Chapter 992: Would you tell me your reason if I gave you mine?
Meanwhile...
Haines glanced at the chairs where his nephew had been seated, watching as they were splashed with water. Hugo managed to dodge it, but now he had to deal with the other customer, who had been splashed before he got out of the way.
"Hey, man. It’s not my fault—it was her! She should’ve splashed the water differently, but I guess she’s not used to it. My point is, why are you angry at me? I’m not the one who splashed a glass of water at someone!"
Haines shook his head mildly, seeing Hugo trying to reason with the other customer. He exhaled deeply and refocused on his own date. His eyes fell on a woman in her mid-fifties or perhaps, more. She was stunning and elegant.
Well, all of his dates were beautiful in their own way. He just wasn’t interested in any of them, though he was sure they all deserved someone just as wonderful as they were.
"When the Old Madam told me she was trying to find you a match, I didn’t expect she’d ask me to come along," the woman said, raising Haines’s eyebrows. "It seemed like you weren’t paying attention earlier. My name’s Mildred."
Haines flashed her a meek smile. "I was paying attention, Madam Mildred Pierson."
"I see." Mildred nodded in understanding. "Well, that’s surprising. I thought you weren’t paying attention, but it seems a wise man like you might not look like he’s paying attention, but he’s actually listening."
"One of the things I’ve learned in life is to be highly aware of your surroundings."
"That’s true." Mildred laughed meekly, a very different tone than what Penny had remembered. "I have a question for you, Mr. Haines Bennet. I hope you don’t mind."
"I always mind when people tell me they have questions without asking them directly."
"But I’ll ask anyway, since you wouldn’t be so heartless to your niece’s... cousin-in-law?"