The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 218
“Good! Good! I knew you had good taste, boy!”
He immediately stood up and bustled out the door. He shouted loudly for the butler. “Jarvis! Go to the storeroom. Get that vintage jade set we acquired last time, and the premium supplements. Oh, and prepare a few boxes of the best herbal tonics.”
Dante’s attitude suggested he wanted to ship the entire contents of the Langley estate to Leilani’s place.
Callahan frowned, telling him to rein it in. “Don’t scare her.”
“Scare her? What nonsense!” Dante glared at him. “Is Leilani that kind of timid person?”
He added cheerfully, “Besides, this is a meeting gift for my future granddaughter-in-law. It’s only right!”
Celestial Heights, Leilani’s apartment door.
Leilani had just returned home from work. She saw the Langley family butler leading a team of people grandly moving a pile of expensive supplements, jewelry boxes, and even crates of fresh, top-tier ingredients air-freighted in, all piling up at her door.
Leilani stood frozen for a few seconds. “What is this…?”
The butler smiled respectfully. “Ms. Sloan, I am the Langley family butler, Jarvis Chilton. These are a token of Dante’s appreciation. He wishes to congratulate you and Callahan on being together.”
Leilani rubbed her forehead, finding it both amusing and exasperating. They had only confirmed their relationship yesterday. And today Dante wanted to empty the Langley warehouse into her living room? This was moving a little too fast!
But since the gifts were already at her door, refusing them seemed rude. Leilani thought for a moment, then turned to her medicine cabinet. She took out several porcelain bottles and handed
them to the butler.
“These are some heart-nourishing pills and circulation supplements I compounded recently. They’ll be helpful for Dante’s old injuries. Please pass them on to him.”
The butler accepted them with both hands. “If Master Dante knows you’re thinking of him, he’ll be thrilled.”
Jarvis had just returned from delivering the gifts when evening fell. The moment he entered, Dante grabbed him.
“Well? Did Leilani accept the gifts? What did she say?”
Jarvis nodded with a chuckle. “She accepted them! Ms. Sloan even sent back some heart-nourishing pills specifically for you, saying they would help with your old injuries.”
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Dante immediately beamed, stroking his beard proudly. “Look at that! What a thoughtful girl!”
Jarvis hesitated for a moment, then added, “However… when I went there, I realized that Ms. Sloan lives on the 18th floor of Celestial Heights.”
The address had been provided by Callahan; previously, Dante only knew the address of Leilani’s clinic.
Dante paused. “Celestial Heights? Isn’t that the building Callahan lives in?”
Jarvis nodded. “Yes. And… Ms. Sloan lives on the 18th floor. Callahan lives right above her.”
“What?” Dante slammed the table, making the coffee set rattle. “That brat hid this from me all this time?”
He paced back and forth in the room, huffing with indignation.
“Okay then! I was wondering how he suddenly got enlightened. Turns out they’ve been living together this whole time! And he didn’t tell me! The scoundrel!”
Jarvis suppressed a laugh and reminded him quietly, “Sir, they are neighbors on different floors, not ‘living together’…”
“What’s the difference!” Dante glared. “Proximity is power! That brat must have calculated this ages ago!”
Despite the scolding, the corners of Dante’s mouth crept upward until he finally burst into laughter. “Good! Good! This is fate! Destined fate!”
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