Chapter 253 Charles Was a Considerate Person
Everything happened so fast that it even freaked Charles out a bit, let alone Catherine, who was just a girl under twenty.
When Charles saw the look in Catherine's eyes, all sparkly and full of emotion, he knew he was right.
'Catherine's so thoughtful, it breaks my heart,' he thought and gently patted her head, saying, "Are you out with friends? Go have fun! Enjoy yourself for a few days. If you need more money, just let me know! I'll take care of the leave request!"
Charles totally misunderstood, thinking Catherine was scared and needed a break.
"Alright, I'm off then. Bye, Charles," Catherine said.
"When you get back, make sure to get a check-up, okay? I just can't help but worry," Charles said.
Catherine agreed, treating it like a regular check-up to ease Charles's mind.
The situation in the small village was pretty complicated, and she didn't want the Windsor Family to know about it just yet. Whether it was the Galactic Aurora Collective's base or the tricky borderlines, it was best to keep it under wraps for now. She'd deal with it after finding Richard and Sophia!
Watching Catherine leave with her backpack, her long ponytail swaying in the sunlight, Charles felt a pang of sadness.
'Catherine's too considerate, always making us unsure of what more we can do for her! We can give her money and love, but I always feel like she's hiding something from us. Having grown up alone for so long, she probably doesn't know how to rely on others anymore.' This thought made Charles's heart ache. 'Never mind, as long as Catherine doesn't want to talk about it, we won't force her.'
Gabriella walked up to Charles, also watching Catherine leave. "It's clear you care a lot about Catherine."
"Yeah, Catherine's been through a lot. Before she came home, we were ready to accept a spoiled, unruly, or disobedient sister."
After all, Catherine hadn't lived with the Windsor Family for the past nineteen years. The Smith Family in Serenitia City was so poor, it was clear they couldn't raise a good child.
Charles rubbed his temples. "No matter what Catherine is like, she could be like any other teenage girl, temperamental, vain, and unaccepting of us, and I wouldn't mind."
Charles was ready to accept an imperfect sister! But Catherine turned out to be so good, it made his heart ache even more.
Gabriella's eyes flickered with a light she quickly concealed. "Mr. Windsor, aren't you worried your sister might not be good?"
"It doesn't matter, I can teach her. As long as she's home."
Brandon and Aurora had no experience raising children; the younger Windsor siblings were all raised by Charles! If Catherine turned out to be a bad kid, he'd just teach her the same way he taught his younger siblings!
But Catherine didn't seem to need him to do anything extra, which made Charles both proud and a bit frustrated.
Gabriella said, "I didn't realize you were so considerate."
Gabriella started to walk away. "Come to my office to sign the papers. And about what happened earlier, you should check the surveillance footage, right?"
"Of course!" Anything involving Catherine was a big deal; Charles had to get to the bottom of it!
Walking into Gabriella's office, Charles noticed a bouquet of flowers tossed in the trash. "Sorry, I didn't know you were allergic to pollen."
"It's alright. You didn't need to know." Gabriella sat at her desk, pulling out the leave request and exemption forms and handing them to Charles. "Catherine has her own ideas. Some courses are indeed boring, and if she doesn't care about the credits, it's okay for her not to attend."
"Thank you." Charles sat down, took a pen from his suit pocket, and carefully filled out the forms.
Even though Charles spent most of his time in the office, his strict self-discipline had given him a body full of taut muscles. When he sat down, his shirt bulged, revealing his strong muscles and powerful arms. He treated everything related to Catherine with extra care, meticulously reading every word to avoid missing any details.
Gabriella glanced at him and then looked away. "Would you like some coffee?"
"No, I rarely drink coffee now."
Gabriella rested her chin on her hand, her eyelashes fluttering. "I remember you used to love drinking coffee. I thought you still did."
Charles put the pen away, his tone calm, without a hint of emotion. "People change. The things I used to like, I don't like anymore."
Just like Gabriella, who used to love irises but could now calmly say she was allergic to flowers. Charles had been forbidden by George and Aurora from drinking coffee due to his stomach issues. Since people change, he could stop liking coffee too.
After filling out the forms, Charles handed them to Gabriella. "Thank you. I'll go check the surveillance now."
"I'll go with you. Catherine is also my student."
Charles didn't refuse, politely making way for Gabriella to walk beside him. His gaze swept over everything on Gabriella's desk, finally landing on a photo frame with a single portrait of Gabriella in a red robe, clearly taken when she had just earned her PhD. It seemed to be a photo he had taken in the past!
"Don't you have a photo with your husband?" Charles asked.
Gabriella's voice was flat. "No need."
Charles nodded and didn't ask further. He maintained the proper boundaries and decorum with a married woman.
"Aren't you married yet?" Gabriella asked.
"Almost."
Gabriella paused slightly at this answer but didn't stop walking. "Then congratulations in advance. When's the wedding? Make sure to invite me."
"Next May."
Hearing such a specific date, it was clear Charles had been planning his wedding for a while. As for who the other person was, it didn't seem like something she should ask now. Gabriella felt a strange bitterness in her throat, dry and unable to speak.
Charles himself didn't even know he was getting married next May. But with marriage, setting a date first and then backing out later was no big deal. Even if everything was ready, and he was eagerly anticipating it, his bride would still leave him. That he had experienced.
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