Chapter 14
Chapter 14 She'll Be Here
"All right," Annalise replied. Julian's gentle tone rendered her happy to agree to his request.
She felt him holding her hand, and she tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.
Thus, she had no choice but to come up with an excuse. "Mr. Parks... Julian, it's getting late, so I have to head home. I'll come over tomorrow to send your grandfather off with you.”
Julian heard Annalise pause and address him by his name, and he was elated. Unable to control his excitement, he pulled her into his arms and looked down at her, his eyes glimmering. "What did you just call me?"
"Julian Parks!" Annalise exclaimed, startled by Julian's sudden actions. Her heart fluttered.
Their current posture was quite intimate..
Plus, they were under the street light, and the faint yellow glow of the street light created a hazy atmosphere, which made Annalise feel overwhelmed.
There was a hint of earnestness and enchantment in Julian's deep and magnetic voice as he said, "Lose the 'Parks' part."
Annalise's ears became red as she suddenly realized how good Julian was at flirting.
"He's even better at flirting than Benjamin. He's already flirting with me after we have only known each other. for two days! I wonder how many girls he had flirted with before? So that's why he had to pretend to be married to fend off his pursuers," Annalise thought as she instantly came to her senses.
She pushed him away and forcibly pulled her hand away from his grip.
Julian was startled, but he eventually came to a realization.
"This is normal. She has just gone through a breakup, and she was betrayed, so it's difficult for her to trust someone else. I'm too impatient," he thought to himself. "I'm going home!" Annalise snapped.
"Let me drive you home," Julian offered.
"It's fine. I'll just call myself a cab."
"You're a woman. It's not safe for you to hail a cab alone at night," Julian insisted.
Annalise suddenly recalled what Benjamin had said to her before. "Anna, you're a woman. You shouldn't go. out at night because it's not safe."
"So, Benjamin and Julian are the same! They are both great at caring for women and flirting. Ah, whatever! They are both liars anyway," she thought to herself.
Julian made a phone call and told Annalise that a car would be arriving soon.
Both of them walked together for a while and saw a Bentley stopping in front of them. A driver got out of the car and opened the door for them. "Mr. and Mrs. Parks. Please." Annalise was a little uncomfortable when she heard the driver calling her that. "It's nothing. It's just a title for the next three months," she assured herself.
After that, the driver drove Annalise to the Barton residence.
She had just arrived home when she heard her WhatsApp notification sound.
It was a message from Julian: "Will you be up at ten tomorrow morning?"
He still remembered that she mentioned that she loved to sleep in.
She replied: "Yes."
"Of course, I'll be up if we're sending someone to the airport. I'll only sleep in sometimes when I have nothing else to do," she thought.
He replied: "All right. I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow morning."
She texted back: "All right."
He replied: "I'm really happy to have taken a stroll with you tonight. You even held my hand."
Annalise cursed herself inwardly and thought, "Damn it! I knew it. I held his hand when I was talking on the phone just now!"
She tried her best to explain and replied: "Please don't misunderstand. I was talking on the phone at that time, so I wasn't paying attention. Sorry about that!"
Julian replied: "There's no need to apologize. Good night. Sweet dreams."
Annalise sighed and also wished him a good night.
She was about to put down her phone and take a bath when she heard the WhatsApp notification sound again.
This time, it was a text from her friend, Samantha Heard: "Anna, are you free tomorrow? Can you accompany me on a blind date? This is so annoying! I keep telling my mother that I'm only 24 years old this year, but she keeps forcing me to go on a blind date. She says that if I don't find someone right now, all the good candidates will be taken by someone else."
Samantha was one of the few good friends that Annalise had.
She had known her on the first day when Kent brought her to the city.
The Barton family had organized a small welcoming party that day and invited all the upper-class people in Horington to attend. Most women around her age were disgusted that she came from a rural area, but Samantha was the only one who took the initiative to befriend her.
Annalise remembered that she had to send Samuel to the airport tomorrow, so she replied: "I'm really sorry. I'm busy tomorrow because I have to send someone to the airport."
"Is it during nighttime? My blind date will be held at night."
Annalise asked: "Your blind date is at night?"
Samantha replied: "Yup. It's eight o'clock at night. I guess that my date isn't willing to treat me to dinner." Annalise could not help but laugh and replied: "Pfft! Then, why are you still going?"
Samantha replied: "I have no choice. My mother forced me to do this."
Annalise sent her a laughing emoji and texted: "All right. I'll go with you tomorrow night."
Samantha texted: "All right. Don't be late. Come to Hamilton Hotel before eight tomorrow night."
Annalise was surprised and asked: "A blind date at a hotel? Why do I have the feeling that this man has ulterior motives?"
Samantha replied: "Whatever. We would probably just eat something and chat in the lounge by the main hall downstairs. Even if I like him, there's no way I would get a room with him. He can keep dreaming!" Annalise giggled and replied: "It's fine as long you know what you're doing."
"Don't worry about it. See you tomorrow! Love you! Good night!"
The next day, after sending Samuel to the airport, Julian invited Annalise to lunch.
Since Julian had already paid for their lunch on the day they went to get their certificates, Annalise wanted to repay him, so she insisted on paying for their lunch this time.
Julian just wanted to have lunch together with Annalise, so he gladly accepted Annalise's offer.
After lunch, Julian invited Annalise to watch a movie together that night, but she informed him that she had another appointment.
"All right, then. I'll return home to look at the documents you prepared," Julian replied.
At seven-thirty in the evening, the Moon Hall on the ground floor of Hamilton Hotel was already booked.
"Are you sure she is coming?" Benjamin asked Samantha anxiously.
Samantha was confident as she sipped on her orange juice. "Don't worry. She'll be here."
"How about you call and ask her where she is now?" Benjamin proposed.
He knew she should be arriving soon if she really kept her promise.
"Okay." Samantha smiled faintly and sent Annalise a message on WhatsApp: "Girl, where are you now?"
She sent a voice message on purpose so that Benjamin could hear her.
Annalise also responded with a voice message: "Don't worry, girl. I won't be late. I'm on the way right now and will be there in ten minutes." Samantha replied: "Okay!"
She raised her eyebrows as she smiled at Benjamin. "I'm pretty reliable, right?"
After Benjamin knew that Annalise was coming, he immediately gave some orders to his subordinates. "I want everyone to be on alert later. Don't screw up. When I reach the high notes during my piano performance later, I'll signal with my left hand. You will then let down the rose petals on the ceiling. During my confession, when I mention the words 'grow old together,' you will immediately let down the snowflakes. Do you all understand?"
"Understood," a few men replied in unison..
"All right. It's time for me to go outside and lead her in." Samantha realized that there was not much time left, so she quickly hurried outside to get Annalise.
She even had to pretend that she didn't know Benjamin later.
A few minutes later, Annalise hurried over. Samantha quickly ran over and held her arm. "Here you are."
"Has your date arrived yet?" Annalise asked.
"Not yet. He's not on time. How annoying!" Samantha complained.
Annalise smiled and comforted her, "It's all right. Let's wait for a while."
Samantha suddenly looked down as she received a WhatsApp message: "Moon Hall."
Samantha immediately handed her phone to Annalise and complained, "Where's the Moon Hall? He said we were supposed to meet in the main hall before this!"
"Come on. I know where it is. It's right there," Annalise said as she dragged Samantha toward the Moon Hall. Annalise had just arrived at the door when she heard someone playing the piano inside.