The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 1494

"My dear, you finally made it!" Eugene exclaimed joyfully, rushing over to Arabella. He affectionately ruffled her hair and said, "I’ve been waiting for ages. Thought you'd stood me up."

Lindsay’s tears lingered in her eye sockets, while Madeline stood there, dumbfounded. What was this twist? Was Arabella personally invited by Eugene? They seemed so close.

"All these pastries are my treat for you; they're all your favorites. How's that? From now on, you reply to my messages first, and forget the other grandpas!"

Lindsay was not going to feign pity for sympathy, as it was clear that Eugene was very fond of Arabella.

Just moments ago, she had been foolishly hoping Eugene would take her side and teach Arabella a lesson. What a daydream that was!

Even Madeline felt a twinge of fear - had they inadvertently crossed someone they shouldn't have?

"Were you snacking over here just now?" Eugene inquired.

He hadn't seen her earlier, as guests were milling about everywhere, blocking his view. He could only catch a fleeting glimpse of Arabella's silhouette, but that didn't stop him from running towards her.

"Where's my present?"

Eugene rarely ever asked for gifts directly.

Lindsay and Madeline couldn't believe their eyes. Eugene and Arabella seemed to be on such good terms.

Other guests, though unaware of the specifics of Eugene and Arabella's conversation, could tell from his affectionate gestures - patting her head, beaming smiles - that Eugene held this girl in special regard.

It appeared he was quite fond of her.

"Here," Arabella didn't want to dampen his spirits by bringing up any earlier unpleasantness, so she simply handed him a neatly wrapped little gift box.

Eugene was over the moon, cradling the box gingerly as he tried to guess its contents, "Let's see if I can guess what this is."