An Eager Invitation

After another round of trouble, Kitty was finally safely and legally returned to old Gary's apartment building. Taking this beast abroad was truly more tiring than anything else. Not to mention, there was also the issue of Charlize Theron, which was weighing heavily on my mind.

Just as Henry was wondering which direction to take to gather information, the alluring old man came to his door.

Old Gary, standing outside the door, cautiously peered into the room. Kitty was eating raw meat from her bowl, brought to her by the butcher.

Although no one was home, Henry still asked old Gary for help, receiving goods from the butcher every day and then putting the raw meat into the freezer.

Today, Henry settles his accounts with the butcher monthly, instead of settling accounts with the delivery guy every day.

As for frozen raw meat... well, to Kitty, it's like eating popsicles. She can happily crunch on them occasionally.

But you can't do this every day. Otherwise, you'll see a Tiger giving you the cold shoulder, not eyeing the frozen meat in the food bowl, but just staring at you, which is really humiliating.

In short, Kitty, who was focused on eating, only raised her head and glanced at the person who opened the door.

Old Gary, of course, didn't forget to greet her. "Hello, Kitty."

After licking the ice crystals from her lips, Kitty buried her head back into the food bowl.

Feeling relieved that he was no longer being watched, old Gary breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out a scented envelope and handed it over. "Henry, someone asked me to give this to you today. I think it must be a very important invitation."

The envelope bore only the name "Henry Brown." Unlike the seals of Europe nobles, it wasn't stamped or wax-sealed. Henry easily peeled it open.

The invitation, made of high-quality cloud-patterned paper, was taken out. It contained only an address and a signature— James Arden. There was no other text.

However, unlike the simple plant patterns with good symmetry that are usually used for the outer edge of the paper, this invitation has a more delicate pattern composed of lily of the valley, stems and leaves.

Then, lily of the valley is also known as the "May flower" in the United States...

Are you from that group?

Unsurprisingly, the address is in Montecito, north of Los Angeles. It's not part of Los Angeles County, but it's a true hub for the wealthy.

Last time, Henry went to Montecito district and was tricked by two FBI agents, where he witnessed the black state legislator kill himself.

What kind of trouble will they cause this time?

The invitation doesn't specify a date, does that mean I can go anytime?

"Who sent this invitation?" Henry asked, flipping through the invitation so that old Gary could see its contents.

"I didn't know him either. He was just a very well-dressed young man who said he was going to give this to you. I even told him I didn't know when you'd be back. He assured me that you'd be back today, and I didn't expect you to actually come back."

After answering Henry's question, old Gary picked up his reading glasses to look at the contents of the invitation.

Do you know this James Arden?

"I don't know," old Gary shook his head. He added, "But someone who would use this kind of invitation wouldn't be an ordinary person, would they?"

As if remembering something, old Gary asked again, "By the way, where's Charlize? Didn't you go to work together? You didn't come back together either?"

"Yes, she's run into some trouble. I told her to fly to London or Paris first, and I'll handle things here."

Old Gary said worriedly, "Is she alright? She was a poor girl."

"Oh, it's nothing serious. It's just that her visa was cancelled. She still has a job, so I'll help her apply for another one. It just takes a little time."

"Okay, fine. You just got back too, I won't disturb your rest."

"Okay, when Charlize comes back in a few days, I'll cook a big meal, and we can all eat together." Henry used the same old trick to win over this charming old man.

Old Gary immediately pointed and said, "I want that, um, the soy sauce pork tied with string."

"Dongpo pork, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's it."

Henry patted his own belly with ill intent, looked at the others, and said, "Aren't you afraid of the fat getting in?"

"A life without fat is incomplete. Those who are obsessed with getting themselves into Arnold's shape won't understand the joy in it."

"Haha, I'll prepare." Henry laughed.

Don't keep me craving it for too long.

"No problem."

Before old Gary could leave, a flurry of footsteps could be heard. Harris, the responsible agent, burst in and immediately asked, "What's going on with Charlize?"

"She's already contacted you." Henry made way for the agent to come in and talk, while also seeing off the curious old man.

Enraged, JJ Harris had completely forgotten about the Tiger they kept in the house. He was startled when he entered, then quickly found a spot away from Kitty to sit down. "Tell me, what happened?" Charlize hadn't explained it clearly on the phone.

Henry first handed the invitation letter he had just received to the conscientious agent. "Charlize's P-3 visa has been cancelled, and we need to help her reapply. As for who did it, I think you can probably guess. It was probably this person."

"James Arden? Who is he?" JJ Harris looked at the words on the invitation.

"I don't know him either. This is the first time I've heard this name," Henry said honestly.

She brought the invitation close to her nose, but the delicate fragrance didn't give JJ Harris any further clues. Only when she saw the lily of the valley pattern did a rather unlikely guess come to mind.

"... Could it be that group of people?"

Who do you think it is?

"Those who signed the Mayflower Compact were United States's true Blue-Blooded Aristocracy."

"There really are such people? They're not all dead?" Henry asked, feigning surprise.

JJ Harris said, "In fact, they are just like Europe nobles, with maternal and paternal bloodlines mixed together. Apart from the meticulous ones themselves who understand this, no one else can figure out the relationship between them."

"Why are they getting involved here? They don't concern themselves with Hollywood. These deals are too low-level for them. Has Charlize met with this Arden? Is he asking for someone?"

Henry shook his head and said, "What If...? they wanted someone, they wouldn't use the method of canceling visas and keeping them out of the country, would they? I think it's probably a problem on my end that's implicating Charlize."

JJ Harris found Henry's candor somewhat hard to accept. However, aside from Henry Brown, no one else would be willing to take on Charlize Theron's troubles. So, they could only place their hopes on this man.

Henry didn't refuse the matter. He said directly, "I'll meet with this Arden tonight and see what he's up to. Please help Charlize with her work matters first."

"I know that." JJ Harris stood up, ready to leave. But she turned back and asked, "Do you really have a solution?"

"What's wrong?"

"Suppressing the issue and getting back before the deadline is one of those two different approaches, compared to being honest with the partners and explaining the possibility of changes in arrangements. I need to know which approach to take when negotiating with others."

"Just be frank with others. Trying to push the blame onto me is your excuse. Visa issues require administrative procedures, and I really can't guarantee Charlize can fly back to Los Angeles tomorrow."

"Okay, I understand."