After making the bookmarks, Audrey didn't have much to do. She spent her days watching movies at home or chatting with Anthea.
Since Gary's birthday was coming up next week, Anthea had temporarily put her floral design classes on hold, planning to resume them after Gary's birthday celebration.
While most of the preparations for the party were handled by the household staff, Anthea, as the lady of the house, had certain matters to attend to herself.
In these aspects, Anthea performed excellently, and there was little to find fault with.
Gary's birthday party was approaching quickly. Over the past few days, Linda had been trying to get in touch with Audrey. She still hoped that Audrey would take her to the party, but Audrey had managed to avoid the topic.
Linda had been in the household for a while now, so she had become quite familiar with everyone, especially Eric. Besides promoting his movies, he didn't seem to have much else going on and rarely went out with friends.
He was basically at home every day. Audrey didn't understand why, but she always felt like Eric enjoyed teasing her.
She had no idea that it might be because Eric had seen all her criticisms about him in her mind, and he had a personality that couldn't stand losing.
Throughout this time, Audrey hadn't seen Charlotte even once. She hadn't returned even once.
On Saturday, Audrey chose a modest-looking dress to wear – a simple white dress that wasn't a limited edition or a new style; just an ordinary dress.
She didn't wear many accessories either, just a necklace around her neck.
When Anthea saw Audrey's attire for the day, her expression seemed a bit lost.
Audrey noticed and instinctively looked at herself before asking, "Mom, is there something wrong with my outfit?"
Anthea shook her head and smiled, "Nothing's wrong. It looks good, very pretty."
Audrey felt relieved.
In the morning, the house was relatively empty. Gary and Abner had gone to the company, and even Eric, who had been at home these past few days, wasn't around.
Audrey found it a bit strange and asked, "Did Second Brother go out?"
Anthea was an early riser, so she had seen Eric leave after receiving a phone call. She explained, "He received a call and left right after."
Anthea paused for a moment before suddenly asking, "Your relationship with Eric is pretty good now, isn't it?"
Anthea was aware of how much the previous Eric looked down on Audrey, and she knew her daughter's previous attitude wasn't very likable.
Audrey chuckled, "Yeah, Second Brother is a director after all. If I have any questions about acting, I go to him for advice. Over time, we've grown closer. Besides, although Second Brother has a tough exterior, he's actually a nice person."
Anthea nodded and didn't say much more. While she didn't have a deep connection with Gary, she still appreciated Audrey getting along well with the people in the household.
During lunch, Gary and Abner returned home.
Guests would start arriving soon.
There was no need for Audrey to greet the guests. Her reputation in this circle wasn't great, and the affluent young ladies who arrived early wouldn't want to interact with her. Audrey was quite content with this leisure, finding a corner to relax in.
Abner had long entered the business world, and he knew a lot of people who either knew him or wanted to be in his good graces. He joined Gary in entertaining the male guests.
In the moments when there was no one around, Abner's subconscious habit prompted him to check where Audrey was.
During this period of time, he had already developed a habit. He had to see if there were any subtitles above Audrey's head. After all this time, he didn't seem to tire of it.
He simply glanced in her direction, and there she was, seated in a corner, eating some pastries by herself. No one was talking to her.
She appeared quite relaxed, but everyone else was in groups of three to five people. She was the only one by herself, which somehow left an uncomfortable feeling in him.
Abner noticed the brief emotion that flickered through him just now, and even he was momentarily taken aback.
Just then, Evans arrived. He greeted Gary and then went directly to Abner's side.
Seeing Abner lost in thought, he followed Abner's gaze and then saw Audrey with a single glance.
"What are you thinking about?" Evans suddenly spoke up.
Abner snapped out of his thoughts and upon seeing Iverson, a slight smile tugged at his lips. "Nothing much. Why did you come so early today?"
"Didn't have much work today, so I finished up and came." Evans replied, but his peripheral vision was still on Audrey.