Chapter 247: Reaching a Consensus
Vivian Lowell accepted all of Julian Faulkner’s kindness.
After all, a married couple shouldn’t follow the traditional model where only the wife takes care of the husband. The husband should also take care of the wife in return. Relationships in this world are meant to be mutual.
If one person was putting in all the effort, it would never work.
"Is it good, Vivian? It looks like you have a little bit of tiramisu cream on the corner of your mouth. Want me to wipe it for you?"
Vivian Lowell was eating tiramisu while on a video conference when Julian Faulkner came over and chimed in.
"..."
Vivian Lowell was still listening to Leo speak, and her own microphone was still on. Now that Julian Faulkner had spoken, everyone at the company on the other end had surely heard him.
Startled, Vivian Lowell immediately muted her microphone.
On the other end of the call, there was a moment of silence, but thankfully, Leo quickly resumed his presentation on the company’s upcoming activities.
"I’ll wipe it myself!"
Vivian Lowell gave Julian Faulkner a helpless look, picked up a napkin, and wiped the corner of her mouth. However, it seemed she missed the spot. When she looked at the napkin, it was still completely clean.
"Where is it?"
Vivian Lowell couldn’t help but ask Julian Faulkner. Just then, Leo had a question for Vivian, so she unmuted her microphone to answer him.
It was just her luck.
At that exact moment, Julian Faulkner grabbed a napkin, leaned closer, and said, "Silly girl, come a little closer. I’ll wipe it clean for you."
"You can’t see it yourself. Only I know where it is."
!!!
Vivian Lowell immediately muted her microphone again. She turned to Julian Faulkner, her cheeks puffed in annoyance, and demanded, "Julian Faulkner, you... you did that on purpose, didn’t you! Ahhh, I’m going to die of social embarrassment!"
Vivian Lowell felt that when she returned to the office, everyone would surely give her the strangest looks.
This was so embarrassing!
And yet, Julian Faulkner maintained a serious expression as he looked at Vivian Lowell. "They won’t. Who would dare say anything about you? Don’t worry about it."
But she really couldn’t not worry.
Vivian Lowell sighed to herself, but in the next moment, Julian Faulkner had wrapped the napkin around his fingertip and was slowly pressing it to her lips.
The touch was ticklish. Because of the layer of napkin, Vivian Lowell couldn’t quite feel the warmth of Julian Faulkner’s hand, but she could clearly perceive the burning intensity in his eyes.
Julian Faulkner’s gaze was scorching. As he stared at Vivian Lowell, his eyes held nothing but her, his dark pupils conveying a profound depth.
"Julian Faulkner..."
Vivian Lowell mumbled his name, and then Julian Faulkner’s lips pressed against hers. The kiss was brief, as Vivian was still in her meeting, and Julian didn’t want to hold her up for too long.
After the kiss, Julian Faulkner gave a small smile. Although his eyes held a hint of longing, he still said, "Alright, it’s clean now. Mmm... very sweet."
"Of course, I’m not just talking about the tiramisu’s sweetness, but yours."
"What in the world..." Vivian Lowell muttered again. She lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, and, not knowing what else to say, returned her attention to the meeting.
When the meeting ended, it was already past five o’clock.
Feeling a bit tired, Vivian Lowell leaned back in her chair, yawned, and rubbed her eyes.
She had been staring at the computer for so long that her eyes were starting to feel sore. It was time to close them and rest for a bit.
She hadn’t been resting for long, however, when Julian Faulkner came over and called her name.
"It’s about that time. Are we going to the Drake Family’s party tonight? If not, I can call the restaurant in advance and order our dinner."
The Drake Family’s banquet.
Ordinarily, Vivian Lowell would definitely not want to go. She didn’t like a single one of the Drakes, including Sylvia Drake, Finn Drake, Joy Drake, and Hazel Drake.
However, Mr. Drake would be attending tonight’s party.
"Let’s go."
Vivian Lowell thought for a moment before saying, "Let’s go and see what Mr. Drake is up to. If it’s nothing that concerns us, we can just leave. There are plenty of other places to eat in the hotel, aren’t there?"
"Alright. As long as you’re happy."
Julian Faulkner nodded in agreement, took Vivian Lowell by the hand, and they headed out together.
On the first floor of the hotel.
𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Many people had come for the banquet, including Eleanor Rhodes’s parents and even the Sterlings. They had all come to Cyrina and were gathered in this hotel.
A large crowd of media had also gathered at the hotel entrance, taking photos. The scale of the event was even more impressive than the last banquet hosted by Joy Drake.
This just went to show that Mr. Drake’s name still carried immense weight, as many had come just for him.
Once in the hotel lobby, Vivian Lowell first went to greet the Rhodes. Just as she had before, Mrs. Sterling came over to find Vivian and Eleanor Rhodes.
Mrs. Sterling’s enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Eleanor Rhodes and Vivian Lowell had no choice but to engage. Seeing that Henry Sterling hadn’t tagged along, Vivian exchanged a few pleasantries with Mrs. Sterling.
After chatting for a while, the group headed into the hotel’s banquet hall.
Inside the banquet hall, the Drakes were greeting guests. Joy Drake spotted Vivian Lowell and initially intended to go over and say hello, especially since the Rhodes and the Sterlings were also there.
The Drake Family still wanted to maintain good relations with the Rhodes and Sterling families.
However, before Joy Drake could even take a step, she caught the icy glare from Julian Faulkner, who was standing right beside Vivian Lowell.
Instantly, Joy Drake recalled the words Julian Faulkner had spoken to her. She froze in her tracks, forcing herself to turn away and greet someone else instead.
Mrs. Rhodes was a little surprised.
Unaware of the backstory, she couldn’t help but ask, "Vivian, that Miss Drake seems like such a social butterfly. Why would she see you and not come over to say hello?"
"Did something happen between you two?"
"Mhm."
Vivian Lowell didn’t try to hide anything. "Sylvia Drake and Finn Drake—Miss Drake’s relatives—tried to drive a wedge between Julian Faulkner and me."
"We found them out, and they’ve been turned over to the police. Joy Drake is no saint either. Julian Faulkner warned her, so now she keeps her distance."
Mrs. Rhodes was utterly astonished!
There was so much to unpack in what Vivian Lowell had just said!
’What on earth could they have done to be sent to prison?’
And Joy Drake had been warned, too? She had thought Joy seemed so gentle; she didn’t seem like the type of person who could do anything malicious.
But since the Faulkner Family had made its position clear, Mrs. Rhodes knew where things stood.
This wasn’t the time for more questions. If the Faulkner Family was wary of the Drake Family, then she would be too.
Standing nearby, Mrs. Sterling was thinking the exact same thing.
’The current head of the Faulkner Family is a wise man,’ she thought. ’It’s best to just follow their lead.’
And so, the three families decided that from now on, they would all have to be very wary of "Joy Drake"!