Chapter 86: Water for Her
At the restaurant.
When Vivian Lowell arrived, she spotted Ethan Grant from a distance.
He was wearing a bespoke suit, sitting there with the air of a gentleman, chatting with a pretty young waitress by his side about something or other.
The young waitress was blushing, looking at Ethan Grant with a bashful expression.
"..."
For a moment, Vivian Lowell felt a pang of regret.
’Ethan Grant seems incredibly unreliable.’
"Ethan Grant."
Vivian Lowell called out.
Ethan Grant looked up and rose to pull out Vivian Lowell’s chair. The young waitress shot Vivian a look, her expression complicated, before walking away.
"You’re here."
Ethan Grant’s voice was gentle. He picked up a bouquet of roses from the table and handed it to Vivian Lowell. "For you."
"How can I have a dinner date with a lady and not bring flowers?"
Vivian Lowell glanced at Ethan Grant.
Ethan Grant was incredibly handsome, even more so than Mason Grant. His charming eyes seemed to overflow with affection.
No wonder.
With looks like his, he could charm countless young women. He was a quintessential playboy, from the bouquet of vibrant, dewy roses...
...to the restaurant he’d chosen, the pre-arranged candles, and the window seat with its view of the city lights. The entire scene was steeped in romance.
"Ethan Grant."
But Vivian Lowell had no interest in the bouquet. "We’re here to discuss business," she said coolly. "All of this is unnecessary."
"Tsk."
The smile on Ethan Grant’s face faltered. He seemed to find Vivian Lowell’s all-business attitude incredibly dull.
He casually tossed the bouquet to the nearby waitress. "Here, they’re yours. And don’t forget our ’date’ for later tonight."
"Thank you."
The young waitress clutched the flowers shyly and quickly scurried away.
Once seated at the table, Vivian Lowell got straight to the point. "What is the Grant Family’s current stance on the marriage alliance with the Lowell Family?"
In contrast to Vivian Lowell’s directness, Ethan Grant was far more relaxed. He took a sip of red wine before saying nonchalantly, "My parents have their reservations, of course."
"Frankly, the Lowell Family is in turmoil, both internally and externally. They can’t even handle their own family’s problems, so how can they guarantee their cooperation with the Grant Family?"
"My parents’ plan was to use the scandals Shelly Lowell caused at the banquet as an excuse to just call off the engagement."
"But who would’ve thought... that cuckolded fool Mason Grant would refuse. Vivian Lowell, you think Mason has actually fallen for Shelly Lowell? Why else would he be unwilling to call it off?"
’Mason Grant refuses to call off the engagement?’
Vivian Lowell was a bit surprised.
Based on how Mason Grant had sought her out time and again, even tracking down the address of her new company, he was clearly very displeased with Shelly Lowell.
It wasn’t just because of the scandals.
Shelly Lowell wasn’t very capable. Without Vivian Lowell’s guidance in this lifetime, her integration into Aethelburg’s high society had been incredibly slow.
If the Grant Family took her as a daughter-in-law, it would likely take a great deal of time and effort to get Shelly to a point where she could be a presentable asset.
From what Vivian Lowell knew of Mason Grant...
...he was a man who put profit above all else. ’So why wouldn’t he seize this opportunity to end the engagement?’
"A bit surprising."
Vivian Lowell leaned back in her chair. "Have you asked Mason why he’s against it?"
Ethan Grant chuckled dismissively. "Of course I asked, but he refused to say. He said it was his own private business and had nothing to do with me."
"Hey, Vivian Lowell. You asked me out to discuss ’important business,’ so why are you just interrogating me? Can’t you offer a single piece of useful information?"
"To be honest, after the Lowell Family’s troubles started, our family was dragged in too. Mason has handled everything quite well, and I can see my parents are very pleased with him."
"..."
Vivian Lowell closed her eyes for a moment, sizing up the rich playboy in front of her.
