Chapter 185
Mark's question came so suddenly that everyone at the table, including William and me, froze for a moment, looking at each other in confusion, not quite understanding his intention.
William was the first to react. Although he seemed a bit puzzled too, he immediately smiled and responded, "I'm full, very satisfied actually. Everyone else should be done eating too, right? Thank you so much for your generous hospitality tonight, Mr. Harris. The Velvet Table's food really lives up to its reputation!"
Following his lead, others put down their utensils and chimed in, "We're full!"
"Thank you, Mr. Harris!"
"The meal was amazing!"
Mark wore a gentle smile, his gaze sweeping over everyone again with a hint of apology, "Sorry, something's come up that I need to take care of. I have to leave early."
He paused, his tone sincere, "If you haven't had enough, please feel free to order more dishes, or some tea and desserts. I've already settled the bill, so don't worry about anything. Just treat it as a casual gathering among friends and make yourselves comfortable."
His words were gracious, but who would dare to actually stay and keep eating?
Besides, dining at the same table as Mark was an honor, but it did come with some invisible pressure.
So everyone stood up, politely saying, "Mr. Harris, you're too kind!"
"We're pretty much done too, and it's about time we headed back anyway."
"Thank you, Mr. Harris. Please go ahead and take care of your business."
Standing among the group, a strange sense of coincidence crossed my mind.
I'd been thinking about finding an excuse to leave early for the hospital, and now Mark just happened to have something to attend to?
What a coincidence, right?
Still, this coincidence was definitely good news for me.
I immediately went along with everyone else, smiling at Mark, "What a coincidence, Mr. Harris. I also have some personal matters to handle. Thank you again for your hospitality tonight."
Amid the farewells and thanks, Mark left the private room, accompanied by his assistant.
Once he left, the atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed.
Everyone couldn't help but excitedly discuss the evening's experience for a while longer.
William came over to me and asked quietly, "Grace, you're going to the hospital to see your mom, right? I'm free now, want me to drive you?"
I shook my head, "No need, William. I'll drive myself. I saw you take a call earlier—was it about the government project? You should have work to take care of."
William nodded, "Yeah, it's about a project in the new district. We submitted a proposal before but hadn't heard back. The call just now was probably to discuss it further. I haven't agreed yet—want to touch base with the core team first."
I smiled encouragingly, "That's great news! Why not say yes? It's an opportunity and funding handed to you on a plate. I didn't drink, so I can drive myself. Go take care of your business. I can handle the hospital on my own."
Seeing my firm attitude, William didn't insist further, only reminding me, "Just be careful on the road, and text me when you get to the hospital."
"Will do, don't worry."
I left The Velvet Table with my colleagues and we each headed to the parking lot.
I found my car, opened the door, got in, fastened my seatbelt, and habitually turned the key.
The expected roar of the engine didn't come—just the starter motor turning over uselessly a few times before going completely silent.
I froze, tried again, same result.
The car wouldn't start.
I got out and walked around the car. The lights worked and the dashboard showed a faint display, so it didn't seem like the battery was completely dead.
I opened the hood for a quick check, but I knew nothing about mechanics and couldn't make sense of anything.
Just my luck.
I sighed helplessly, pulled out my phone, and found the number for a 24-hour car repair service I'd saved before.
I briefly explained the situation and gave them the address. They said they'd send someone as soon as possible, but since The Velvet Table was in a remote location, it might take twenty to thirty minutes.
After hanging up, I leaned against the car. The evening breeze carried the fresh scent of plants from the gardens, but it couldn't blow away my frustration.
Mom and Flora were still waiting for me at the hospital.
I checked the time—it was getting late.
After thinking for a moment, I took out my phone and video-called Mom and Flora first.
The call connected quickly, and Mom and Flora appeared on the screen.
"Mom, Flora," I tried to make my smile look relaxed, "I just finished the company dinner and was planning to bring you some clean clothes. Is there anything special you'd like to eat? I can pick it up on the way."
Mom quickly waved her hand, "Grace, it's so late already. Don't run back and forth. Flora and I have everything we need, and there's a convenience store downstairs at the hospital. You've been busy all day—go home and rest early. Milly's waiting for you at home."
Flora agreed, "That's right, Grace. Don't wear yourself out. Don't worry about me—the caregiver you found for me is great. She comes every day to cook and clean. I'm fine. Your mom has a nurse here too, so stop worrying and running around all the time."
I knew they were concerned about me, but how could I not worry?
"It's okay, Mom, Flora. I'm not tired," I said with a smile. "Emily's taking care of Milly. I called them—they're having a great time. I've already packed the clothes, and it's on the way anyway. I'll feel better once I drop them off. Just wait for me a bit, okay?"
I finally managed to reassure them and got them to stop trying to talk me out of it. Just as I hung up the video call, the repair service arrived.
The mechanic fiddled around with his diagnostic tools for a while, then shook his head, "Ma'am, a key component in your starter motor is broken. We'll need to tow it back to the shop to replace it. We don't have this model part in stock right now—we'll have to order it from the manufacturer. The earliest we can have it fixed is tomorrow afternoon."
"Tomorrow afternoon?" I frowned. That was quite a wait.
But there was nothing I could do about a broken car.
"Alright then, thanks for your help. Let me know when it's fixed." I accepted the reality.
Watching them contact a tow truck to haul my car away, I picked up the two large bags of clothes and daily necessities from the back seat. They were heavy.
Now I'd have to take a taxi to the hospital.
The Velvet Table was built halfway up a mountain—the peaceful environment was nice, but it also meant inconvenient transportation.
I walked to the main road and opened a ride-hailing app, entering my destination.
The app spun for a long time, then prompted me that there were many people requesting rides and suggested I increase the fare.
Looking at the queue of 12 people, I felt powerless.
At this time, in this location, leaving from this kind of high-end establishment, it was indeed hard to get a ride.
Carrying my bags, I walked down the dimly lit mountain road for a bit, hoping to reach a main street where it would be easier to catch a ride.
As I walked, a car silently glided to a stop on the roadside not far ahead of me.
I glanced at it instinctively but didn't pay much attention, continuing to refresh the ride-hailing page. Still no one accepting my request.
"Ms. Brown?" A familiar, warm, mellow male voice suddenly called out.
I looked up, following the sound.
It was Mark.
He seemed to have just finished a phone call, still holding his phone, casually leaning against the car.
The dim yellow streetlight cast a soft glow around him, making him look less sharp than during the day and more quietly serene in the night.
I hadn't expected him to still be here.
Logically, someone of his status should have many things to attend to and should have moved on to the next appointment right after the dinner ended.
After a brief moment of surprise, I quickly understood.
When he said in the private room that something had come up and he needed to leave early, perhaps he really did have something to handle, just hadn't left this area yet.
He saw me, his gaze falling on the two conspicuous large bags in my hands, then glancing at my posture clearly waiting for a ride by the roadside.
I hesitated, feeling I should at least say hello.
But I was also afraid of disturbing him, since he might still be handling business.
So I walked a couple of steps toward him, keeping a small distance, showing a polite, faint smile on my face, nodding slightly as a greeting, without saying anything.
But Mark quickly ended his phone conversation, put away his phone, and walked toward me.