Chapter 234: A Different Form of Address
Vivian glanced at Julian in surprise.
She hadn’t expected that while she was still so hesitant, Julian had already thought the problem through so thoroughly and laid out all the possibilities.
Mr. Drake was a capable man, and perhaps he really could protect her for a lifetime. But what if?
Could she bear the consequences of that ’what if’?
If she couldn’t, it would undoubtedly be a fatal mistake. For the sake of the Drake Family’s wealth and power, the Drakes would never leave Mr. Drake’s biological granddaughter alone!
Vivian pouted.
She felt that Julian was stating the facts a little too brutally.
But on second thought, ’weren’t the things Julian said to Mr. Drake also a reflection of his own life for the past twenty-some years?’
Julian himself had walked a path of thorns and brambles, one step at a time.
Vivian fell silent at this thought.
It was true. Both Julian and Mr. Drake were resilient, strong-willed people. ’Perhaps being so direct is for the best after all.’
It was quiet for a while.
Mr. Drake finally broke the silence with a wry laugh. "You’re right," he said.
The three of them exchanged glances, a sense of relief settling over them. Mr. Drake continued, "But it will still take me some time to find her. And I’ll have to think about what to say when I do."
"This won’t be easy, after all."
Mr. Drake looked quite troubled.
Seeing this, Vivian offered a few words of comfort. "Girls are emotional creatures. As long as you speak to her nicely, appeal to her with reason and emotion, it should be fine."
"As for the burdens of the Drake Family, they’re not light. That will be up to her."
"Mm."
Mr. Drake agreed, then gave Vivian a deep, meaningful look. "But I believe my granddaughter won’t be just some ordinary person!"
"She must have her own abilities, her own shining qualities!"
Vivian let out a chuckle.
’He has a point. A "shining quality" doesn’t have to be something spectacular. In my opinion, even something as simple as "loving small animals" would be enough for Mr. Drake to think his granddaughter is dazzling!’
They quickly finished their coconuts.
The sea breeze felt so pleasant that Vivian couldn’t help but yawn.
’I woke up so early today. Even though I rested a bit on the plane, I’m still sleepy now.’
"If you’re tired, you should go back and rest."
Seeing Vivian yawn, Mr. Drake stood up. "I’m tired too. I think I’ll head back and rest as well."
"Okay."
Vivian agreed, and she and Julian stood up. The three of them then headed back toward the hotel lobby together.
「In the hotel lobby.」
Just as Vivian, Julian, and Mr. Drake arrived, a group of the Drakes, including Joy Drake and Hazel Drake, hurried over to them, stopping before Mr. Drake.
"Mr. Drake, I heard you’d arrived. I just went to your room to bring you some food, but you weren’t there. I came and asked the hotel manager, but he didn’t know where you were either."
Joy Drake had a smile plastered on her face, feigning a look of concern as she asked politely, "Where did you go? Did you come back with President Faulkner and Mrs. Faulkner?"
After speaking, Joy discreetly glanced at Julian and Vivian, as if trying to ascertain the nature of their relationship with Mr. Drake.
Hearing Joy’s question, Mr. Drake shifted his body, shielding Vivian behind him like a mother hen protecting her chick. "I was a little bored at the hotel," he said.
"I went out for a walk and happened to run into these two. We had a coconut together. It was nothing. It’s late, and I’m tired. I want to go back and rest."
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"As for business matters, we can talk tomorrow when there’s time! Go on, go on, everyone disperse."
Mr. Drake waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the whole crowd of people who had been looking for him and hadn’t even eaten dinner, and turned to walk toward the elevators.
Joy Drake was stunned and nearly stomped her foot in frustration!
Somehow, Joy managed to hold back and hurried after him, catching up just in time to get into the elevator.
"Since you’re tired, Mr. Drake, would you like me to arrange for someone to give you an aromatherapy massage? It’ll help you relax and get a good night’s sleep!"
"And the food is still waiting upstairs. It’s all your favorite dishes. If it’s gotten cold, I can contact the hotel kitchen and have them make a fresh batch for you."
Joy Drake was being extremely considerate, having prepared practically everything she could think to arrange for Mr. Drake.
However, Mr. Drake didn’t seem to appreciate it much. His expression remained indifferent, and only after Joy had been "chattering" on for a long while did he say, "We’ll see about that later!"
"..."
Seeing Mr. Drake’s attitude, Joy didn’t dare say anything more, lest she anger the old man and jeopardize the project she had worked so hard to secure.
Vivian, standing to the side, took all of this in.
’It seems Mr. Drake isn’t very fond of these members of the Drake Family!’
’Then again, that makes sense. The Drake Family is huge and powerful, so there are bound to be internal conflicts. The official story was that a competitor killed Mr. Drake’s daughter and son-in-law, but who really knew?’
’Couldn’t one’s own family be the "competitor"?’
By the time they returned to their suite, it was already past eight o’clock.
Vivian leaned back on the sofa, opened her laptop, and after handling a few emails, a faint scent of aromatherapy wafted to her nose.
It was the scent of rose, her favorite. It wasn’t overpowering, just pleasantly refreshing.
"It smells so nice."
Vivian couldn’t help but look up and praise it, only to see Julian emerging from the bathroom. He said to her, "It’s almost ten. I had someone clean the tub and drew a bath for you."
"I even added a couple drops of your favorite rose essential oil and your favorite rose petals. Vivian, I’ve done all this so perfectly. Shouldn’t we be getting to bed early?"
There was a mischievous hint in Julian’s tone.
Vivian quickly sat up straight, pointed at her laptop screen, and swallowed. "That... I still have something I need to finish up!"
"How about you give me another half hour?"
Hearing this, Julian pursed his thin lips slightly and slowly walked toward Vivian, a hint of displeasure on his face.
When he got close, Julian braced his hands on either side of her laptop, looking down at her. "’That’... what is ’that’?" he asked.
’That? What ’that’?’
Vivian was still a little confused.
Julian had already reached out, tilting her chin up with his index finger and forcing her to look up at him.
Julian continued, enunciating each word, "’That... you still have something to finish up.’ Are you using the word ’that’ to refer to me?"
"Vivian, I don’t think that’s a very good name for me. Can we change it?"
’Change it?’
Vivian stammered, looking a bit dazed as she asked, "Change it to what?"