Chapter 14 Away From The Crowd

• Elijah walked over and smilingly greeted Henry. “My apologies for being late, Uncle Henry. Was caught in a traffic jam. I hope you like this little gift I brought for you.”
• His assistant handed him the gifts, and Elijah took one of the boxes to present to Henry. “This is for you, Uncle Henry. I know you are a tea connoisseur, so when I saw this antique tea set at the auction, I knew I had to get it for you.” Conner, who was standing beside Henry, helped receive the gift.
• “Thank you! It is lovely, but you really shouldn't have spent that much on your old uncle.” Henry was all smiles as he said that. No one could have guessed what was really going on in his mind.
• “It is just a small gift.” Elijah played along with Henry.Next, he turned to Xavier and Clarice.
• “Xavier and Clarice, I brought gifts for you too.” He handed Xavier an exquisite-looking box and continued, “I think you will like this latest limited edition hand-finished mechanical watch, Xavier.”
• Clarice was uneasy, knowing it was going to be her turn next. Her instinct reaction was to look down to avoid Elijah's gaze.
• “I have no idea what Clarice would like, so I did some general research and picked a bracelet that was voted as the most popular gift for ladies.”
• Elijah took the final gift box from his assistant's hand, a dainty palm-size blue velvet box. He took Clarice's hand in his and placed the gift in her palm.
• Beneath the box, hidden from everyone's view, he playfully pinched her on her palm.
• Clarice stared at him in disbelief, taken aback by his boldness. Her heart was in her mouth, but in contrast, he was smiling calmly. That made her fume.
• Jerk! How could he flirt with me in the presence of everyone?
• She concealed her emotions and subtly withdrew her hand from his. She turned toward him at an angle, making sure no one could see her expression, and threw him a dirty look before saying, “Thank you, Uncle Elijah.”
• “My pleasure. Anything for my family.” Elijah gave her a big smile and moved aside.
• “The party is about to begin. Elijah, this is specially organized to welcome you home. Let's go greet the guests and let me introduce you to them.”
• “Sure!” Elijah nodded and kept that picture-perfect smile on his face.
• As he was walking past Clarice, he deliberately brushed his finger against her. From the corner of his eye, he saw her froze and rooted to the spot. That made him grin.
• What a jerk!
• Clarice had to quietly bear with Elijah's nonsense and not show her displeasure, as Xavier was just next to them. In her heart, she was cursing and swearing at Elijah.
• “He has left, so quit staring.” Xavier's sarcastic remark brought her attention back to him. Disgusted by his attitude, she retorted, “Grandpa has left, so you don't have to continue with your act. Your little lover must be waiting for you, so you should get back to her. Enjoy yourself, and I shall make myself scarce.” She turned and walked away after the retort, leaving a disgruntled Xavier in the room.
• He did not leave the party to go to Christie but went after Henry and Elijah instead. He wanted to keep a close eye on Elijah, whom he viewed as his potential competitor for the inheritance.
• “Ladies and gentlemen, I have invited all of you here to introduce to you our Zimmerman family's...” Henry's voice boomed loudly across the room, and the party officially started.
• With the housekeepers and Xavier around, Clarice knew everything would be taken care of, and she would not be missed. So she took a glass of wine and sneaked out to the garden for some peace and quiet, away from the crowd.