Chapter 222 Eating Sunflower Seeds
As night fell, the neon lights of Harbor Bar flickered in the darkness.
A black sedan was parked discreetly to the side.
Alfonso looked at his reflection in the car window, his long, slender fingers loosely clasped together.
His delicate features reflected in the window glass looked somewhat cold at this moment.
He checked the time, took a deep breath, opened the door and got out of the car, walking into Harbor Bar.
Inside the bar.
Mabel was cracking sunflower seeds, killing time.
She wore a simple white dress, looking fresh and sweet, radiating a kind of charm. Several men had already wanted to come over and say hello, but they didn't dare approach when they saw the bodyguard standing behind her.
Mabel knew Alfonso was following her, so she deliberately came to Harbor Bar to have fun—cracking sunflower seeds.
Rufus Chapman, sitting beside her, placed the shelled seeds in front of her. "Miss, are these seeds enough? If not, I'll keep shelling them for you."
Rufus was tall and slender, with a hint of youthfulness in his features, looking no more than twenty-something.
Mabel smiled and nodded. "Keep shelling."
Rufus took the opportunity to pull out his phone and, fighting his social anxiety, boldly said, "Miss, can we add each other on Facebook? You can reach out to me when you want seeds shelled, or even when you're bored."
His tone carried a hint of nervousness and anticipation.
Mabel suddenly stopped eating the seeds.
She saw Alfonso's figure—he was standing at the bar counter looking in her direction.
Mabel quickly made a decision, turning to look at Rufus. "What's your name?"
"Miss, I'm Rufus Chapman." Rufus answered somewhat shyly.
Tonight was his first day working at Harbor Bar as a drinking companion, and he hadn't expected his first customer would just have him shell sunflower seeds.
Mabel thought for a few seconds, then leaned her head closer to Rufus to make them look intimate. "Rufus, do you need money?"
"What?" Rufus was stunned. He looked down at Mabel and saw that when she asked this question, there wasn't a trace of contempt in her eyes—she was purely just asking a question.
He smiled helplessly. "Miss, of course I need money, otherwise I wouldn't be working as a drinking companion."
His voice carried a hint of self-mockery.
His mother had fallen seriously ill, and his monthly salary simply wasn't enough to cover the medical expenses.
Otherwise, Rufus wouldn't have come to work at the bar.
Mabel pulled out her phone, scanned his Facebook, and added him as a friend. "I want to rent you as a boyfriend. Are you willing? Ten thousand dollars a day, and when the rental period ends, if you perform well, I'll give you a generous bonus."
Rufus was stunned.
He had never imagined he would encounter something like this.
Mabel tilted her head, her smile sweet. "Of course, if you're not willing, that's fine. But for my safety, if you agree and I rent you, I'll have someone investigate your background."
Rufus hesitated for a moment. The pay of ten thousand dollars a day was very tempting, and Mabel looked sweet and didn't seem like a bad person. "Okay."
His voice was firm, deciding to seize this opportunity.
Clearly, Rufus was a decisive person.
Mabel smiled sweetly. "I'll send you an electronic contract tonight to sign. This matter is just between you and me—I don't want a third person to know."
Rufus nodded seriously. "Don't worry, I can keep my mouth shut."
Not far away, Alfonso watched Mabel lean close to Rufus, his expression displeased.
Alfonso strode over, and just as he approached, he heard Mabel say with a sweet smile, "Rufus, you're so adorable."
Alfonso smiled coldly, his voice gentle but through gritted teeth. "Mabel Darling, what are you doing?"
Mabel looked up and saw Alfonso, the smile on her face still sweet. "Mr. Carr, this is my new boyfriend, Rufus."
She deliberately leaned closer to Rufus to make them look even more intimate.
Rufus wasn't stupid—he instantly understood the purpose of Mabel renting him as a boyfriend.
He politely nodded to Alfonso. "Hello, I'm her boyfriend."
Alfonso's jaw tightened. His gaze swept coldly over Rufus, then looked at Mabel. "Mabel, come outside with me. We need to talk."
The commotion here had already attracted attention from those around them.
Mabel smiled and stood up. "Rufus, let's go together."
Rufus was quick on the uptake—he stood up along with Mabel.
Mabel reached out and tugged at Rufus's sleeve.
Alfonso's gaze fell on Mabel's two slender fingers, the displeasure in his heart growing stronger, but he still suppressed his emotions, turned around, and led the way outside.
The three of them walked out of the bar.
In the night, Alfonso stopped. He turned to look at Mabel. "Mabel, I know you're angry with me, but using this method to get back at me—don't you think it's too childish?"
Mabel smiled slightly, her tone calm. "Mr. Carr, I'm not getting back at you. I'm just living my life."
Her voice was sweet.
Alfonso looked at her deeply.
The two were in a standoff.
Mabel tugged at Rufus's sleeve and looked up at him. "Let's go back."
Alfonso laughed in anger. He tried to pull Mabel away but was blocked by her bodyguard.
This time, Mabel's bodyguard had been changed. Looking at their presence, they had clearly seen bloodshed.
Mabel got into the car and sent Timothy a thank-you message.
Elizabeth saw the message from Mabel and raised an eyebrow. "Mabel asked you for bodyguards?"
She deliberately used the back of her foot to tease Timothy's calf.
Timothy's expression didn't change. He continued sitting on the floor, building blocks with Seraphina while responding, "Yes."
Elizabeth didn't know what Mabel was up to, but she guessed it was probably to block Alfonso.
Just as Elizabeth was feeling generous and preparing to sit on the floor to help Timothy build blocks, her phone rang.
"Who's calling me this late?"
Elizabeth answered the phone.
From the other end came Herschel's steady but slightly excited voice. "Ms. Penrose, sorry to disturb you so late. My uncle wants to speak with you now. Is this a good time?"
Elizabeth answered with some confusion, "Sure."
Was it about Emma again?
The Nightingale family was quite capable. Russell got Elizabeth's background information tonight and found out that Elizabeth had no blood relation to Calista. He was calling with a glimmer of hope.
Because it wasn't confirmed yet, Russell was still keeping this from Freya.
"Ms. Penrose, hello."
"Hello."
Russell organized his words and slowly began, "Ms. Penrose, you look similar to one of my wife's elders."
Elizabeth was stunned—she vaguely seemed to guess what he was going to say.
"Ms. Penrose, you should also know that my daughter went missing when she was young. The Nightingale family has been sending people to look for her all these years."
Russell's voice was slightly hoarse. He actually had given up hope of finding her.
Elizabeth listened without interrupting.
But one of her hands nervously gripped Timothy's hand.
Timothy looked at Elizabeth in surprise.
On the other end of the phone, Russell rubbed his temples and asked cautiously, "May I use your hair for a paternity test?"