Chapter 215: Mr. Drake’s Ideal
Mrs. Sterling comforted Eleanor Rhodes, taking a moment to scold Henry Sterling.
Henry looked a bit embarrassed. He glanced sheepishly at Eleanor and said, "It’s my fault for not thinking it through. My mother’s suggestion is a good one, and I’ll do as she says."
"Mhm."
Eleanor nodded gently.
Looking at Henry, she felt a wave of complex emotions. In the past, Henry had always seemed like someone high up in the clouds—so calm and collected. Whenever he offered a faint smile, it always gave people a sense of grounded reassurance. Yet now, he was displaying such an embarrassed look in front of her. This was something Eleanor had never imagined.
"Wendy Wynn isn’t an easy person to deal with. Henry, you and your family are right to want to send her away. Just be careful. I’m worried she might bite back." In the end, Eleanor couldn’t help but offer a word of warning.
Having suffered deeply at Wendy’s hands herself, she naturally didn’t want the kindhearted Mrs. Sterling to end up in the same boat.
"Alright, Eleanor, I understand. You really are such a wonderful girl!"
Delighted by Eleanor’s reminder, Mrs. Sterling beamed and took her hand, asking, "By the way, Eleanor, are you guys here for the roast duck?
"What a coincidence, our family is too! Do you have a table yet? We booked a private room, so if—"
"Ms. Sterling, I came with the Faulkners. Grandma Faulkner is here too, and we’re just next door to you. We won’t interrupt your family meal this time!" Eleanor politely declined Mrs. Sterling’s invitation.
Hearing this, Mrs. Sterling looked a bit disappointed but said, "That’s a pity. But that’s alright, I know Madam Faulkner.
"Once you’re done eating, I’ll still come over to pay my respects to her! Vivian, would that be okay?"
Seeing Mrs. Sterling’s sincere expression, Vivian Lowell found it hard to refuse. Besides, the request was perfectly reasonable; it was just common courtesy, so there was no reason to say no.
"Of course, Ms. Sterling," Vivian agreed with a smile. She then pulled Eleanor along as they returned to their private room.
When they returned, Julian Faulkner was chatting with Grandma Faulkner. He seemed to be discussing some recent projects of the Faulkner Group, reporting on the progress of his work.
Grandma Faulkner listened casually, not seeming to care much about the details. However, Julian was serious, and he meticulously went over everything that needed to be said.
Watching the grandmother and grandson, Vivian smiled softly. She knew that the Faulkner Group was the lifeblood of both Grandpa Faulkner and Grandma Faulkner. Although Julian was now in charge of the company, Grandma Faulkner still held a portion of the shares. What Julian was doing was simply "routine business."
Grandma Faulkner actually trusted Julian completely and felt there was no need for him to report every little thing to her. But since he insisted, she had no choice but to listen!
"You’re back," Julian noted.
Vivian sat down beside Julian and asked, "Have you ordered yet? Aside from the roast duck and duck soup, are there any other specialties here? I’m starving!"
After speaking, she scanned the QR code on the table with her phone, intending to take a good look at the menu.
Beside her, Julian leaned closer and said, "The roast squab is also a specialty. But... you should just look and see what you like. I’m fine with anything."
"Mhm!"
Vivian nodded. She figured that since they had a large group, adding a couple more dishes wouldn’t be a problem. If they couldn’t finish it, they could always pack it up and bring it home for Ms. Shaw!
Vivian felt incredibly satisfied with her lunch. Eleanor was also a big foodie. They both absolutely loved the rich flavor of the roast duck.
After the meal, Mrs. Sterling came over to pay her respects to Grandma Faulkner. It seemed they had known each other for a long time, though they weren’t particularly close. During their exchange of pleasantries, Mrs. Sterling gifted Grandma Faulkner a box of tea leaves.
"I had a friend specially bring this pre-rain Dragon Tea back from Ryswick! I know you like to take care of your health, Madam Faulkner. This Dragon Tea is quite nice, so you can try it when you have some free time."
Mrs. Sterling smiled amiably. Looking at her, Grandma Faulkner knew the principle of not turning away a smiling face, so she graciously accepted the tea.
"Thank you. You’re far too kind!"
Grandma Faulkner chatted with Mrs. Sterling for a little while longer before the two parties separated, as it was getting late.
In the afternoon, Vivian, Grandma Faulkner, Julian, and Eleanor returned to the photography studio to continue taking pictures. They stayed busy until past four o’clock before finally heading back to the Faulkner Family home.
By then, the sky had turned overcast. Vivian glanced up at the gray heavens; the air seemed noticeably heavier with moisture.
It looked like it was really going to rain.
"Grandma."
Vivian looked at the pastries in her hand. The studio had given them to her as a gift since she had taken so many photos there this time. The studio had pre-ordered some traditional capital-style pastries from a hotel, and they conveniently passed them along to Vivian!
Vivian quite liked pastries. As long as they weren’t too dry to swallow, she was more than happy to eat them. She also thought about how she had run into Master Drake next door that morning. It would be rude not to drop by for a visit, and these pastries would make the perfect gift.
"I want to bring some over to Mr. Drake. I’ll just be a moment and come right back!" Vivian told Grandma Faulkner.
