novelxo Chapter 3128
Chapter 3128
Emma scolded her son, "Why do you have to be so loud? You've finally decided to grace US with your presence, huh? Why so early tod-uh..." When she noticed Patricia, she stopped mid-sentence. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle," Patricia greeted, sensing their surprise, she took charge.
"Please, come in," Emma and Dexter quickly regained their composure and invited Patricia inside.
Ellar guided Patricia to the couch, while Emma, puzzled, asked, "Is Patricia here to pass on a message from Nicole?"
"Mom, no." Ellar sighed and explained. "I brought her here."
He couldn't understand how Emma would jump to that conclusion. If Nicole had something to tell her, he would be the one relaying the message instead of Patricia. There was no need for Patricia to be there just to relay a message from Nicole.
"You mean she's here because of..." Emma looked somewhat bewildered. She was uncertain about what was happening, so she looked at Dexter.
Patricia, known as Nicole's special assistant, handled many internal matters at Riddle Corporation. Her sudden appearance at their home without Nicole puzzled Emma. She hadn't expected her son to bring her.
Thinking it over, Dexter ventured, "So, she's your... friend?" Wary of being too forward by calling her Eliar's 'girlfriend,' Dexter phrased it delicately.
He was aware of the recent pressure Ellar felt due to Emma's attitude toward Doretta. He had occasionally heard Ellar mutter about bringing a girlfriend home. He wondered, 'Could Patricia be the one?' Ellar, sounding a bit smug, puffed out his chest and emphasized, "She's my girlfriend."
"Really?" Emma's eyes lit up with excitement. She reached out to pull Patricia closer. "Come, sit down."
Patricia felt overwhelmed by the sudden overfriendliness and could only manage a polite smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Riddle."
As E liar and Patricia sat down, Ell ar noticed Emma's undivided attention toward Patricia, engaging in small talk and being incredibly friendly, which made him inwardly cringe. He thought to himself, 'thankfully this is just a pretense; otherwise, Mom's behavior might scare someone away for real.'
"Mom, where's Doretta?" Ellar decided to take the initiative, hoping to dispel Emma's hopes of him and Doretta being together by involving Patricia.
"Oh, she's upstairs," Emma paused momentarily, hesitating as she glanced at Patricia, then added, "Let's call her down for dinner later."
"Alright then," Ellar agreed, secretly pleased with himself, feeling like he had succeeded in his mission. He hoped this would end Emma's matchmaking efforts, especially with Doretta.
When dinner time arrived, Emma had a maid call Doretta down, and the family gathered in the dining room.
After brief introductions, Emma announced, "Let's eat."
Then, turning to Patricia, she said, "Help yourself and eat plenty, Patricia."
"Thank you, Mrs. Riddle," Patricia responded with a smile.
Emma also reminded Ellar, "Take good care of Patricia."
"Don't worry," Ellar replied, then attentively took care of Patricia, acting every bit the doting boyfriend.
Emma's face was a picture of contentment and satisfaction. She was pleased that at least she didn't have to worry about Ellar anymore.
"Aunt Emma, you should eat," Doretta noticed Emma's focus on entertaining the guests and softly prompted her.
"Alright, let's eat," Emma responded cheerfully, though her gaze kept drifting back to Patricia, clearly very pleased with what she saw.
Doretta looked at Patricia, a quick change in her expression that Patricia noticed.
Patricia's face darkened slightly as she sensed the shift.
"Here, try this," Ellar said, offering Patricia another dish, acting like a caring boyfriend. "Thanks," Patricia smiled politely, feeling the situation was getting overly dramatic. Ellar, though, seemed to enjoy playing the role, as if he were truly caught up in it. Emma watched, growing more pleased, exchanging knowing looks with Dexter.