Holley remained silent for a while on the phone. Then she finally said,"Well, send me the address of the restaurant."
"Hang on," George replied. "What happened today really got my mother on her nerves. So, when you get there, no matter what she says, just suck it up and do not refute her. Am I clear?"
George expressed himself clearly. Holley was at fault for not picking up his mother at the airport on time. So she should control her emotions and shouldn't talk back even if Donna would tell her off.
If George were in front of Holley right now, he would definitely notice a contemptuous smile flashing on her face.
But unfortunately, he couldn't see her expressions over the phone. He only heard her polite reply,"All right. Don't worry."
Holley arrived at the hotel. No sooner had she hung up than she received the location of the restaurant from her WeChat. She planned to make a beeline for the restaurant but thought better of it. Anyway, she got off on the wrong foot with Donna and she was disgruntled at the way Donna embarrassed her. After dithering for a moment, she decided to approach the reception desk. "Excuse me, I just need to ask something. I went to the airport to pick my mom up this afternoon but I was late so I missed her. I'm trying to call her but unfortunately, I can't reach her at the moment. I booked a room for her here so I just want to know if she has already checked in," she explained to the receptionist at the front desk.
"I apologize ma'am, but we are not allowed to give out our guests' information," the receptionist replied politely.
Holley didn't get annoyed with the receptionist's refusal. She still wore a smile as she talked again,"I am not asking for your guest's information. I only want to know if my mom has already gotten here. That way, I could feel less worried. Her name is Donna Piao. Please." Holley begged with a smile.
"In that case..." the woman hesitated for a while. Touched by her sincerity, the receptionist eventually agreed to help Holley. "Your mother has already checked in so you have nothing to worry about," she comforted Holley.
"Thank you," Holley answered politely. When she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something. "By the way, what time did she check in?"
"Ten thirty this morning."
The receptionist took a glance at Holley when she answered. "Well, thanks a lot." She then left and went back to her car. Holley's face turned crimson when she verified the information from the receptionist. She was boiling with anger that her face even twisted. She slammed the door shut after she got into the car. She sat there motionless for quite a while.
'Screw you, Donna! You deliberately told George the wrong flight information. What a smart move! It's pretty obvious that you really want to wage war against me.' Holley gritted her teeth thinking about Donna's scheme.
Holley got really pissed off. Just thinking about the dinner she would be spending with Donna later was already making her feel disgusted. 'Donna, you have set up such a big trap for me to walk straight into. If I were not calculative enough, I could have already taken the bait.
But now, I have known the truth.' Holley clicked her tongue in exasperation. She really disliked the idea of having dinner with Donna. She might not be able to take her presence. 'I won't grin and bear it. If I don't fight back, she will just treat me as a doormat. I will never allow that to happen. Let's wait and see!' she thought to herself.
Holley started her car. While she was driving, she was also pondering on how she could retaliate against Donna all the way. All of a sudden, an idea of a road traffic accident came into her mind.
'Hmmm... a road traffic accident seems to be a good idea, ' she thought as her lips curved upward in a wicked grin.
The driver initially planned to rip Holley off after seeing how sophisticated she was and that she was driving a fancy car. He thought Holley must be very rich.
"Hey, what are you playing at?" The man started to panic when he saw Holley collapsed. "I didn't touch you. I have a lot of witnesses here. They can prove that my words are true. Don't ever imagine that you can extort money from me by your acting." Holley's fainting scared the living daylights out of him. He hurriedly called an ambulance and got Holley sent to the hospital right after he confirmed that she truly passed out.
Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Donna had already ordered food. She didn't have any plans of waiting for Holley to arrive. So, as soon as the dishes were served, she and Sula started to dig in.
Something was weighing on George's mind so he didn't eat much. It had been more than half an hour since he called Holley but she didn't show up yet. George unconsciously furrowed his eyebrows.
On the other hand, Donna was wishing at the back of her mind that Holley would never show up. With a smile, she said,"Sure enough, the restaurant Sula recommended is great. The hotpot tastes really good." She was obviously praising Sula to the skies.
"Of course," Sula proudly agreed. "When I was still studying here in Y City, there was a native student in our dormitory. She was a veritable foodie. She could name the best restaurants or snack bars in every nook and cranny of the city off the top of her head. I even gained weight during these four years just because of her. She was the one who recommended this hotpot restaurant to me and it remains my favorite."
They were talking and laughing all throughout dinner. After a while, Donna took a glance at George. "George, let's go to the cinema after dinner. Sula rarely comes to Y City so you should show her around and act as a good host."
"All right," George agreed with a smile. But then he added,"After Holley arrives, we could go to the cinema together. A new action movie was just released recently and Holley is very eager to see it. Would that be okay?"
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