Indirect Blind Date

This birthday banquet felt more like a networking event, where each family brought their younger generation along. In reality, it was all about expanding their social circles.

It was somewhat like a large-scale matchmaking event. Gary's three children had reached the age of marriage, and he had put effort into trying to find suitable partners for them.

Abner, Eric, and Audrey were well aware of this, and they were particularly averse to it. However, they couldn't stay hidden inside the house like Audrey did throughout the entire event.

Not long after Eric had entered the house with Audrey, he was called away again by someone, saying that Gary was looking for him.

Eric's irritation was evident, as he knew that Gary intended to introduce him to a wealthy heiress.

The heiress's family had business collaborations with the Lance family, and if their relationship succeeded, their cooperation could become even more profound.

Audrey also understood the situation. She noticed Eric's displeasure and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

[Indeed, being a young master isn't as easy as it seems.]

Seeing this line of words, Eric felt like pulling his hair out in frustration. He recalled Amanda taking him to get styled earlier in the day, and now he couldn't mess up his hair.

At this moment, he envied Audrey immensely for her freedom.

Audrey had a good mother. Although Gary had initially suggested finding a suitable partner for Audrey, Anthea firmly refused. She believed her daughter should choose her own path in marriage and love.

Audrey mentioned her aspiration to become an actress, and Anthea supported her, even taking the initiative to learn about the lives of entertainment industry stars.

To her, it didn't matter what her daughter wanted to do, as long as she was happy.

She didn't see Audrey's career choice as irresponsible.

"Second Brother?"

The person delivering the message noticed Eric's absentmindedness and called him a couple more times. However, with no response, Audrey had to raise her voice to get his attention.

Eric snapped back to reality and said to Audrey, "You can stay here. I'll go out for a bit."

Audrey nodded, having nothing else to do. She took out her phone and started scrolling through her social media, looking for any hot topics.

Abner and Evans were mingling with a succession of individuals of the opposite sex. Charlotte was experiencing the same situation. As for Eric, no one knew where he had disappeared to. Even if someone wanted to introduce him to someone, they couldn't find him.

After Eric came out of the house, he engaged in a brief conversation with the girl Gary had introduced him to. However, he couldn't stand the forced enthusiasm and quickly found an excuse to slip away.

After finally making his way to a less crowded corner, he saw Charlotte there.

There was a hint of impatience on her face.

When the two of them met, they looked at each other with a hint of sympathy.

Charlotte thought of something and suddenly asked, "You seem to be getting along well with Audrey?"

Eric didn't see a need to hide anything and replied casually, "It's not bad. I've been home a lot lately, so we've run into each other quite a bit."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Didn't you hate her in the past?"

Eric said, "You said that was in the past…"

Eric's voice abruptly stopped as he recognized the phrase he had just blurted out. It sounded strangely familiar, and it took him a moment to remember that Audrey had said the exact same thing to him not long ago.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Eric explained, "She's different now from before. I don't find her as annoying as I used to."

Charlotte scrutinized him, as if trying to see through him.

Eric couldn't mention the subtitles he had seen above Audrey's head, as that was just too inexplicable. He settled for saying, "Nobody's perfect. She has changed a lot, but sometimes she can still be quite annoying."

For example, when she was complaining about him.

"It seems like a lot has happened at the old mansion while I was away," Charlotte remarked. "I noticed that Abner's attitude towards her has improved as well. Just now, I even saw Abner step in to help her out."

Eric slightly furrowed his brow. He hadn't noticed that, but upon reflection, he realized that Abner's recent behavior, such as returning home, had been somewhat unusual.

Suppressing his internal doubts, Eric turned the conversation around, asking Charlotte, "You haven't been back to the old mansion in a long time. Are you busy with work?"

Charlotte glanced over at the composed Abner not far away, her emotions seeming complex. "You know I started as an ordinary employee in there. With so many superiors to answer to, being busy is a must."