Chuck Cannon originally wanted to invite Zelda Maine to dinner. Since Zelda gave him company at the workshop the whole morning, he planned to treat her to a meal.
How could he allow her to pay for his food?
"So, are you available tonight?" Zelda asked again in desperation.
Zelda was a little annoyed by all the nonsense chatterbox behaviour of her best friend, Quincy. Now things have gotten serious. Her mother had heard the news and rushed over. She could only ask Chuck to keep up with the act.
"I have class in the afternoon," Chuck said.
"Can you ask for leave?" Zelda asked, her voice full of apprehension.
Chuck hesitated. The session he'd be skipping this afternoon was Yvette's class. If he skipped her period, she would be more annoyed. All the talk about cars last night had already aggravated her.
"What's the matter?" Chuck asked with interest.
Zelda had no choice but to tell Chuck the reason why she asked him for dinner and why her mother was there coming to city. Chuck was surprised after listening to it. Last time at Quincy Lowe's birthday, Chuck had pretended to be Zelda's boyfriend, but it was no trouble for him at all. He even kissed Zelda twice at that time.
Now that Chuck thought about it, he already had wild thoughts running through his mind.
"Just this time, please help me. My mother is already on her way." Zelda pleaded.
Chuck had no choice but to ask Zelda to wait while he contact Yvette to inform her about the situation. Fortunately, Yvette picked up after two rings.
"You're skipping class, aren't you?"
Yvette's icy voice echoed loud and clear from the other end of the line. It was as if she already knew that Chuck had something up his sleeves, or else he wouldn't have called her.
"Uh, no. I just have something else to do."
"That still means you won't be attending my class. That is ditching schoolwork. Chuck Cannon, you're about to take the exam. Do you think you can pass?"
Chuck shook his head. He knew he wouldn't pass the exam like this, but he couldn't admit that to her.
"Yvette, it's just..."
"It's your decision if you want to show up later or play hooky."
Chuck heaved a heavy sigh. Yvette had given her permission. "Thanks. I'll come to class next time."
"That's what you also said last time," Yvette sneered.
Chuck could feel his ears turning red because of embarrassment. Did he ever say that?
"Thank you." Chuck was too flustered to say anything else.
"I don't want your gratitude. Go and drive Zelda's, Land Rover!"
Yvette hung up, leaving Chuck flabbergasted. What was Yvette thinking? Did she think he was using Zelda's car?
Zelda was all worked up. She called and asked where her mother was so she could make the necessary preparations for dinner later.
Zelda wanted them to dine in her restaurant since the ingredients there were fresh and safe for consumption. However, her mother refused. "No, Quincy mentioned that your boyfriend is an affluent man. I want to see how well-off he is. Let him arrange the dinner."
"Mom, what are you planning to do?' Zelda was on the verge of breaking down.
"Nothing, I just want to have a good look at him."
Zelda's stomach was in knots. What could her mother want out of this? Zelda knew what was in her mother's mind. She must have thought Chuck was a con artist who wanted her money only. However, Chuck could afford to buy the City Square on his own. It was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Why would someone like Chuck want to deceive her? Her wealth could never compare to Chuck's total net worth.
"I'm almost at your restaurant. Remember, I'm not having dinner at your establishment. Let your boyfriend decide."
Then her mother put the phone down.
Zelda became motionless. She groaned and tried to compose herself. "How did it go?"
"I'm good. Let's go," Chuck said.
"My mom asked you to decide where we'll eat for dinner. But don't worry, I'll take care of the bill."
"It's fine. I can manage."
If it was up to Chuck to decide, he thought that his mother's hotel would be appropriate. It was a five-star hotel and the food and service there should be outstanding. Chuck asked Zelda about the number of people coming over. Zelda said that there would be five of them, including her mother and two of her friends.
Chuck nodded in acknowledgement. He looked up Betty Bernard's phone number and made the call. After a few rings, he got through.
"Young Master," Betty answered politely.
"l have a few friends who want to stay over for a few nights. Can you arrange three presidential suites for me?"
"Young Master, kindly hold on for a moment."
Betty immediately went to the front desk to inquire about the rooms. After checking at the computer, Betty frowned. Due to several functions, the hotel seemed to be full of guests. The presidential suites have prior reservations and wouldn't be available for one week. The rooms expected to become vacant would be after two days.
Apart from the suites, all of the luxury and deluxe rooms were also reserved. There were only a few single rooms left. The business of the hotel seemed to be booming.
