'What if I can't get in touch with Sheffield today?' Evelyn thought to herself, flustered. He had told her he would be available for her birthday.
At noon, the Huo family had a wonderful lunch with their family friends in a fancy hotel restaurant. The guests were primarily the families of Curtis, Dixon and Damon.
Carlos picked up Miranda and they arrived at the villa at six o'clock in the evening. Calvert came in shortly after with a bouquet of flowers cradled in the crook of his left arm and an expensive bottle of wine in the other. However, Sheffield's phone was still switched off.
About ten minutes later, Joshua rang the doorbell carrying his gift in a simple paper bag, tied with one big red ribbon. The moment Evelyn opened the door, the first thing she asked him was, "Have you seen him?"
Joshua knew who she was talking about without further elaboration needed. He shook his head and replied, "No."
"Can you get in touch with him?"
"I can try, but if Sheffield doesn't want to be found, no one can get in touch with him."
Joshua was speaking the truth. However, Evelyn's heart ached, and there was a pit in her stomach because she was so nervous. 'That's true. Once he disappears, even I can't get in touch with him, ' she thought bitterly.
At half past six, a servant came in to report, "Miss Huo, there's a lady waiting outside for you. She says she's an old friend of yours and she's here to celebrate your birthday."
'A lady? My friend? Could it be...?' Evelyn was taken by curiosity. "Where is she now?" she asked immediately.
"At the doorway."
'At the doorway?' Evelyn was more convinced of her assumption as she ran to the door and opened it.
The person standing outside was exactly the same person Evelyn had in mind.
The woman was dressed in a light green coat, a beryl hat and a white scarf. She was sitting in a wheelchair with a smile on her face. With a smile that could warm any heart, she reached out one hand to give Evelyn a neatly wrapped package and said, "Happy Birthday!"
The familiar voice drew out Evelyn's smile as she knelt down and hugged the girl sitting in the wheelchair. "Savannah..." she sighed heavily, seemingly relieved. Evelyn had missed her very much.
Savannah patted Evelyn on the back as her eyes shimmered brightly against the light. "It's been a while and I must say, I've missed you a lot!" she said.
A gust of cold wind blew over as Evelyn let go of her. She stood up, taking a deep breath, walked behind her and pushed her wheelchair forward. "Come on in. Let's talk inside."
Savannah turned her head around to look over her shoulder and said, "Evelyn, you've become more beautiful than I had expected. I've seen your photos, but you look even more stunning in person."
Evelyn smiled, cheeks blushing pink, and said, "You look amazing too! When did you get back? You should have told me before, I would have gone to pick you up!"
"But then I wouldn't get to see that look on your face! Don't worry, your father sent someone to pick me up at the airport. He wanted to give you a surprise! So, are you surprised to see me, Evelyn?"
"Of course, I am! I'm having a hard time believing it, to tell you the truth." It had been almost two years since the last time Evelyn and Savannah saw each other.
The Huos welcomed Savannah with open arms in the living room. "It's so good to see you, Uncle Carlos, Aunt Debbie, Terilynn and Matthew!" she greeted them politely.
Carlos smiled and nodded his head. Debbie walked up to her, stroked her hair and said, "Hi, darling. I'm so happy that you could be here for Evelyn's birthday party."
Terilynn greeted her with a hug. "Welcome to our home, Savannah."
"Welcome," said Matthew.
Savannah was moved to joy by their hospitality. "Thank you! I am honored to be here." Indeed, it was her honor to have such a good friend like Evelyn in her life.
"Don't be so formal with us. Come, we were just about to have dinner." Debbie took her to the dinner table.
Only then did Savannah see Calvert and Joshua engaged in a light conversation. Evelyn got their attention and said,
"Savannah, this is Joshua, the youngest son of the mayor. Joshua, this is my good friend, Savannah."
Joshua stood up and greeted her politely, "Hello, nice to meet you, Savannah!"
"Nice to meet you too, Joshua." Savannah gave him a smile.
When it was her turn to introduce Calvert, Evelyn paused for a while and simply said, "Savannah, this is Calvert. Calvert, this is my good friend, Savannah."
Savannah knew that Calvert was Evelyn's ex-boyfriend, but she did not know the whole story. Seeing him at her birthday party, she mistakenly thought that they were back together. "Oh, I saw his pictures on the Internet. He is very handsome! Calvert, please be nice to Evelyn."
Calvert let out a slight cough, not knowing how to respond to that statement. Then, he simply said, "Thank you. Don't worry. I'll be nice to her."
Evelyn's lips twitched but she didn't respond. Fortunately, Debbie came to the rescue and said, "Dinner is about to begin. Matthew, please go upstairs and ask your grandma to come down."
"Okay," replied Matthew before he walked up the stairs.
Everyone was finally seated at the dinner table, ready to begin, when suddenly, the doorbell rang. Looking at each other in confusion, everyone but Debbie wondered who could it be as all the expected guests were already there.
Debbie stood up excitedly and said, "By the way, I invited a special guest. I think that's him. I'll open the door."
Even Carlos himself didn't know who was standing outside the door. While the people whispered amongst themselves wondering who Debbie's guest was, a familiar figure appeared in the living room.
The man was dressed more formally than usual. He was wearing a black half-long overcoat, on top of an exquisitely tailored white shirt. The collar of his shirt was embroidered with small letters, and he was wearing a red silk and wool mixed tie.
His black trousers were casual, nothing too fancy, but fashionably coupled with a pair of dark brown leather shoes.
Both his wristwatch and belt were limited edition items designed by a world-famous brand owned by ZL Group. The manner in which he dressed himself spoke about his personality: formal and lively.
The man had a bouquet of 99 red roses in his arms. Some yellow roses were arranged in an orderly way that read three words—"I love you."
The moment everyone laid eyes on him, the room was filled with startled gasps.
Evelyn's eyes shot up in joy, and she was too excited to care about the fact that Calvert was sitting right next to her. The moment her eyes met Sheffield's, the affection in her heart poured out of her silent expression.
Debbie's usual carefree and innocent nature was the reason why she didn't notice a change in the atmosphere. She looked very happy to introduce Sheffield to the others. She dragged him forward by his hand and said, "Sheffield, come here." She introduced the doctor to her family with great interest. "Mom, Carlos, this is Sheffield Tang. He's a doctor at the Y City First General Hospital. Don't let his looks fool you; he is actually very good at what he does."
Following Debbie's words, Sheffield greeted them more enthusiastically. "Hello, Grandma Miranda, Uncle Carlos, Evelyn, Terilynn, and Matthew. It's nice to finally meet you all. I'm Sheffield Tang. Thank you all for welcoming me to Evelyn's birthday party." Most of the people sitting at the table were Evelyn's family, so Sheffield tried his best to make a good impression on them.
Despite her silver hair, Miranda, who was in her eighties, decided to dress young and she did so successfully. By some miracle, she managed to pull off looking like someone in their fifties. Miranda couldn't be happier in this moment. Her children and grandchildren were all present and in good health. Her life was a series of family dinners and vacations—something she was grateful to have. The happy life she had made her heart soft, unlike when she was young. The years had made her a more kind and loving person.
She looked the young man up and down with a smile on her face, and finally nodded with satisfaction. "My, my, you don't get to see such a handsome young man nowadays!" She was completely taken by his bubbly personality. In fact, deep down, she was already entertaining the idea of welcoming him to the family.
This was a phenomenon that was seldom seen in the Huo family.