Chapter 142 The Only One I Love Is You

'I just don't get it! I've got the looks, the talent, and the upbringing. I've had the best education since I was a kid. So how is Catherine, from the countryside, outshining me?' Esme fumed as she stared at the report on her phone. The media, all under Richard's thumb, were practically worshipping Catherine!

Esme's heart felt like it was being ripped apart. She glanced at the barely-breathing Lila and felt a wave of injustice wash over her. 

'Why does Catherine get to live it up while I'm stuck in this freezing hospital with a half-dead Lila? Lila's divorced Marcus, so she's got nothing to do with me anymore,' she thought bitterly.

Esme shot one last cold look at Lila, then turned and walked out of the ICU without a backward glance. 'The Windsor family wants me to babysit Lila and ship her off to Novia, never to come back? Dream on!' she thought.

She dialed Michael's number again. "Michael, can we talk about what we discussed last time? This time, no screw-ups!"

"Find a place to stay, and I'll get in touch," Michael said, about to hang up when Esme quickly added, "I'm out of money."

"You're a Windsor and you can't even afford a hotel? Fine, I'll send you some," Michael replied, his voice dripping with disdain. Clearly, being a Windsor and ending up like this showed Esme's brain was just for show.

After hanging up, Esme checked her account and left the hospital without a second glance.

Meanwhile, the news that Catherine and Dominic were working on a painting together had already spread in the industry.

Annie handed the phone to Alexander, who was in the middle of a merger meeting, crunching numbers. All the partners were on edge, fully focused, when they saw the usually stern Alexander break into a doting smile, making everyone in the room break out in a cold sweat.

After hearing from Annie, they learned that Alexander's fiancée, Catherine of the Windsor family, was actually Dominic's student. 'No wonder Alexander looks so smitten; she's got to be the apple of his eye,' they thought.

The partners started whispering among themselves.

"I saw Ms. Windsor's birthday live stream. The Windsor family must really adore her."

"Are you kidding? If your daughter were this amazing, wouldn't you?"

"If my daughter were Dominic's student, everyone in Imperia City would know about it."

Alexander watched the video of Catherine, who looked stunning even while painting, her movements graceful and elegant. 

"Save the video," he ordered.

Since he couldn't be there in person, he wanted to see Catherine shine as much as possible.

Annie nodded, "It's already saved. I've also picked the best photos taken by the media and saved them on your phone."

Alexander nodded in satisfaction and resumed the meeting with the partners. The pace picked up noticeably, and it was clear to everyone that Alexander was in a hurry.

The asset evaluation, which was supposed to take three hours, was wrapped up in just half an hour. As Alexander signed the documents, he coldly asked, "What time is it?"

Annie replied, "Six o'clock. The exhibition is over, Ms. Windsor hasn't left yet, and Mr. Felix Howard has already gone home."

Alexander capped his pen and pushed the signed documents forward. When the partners looked up, he was already gone from the conference room!

The gallery exhibition wrapped up quickly. The media reluctantly left, many still wanting to interview Catherine, but Richard blocked them.

Richard was a mega-star and the latest Grand Slam Best Actor winner. He was always poised and graceful in front of the camera, and even a slight smile made the photographers ecstatic!

Richard was the king of the entertainment industry!

After dealing with the media, Charles sent Marcus and Felix home.

Marcus looked at Catherine with pride and patted her hand. "Catherine, you did great, but don't wear yourself out. You're the youngest in our family; you don't need to push so hard, but I'm proud of you!"

Brandon added, "Aurora and I are also proud of you! But seriously, don't overwork yourself! If there's anything at the gallery in the future, just let me know. You shouldn't have to worry about small stuff!"

Brandon had taken the chance to go through all the gallery's accounts, wanting to help Catherine spot any shady business, but found that she had everything under control. He thought his daughter was simply a genius!

"I know. I'm not tired," Catherine said.

After sending off the Windsor family, many artists were still standing in front of Catherine's painting, unwilling to leave.

"Ms. Windsor, can we join the gallery? We can come here to work without any fees!"

"Yeah, Ms. Windsor, as long as we can study Dominic's painting techniques, we don't need a salary!"

Catherine glanced at the group of artists. "If you're interested, send your resumes to my email. If you're a good fit, I'll invite you through the normal process, and you'll be paid accordingly."

She wasn't the type to exploit her employees.

"Okay, we'll send them right away!"

Elijah walked up to Catherine, beaming. "Ms. Windsor, today's exhibition was a huge success. Your and Dominic's painting is now in the most prominent place."

"Thanks for your hard work." Catherine walked to her office, changed out of her dress, and put on a sharp suit, tying her hair up high. She looked spirited and authoritative. She picked up the report on her desk and saw that many figures had been circled in red marker, followed by new data, accurate to three decimal places. 

Then a small bear sticky note fell down, saying: [Catherine, there were some small issues with the data. I've corrected them for you. Don't overwork yourself! Dad loves you.]

A warm smile appeared on Catherine's lips.

She didn't know when Brandon had entered the office. But thinking of him coming in to help her with the reports while she was busy outside and leaving her a cute sticky note, she felt her heart warm.

As night fell, Elijah knocked on the glass door of the office. "Ms. Windsor, everyone has left. You should go home too."

"Okay, you go ahead. I'll leave after finishing this data."

"Don't work too hard!" Elijah left the office first, and Catherine looked down at the data, frowning slightly.

Her phone rang, and she answered it. Alexander's voice came through the receiver. "Still working overtime? Running into a tricky problem?"

"Almost done." Catherine stood up and turned to see a man standing across the street!

In the night, Alexander stood alone, exuding an aura that made people not dare to look directly at him. But when he looked at her, his gaze was unbelievably gentle.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked.

"Just five minutes. I'll take you to dinner. I don't mind my fiancée being a workaholic, but you still need to eat."

Catherine turned off the office wall light and walked downstairs. In the darkness, her voice carried a hint of teasing. "Charles said you might prefer a traditional housewife."

Charles wasn't wrong; most wives of heirs from prestigious families were indeed gracious socialites.

Alexander's deep laughter echoed in Catherine's ear.

"I don't prefer either a career woman or a traditional housewife. I like you, and only you. It has nothing to do with societal roles." His voice was tender, as if whispering to a loved one in the quiet night.
Both Princess and Queen
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