Chapter 440
Neil looked at me with a complex expression, as if he was taken aback by my words.
“Ms. Finch, how about showing a little decorum? What do you take me for?” Ariana retorted with a flare of anger, “I was just thinking, since I’m already here to pick up Mr. Mitch, I might as well take him home. It saves you guys the trouble. Is there something wrong with that?”
Her thin veneer of an excuse didn’t fool me, “I don’t mind the trouble, okay? In the future, please steer clear of married men. If you’re looking for a man, try a matchmaking
service.”
Ariana fell silent for a while, probably fuming.
I didn’t care and asked, “Where are you? At which bar? I’ll be right there.”
After some prodding, Ariana finally gave me an address. I looked at Neil, “You go pick him up. I need to stay home and take care of the kids.”
“We have a nanny, don’t we?” Neil seemed to want me to come with him.
“She can’t handle it all by herself. You go get Mitch. And make sure Ariana doesn’t follow!” I was a bit commanding, my mood was quite volatile, as if I had been betrayed
too.
Neil wouldn’t let it go, “Come with me. We can take advantage of Mitch’s drunken state to get the truth out of him. Who told him Yara was with you? If he’s sober, you’ll accuse me of colluding with him. Now that he’s drunk, he’ll spill the truth.”
Sometimes I had to admire Neil’s tenacity. Even in this situation, he still remembered his mission to prove his innocence through Mitch.
But I didn’t completely trust Neil. If he went alone, would he really be able to bring Mitch back? Would Ariana seize the opportunity to follow?
For the sake of Stella’s family, I had to be cautious.
“Wait for me,” I told Neil.
I went back inside the house.
Norah had already given Yara a bath, while Serena and Brandon had fallen asleep unknowingly.
Norah suggested, “Let them sleep a bit. When they wake up, we can give them their baths.”
This was perfect. Norah could take care of Yara, and Serena and Brandon would sleep for at least an hour or two. This would give me enough time to handle Mitch’s situation.
I grabbed my phone and stepped out of the house.
Neil was still waiting for me. Seeing me return, he seemed to crack a little smile, “Let’s go.”
We drove to the bar that Ariana had mentioned. I was busy with my phone the whole time, both to kill time and to avoid awkward silence.
The car was cruising smoothly until a drunkard suddenly stumbled out onto the road. Neil hit the brakes hard. My body jolted forward due to the inertia, and my phone fell under the passenger seat.
“Are you okay?” Neil asked immediately.
“I’m fine, just dropped my phone,” I sighed in relief, glad that we didn’t have an accident.
Neil nodded and checked my seat belt. Once he was sure I was okay, he continued driving.
I bent over to retrieve my phone but after feeling around for a bit, I couldn’t find it.
I
I was wearing a purple sundress with loose straps. As I was reaching for my phone, the left strap slipped off my shoulder
Once again, Neil slammed the brakes and pulled over.
“Irene, can’t you dress properly?” Neil scolded me. He was looking at my shoulder, where the dress had slipped off, revealing a bit more than it should have.
“You don’t have to look!” I retorted casually and adjusted my dress.
“Irene, don’t you change before you go out? Aren’t you worried about wardrobe malfunctions in a dress like this?” Neil started driving again, still criticizing my outfit.
“What’s it to you? Moreover, didn’t you used to say that no man would be interested in my figure? What’s the difference between me having a wardrobe malfunction and a man going shirtless?”
Neil’s face reddened slightly, and he coughed awkwardly, “Idiot. I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Neil, if it weren’t for Stella and Mitch’s situation, we wouldn’t have this sort of interaction. You know that, right?” I reminded him seriously. I felt like our conversation was too light-hearted, which was inappropriate. I was reminding him as much as I was reminding myself.
My words seemed to dampen Neil’s mood. He just glanced at me and didn’t say anything.
When we reached the bar, I quickly picked up my phone from under the seat and headed inside, with Neil following closely behind.
When we reached the table Ariana had mentioned, we found it was already occupied by different patrons.
Upon my inquiry, I learned that Ariana and Mitch had left about ten minutes ago.
Given Mitch’s height and weight, I didn’t believe Ariana could have managed him by herself. If she did, there were only two possibilities. One, someone helped her. Or two, Mitch wasn’t completely drunk and could walk on his own.
People confirmed that Ariana left with Mitch alone. So, I concluded it must be the latter.
“Let’s find them!” I was raging inside.
Mitch had left with Ariana while he was still conscious! Moreover, Ariana had promised to wait for us but she left with Mitch anyway. Those two, they were just…
I left the bar, filled with anger. Neil followed me out and asked, “Do you know where she lives?”
I didn’t. Ariana’s previous address in Rosemont was on her record, but not her current address in Eldoria. “Don’t you know? Didn’t Mitch tell you?”
“Why would he tell me that?” Neil raised an eyebrow. “You never got this worked up when there were rumors about me and other women.”
“You’re going through partners like people go through potato chips, Neil. If all of them end up as furious as I am right now, I’m going to keel over from sheer exasperation!” I took a long, calming breath, attempting to regain my composure before continuing in a more collected tone.
Neil nodded in understanding, “Yeah, I get it. You’re making a valid point.”
“Why don’t you give our mutual friend, Gregory, a call? He might have a clue about Ariana’s whereabouts.” I urged Neil, my sole focus on locating the two troublemakers as swiftly as possible.
As it turned out, my hunch was spot on. Neil followed my advice and got through to Gregory who, as I had suspected, knew exactly where Ariana was currently residing.
