Frank frowned—was Sylvia not being too impolite here?
Beside him, Vicky was furious. "What the hell is wrong with her? Isn't she disrespecting us too much here?"
Frank sighed lengthily, but there was nothing he could do either.
They continued waiting outside the door, and it was fortunate that Paul soon returned.
He alighted, wearing a suit, recognizing Vicky right away and smiling as he greeted her, "Long time no see, Ms. Turnbull. I'm so glad that you'd spare time to visit my humble home."
"You're exaggerating." Vicky smiled.
Paul then noticed Frank and asked in curiosity, "And this gentleman would be...?"
"Frank Lawrence," Vicky quickly said. "He's a consultant and shareholder to my company, Grande Pharma."
Paul was actually surprised.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtStill, when they were partners before Vicky fell sick, he had grown to acknowledge her abilities.
Moreover, any person with her seal of approval was definitely someone special.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lawrence," he said with a nod.
"Likewise."
Paul then turned back to Vicky, asking in curiosity, "So. What are you both doing out here, instead of
going inside?"
Vicky smiled, an idea quickly coming to mind. "We've just arrived."
She was frustrated, but she was still willing to show respect to Paul and Sylvia.
"In that case, come on in," Paul quickly said, and led them inside.
They immediately saw a young man in a baseball jersey, almost stumbling as he ran downstairs.
"Stanley? What are you doing here?" Paul exclaimed in surprise. "I thought you said you had dance
lessons just this morning."
Stanley was taken aback. "Oh, uh. It was canceled."
Paul nodded, smiling nonchalantly as he explained, "That's my wife's distant cousin, Stanley Cassidy.
He's working here in Riverton and would stay over from time to time."
He then turned back to Stanley and said, "Go get your cousin, Stanley. Tell her we have important
guests."
"Oh, okay..." Stanley stammered as he returned upstairs.
Frank, however, was frowning, his eyes never leaving Stanley.
Soon, Sylvia came downstairs, having changed into something formal instead of her sleeping gown.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmPaul introduced her proudly right then, "Ms. Turnbull, Mr. Lawrence. This is my wife, Sylvia. She used to be the prettiest girl in Riverton University."
Frank smiled as he sighed in awe. "She is certainly a marvelous beauty. Even the star celebrities I know would seem dull in comparison."
Vicky had to force herself to keep smiling, almost caught off guard by Frank's capacity for such disgusting flattery.
Paul was laughing heartily in turn.
They all moved to the living room, making some small talk until Vicky saw the time was right and cut to the chase, "There's a reason we're visiting, Mr. Fielden."
Paul already had a hunch—he owned a company, after all.
"Please feel free to ask, Ms. Turnbull."
Vicky sighed in relief and said solemnly, "I heard you possess a hundred-year old drakeroot, and I just happen to need it to save a friend who sustained a grievous injury. May I ask if you're willing to part with it? I'm willing to pay however much you may ask for."
Paul frowned, not expecting that Vicky would ask for the drakeroot—he would have agreed to anything else, just not his family's heirloom.
However, even as he hesitated, Sylvia suddenly snapped, "No. Absolutely not."
Both Frank and Vicky turned toward Sylvia in surprise.