Secret Wealthy Marriage
Chapter 379: Coming for a Blind Date (8)

Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Coming for a Blind Date (8)

Avery Graham took this blind date quite seriously, so she didn’t mind waiting for him a bit longer. Besides, she had the foresight to have a buttered cheese bread at the restaurant beforehand.

Avery waited for ten minutes, and Kent Auclair still hadn’t arrived. Feeling bored, she decided to walk around. From the staircase on the second floor, she could see the main hall. The restaurant truly deserved to be the top-ranked Chinese restaurant in G City, offering four major cuisine styles - the Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong and Jiangsu. Its most famous dishes were Sichuanese, probably because the restaurant owner was from Sichuan.

Their kitchen was open-style, separated by a large glass panel, allowing diners to see the entire cooking process directly. It acted as a transparency feature, demonstrating the authenticity of their dishes.

This was also the main reason why most citizens liked to dine at the restaurant, showing that the owner was a business-savvy person.

After waiting for a while, Avery received a call from Kent. "Miss Graham, I’ve arrived and am parking now. I’ll be there in five minutes."

"Alright, I’ll wait for you," Avery nodded.

Kent was quite gentlemanly, keeping her updated about his whereabouts and how long it would take for him to arrive.

After hanging up the call, Avery walked towards their private room. Before she got there, the door to the neighboring room suddenly opened, and Bernard Taylor appeared with a face flushed from alcohol.

What a coincidence, or was it a plot?

She had just been dropped off by his mother, and now he was here, dining and drinking. Having had too many interactions with Bernard before, Avery couldn’t help but suspect something was going on.

Bernard’s phone kept ringing.

Today was their department dinner, and earlier in the day, someone had accused Bernard of being too aloof, never participating in office gatherings or socializing with colleagues. They even went as far as to say he was out of touch with the real world.

Bernard couldn’t help but think of Avery and wondered whether she had avoided him because he was too antisocial. On impulse, he agreed to attend the dinner and offered to pay for everyone’s meal. His colleagues were overjoyed, and he even gave the staff on duty a generous allowance for late-night snacks.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, he had consumed quite a bit of alcohol. Fortunately, he didn’t have to work the next day, but he was worried about receiving a call at any moment. As a result, he declined some drinks but couldn’t avoid getting quite drunk.

The phone rang, and Bernard stepped out of the room to answer it due to the noise inside.

Avery didn’t expect someone like Bernard to attend a gathering with his colleagues. When the door opened, some colleagues recognized her since she had spent some time working with Bernard before.

Nelson Castillo, one of them, immediately recognized Avery and walked over with a wine glass. "Oh, Avery, what a coincidence. You’re here to dine as well! We’re having a department dinner here, and Bernard is treating us. How about joining us for a drink? We won’t bother you, will we?"

Avery had attended several similar gatherings in the past, and her alcohol tolerance was quite impressive, thanks to her father’s encouragement. She seldom drank, but when she did, she could handle it well without getting easily drunk.

Avery’s father believed that girls were most vulnerable in the society, especially since men often tried to get them drunk. So, Avery needed to learn to drink in order not to give bad men an opportunity to take advantage of her.

Because of Avery’s decent alcohol tolerance, she accepted every toast and managed not to get drunk. Her colleagues, who were doctors that could not drink too much, admired her and befriended her.

Nelson was one of them.

They didn’t drink white liquor but only beer, which was refreshing in the hot weather.

Avery didn’t refuse the invitation and walked in, "Your phone has been ringing non-stop. Is it okay not to answer it?"

When she entered, Avery couldn’t help but remind Bernard.

It was only then that Bernard realized and picked up his phone to walk further.

Avery went in and drank a round with them. After completing the first round, Bernard returned from the call, but Avery was still there, pulled by Nelson for another round.

Avery shook her head because she hadn’t eaten anything yet, only had alcohol. Meeting someone smelling like alcohol and being mistaken for a drunkard wouldn’t be a good start.

She had just promised her mother to take the blind date seriously. If it became an issue because of her drinking, her mother would scold her severely once she returned home.

"She can’t drink anymore," Bernard strode forward before Avery could decline Nelson’s offer and pulled Nelson’s hand away.

Now free, Avery smiled at Nelson, "Dr. Castillo, I have some important things to do tonight. Next time, we’ll find an opportunity to drink together. Here’s my business card; feel free to visit my Cake Shop and buy sweet cakes for your girlfriend."

Avery was quite clever, using the opportunity to give her Cake Shop a free advertisement in front of everyone.

"Oh, so Avery has become a boss now. No wonder! Okay, I don’t have a girlfriend yet, but the women in my family love cakes- my mom and niece," Nelson explained with a laugh, then took Avery’s business card.

Avery smiled at him, "Thank you, Dr. Castillo, for supporting my business. I have to go now. Bye, everyone! Next time, I’ll treat you all."

With everyone agreeing, Avery left without glancing at Bernard. The moment she stepped out of the door, Kent Auclair entered, looking frantic. As he walked towards Avery, she received a call from him. Their eyes met.

Avery had met Kent once before when she brought an umbrella to her cousin on a rainy day. Kent had accompanied her cousin, and Avery had no idea how he fell for her at that moment.

Of course, her cousin confided in her later about how Kent’s gaze changed when he looked at her that day. Avery couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded, knowing she hadn’t even worn makeup and was slightly disheveled from the rain.

"Sorry, I ran into some old colleagues so I went to say hello. Have you been waiting long?" Avery apologized first.

"No worries, as long as you’re alright. Must be starving. Let’s go order some food," Kent didn’t mind at all.

With a smile, Avery entered the private room opposite with Kent. Bernard stood at the entrance of his room, staring at the just-closed door. He had only learned from his mother’s phone call that Avery was at the restaurant for a blind date.

It seemed Avery had been sincere when she spoke to him earlier.

He continued to glare at the door as if he wanted to burn a hole through it, not responding even when people inside the room called for him.