that Corrine and Wendy were the same person.
However, he merely hummed in acknowledgment before acting on his orders.
Initially, this party was only meant for designers in Lake City. But with Michael’s new instructions, Mr. York re-designed the guest list.
Except for Christian and the employees from his company, every other significant individual in Lake City received an invitation.
...
The party was supposed to start at 7 P.M. Soon, it was already 6 P.M.
Wendy had already put on her make-up and her high heels. Jake clung on to the hem of Wendy’s dress. With expectant eyes, he asked, "Mummy, are you sure you can’t take me with you?"
"Be a good boy and stay in the hotel. I’ll be back real soon. I’ve also asked Lynette to babysit you tonight. She should be here soon," said Wendy.
Lynette was Wendy’s assistant. Although Jake was a sensible boy, Wendy still did not feel safe about leaving him alone in the hotel.
"Fine," said Jake, feeling disappointed.
Wendy bent down and kissed his cheek. She comforted him, "Mummy will be home real soon, promise. If there’s anything urgent, you can just call me."
It was indeed not suitable for her to bring Jake along with her to the party tonight. At least for right now, she did not want Michael to know about his existence. However, Jake was nowhere as obedient as Wendy thought he was.
The moment she left the room, he followed her secretly. When Lynette arrived at the hotel room to find Jake missing, she immediately called Wendy. It was only then that Wendy realized that he was following her.
Feeling helpless, she called Jake’s phone. The moment the call went through, he laughed, "Mummy, I’m in the car behind you."
"Didn’t I ask you to wait for me in the hotel room?"
"I want to go with you," said Jake, doing his best to sound cute. "Don’t worry, Mummy, I won’t tell anyone that I’m your son."
Since he was already out, Wendy could only let him follow her. She had an invitation to the party tonight, but it was not her name that was written on it. However, she managed to successfully enter the venue with Jake. She brought him to a deserted corner and instructed him, "Stay here and be a good boy. Don’t run around everywhere, and if you feel hungry, you can go get yourself some food. You must not touch any alcoholic drinks."
Jake had always enjoyed watching adults drink alcohol. He was an extremely curious boy.
Once, he even took a sip of Wendy’s red wine when she was not paying attention. On top of that, he had convinced his sister to try it with him. In the end, his sister got drunk and had a headache for the entire day. On the other hand, he was completely fine. When that incident happened, Wendy reprimanded him harshly.
Ever since then, he never let his sister touch another drop of alcohol. However, he only grew more interested in it.
Wendy was afraid that he might disobey her and sneak off to drink alcohol if she did not warn him about it now. "If you touch a single drop of alcohol tonight, I’ll be beyond mad," said Wendy sternly. "And I’ll send you right back to Rheinsville City."
"Don’t worry, Mummy, I promise I won’t touch any alcohol," said Jake. He held up his fingers, as though he was making a pledge.
Gazing at her adorable son, Wendy could not get mad at all. With a gentle look on her face, she patted his head and said, "I’ll leave you here now, but don’t get into any trouble."
"Okay," said Jake, nodding profusely.
With her son’s reassurance, Wendy left his side to look for Jill Lynn and the others. The party tonight was indeed spectacular. Many significant individuals from Lake City were gathered here tonight, along with reporters. It was clear that Michael really thought highly of their partnership this time.
Soon, it was 7 P.M. The emcee stood on stage and welcomed everyone to the party. Wendy barely heard a word of his speech as she scanned through the crowd. She wanted to see if Michael was here. After some time, she finally spotted his familiar figure.
Michael, on the other hand, seemed to have sensed something. He looked in Wendy’s direction. She immediately retracted her gaze and hid behind Jill, hoping that she could shield her from Michael’s view.
