Chapter 216: Have Another Bowl of Soup
Vivian Lowell saw pride on Master Drake’s face!
The pride of being a Veridian, and of the things he was striving to achieve!
Touched by his demeanor, Vivian was visibly moved. "Mr. Drake, with this kind of dedication, I’m sure your company will be a great success!"
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Mr. Drake had the funds and the connections, but most importantly, he had excellent character. Whatever brand he built in the future would undoubtedly be crafted with immense care.
Vivian decided that once his brand released its first products, she would be the very first person in line to buy them!
"You flatter me!"
Praised by Vivian, Mr. Drake actually looked a little embarrassed. "I’m getting on in years," he said, waving his hand. "When it comes to these matters, my spirit is willing, but my energy simply can’t keep up.
"Nowadays, I merely keep an eye on the younger generation as they handle the actual work. These kids are young and full of drive, but sometimes they lack attention to detail, and their ideas can be..."
Mr. Drake paused. Vivian blinked, a sudden realization dawning on her.
She had been so moved by Mr. Drake’s unwavering gaze that she had completely forgotten the Drake family was full of people like Joy and Sylvia.
Joy and Sylvia seemed like the type to do whatever it took to achieve their goals. They might be capable, but when it came to having "heart," they couldn’t hold a candle to Mr. Drake.
What a pity.
Vivian thought this was mainly because Mr. Drake had no living children of his own. She had heard that his daughter and son-in-law had originally returned to the country for this exact cause and had even done charity work.
Perhaps they had been just like him. If they were still around, Mr. Drake surely wouldn’t be this distressed right now.
Realizing this, Vivian comforted him. "It’s alright, Mr. Drake! I believe that in the future, Veridia will see more and more entrepreneurs with a ’heart’ just like yours!"
"I’m sure we will." Mr. Drake chuckled, inviting Vivian and Julian Faulkner to drink their tea.
They chatted over tea for a while. Hearing the pitter-patter of rain starting outside the window, Vivian finally remembered she had come over today to give Mr. Drake some pastries.
"Mr. Drake, these are handmade pastries from a few famous restaurants in Aethelburg. I’ve had them before and thought they were quite good, so I brought two boxes specifically for you!"
Vivian set the pastry boxes on the table with an endearing smile and continued, "You haven’t been in the country for long, so you might not be familiar with all the local Veridian delicacies!
"But that’s okay! Try these first. If you like them, let me know later, and I’ll buy some more for you!
"It’s getting late, and Julian and I have had a busy day. We should probably head back and get some rest."
Seeing that Vivian had brought him treats, Mr. Drake’s eyes crinkled with joy. "Wonderful. You are much too polite, my dear!"
"Not at all. We’re neighbors, after all. It’s only natural for us to look out for each other!"
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Vivian and Julian headed out the door to go home.
The rain was light, but Mr. Drake still thoughtfully handed them an umbrella, insisting that Vivian shouldn’t catch a chill.
As the couple stepped outside, Julian opened the umbrella. Standing behind the door and watching them, Mr. Drake suddenly called out, "Julian, she’s a good girl. Make sure you treat her well."
Julian was a little surprised.
For some reason, he felt that Mr. Drake’s voice had trembled ever so slightly when he said those words.
Not only that, but the older man’s eyes had even reddened a fraction. However, he quickly masked his emotions, waving at them with a cheerful smile.
"I will." Julian’s throat bobbed. Promising the older man, he turned and walked away with Vivian.
Upon returning to the villa, Ms. Shaw promptly handed them clean slippers. "Sir, Madam, your shoes have mud on them. Let me take them to be washed and dried!"
"Sorry for the trouble, Ms. Shaw," Vivian said, feeling a bit sheepish.
On the way back from the Drake family’s villa, she had stepped through some mud to take a shortcut. Now her soles were caked in dirt and splattered with raindrops, looking quite messy.
"It’s no trouble at all," Ms. Shaw replied, not minding in the slightest. "Dinner is already being prepared. It’s the chicken soup that’s been simmering since this afternoon, stewed with sea cucumber. Madam, is there anything else you’d like to eat?"
Chicken soup and sea cucumber.
Hearing about all this heavy, rich food, Vivian told Ms. Shaw, "I’ve eaten a lot of greasy things today, so could you please prepare a plate of greens?
"I haven’t had a good portion of vegetables in a while, and I’m really craving some!"
"Right away."
Ms. Shaw agreed and turned back to her work.
Meanwhile, Vivian and Julian headed up to the second floor together.
The photography studio had already sent over the preliminary files from the shoot she, Julian, Grandma Faulkner, and Eleanor Rhodes had done earlier. They needed Vivian to make her selections—which ones should be printed for the album, which should be enlarged and framed for the house, and which required heavy retouching.
Looking at the three to four hundred photos, Vivian felt a headache coming on.
"There’s so many!"
She cradled her head and rubbed her eyes, feeling as if her vision was blurring!
Julian, who was working on his laptop next to her, heard her distressed groan and looked over. "What’s wrong?"
