Chapter 272: Aniston's Intuition

[Chapter 272: Aniston's Intuition]

The car drove up to the manor, and the security guard, poised to ask for an invitation as the vehicle approached, immediately dropped the pretense upon seeing the two ladies inside. His face broke into a deferential smile. "Ms. Aniston, please come in!" With that, he hurriedly dashed back to open the gate.

As they got out in the parking lot, the two ladies stood for a moment, just like Eric did when he first saw the Liberty City, surveying the villa before walking in together.

Upon pushing open the glass door, they entered a grand hall spanning over 600 square feet, bustling with waitstaff and chefs darting about. The sight of the two women elicited little more than an indifferent glance from the staff.

The party hadn't technically started yet, but as Eric's girlfriend, the petite girl thought it only natural to arrive a bit early.

After a moment, feeling ignored, she grew somewhat irritated, even forgetting about Nicole beside her. Strutting towards the kitchen in her high heels, she accidentally stumbled upon a middle-aged man in a suit discussing something with Drew. Pushing her chest out defiantly, she strode over. "Hey, how's everything coming along?"

Drew looked up at Aniston, dressed in a little white dress, and smiled softly. "Madam, you're a bit early; the party hasn't started yet. But you're welcome to rest in the living room for an hour."

Seeing Drew treating her like just another guest made her furious. "You little brat, don't forget who you are. Mind your manners, or I'll have Eric toss you out."

"I'm so scared," she giggled with a mock 'terrified' face, quickly morphing back to a sly grin, rebutting, "Go ahead if you dare."

Aniston shot Drew a few fiery glares before turning her attention to the suited middle-aged man. "Are you in charge of the party?"

He smiled and nodded, seemingly ignoring the girls' banter. Both women were close to Eric Williams, and he didn't dare offend either. He extended his hand, saying, "Hello, Ms. Aniston. I'm Will Clark. How may I assist you?"

"I don't like the arrangement of the buffet table outside. Can you move it?" she casually offered, seeking an excuse to exert her influence.

Before Will could react, Drew interjected, "Mr. Clark, don't forget I'm covering the bill today!"

Will glanced around. As a party planner, he often dealt with disputes among different hosts and typically deferred decisions to the person with authority. In this manor, the sole authority figure was Eric.

"Perhaps it's best if you ladies consult Mr. Williams," he said with a slick smile.

Both girls glared at Will, but he merely shrugged, adopting a demeanor that implied, 'You do what you want; I'm not getting involved.'

Frustrated, they exchanged glances, aware of the potential fallout. They would not escalate matters in front of so many people, especially not in a way that would embarrass Eric.

Finally, the petite girl suggested, "Let's split it down the middle!"

"Rock-paper-scissors!" Drew chimed in.

Aniston clenched her fists, apparently recalling something. Quickly shaking her head, she said, "No way. Or do we go find Eric?"

Drew smirked, "You were the one who started this mess; we have over a hundred guests today. If you act up and embarrass Eric in front of all these people, ugh..."

Aniston wasn't like Drew. If their positions had been reversed, the brazen girl probably wouldn't have cared about Eric's dignity, but Aniston didn't dare go there. Sighing defiantly, she asked, "Where's Eric?"

Drew shrugged, the corners of her eyes not batting as she replied, "I don't know; there are over thirty rooms here. You can go search one by one."

"You..." the petite girl nearly charged at Drew but glanced at the seemingly disinterested Will. She asked, "Mr. Clark, do you know where Eric is?"

Will offered a sheepish smile and shook his head. "Ms. Aniston, I've been in the kitchen. I really don't know."

Annoyed, she stomped her foot and turned to leave.

...

In the living room, Nicole observed Aniston heading towards the kitchen and casually began to explore the villa's interior. She strolled to the large window, gazing at the sea for a bit. Turning, she intended to check out the second floor but happened to notice a closed door nearby. Curiosity piqued, she pressed the button next to it.

