Samantha Sullivan was holding a glass of red wine, her fingers teasing a rose. Seeing Eleanor Hollis come over, she raised an eyebrow and snorted coldly. "I’m getting jealous of you, look at all these roses, President Quinn is indeed generous." Eleanor Hollis knew she was teasing her, her face flushed. "I didn’t know he had prepared so many either." Samantha saw the happiness in her eyes and felt her own heart settle. No one understood better than their group of friends just how miserable Eleanor’s life had been before. There was a time when they truly thought she would be devastated into mental illness. Fortunately, after all the twists and turns, she found her true love. "In today’s society, there aren’t many men who would take the trouble for you, Eleanor. Cherish him well. When you get married in the future, I will certainly give you a big red envelope." Marriage seemed distant, something Eleanor had yet to consider. But as long as that person was Hugo Quinn, she was willing. "Where’s Evan Yancy?" She noticed Samantha was here alone, without a trace of Evan Yancy. A hint of loss flashed in Samantha’s eyes. Too many things stood between her and Evan Yancy. Sometimes she wasn’t even sure how long they could last, it seemed like they were just holding on stubbornly. "He went to find Julian Sterling. Eleanor, I really envy your freedom, you can be with whoever you want. I still have to worry about my family. Thinking about how they might be heartbroken because of me and Evan tears me up inside." Recently, Eleanor felt she had met a new Samantha. She had always flitted from one man to another, breaking up by afternoon if she was together in the morning, never mentioning true love. Thinking back now, it wasn’t that there was no true love; she had given all her love to a man named Evan Yancy. "Samantha, I believe you two will end up together." Evan was persistent, and so was Samantha, nothing could stop them. Samantha’s lips curved into a smile. She and Evan could only be in a hidden relationship for now, but it was already very sweet. "Miss Hollis, happy birthday." Sometimes, people passing by would stop to say it, and Eleanor would nod politely. After a while, Hugo Quinn came over and naturally put his arm around her waist. "How about the three of us have dinner tonight?" Samantha found this scene a bit glaring. Well, it was as if she no longer existed to them, so she shyly left to find Evan Yancy. "Just the three of us? Won’t it be too quiet? Birthdays are more fun with everyone together." Eleanor said, snuggling into his embrace. "Then I’ll invite them too." Eleanor wasn’t too fond of making small talk with these strangers, but she knew Hugo’s intentions. Besides being moved, she didn’t know what else to say, so she silently accepted it, but when it came to dining privately, she still hoped to be with people she was familiar with. That night, the group headed to a restaurant’s private room. Both Hugo’s and Eleanor’s friends were there. Gloria Galloway volunteered to sit beside Julian Sterling, trying her best to present herself as a lady. However, her chattering all afternoon had thoroughly numbed Julian’s ears; seeing her now gave him a headache. Jude Shaw had no female companion, and his spirits seemed low, looking quite worn out. Official source ıs 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙 "Is the Shaw Family still giving you trouble?" The last time he had thrown out that recording, it had really slapped the Shaw Family’s face, presumably making things tough for them recently. "My mom is busy trying to set me up with someone who could clean up the Shaw Family’s image." His tone was a bit sarcastic, and the atmosphere at the table fell silent. Jude didn’t want to dampen everyone’s mood, so he reached up to rub his temples. "I haven’t gone back to see them in days, let’s drop it and eat." Samantha sat on the side, thinking about how all this trouble stemmed from her issues. Though she knew Jude did it for Evan’s sake, she still felt guilty. She lifted her wine glass confidently. Jude’s lips curved, and he drank as well. "As long as you two are fine, not torturing each other like before, I’ll be relieved." Samantha and Evan exchanged a glance; there was affection in both their eyes. Jude shivered exaggeratedly, not being able to stomach people in love. The meal was enjoyable for everyone. Occasionally, Eleanor would place food on Marcus’s plate, gently stroking his head, appearing genuinely like a family of three. Something flickered in Julian’s eyes; a child’s feelings are the most direct, and seeing how dependently Marcus relied on Eleanor spoke volumes about her character. He finally understood why Hugo liked this woman. Her appearance might not be the most stunning, but she gave off a familial warmth that assured and earned trust, and that’s precisely the gentle harbor both Marcus and Hugo needed. The men drank a little, making harmless jokes, showing the genuine bond they shared. As the meal ended, Gloria was eager to offer Julian a ride home, leaving him both amused and exasperated, but surprisingly he agreed in the end, even Eleanor was a little surprised. Jude and Julian planned to crash at someone’s place tonight. With Gloria, the lively little sparrow, the atmosphere in the car became much livelier. Jude noticed Gloria’s admiration and adoration for Julian, teasing in his eyes. "My friend Julian doesn’t have a girlfriend, so you should work hard~" Encouraged, Gloria felt courage coursing through her. Julian furrowed his brow, gently massaging his forehead. "Better not joke like that. A cute girl like Gloria deserves someone better." His words were gentle to Gloria, but she knew it was a disguised rejection, her spirits dampened for a moment before picking back up. Jude squinted slowly, what he said was true, a girl like Gloria was well-suited for Julian. Despite Julian’s seemingly gentle manner, he was truly the coldest toward people. Now he might smile gently at you, and forget your name the next moment. He only had three friends, aside from Jude and Evan, the other was Hugo. Other than that, he couldn’t be bothered to look at anyone else. His world was lonely, but as a star, he had to face so much noise. A girl like Gloria was just what he needed to pull him out of his solitude, to forget the shadow that woman had left him with. The car stopped; although it had been said Gloria would drive them back, as men, they couldn’t let her do it alone. In the end, they escorted Gloria to her door. Reluctantly, Gloria got out of the car, waving them off with a cheerful smile. Once the car was out of sight completely, she put her hand down with a sigh, her mood dropping as she headed upstairs.