Vivian pushed her laptop toward him, gesturing at the massive photo gallery, and grumbled, "There are too many. I can’t possibly choose!
"Julian, are you busy? If not, could we pick them together? Oh, wait! I wonder if Grandma is awake yet. Maybe I should go ask her for help?"
There was no way she could sort through all of this on her own!
Besides, she still wanted to buy a few nice photo albums and needed to browse online for them later. She was simply too busy!
"..."
Hearing this, Julian sighed with faint amusement. "Grandma is still resting. If you want to go through them, I’ll keep you company.
"Should we look together? Or do you want to send half to me, and we can each go through a batch?"
Vivian had originally wanted to split the workload.
But for some reason, as Julian spoke, he pulled his chair a little closer. They were so near to each other that Vivian could clearly see the fine stubble on his jawline.
She was also enveloped in his familiar, reassuring cologne.
"Let’s look at them together!"
Tucking away her own selfish little motives, Vivian shifted her chair, leaning closer to his side.
Outside the window, the rain continued to fall. Inside the cozy room, the two soon snuggled together in front of the laptop, picking out photos.
"This one is quite good. I’m holding your waist, and your arms are wrapped around my neck. We only have eyes for each other. It’s very intimate, don’t you think?"
As Julian spoke, he used the mouse to enlarge the image on her screen.
It was taken under the corridor.
It captured the moment when Grandma Faulkner and Eleanor had gone to change clothes, and Julian had grabbed her hand, pulling her into his embrace.
Julian spoke with deep sincerity.
After he finished, he looked at Vivian. She realized that his gaze right now was exactly the same as it had been this morning during their shoot at The Sunstone Palace.
His eyes held only her, so earnest and devoted that it made her heart skip a beat.
Vivian’s heart raced.
She stared back at him, forgetting to move for a moment as their gazes locked together.
"Vivian," Julian murmured. He slowly leaned in, and another kiss fell upon her lips.
This time, it wasn’t like the fleeting peck from this morning. Perhaps there had been too many people at The Sunstone Palace, forcing Julian to restrain himself.
But there was no need for that now.
They were home; this was their private sanctuary.
As the torrential, passionate kiss swallowed her, Vivian was left dizzy and utterly disoriented. Whatever happened next was completely out of her control.
After a thorough bout of tossing and turning, Vivian was still soaking in the bathtub at six o’clock, right before dinner. She had absolutely no desire to get out.
Outside the bathroom door.
Julian stood dressed in comfortable loungewear, looking entirely relaxed and gentle. He smiled softly at her and tapped on the glass door. "Ms. Shaw just told me that dinner will be ready in half an hour.
"Vivian, if you keep soaking like this, I won’t have time to help you put on your body lotion, will I?"
"!!!"
Vivian wanted to roar, but she simply didn’t have the energy. She could only mutter weakly, "What do you mean! I’m tired and I want to rest! Besides, I can apply my own body lotion!
"Have... have you finished picking out the photos?"
"Not yet," Julian answered righteously. "I just saw a photo of us holding hands, and I think it’s quite nice as well.
"Although it’s not as good as the ones of us kissing and cuddling, it..."
"Alright, alright!" Vivian hurriedly cut him off. "Just save whatever you think is good. You don’t need to describe them to me in such detail!"
She was now almost absolutely certain that this wicked man was doing it on purpose!
From the moment he sat beside her to pick out the photos, his mind had already been wandering to other things. It was her own carelessness that she hadn’t noticed!
And now she was paying the price...
Glancing at her skin, which was nearly pruning from the long soak, Vivian let out a helpless sigh. She had no choice but to prop up her aching body and climb out of the tub.
At noon, she had felt so full that she had assumed she wouldn’t have much of an appetite for dinner, which was why she had told Ms. Shaw she only wanted vegetables!
Looking back, she realized how painfully naive she had been.
Now she was starving. She wanted nothing more than to stuff all that meat into her mouth and replenish her exhausted body!
Half an hour later, Vivian and Julian went downstairs for dinner. Grandma Faulkner was watching a Peking opera on the television. When she saw the young couple coming down hand-in-hand, her face crinkled into a beaming smile.
"You’re down?"
Grandma Faulkner turned off the TV and stood up. She quickly called out to Ms. Shaw, who was carrying dishes from the kitchen. "Shaw, serve Vivian an extra bowl of soup. She’s exhausted!"
COUGH, COUGH!
Vivian nearly choked on her own saliva!
How did Grandma... how did she know every single time...
As Vivian stood there flushed with embarrassment, Grandma Faulkner looked back at her with a teasing smile. "Vivian, what’s wrong?"
Grandma was definitely asking even though she already knew the answer!
Vivian could tell, but she couldn’t exactly call her out on it. She could only reply dryly, "I was just busy taking photos all day today, so I’m a bit tired. Grandma, you should have an extra bowl of soup, too!"
"Alright, alright!"
Grandma Faulkner wore an "I understand perfectly" expression. Nodding in agreement, she then turned to Julian. "Julian, you must be worn out too. Make sure you have an extra bowl of soup!"