Capítulo 172: Chapter 172: It's Just So Unfair
[Chapter 172: It's Just So Unfair]
Eric had been fixing her hair, and for a moment, it felt warm and cozy. But when she heard his comment, she immediately pouted. "Pfft! That's not true. I think you're just babbling nonsense and trying to fool me. I didn't understand much of anything -- what's with all this resource and merger stuff? It's just a bunch of rubbish."
Eric put on a sad face and clutched his chest. "You really hurt my pride! I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson later."
"Um..." Jennifer Aniston lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed. Suddenly, she snapped her head up. "Don't you dare do that again! Otherwise, I'll have a bone to pick with you."
"Huh? What do you mean, that?" Eric felt a bit confused.
"You... you did it on purpose," she stomped her foot. She thought Eric was just pretending to be clueless, and in a huff, she let go of his arm and took a few steps ahead.
Seeing her swaying form, enveloped in her long dress, Eric finally realized what he had done. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he swiftly caught up with her, giving her a playful slap on her perky backside. "Alright, don't be mad. I really just forgot."
"Ah..." The little girl squealed in surprise, jumping back like a startled rabbit. She quickly looked around and, upon realizing there were no passersby, sighed with relief and shot Eric an angry glare. "You... pervert!"
Eric chuckled as he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a pinch on her soft midriff. He then leaned in to plant a firm kiss on her cheek before whispering in her ear, "There's going to be even more of that later."
"Hmph!" She tried again to wriggle out of his embrace, but after a few playful jabs from him, she lost her resistance and let Eric hold her.
...
Before long, the doorman drove up with Eric's car, and after tipping him, Eric and Jennifer climbed in.
"Are we going to my place?" she asked softly after Eric started the engine.
"Of course," he replied, steering the car onto the road. Remembering the scene from a few months back, he couldn't help but laugh. "Drew must have gone back home by now. Unless you want to come over to duel with her again?"
"Hmph!" Jennifer turned away in anger but then suddenly had a thought. "Eric, how's the construction on your Malibu house coming along?"
"With the renovations, we should still need another two or three months. But if everything goes smoothly, we'll be able to move in by the end of the year. Maybe for Christmas, we could throw a party at the seaside villa." Eric glanced at the road ahead and spoke.
The Malibu mansion, inspired by the Iron Man's extravagant seaside estate in his memories, had been under construction for over six months. Unfortunately, construction efficiency was notoriously slow. In the beginning, he had actively followed up on the progress with Frank Gehry, but after a couple of months, he found himself losing interest, only tuning in to the scheduled updates from Gehry's office. Deep down, he could only reassure himself with the saying, "Good things come to those who wait."
Hearing Eric's response, Jennifer quietly asked, "So... will Drew still move in when the time comes?"
Eric tapped the steering wheel a couple of times before responding, "You know, Jennifer, Drew is still only fourteen, just a kid. Legally and morally, I can't let her live by herself right now. She'll have to wait until she's at least sixteen to move out."
Jennifer scrunched her little nose and grumbled, "She doesn't look like a little girl at all!"
"Yeah, that's true, but a lot of things are like that. Drew is a public figure; those so-called child protection organizations always keep a close eye on her. If I let her move out now, it would certainly stir up some trouble with them."
"Hmph! Why didn't that little girl just happen to be born in a slum? Then nobody would care about her!"
"Exactly," Eric sighed. "The world is so unfair. It's predominantly an elite game, and the educational system favors the elite. This country only guarantees the excellence of the top tier, while the children at the bottom level, who cares about them? Even if they drop out from school by eleven or twelve and start having kids at thirteen or fourteen, very few people would take notice.
Drew is different; she's already climbed up the ladder of this social pyramid, destined to enjoy the benefits that come with being among the elite. And being under the watch of child protection organizations is one of those benefits."
With one hand resting on the car window, Jennifer tossed her head back and pouted at Eric. "Well, congratulations! You successfully managed to change the topic again. You always have a million ways to divert the conversation. Hmph! Don't think I didn't notice. I just couldn't be bothered to argue with you."
"This time, you changed the topic first," Eric chuckled.
"Not true! It was you!"
"Okay, it was me," Eric didn't want to argue with her, continuing, "The Malibu house is quite big. You could move in when the time comes."
"With me, there's no her, and with her, there's no me. You do what you want!"
Eric lightly tapped the steering wheel. "Alright, let's drop it then."
"Ugh... You jerk! You're always so biased!" Jennifer's eyes widened, glaring at Eric. Her gaze darted around, seemingly searching for a place to bite.
Eric caught her expression and quickly warned, "Hey, don't go teasing me; I'm trying to drive."
Just then, Eric suddenly felt his Motorola cellphone ringing and promptly pulled over to the side of the road. He picked it up, and Drew's excited voice boomed through the receiver. He glanced at Jennifer, quickly stepped out of the car, and walked over to the streetlight to continue the conversation.
Watching Eric's cautious demeanor, Jennifer felt both angry and... well, he still cared about her feelings, she comforted herself.
Moments later, Eric returned to the car, closed the door, and started the engine.
"What was that about?" After a little while, Jennifer couldn't help but ask.
Eric shook his head. "I don't know. The little girl was being all mysterious, insisting I come back because she had news to share. Let's forget about it for now and head to your place first."
"Um..." Jennifer fidgeted with her skirt hem, then hesitated before saying, "How about... you go back and check? Maybe it's something important?"
*****
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