Chapter 502: The Unattended Birthday Banquet (Part 2)

Chapter 502: Chapter 502: The Unattended Birthday Banquet (Part 2)

Nadia Chapman shifted her head back slightly, the proximity making her feel a hint of danger and a flicker of astonishment. ’Had Seraphina misjudged him?’ she wondered. ’Preston Patterson is such a calculating man. How did she ever get the better of him? Don’t tell me he set her up?’ Nadia’s mind raced with wild theories. But what she didn’t realize was that while Preston was cunning, Seraphina was on another level entirely. He might have been formidable, but to Seraphina Sterling, he was no challenge at all. Dealing with him would be a piece of cake.

"Enjoy your meal. I’m just going to the restroom." Preston Patterson didn’t give Nadia Chapman a chance to reply and walked away.

On the other side of the restaurant, someone had been watching Nadia Chapman’s table closely. "Mom, see? Didn’t I tell you! That’s my cousin! What is he doing with that woman, Nadia Chapman?" Fiona Chapman glared in their direction. ’She hadn’t even had a private meal with Preston Patterson yet, and now this woman had beaten her to it!’

"It’s probably business," Noelle Patterson reasoned. "Doesn’t Nadia Chapman have two companies now? Maybe they’re discussing a collaboration."

"I don’t think so. The Patterson Group is in real estate, with operations all over the country. How could Nadia Chapman’s two tiny companies possibly partner with them? It’s a joke to think The Patterson Group would even look twice at her businesses! Besides, her companies have nothing to do with ours. Even if they wanted to work together, there’s no common ground! And did you see them just now? They were so close, like a couple on a date. There’s no way that was just a business meeting!"

Fiona Chapman glared at Nadia Chapman with pure hatred. ’They were natural-born enemies. From the moment she had arrived at the Chapman household to this very day, she and Nadia had been nothing but adversaries. And that was how it would always be!’

Of course, Noelle Patterson had seen the intimate moment as well. But they were still at the dinner table, and it would be extremely rude to leave abruptly. Even though she was displeased, she couldn’t just march over there and demand an explanation.

"Let’s eat first. Mrs. Faulkner is here, so mind your manners." Noelle Patterson shot Fiona a warning glance. She and Mrs. Faulkner, Felicity Yates, were best friends. They had been inseparable before they got married. Life afterward had its constraints, so they saw each other less often, but they still made it a point to meet up every month. She just never expected they would run into Nadia Chapman during one of their get-togethers.

Evan Faulkner had been tricked into coming by his own mother. He only realized it was a blind date after he arrived, and his expression immediately soured. His mother wasn’t particularly skilled at much, but she was relentlessly enthusiastic when it came to finding him a girlfriend. ’So what if I’m still single?’ he thought. ’Does she have to be in such a mad rush?’ Halfway through the meal, he bolted, planning to make a getaway, but his mother cut him off at the pass.

"Miss Chapman is a nice girl," Felicity Yates pleaded, at her wits’ end with her son. "Just spend some time getting to know her. Things might just work out!"

"Nice girl? She’s a kid! Is she even legal?" Evan Faulkner was completely exasperated. "Mom, please stop worrying about my love life. I’ll find a girlfriend on my own!"

"You say that every time, but when have you ever followed through?" Felicity Yates asserted her matriarchal authority. "Now get back in there and finish your meal!"

"I swear, I’ll have a girlfriend before my next birthday! For real this time!" Evan Faulkner vowed, raising his right hand. "I have something urgent at the office, so I have to go. You can handle our guests!" And just like that, he slipped away.

When Noelle Patterson saw Felicity Yates return alone, she knew exactly what had happened. The Faulkner boy might be a filial son, but he clearly wasn’t one to suffer needlessly. ’He must not have taken a liking to my daughter,’ she thought. ’That’s why he left early.’

"I am so terribly sorry," Felicity Yates said, mortified. "Something came up suddenly at the office, and Evan had to go back to handle it himself. Please, let’s continue our meal!" It had been her idea to arrange the get-together, and she couldn’t believe her son had just run off, leaving her to deal with her guests alone.