Grandma Faulkner was exhausted after a busy day. She squinted, looking a bit drowsy. After all, she hadn’t taken a nap today, and at her age, her energy levels weren’t what they used to be.
"Go on, go on." Grandma Faulkner agreed, gently pushing away Julian’s supporting hand. Then she told him, "Julian, you should go with Vivian!"
"Alright." Julian nodded. Seeing Ms. Shaw come out, he handed Grandma Faulkner over to her care and walked over to take Vivian’s hand.
At the entrance of the Drake Family home.
Vivian had barely pressed the doorbell when Mr. Drake came over to open the door.
Vivian was a little surprised to see Mr. Drake opening the door himself. Then, she noticed the little cat she had rescued trailing right beside his feet.
"Oh, she’s gotten quite a bit plumper!"
Looking at the adorably chubby kitten, Vivian couldn’t resist crouching down to pet its head. The kitten wasn’t afraid of strangers at all.
When Vivian reached out, the kitten simply stood there, letting her stroke it. Vivian had a great touch, and it wasn’t long before the kitten started to PURR.
"Rosie really likes you!" Mr. Drake’s eyes flashed with fondness at the sight. He quickly asked, "What brings you two over? It’s about to rain, so let’s get inside first!"
"Okay."
Vivian picked up the kitten and followed Julian inside the house.
The lights weren’t on inside. With the gray sky outside, the natural light was rather dim. Fortunately, the living room had good lighting, so Vivian didn’t find it too dark upon entering.
Mr. Drake thoughtfully turned on the lights and walked over to the bar counter. After taking out a tea set and some tea leaves, he turned around and asked, "Would you like some tea? What kind would you prefer?
"Jasmine tea? Dragon Tea? Lapsang Souchong? I have all of those here. Uh, but I don’t have milk tea or coffee."
Mr. Drake put on the full posture of a hospitable host.
Vivian quickly got up and walked over to the bar, taking the tea set and teapot from his hands. "Mr. Drake, please sit down first!
"How could I let you brew the tea? I can do it. What would you like to drink?"
Hearing this, Mr. Drake smiled so widely his eyes narrowed into slits. "Let’s go with jasmine tea! My daughter loves it, and so do I!"
Jasmine tea perfectly balanced the delicate fragrance of jasmine flowers with a light tea flavor. Vivian was also quite fond of it. However, she struggled with poor sleep and would lie awake at night if she drank too much tea. Over time, she had largely stopped drinking it. Since it was still early in the day, having a couple of cups wouldn’t be a problem.
"Sounds good," Vivian agreed, glancing over at Julian to ask for his preference.
She actually remembered that Julian usually preferred coffee, as it was more effective at keeping him alert. Aside from that, he favored stronger green teas like Dragon Tea or Zhuyeqing. Vivian thought he would choose Dragon Tea this time, but Julian replied, "I’ll have the floral tea too."
Vivian was slightly surprised, but seeing Julian’s serious expression, she went ahead and brewed three cups of jasmine tea.
By the time Vivian finished brewing the tea and returned to the living room sofa, Julian was deep in conversation with Mr. Drake. They were discussing the Drake Family’s plans after returning to Veridia.
"Although there are quite a few medical aesthetics clinics in the country right now, the entire industry is still highly unregulated. I saw on the news recently that many medical aesthetics companies have scammed people out of their money and run off."
Hearing Mr. Drake bring this up, Vivian nodded in strong agreement.
She vaguely remembered an incident from a few years ago when she was still a college student. While out shopping with Eleanor, they had been stopped on the street by someone inviting them upstairs for a free beauty treatment. Vivian hadn’t been interested, but the person refused to take no for an answer. Probably assuming they were young and gullible, the promoter claimed to have a quota to meet and would be fired if they failed.
At the time, Vivian was truly naive. Her sympathy got the better of her, and she agreed. Who could have known that once they went upstairs, they would discover it was an elaborate scam!
The staff pressured them relentlessly to sign up for membership cards. Or, halfway through a treatment, they would claim that stopping now would damage their skin, demanding extra money to finish the process! There were also plenty of beauty salons that opened with massive promotional campaigns, only to vanish with everyone’s money once enough people had purchased prepaid cards!
Consumers had no way to defend their rights, and the money they had invested simply went down the drain.
These incidents were so common that a portion of the population in Veridia had become highly averse to beauty salons, viewing them as nothing more than a scam designed to exploit the foolish.
Vivian knew that this wasn’t entirely true. Legitimate beauty salons did exist, though they remained quite expensive. Hospitals also offered certain medical aesthetic treatments, which were generally far more regulated than your average salon.
As for Mr. Drake, his background was in traditional medicine. Guided by a healer’s benevolence and a desire to help the world, he had returned to the country with his patents, fully intending to do things the right way.
"I hope that Veridia can have its own brand. In the future, when people in our country talk about high-end skincare and beauty products, I don’t want them to think of foreign brands anymore. I want them to think of our own herbal, traditional medicine-based products!"
As Mr. Drake said this, a flash of pride crossed his face.
He was a veteran practitioner of traditional medicine! He had spent the better part of his life getting foreigners to recognize the value of traditional medicine. Now, he hoped to combine it with cosmetics, making the rest of the world recognize Veridia’s beauty industry!