ZL Group.
Callum was listening to Willow’s work report and was about to express his opinion when his personal cell phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was his mother, Rachel Walter.
“Mr. Finnegan, that’s basically all I have to say. I’m going to leave now.” Willow put the document on the table. Knowing that it was a private call, she tactfully left the office.
The office door was closed and Callum answered the call. “Mom.”
“Callum, are you busy?” Rachel’s gentle and kind voice came from the other side.
“No, what happened?”
“Your dad and I saw the news this morning. You…” Rachel didn’t finish her words.
Callum didn’t deny it, “Yeah, Mom, it’s true.”
“Oh, bring her back to us when you have time, okay? Otherwise, I’ll go over there in the next two days.” Rachel remembered something serious and thought it would be better for her to take a look at her son’s wife first.
“Okay, I’ll ask Rory to book a ticket for you.” Some things would be better told to her in person when she came over. For example, he and Aurelia were already married…
“Okay, I’ll leave you to your work. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Okay, bye, Mom!”
After hanging up the phone, Callum looked out the window and fell into deep thought. He remembered that his grandfather fainted after he and Aurelia got their marriage certificate.
Until now, even his parents didn’t know that he was married.
At the School of Economics and Management.
After returning from the bathroom, Cathy pulled Aurelia into her arms and whispered, “Sheridan Buddy, level with me. You and Mr. Finnegan last night…” She didn’t say the rest, but just winked at Aurelia.
When she mentioned what happened last night, Aurelia pried away Cathy’s arms and glared at her with a red face. “No!”
“Don’t try to fool me!” Cathy said smugly, then leaned in close to her ear and said, “Even if I haven’t done it, at least I’ve seen it. Your walking posture is not right, and coupled with the news this morning, I know what’s going on at a glance!”
Aurelia twisted her arm in shyness and anger, then grabbed her neck tightly and threatened fiercely, “Shut up! Don’t say anything!”
Cathy laughed wildly and glanced at her neck inadvertently. “Oh my god, there must have been a big fight last night! So many marks…”
Aurelia quickly zipped up her down jacket and wrapped herself tightly in it. “Shut up, or I’ll tell your father that you spent his money on a gigolo!”
Cathy patted her shoulder in dissatisfaction. “What a heartless woman! Didn’t I treat you to lunch today? Why are you still treating me like this? We are no longer friends!”
“You want to bribe me with a meal? No way. Invite me to Starbucks this Saturday. I hear the French Custard Leblanc and the Salted Caramel Nut Cake are great. Two servings of each!”
“No problem. No, Sheridan Buddy, don’t you dislike sea salt?”
Aurelia rested her chin on her hands and told her leisurely, “I don’t like to eat it at first, but since you’re treating me and I can eat dessert for free, I start to love it!”
Cathy pushed her aside in dissatisfaction. “From today on, I don’t know you anymore!”
“Okay, then Liana and I are going to go hiking on Saturday, so we won’t take you with us!”
“Liana has been hanging out with Larry. How can she have time to pay attention to you? Mr. Finnegan is even more busy, so you can only let me accompany you on Saturday, my dear Sheridan Buddy. Be nice to me, or you will have to go hiking alone!”
Aurelia winked at her with a wry smile. “Cathy, how about we make a bet?”
“What bet?”
“Call Callum right now. If he goes hiking with me on Saturday, you will buy me lunch for a month. If he doesn’t go hiking with me, I will buy you lunch for a month. How about that?”
Cathy clapped her hands excitedly and agreed, “Okay!” But she regretted it the next moment. “No, wait. Since you and Mr. Finnegan are in the honeymoon period now, he must agree to go with you. Why should I make this bet with you? No!”
Aurelia didn’t give her a chance to refuse. She proudly waved her phone towards Cathy and said, “You’ve already agreed, and I’ve dialed the number now. It’s too late to regret it.”
“Fuck!”
The call was quickly answered. “Sweetie.”
Aurelia almost choked on her own saliva at the sudden corny name. “Ahem, Callum, are you busy?”
“Not really. What’s wrong? Did you miss me?”
Aurelia was stunned for a moment. She pushed away Cathy, who was trying to eavesdrop on the phone. “I’m calling to ask if you’re free on Saturday? How about we go hiking on Saturday?”
“Saturday? No. My mother is coming over on Saturday.”
Hmm? Callum’s mother?
Aurelia was almost frightened by Callum’s words. After a long while, she asked nervously, “Why did your mother come here suddenly?”
“Isn’t it normal for her to want to see her daughter-in-law?”
Realizing that her reaction was indeed too emotional, Aurelia cleared her throat and said sheepishly, “Alright…”
“Well, the flight is on Saturday at noon. Let’s go to the airport together to pick her up.”
“Okay.” Aurelia responded stupidly. Now all Aurelia could think about was Callum’s mother coming over!
She wondered what Callum’s mother looked like, and whether she would like her.
Callum was still talking over there, “What are you eating for lunch? Come over to the company and have lunch with me, okay?”
“Lunch?” The word “lunch” brought Aurelia back to her senses. She glanced at Cathy, who was chatting with her friends on WhatsApp, and told Callum with tears in her eyes. “It’s all your fault. Over the next month, I have to treat Cathy to lunch, and I can’t accompany you.”
When Cathy heard her say she would treat her to lunch for a month, she knew she had won and proudly made a victory gesture to her.
“Huh?” How could he be blamed? Her complaint made Callum a little confused.
Aurelia lay listlessly on the desk and chatted with him, “I lost the bet with Cathy.”
“You mean hiking?” The man guessed it right.
“Um.”
Callum laughed dumbly, “Come over for lunch at noon. I’ll take care of the rest, okay?”
“No, I’ll treat Cathy to lunch for a month.”
When Cathy heard her say that, she quickly whispered, “Aurelia, I’m just teasing you. It doesn’t matter whether you buy me lunch or not. Don’t take it seriously!”
What a close relationship they had! Even if Aurelia didn’t treat her to a meal, Cathy wouldn’t be mad.
“Give the phone to your classmate and I’ll talk to her.” Callum understood Aurelia’s sense of justice and her commitment to her words.