Ethan Grant had absolutely no business acumen and wasn’t book-smart either. His only decent skill was socializing—specifically, the kind of socializing with women that happens in the bedroom.
Composing herself, Vivian Lowell began to analyze the situation.
"Mason doesn’t want to abandon the alliance for the simple reason that it’s still profitable. Besides, without the Lowells, he doesn’t have another, better marital connection lined up to secure his position. Of course he’s not going to let go."
Vivian Lowell thought for a moment, then said, "If you want to make Mason’s life difficult, you should focus your efforts there."
"Make your parents believe the Lowell Family is a lost cause, that they want nothing more to do with us. If Mason still insists on the marriage at that point, will they still be so pleased with him?"
Ethan Grant’s eyes lit up. That made perfect sense.
Just then, the food was served.
He pushed the steak in front of Vivian Lowell. "Try the Wagyu here. I had it cooked medium. It’s excellent."
Facing Ethan Grant, Vivian Lowell really had no appetite.
However, she was a bit hungry and didn’t want to waste food. Without exchanging any more pleasantries with Ethan, she simply ate her steak.
An hour passed, and dinner was over.
During that time, Vivian Lowell and Ethan Grant discussed more matters concerning the Lowell and Grant families. Ethan seemed quite interested in Vivian herself, but she played dumb and ignored all his advances.
Ethan Grant was obviously not pleased.
But there was nothing he could do about Vivian, so he sulkily finished his wine, paid the bill, and left.
After Ethan Grant left, the world suddenly seemed much quieter to Vivian.
The Aethelburg skyline at night was beautiful.
The city was just lighting up, and the multicolored lights twinkled like a lively, dazzling party.
She watched for a while, and then her phone buzzed.
It was a message from Julian Faulkner.
"Have you eaten?"
"Just finished."
Vivian Lowell sent a brief reply. Seeing it was already eight o’clock, she sent another message: "I’m getting a cab home now. Are you home yet?"
Just as she sent the message, her hand slipped, and she accidentally knocked over the wine glass in front of her.
A waitress immediately came over to clean up.
"Sorry."
Vivian Lowell murmured. After the waitress finished cleaning, a glass of water was held out in front of her.
Vivian Lowell turned her head and glanced over doubtfully.
The person handing her the water was the very same young waitress from earlier—the one who had been standing beside Ethan Grant, blushing, and who had later accepted his bouquet of roses.
She was all smiles, saying politely, "Ma’am, it looks like you might be a little dizzy from the wine. Would you like a glass of water to clear your head? Are you leaving to get a cab now?"
"Where are you going? I can help you!"
Vivian Lowell found the young waitress’s behavior a bit strange.
’I remember her,’ she thought. ’The way she was looking at me earlier was full of scrutiny, and maybe even a little... jealousy?’
It made sense.
A playboy like Ethan Grant was an attention magnet wherever he went, especially for materialistic women.
Ethan Grant had prepared a candlelight dinner for her tonight, and she had shown zero interest. To this waitress, who would do anything to latch onto someone like him, Vivian’s indifference must have felt like a soul-crushing reality check.
The young waitress was clearly resentful.
’But... why is she handing me a glass of water?’
Looking at the clear water in the glass, Vivian Lowell had no intention of drinking it. She accepted the glass, placed it directly on the table, and said coolly, "Thank you."
"But I’ll be fine getting a cab on my own."
With that, Vivian Lowell stood up and left, paying the young waitress no further mind.
After Vivian Lowell left.
Back in the restaurant, the young waitress glared viciously at Vivian Lowell’s retreating figure, stamped her foot in frustration, and pulled out her phone to make a call.
"Hello? Mr. Grant? The lady has left. No, she didn’t drink the water I gave her. She should be heading downstairs now."
"You’ll have to figure out the rest on your own. But the payment you promised me... Yes, thank you, Mr. Grant. We look forward to seeing you at our restaurant again!"