"Young Master, I'm sorry, but all the presidential suites are unavailable." Betty said apologetically, "Can you please wait for a moment, Young Master? I'll see what I can do." It didn't take her much effort to find a way. Chuck was indeed Karen Lee's precious son.
"There's no need for it. Are there any empty luxury rooms?" Chuck shook his head. He wouldn't want to affect the hotel's reputation.
"There's none." Betty hesitated. Chuck had called her personally, and he was a valuable friend, so she couldn't let him down. "Young Master, do you think it's alright if I make other arrangements for you?"
Betty thought that she could call in a favour. The standard there was also quite notable, and the Young Master would still be satisfied.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Well, Young Master, please wait for a moment. I will call you again later."
"Alright. Is there any table I can reserve for us for dinner at the hotel?" Chuck inquired.
"Yes, definitely, Young Master. Don't worry."
"Well, I'll see you later."
"Sure."
After hanging up the call, Chuck thought about meeting his 'mother-in-law' for the first time. He would undoubtedly leave a bad impression if he drove a sports car since such a vehicle equated to madness. He didn't want his 'mother-in-law' to have the wrong notion about him.
He had to execute well. Chuck got out of his car, which surprised Zelda. "Don't you want to drive?"
"This kind of car will make Auntie feel that I'm not mature enough. How can she be at ease to hand you over to me?" Chuck smiled.
Chuck's statement blew Zelda away. His words were a little too direct, but she did not hate it.
Chuck also felt that something was wrong with his words, so he added in a hurry, "Relax. It's just kidding."
Zelda smiled awkwardly. "Let's use my car then."
Chuck made no objections. He told Zelda that the hotel and the dinner venue were all set.
Zelda nodded in acknowledgement. Besides, she would handle all the expenses.
Before leaving, Chuck dropped by the store and greeted the manager, asking if he could park his car there for an extra day. The manager politely consented. Chuck walked out of the building and got into Zelda's car.
Zelda drove Chuck to her restaurant.
At the entrance of Zelda's restaurant, a Mercedes Benz slowly pulled up not far away from the restaurant.
There were three women in their forties and fifties inside the car. One of them was Zelda's mother, Manny Lowe. She was the one sitting behind the wheel. Manny's outfit made her look serious and intimidating. Her two friends in the backseat seemed very different from her. They were gorgeously elegant. They had the look of mature women but wore clothes like young ladies.
One of them wore a pair of stilettos, aviator sunglasses, and her hair looked stylish, dyed to a bluish hue. She donned a pair Of hot pants, hiding her long legs that stretched for a mile while the other woman wore tight jeans. Their scents were a combination of peach and vanilla, and an undeniable charm was evident in their eyes. The air smelled like blooming flowers during springtime.
"Manny, how old is your son-in-law?" The woman in tight jeans asked Manny.
"I'm not sure. I only know that he's quite rich." Manny's tone was gentle. She did not care about his fortune. She just didn't want her daughter to be involved with a cheater. Her daughter was almost 30 years old. Manny would always worry about her daughter while she was single.
"What do you mean rich? A few million dollars? Ten million dollars?" The woman in tight jeans couldn't help asking.
"l guess it's just about ten million dollars," Manny said. Quincy Lowe didn't tell her much.
She just declared that her daughter Zelda already had a boyfriend.
"Isn't that too little? Zelda has close to a hundred million dollars, right?" The woman in hot pants shook her head.
"Almost. "
"How can it be then? Zelda is such a smart girl. She should at least find a boyfriend who has hundreds of millions saved."
"l think if they're on the same level. At least, it's a perfect match. Don't you think so?"
"My daughter doesn't care about all this." Manny knew her daughter very well.
"That's a big deal. I've watched Zelda grow up. She's so charming and smart. Finding a guy like this will be a great loss for her."
"Yes, I know some people here. I'll hook her up with this guy later."
While the two women chatted, Manny just kept mum. All she did was wait.
After a while, Manny saw her daughter's car approaching. Manny opened the door and got out of her car, and the two women also came out. When they saw Zelda and Chuck, they immediately shook their heads. The woman in hot pants said, "Why did he come here in Zelda's car? He doesn't own one?"
"Not even a car? Is he a swindler? He's worse than being poor. He doesn't have any money at all!" The woman in tight jeans murmured.
When Chuck and Zelda came over, the two women looked even more surprised. "Manny, it's over. Is Zelda's boyfriend a teenager? Is he still a student?"
"Of course, he is either studying or working. Sigh, I think this kid must have cheated Zelda. He doesn't even have a car, so he had to come here in his girlfriend's car. He's not someone Zelda could count on." The two women looked at Chuck and were instantly displeased.