Charlie wade said, “I’ll give her a call now and set up a breakfast meeting.”
Angie quickly interjected, “Charlie, have lunch at home. Your Uncle Orrin and I have already made arrangements.”
Charlie wade nodded, “Don’t worry, Aunt Angie. Nannan and I will go meet Tawanna, sort out the details, and be back in time for lunch.”
Then, remembering his grandfather’s instructions, he added, “Oh, Aunt Angie, Uncle Orrin, my grandpa wants to invite your family of three to our place tonight for dinner. Not sure if you’re free?”
Hearing Charlie wade confirm he’d be back for lunch eased Angie’s anxious heart.
Now, hearing that Lord wade had invited the whole family to the Wade residence for dinner, she thought the old man must be stepping in, which relaxed her even more. She smiled and said, “Sure, your Uncle Orrin and I retired ages ago to focus on health, plenty of time on our hands. Nannan’s just back for a break, so she’s free too, right, Nannan?”
Stephanie smiled, “I was planning to rest until the last concert, but I might be busy these next few days. Being a guest performer for Tawanna is such an honour, and since I’m from Eastcliff, it’s like welcoming a distinguished guest on behalf of the city.”
Angie nodded gently with a smile, “As long as you’re happy, Mum supports you.”
Seeing everything was sorted without any scheduling conflicts, Charlie wade pulled out his phone to call Tawanna.
It was still early, uncertain if Tawanna was awake, but Charlie wade wasn’t overly considerate about it.
The phone rang for a while before she picked up, her voice groggy, “Mr. Wade, why are you calling me so early?”
Charlie wade chuckled, “Sorry for disturbing you this early.”
“No, no, it’s fine!” Tawanna perked up instantly, “Do you need something?”
Charlie wade said, “I’d like to meet you at Shangri-la Palace. I’ll bring Miss Stephanie over to discuss the performance.”
Tawanna asked excitedly, “Miss Stephanie agreed?”
Charlie wade laughed, “Of course. She’s thrilled to perform with you, so I thought we should nail this down soon. Your concert’s just a couple of days away.”
“Right, right!” Tawanna said, “We need to settle the details, performance duration, song choices, and ideally some interaction between us.”
Charlie wade replied promptly, “Then we’d better hurry. How about we head over now to meet and talk?”
Tawanna laughed, “Perfect! I’ve booked the presidential suite here with a meeting room. If you and Miss Stephanie haven’t had breakfast, I can have it arranged. We can eat and chat when you arrive.”
“Great,” Charlie wade said decisively, “We’ll head over now.”
He hung up and turned to Stephanie, “Nannan, let’s go now. The sooner we sort this out, the sooner we’re back, no delay for lunch.”
Stephanie agreed readily.
Angie, seeing Charlie wade so eager to go handle business, felt a twinge of suspicion. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the meeting was an excuse to avoid something.
But with the Wade family dinner planned for the evening, she decided not to press him. “Since you’ve got business to attend to, go handle it. Your Uncle Orrin and I will wait for you to come back for lunch.”
“Alright!” Charlie wade responded quickly, heading out with Stephanie.
Once in the van, Charlie wade let out a sigh of relief.
He’d been dreading Angie or Orrin bringing up that topic in front of him and Stephanie. If they had, it’d have been a tough spot, and the scene would’ve been painfully awkward.
For now, he’d dodged a bullet.
Just as he was feeling lighter and started driving away from the Gu(Sun) residence, Stephanie grinned and asked, “Brother Charlie wade, are you trying to avoid my parents?”