"What's going on?" Eric's voice came through the speaker, surprising Nicole.

"Uh, Eric, it's me," she quickly responded into the intercom.

"Oh, come on in," Eric's voice said, and the door swung open automatically. Peeking into the stairwell that led down, she stepped inside, with the door silently closing behind her.

Nicole made her way to Eric's study, finding him sitting at his desk with his nose buried in a book. After taking in her surroundings, reminiscent of his Beverly Hills study, she sauntered over to the wall covered in scripts and lightly struck up a conversation. "Eric, I can't believe you still haven't changed this habit."

Eric placed his book down, reopened the window, and switched off the overhead lights before saying, "Why should I? I really like it this way."

Nicole, with her back to the wall, casually wandered around the room. "I envy you; you get to do whatever you want."

"Just as long as one doesn't always want too much, they can do as they please," Eric replied with a smile.

"It's not that simple." Nicole shook her head, moving beside Eric's large desk. She perched herself on the edge, kicked off her high heels, and swung her fair feet lazily.

Noting her seemingly casual demeanor, Eric raised an eyebrow. "Jenny came with you, didn't she?"

"Of course, she's out there. Maybe she's busy arguing with Ms. Barrymore."

Instinctively, Eric glanced towards the door, realizing the absence of any interruption meant the two girls had likely kept things civil. Trusting in their discretion, he relaxed, settling back into his leather chair while admiring Nicole. Dressed in a stunning red one-shoulder gown that showcased her figure beautifully, adorned with a matching scarf and bright red lips, she was a sight to behold.

Feeling Eric's intense gaze, Nicole suddenly grew self-conscious about her posture. Although she wanted to hop off the desk, lingering thoughts made her hesitate, but she lifted her chin slightly and puffed out her chest.

"Did you put something in there? It looks a bit bigger," Eric teased after a moment.

Nicole shot him a glare, then taunted back, "Why don't you find out?"

Eric had never been one to be courteous, reaching out to take her two long legs and pull Nicole into his embrace.

After a flurry of movements, she protested, "No, don't take that off! What if someone walks in?"

"Nobody enters without my permission," Eric explained, resulting in Nicole dropping her resistance.

The bright red dress soon lifted up, cascading onto the nearby sofa, revealing a small scrap of cloth underneath. With her soft, bare skin pressed against the desk, the chill sent a soft gasp from Nicole, turning her head to shoot a gaze filled with lament towards Eric, but his strong hands firmly gripped her waist, followed by an invasive heat.

...

The petite girl hadn't gained any leverage from Drew in the kitchen and left in a sulk, only to find Nicole missing. After asking a few staff members with little success, one waiter pointed up the staircase. "I just saw Ms. Kidman go that way. She might have gone upstairs."

Aniston thanked him, heading towards the stairs. She noticed the same tightly shut door leading to the lower level but didn't feel inquisitive like Nicole; instead, she ventured up.

After a thorough search, having taken her time to explore, she found no sign of Nicole or Eric. A strange feeling grew inside her. Frustrated, she double-checked by knocking on several doors, receiving no response.

Returning to the main hall, Aniston inquired again about Eric's whereabouts from the party organizers.

"No idea. Mr. Williams could be in one of the rooms."

"Ms. Aniston, it's our first time here as well."

"Sorry, Ms. Aniston. Perhaps you could look outside; the estate is pretty big. Mr. Williams may be somewhere else."

"..."

Having asked everyone without any leads on Eric's location, the petite girl stomped her foot in irritation, muttering, "Now that's just great -- building such a big house for hide-and-seek."

Though complaining, she still headed outside. The inability to find Eric and Nicole intensified that odd sensation, but she felt instinctively resistant to dwelling on a specific thought. While asking Drew directly would have been the simplest way, Aniston strongly disliked engaging with her. Besting Drew in a war of words seemed futile; she preferred a physical approach, which she was slightly better at, but today was clearly not the right time for that.

*****

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