Chapter 501

“What’s so special about these strawberries?” Nina asked.
Nina thought to herself, “Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so concerned, following her all the way and saying she’s envious.”
The red-haired woman eyed Nina carefully, examining her closely. The more she looked, the more familiar Nina seemed. “If there’s anything special about them, it’s that he grew them. No one else is allowed to touch them. Absolutely no one.” Hearing this, Nina stopped in her tracks.
“I have something to do. I’ll be going now,” the red-haired woman said, speeding away.
Nina stared at the strawberries in her hand, deep in thought. Wilfred had told her all the neighbors had them, but did that mean only she had them?
Pondering this, Nina hurried back to her company.
After Michelle left, both she and Angel had managed to turn things around. Angel was especially happy, no longer confined to typing at a computer all day. She could finally go out.
Nina was busy working on a draft when she suddenly received a call from Julia.
“Mom.”
Julia’s voice on the other end was full of concern, “How’s work going? Are you settling in?”
“I’m used to it. It’s going pretty well,” Nina replied.
Julia continued, “You haven’t been home in a while. Come home for dinner today.”
“I’m pretty busy today, maybe…”
Before Nina could finish, Julia interrupted, “Busy or not, you can’t work all day and night. You must have some time to come home. Tomorrow’s Sunday, surely you have a day off. Come home, your dad and I want to see you, and we have some other guests too.”
Hearing about other guests, Nina asked, “Who else will be there?”
“You’ll see when you get here,” Julia said with a laugh.
Realizing she had not been home in a while, Nina agreed, “Okay, I’ll come home tomorrow.”
Julia was delighted, “You must come. We’ll all be waiting.”
The next day, Nina heeded her mother’s request and went home for lunch. But instead of at home, they were meeting at a fancy restaurant, which was unusual for them.
As soon as Nina arrived, she saw Julia looking around the restaurant entrance.
Seeing her, Julia’s face lit up with a smile, “Nina, over here.”
“Mom.” Nina got out of the car and walked to her. “Why aren’t we eating at home? Where’s Dad? Is there a special occasion?”
Julia, smiling broadly, took her hand, “Of course, there’s something to celebrate. Come on, let’s go inside first.”
Nina followed her into a private room, where a middle-aged couple and a well-dressed man about her age were sitting inside. The man looked a bit nervous but smiled at her. Nina hesitated, only to see the man’s mother stand up, warmly saying, “Oh, Julia, is this your daughter Nina? She’s grown so much, and she’s so beautiful. Come, have a seat.”
“My daughter is beautiful, isn’t she? I told you, you’d be pleased,” Julia laughed.
Nina was a bit confused and asked, “Mom, what’s going on?”
Julia said, “These are the guests I mentioned. We’re just having a meal together. Come, sit down. This is Mrs. Lincoln’s son. He just returned from abroad. You two should get to know each other.” Nina realized this was not just a casual introduction. It was a setup for a blind date.
Meanwhile, Nash had just arrived at Nina’s house. He rang the doorbell several times with no response. It was the weekend, and she was not home.
As soon as he finished work, he rushed over to find her. Where could she have gone?
Nash frowned slightly, “Find out where Nina is.”
“Madam has gone home. It seems… she’s on a blind date.”