Chapter 653

Chapter 653

Elizabeth snapped: "I don't know!"

She was still angry about Claire's phone call.

"Thank you! Julia finally made up with me!" Simon was as happy as a child.

Elizabeth suddenly smiled with relief: "Congratulations, Simon. Treat Julia well. She's a good girl, straightforward and sunny, without any tricks up her sleeve."

"I know, Elizabeth, I know." Simon was still very excited.

Elizabeth had wanted to ask if he was having lunch with Claire, but then thought better of it—it wasn't really her business to ask.

She changed the subject: "I guess Harper and I won't be having lunch with Julia today. You two will be eating together, right?"

"Of course!" Simon said.

"Let's go, time to get back to work."

That morning, Elizabeth was so busy she didn't even have time for a sip of water.

It wasn't until lunchtime that Harper said to Elizabeth: "Elizabeth, stop drawing. If you keep working like this without eating, always with your head down, you'll get neck problems. Come on, let's get Julia and go eat. My treat today."

Elizabeth didn't look up: "No need to get Julia. She has a date today."

Harper immediately perked up: "What did you say? Julia and my cousin, no wait, your cousin, I mean, our cousin—they made up?"

Elizabeth was amused: "Look at you, little troublemaker, with your strong survival instinct."

Harper: "Hehe."

Elizabeth: "Come on, let's get sushi. You're treating!"

"No problem!"

"Why is the little troublemaker so generous today? Not trying to squeeze money out of me, but actually offering to treat?" Elizabeth asked Harper as they walked out together.

Harper immediately smiled: "Gideon gave me his salary card from this company. I didn't want it at first, but then I thought, why not? I'm his wife—his salary should be managed by me."

"Exactly!"

The two women were getting more and more excited, not noticing the person leaning against the wall in the hallway ahead.

"You two look so happy, sneaking around—where are you off to?" Julia asked.

Elizabeth and Harper both froze when they saw Julia.

Then Elizabeth asked: "Shouldn't you be having a romantic candlelit lunch with Simon today?"

Julia said glumly: "That was the plan."

Harper said with concern: "What happened, Julia? Did you change your mind? Or does Declan not like you? If it's Declan, Elizabeth and I will both help you."

Elizabeth nodded.

But Julia shook her head: "It's not about Declan. Simon and I had plans. I was standing in his office waiting for him to finish up a contract so we could leave."

"But then he got a phone call."

"From who?" Harper and Elizabeth asked at the same time.

"Some relative of his, insisting he come to lunch. His parents are there too, so he couldn't refuse. He actually asked me to come with him, but I didn't want to go." Julia said.

Elizabeth: "So he just went without you?"

Julia smiled faintly: "It's not his fault. I didn't want to go. He didn't want to go either. He said he wouldn't be nice to his relatives anyway, so rather than both of us going unwillingly, it's better if he goes alone and suffers through it."

Elizabeth said: "That makes sense. Come on, the three of us will go eat sushi and drink sake. Harper's treating today."

"Great!"

Three women can put on quite a show too.

They ordered tuna sushi, mango cheese sushi, shrimp sushi, and three small bottles of low-alcohol sake.

That afternoon, the three of them chatted while sipping sake, having a great time.

"We're just missing Nicole," Julia said.

"I wonder if Robert's uncle will ever find Aunt Shanshan. I miss her too. If Aunt Shanshan can't marry into the Lavien family, and I'm the only one who marries in, even though I'm a little troublemaker, I'm actually scared inside."

"This time was another dead end. I think Nicole doesn't want to come back. Otherwise, Gideon wouldn't keep failing to find her." Elizabeth's tone was quite comforting.

Julia and Harper looked at Elizabeth.

Julia asked: "Elizabeth, didn't you say Nicole is pregnant? If she doesn't come back, what will happen?"

"There are plenty of good men in the world. It doesn't have to be Gideon." Elizabeth smiled.

After a pause, she continued: "A woman who was with him for six or seven years, had four or five abortions for him during that time, until her body couldn't take it anymore—and he just kicked her out with a few casual words."

Julia said darkly: "That's right. Gideon was really heartless back then, really heartless."

"When you want her, she stays to do your laundry, cook for you, warm your bed, get pregnant for you, and then abort for you! When you don't want her anymore, you just kick her out of the house? Are you kidding me!"

"Why should I come back!"

"Do you think I can't find another man in this world?"

Elizabeth's speech had both sisters nodding in agreement.

"Exactly! You already kicked me out, why would I come back? I won't come back! Even if you send eight sedan chairs to carry me back, I won't come back! The baby in my belly has nothing to do with you—it's all mine!" Julia said, thumping her chest.

Harper also said angrily: "Let Robert's uncle Gideon be furious, let him regret it for the rest of his life, let his child call someone else daddy!"

The three young women rarely drank, so even though the sake was low in alcohol, after one small bottle each, they were all a bit tipsy.

As the three women were making their bold declarations, Elizabeth's phone rang.

She picked it up and saw it was Simon calling.

"Julia, didn't you bring your phone?" Elizabeth assumed Simon was calling her to reach Julia.

Julia immediately said: "I did bring it."

"Then why is Simon calling my phone?" As she spoke, she handed the phone to Julia to answer.

Julia immediately answered: "Why! You said you were having lunch with your relatives, and now you changed your mind? If you really changed your mind, I'll allow you to apologize to me once. Apologize now!"

On the other end, Simon didn't engage with Julia at all.

His voice was very anxious as he asked Julia: "Julia, isn't this Elizabeth's phone? Why are you answering?"

Julia: "You, you're not looking for me?"

Elizabeth and Harper fell silent.

On the other end, Simon said anxiously: "Julia, quick! Give the phone to Elizabeth. I need to talk to her about something very urgent."

Julia immediately handed the phone to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth answered, her tone very unfriendly: "Simon, what do you want! Apologize to Yanyan right now!"

On the other end, Simon said: "Elizabeth, you need to come to the Windsor Group right away."

Elizabeth was quite surprised: "What happened?"

"That woman—she went to the Windsor Group to see Mr. Windsor."