Chapter 99 Guess Who I Just Bumped Into
“Dad, I made a new friend today. Her name is Orania Winslow.
Dad, do you know why she has this name?”
Alistair thought hard for a while and then tentatively replied, “Could it be that her mom loves oranges?”
Eloise’s eyes widened.
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With her big, doe–like eyes, the little girl resembled a cute child
who had just stepped out of a cartoon.
Alistair rubbed his smooth chin. “Did I get it wrong?”
Eloise exclaimed, opening her mouth wide in an over–the–top manner, “Dad! Do you know Orania’s mom?”
Alistair let out a bewildered laugh. “I’ve never even met Orania. How on earth would I know her mom?”
“But Dad, you guessed it right off the bat! You’re so cool! You’re a hundred times, no, ten thousand times cooler than Superman!”
This shower of praise made Alistair beam from ea ear.
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she spoke up again, “Orania’s
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mom loves oranges, so she named her Orania. But my name is Eloise… Why did Mom name me this? Dad, is there a fruit called Eloise in the world?”
Alistair, not well–versed in such matters, replied, “I don’t reckon so. I’ve never heard of it.”
Eloise wasn’t buying it. “Well, then, is there any kind of food called Eloise?”
Alistair pondered for a moment. “Maybe?”
Their conversation came to a halt when they passed by a churros shop.
“Dad, I wanna have a churro!”
The chauffeur–driven car smoothly pulled over to the roadside.
Alistair took Eloise’s tiny hand and led her into the shop. Inside,
Eloise stood in front of the cabinet, eyeing the delicate churros, completely stumped on which one to pick.
In the cabinet, there were churros with the classic flavor. Besides that, they also found ones flavored with various fruit syrups, like strawberry, orange, cherry tomato, and banana.
After much back–and–forth, Eloise finally settled on a mixed–flavor one with strawberries, oranges, and bananas. “Dad,
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you bumped I…
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which one are you gonna get?”
Alistair picked a traditional churro for himself. “Do you know what kind Mom likes?”
After living with Caroline for some time, Alistair was sure that Caroline was more easy–going about food than Rebecca.
Of course, the cook at home was really good at her job, much more professional than he was, so there was really nothing to be picky about.
So far, Alistair hadn’t found out what Caroline didn’t like to eat, nor
what she especially liked.
Eloise tilted her little face up, thought for a long time, and then shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen Mom eat a churro.”
Alistair simply bought one of each kind.
Surely one of them will suit Caroline’s taste.
“Hey, isn’t that so–and–so?” A sudden voice came from behind.
Alistair was so focused on talking to Eloise that, although the voice sounded familiar, he didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until the voice called out his name, “Alistair?”
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Chapter 99 Guess who I Just Bumped I…
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Eloise craned her neck curiously and then leaned in close to
Alistair, whispering, “Dad, there’s a madam calling you. Who is
she?”
Before Alistair could even turn around to see, Eloise lowered her voice to an even softer murmur. “She’s not as pretty as Mom!”
The woman who had called out Alistair’s name missed Eloise’s second comment but caught the first one. Her expression soured instantly. “Who are you calling ‘madam‘? It’s ‘lady‘! You little rascal, say it right this time!”
Some women had a thing for being addressed in a way that made them sound younger.
And unmarried women who weren’t all that old yet couldn’t stand being called “madam.”
Anne was one such woman.
Alistair quickly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Eloise to shield her. He fixed Anne with a cold, expressionless
stare.
Normally, Eloise would refer to women of a similar age as “lady.”
But there was an exception. When she took an immediate dislike to someone, she’d use the term “madam.”
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ust bumped
Clearly, she had no fondness for Anne right from the start.
Alistair couldn’t help but think that Eloise had an uncanny knack for sizing people up. Every woman she’d ever taken a disliking to had proven to be unpleasant and of poor character.
This intuitive ability of hers was surely going to be a valuable asset
as she grew up.
Anne sneered contemptuously, “Alistair, was it you who taught her to call me ‘madam‘?” I never thought you could be so petty. No wonder you couldn’t keep Rebecca by your side for six years. A guy like you deserves to be a broke, lonely bachelor for the rest of your life-
Suddenly, Anne’s words died on her lips.
Her eyes bulged in shock as she took a long, hard look at Alistair from head to toe.
Is this really Alistair?
Can it possibly be the same Alistair I know?!
Despite her deep–seated prejudice against Alistair, Anne had to admit that he was good–looking.
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That was why she’d once tried to flirt with him.
Back then, Anne considered herself of high status, and flirting with Alistair was like teasing a stray dog.
She thought if the dog was smart enough to please her, she might toss it a bone out of good humor.
Who would have thought that the stray dog would be so ungrateful? Not only did it fail to wag its tail and show her some friendliness, but when Anne reached out her hand, it gave her a vicious bite. How could she not be furious about that?
It was more humiliating to her than getting slapped in the face.
Anne was furious.
What an insolent guy!
He should be on his knees, thanking me for taking a fancy to him and flirting with him. Instead, he’s acting all aloof!
What a joke! If I’m in a good mood, a tiny bit of my money would
be enough for him to live comfortably for a while.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been kicked out by Rebecca penniless.
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Chapter 99 Guess Who I Just Bumped …
Oh, and here’s a little secret. It was I who came up with the idea for Rebecca to make him record every single expense. That way, she could keep a tight rein on his spending.
She’d assumed that after being dumped by Rebecca, Alistair would be down and out.
But now, Anne’s eyes bulged as she inspected the bespoke suit on Alistair.
This guy isn’t just doing okay; he seems to be living the high life!
This suit is as expensive as mine!
Did Alistair find another rich woman to support him?
He’s really lucky.
He’s a natural at being a pretty boy living off women!
After leeching off Rebecca, he’s moved on to someone else and is doing even better!
Anne was a blabbermouth with a strong urge to share.
The first person that came to her mind was Rebec
Maybe it was the thrill of seeing the drama unfold that made her
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Chapter 99 Guess Who I Just Bumped I…
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dial Rebecca’s number.
No answer.
Not willing to give up, she sent a text instead: [Rebecca, guess who I just bumped into?]
