However, no one on the first floor knew that Stuart was sitting in the open-air cafƩ on the second floor. His gaze was focused on the red figure all the way. He witnessed what had happened from the very beginning without a tiny mistake.
Todd sipped his coffee and tried to poke into more details. "Stuart, Miss Greg, is your fiancĆ©e from the family that has been chosen for you? Wow, sheās wildly arrogant."
Stuartās eyes became cold. "Is she qualified?"
"Right, sheās not qualified, but why do you keep watching. The show is almost over." Todd laughed. Stuart ignored his teasing and gently waved backward. Mr. Bates quickly stepped forward and bent over to put his ears close enough to hear. Stuart whispered, Mr. Bates, continually nodded and then left in a hurry.
Toddās curiosity was stirred and asked in interest. "Hey, are you going to get involved?" Stuart took a sip of coffee and gave an affirmative answer. His gaze never left Edie for not even a moment.
Edie finally decided to give up. She took a deep breath. "You can have it, and Iāll take it off."
"Donāt, Edie, Iāll buy it for you." Seeing she was going to throw in the towel, Melissa became anxious. At that moment, an old man with a suit came in. "Please pack up all the sizes of this dress for Miss Lara." His words attracted everyoneās attention.
"Mr. Bates?" Edie was surprised. Why is he here? If he was here, was Stuart nearby? She couldnāt help but look around, but she didnāt find Stuart. Mr. Bates respectfully performed a British aristocratic etiquette to Edie. "Miss Lara is thrifty and is always unwilling to spend money. The master has told me to buy all the things you are interested in."
The clerk doubted if she understood it right. "Sir, you mean all the sizes? There are ten in total..."
"Yes, all of them." When Mr. Bates spoke to others, he was like a standard British gentleman.
"Donāt; why do you need to buy all of them?"
"Miss Lara, the master told me that he doesnāt want some other vulgar women to wear the same clothes as you. If you like one, weāll buy all the sizes."
Victoria was shocked. As the daughter of Gregās, couldnāt she be luxurious? Whoās the master? Did Edie find a sugar dad recently? Of course, it was not impossible. Edie was in the entertainment world, a place where women found it hard to survive without some sure backstage drama.
The clerk picked up the dresses and handed them over to Mr. Bates with a big smile. Mr. Bates paid the bill and inquired Edie with full respect. "Miss Lara, would you like to go shopping? Iāll pay for everything." Edie had not gotten used to the British-style etiquette. She felt a little bit uneasy. She wanted to know what was going on, but she knew that it was not the right time, so she just nodded and quickly walked out.
Just as she was about to leave, a sharp voice came from behind her. "Edie, shame on you! You became someoneās mistress." Edie didnāt expect Victoria would say such a vicious word. "Victoria, what did you say?"
"Well, obviously, you have found a sugar daddy, havenāt you? Surely you are the daughter of your mother. She used to be the mistress of many men before she died. Youāve continued her career. Now, you are still..."
Edie couldnāt bare Victoria insulting her mother. She slapped her hard on her face. Victoria was shocked. She widened her eyes and looked at Edie with a pair of unbelievable eyes. "Edie, you hit me? Who are you? How dare you hit me!"
Mrs. Greg, who looked on indifferently, instantly blew up. She huddled over her beloved daughter and glared at Edie. "Edie, youāve become more and more uncultured since you left our home many years ago."
How hypocritical she was. You were looking at the disgusting mother and daughter. Edie felt sick to her stomach. "I shall overlook your insult on me because of your fostering. It was not good enough that I survived. You are not qualified to judge my mother. The slap was just a lesson you should learn. Next time, it will be worse."
Victoria was angered entirely by Edieās arrogance. She rushed to fight back, regardless of her identity. Unfortunately, her hand was firmly grasped by Mr. Bates in the air. "Miss Greg, if you canāt control your words and deeds, then the Mall will not welcome you." Mr. Bates was neither humble nor pushy, standing straight with dignity, which correctly shows the etiquette from the real Nobel families.
"Who are you then? How dare you to drive me away? Iām rich. I can go anywhere I want." Victoria shouted back.
"Iām sorry, the Mall belongs to my master. If you donāt go now, you and your family will be blacklisted from the Mall." Mr. Bates was quite calm, which made Victoria looked embarrassed.
Victoria couldnāt believe that Edie could have found such strong backing. She didnāt dare to go on anymore. She was not afraid of being blacklisted because she cared about her familyās reputation. But if she leaves, she would become the laughing stock of the city.
Edie saw that Victoria finally calmed down, she pulled Melissaās arm and walked out. Mr. Bates followed them. "Edie, you are a mistress. Youāve ruined the reputation of Gregās. Iāll tell dad. Iāll tell him all about it. You will see." Victoria screamed from behind with a terrible expression, and her gorgeous make-up looks awkward.
Edie sneered. "Miss Greg, my surname is Lara, and yours is Greg, how could I ruin Gregās reputation? If there is someone that could possibly ruin it, it must be you."
Victoriaās Dad? Edie really wanted him to be a real father, but he was nothing like a dad. Victoria was enraged, but she could only repeat "you will see" helplessly.
Edie finally heaved a sigh of relief after they walked outside the Mall. She turned over to Mr. Bates. "I donāt know how I can possibly thank you enough, Mr. Bates."
"Mrs. Yates, it was within my duty." Edie hesitated and asked, "but how did you know this time?"
"Mrs. Yates, Mr. Yates, and his friend were having coffee nearby. He happened to witness what happened. So, he asked me to deal with it." Stuart was really nearby. He saw it, he didnāt look down on her but reached out a hand to rescue her.
"Mrs. Yates, would you like to go shopping? Mr. Yates asked me to escort you the whole way."
Edie shook her head. "No, you can go back to Stuart. Iāll hang out with my friend for a while and then come back... Um, tell Mr. Yates, thanks for his help."
"You can tell him personally tonight, and Mr. Yates will be so happy." Mr. Bates replied with a gentle smile, and then he left.