Chapter 339 Charles's Probe
Gabriella was at a loss for words.
Thankfully, this wasn't her first conversation with Philip, so she had a good grasp of his personality.
He had a sharp tongue, but in court, he was just as formidable.
Philip was just making a passing comment.
He quickly got to the main point.
"The other party wants to get in touch with you. They said your father has been thinking about you and your sister."
Gabriella shook her head firmly.
"I don't see any need to connect with her. My father is gone. All I want now is to reclaim what belongs to me and Odette."
"Alright, I'll let them know. But she mentioned she has something for you, something your father wanted you to have."
Gabriella was silent for a moment.
"Playing the sympathy card won't work on me. I have no sympathy for a woman who had an affair with a married man. Both my father and she hurt my mother. They're both to blame, aren't they?"
Philip didn't say much about the emotional aspect.
He was a lawyer, not a therapist. He was just relaying the other party's intention to contact Gabriella.
After saying this, Gabriella glanced subtly at the car and politely declined Philip's invitation for a drink.
"I have something to do. I'll see you next time I need some documents."
"Alright, goodbye, Gabriella."
Watching her walk away, Philip got back into the car.
Charles withdrew his gaze.
"What did you talk about? Just standing at the door?"
He knew all of Gabriella's little habits.
She would play with her hair when Philip said something that made her uncomfortable.
Philip said, "I suggested she consider you, Charles. She said she doesn't like big families. I said we could all die together, and she said, 'No, thanks.' She was quite polite."
Charles gave Philip a helpless look.
"If you try to set me up with another client, I'll send you to work as a professional matchmaker."
"Charles, I'm just trying to find you a partner! It's not like I'm doing anything wrong!"
"I could send you to Sunhaven Isles to work as a professional matchmaker."
Philip patted his mouth and made a shushing gesture.
As Charles drove towards George's lab, he casually asked, "Gabriella is dealing with inheritance issues?"
"Yeah!"
Charles recalled that Gabriella had always had a rocky relationship with her family back in school.
Her father wanted a son, but with two daughters, he sought a son elsewhere and ended up having an affair.
"If you can help, do so. After all, she was Catherine's teacher."
"I know, Charles. Gabriella's sister Odette works for Catherine. They're practically family."
Philip mentioned Gabriella and Odette's situation.
"The other party wants money, but our laws don't recognize common-law marriage, and there's no will. Now they're trying to play the sympathy card to soften Gabriella."
"She won't soften."
"How do you know, Charles?"
"Do you think I'm bad at reading people?"
Charles was a leader in the finance industry and had met countless people. Philip didn't think much of it.
Respecting client privacy, Philip didn't say more. The car stopped outside George's lab, and he got out with Juniper.
Charles said calmly, "You go find George. I'll take Catherine and Mr. Pei to the nearby park."
Catherine spoke up, "Charles, we can go ourselves. The scenery here is lovely. We'll just take a walk."
The lab was surrounded by experimental flower fields, which were open to the public when not in use, making it a nice spot.
As they walked towards the park near the lab, they saw Catherine and Alexander holding hands. Annie, crouching in the grass, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ms. Catherine Windsor, Mr. Howard, Mr. George Windsor, and Ms. Hughes are in that house over there."
Catherine nodded.
Her gaze fell on the small houses around the flower beds, where members of the Galactic Aurora Collective were waiting.
Dubhe ran over excitedly.
"Ms. Catherine Windsor, Mr. George Windsor, and Ms. Hughes are fine. They're playing games with the Blade of Dusk people!"
Annie raised an eyebrow. "What games?"
"You'll see!"
Watching Catherine and Alexander walk towards the park, Charles turned off the car's interior light.
The car was dark, the glow of his cigar tip bright. The scent of nicotine surrounded him as he brought the cigarette to his lips, smoke swirling around him.
He knew Gabriella wouldn't forgive her father because she had mentioned her past briefly during school.
Her words still echoed in Charles's mind.
"My dad doesn't care about me. All he sees is money. I went abroad for school on a scholarship I earned myself."
"He sent me money, probably hoping I'd take care of him in his old age. I won't betray my mom."
"You don't understand the fragile pride of us poor people, so stop asking, okay?"
Charles felt a strange sense of embarrassment.
He hadn't really listened to her back then, but now he realized he remembered every single one.
Charles closed his eyes wearily.
He made a call on his phone.
"Push forward with the case. Ensure the plaintiff's interests are maximized. Put it under Philip's name."
"Mr. Charles Windsor, isn't Mr. Philip Windsor's firm already handling this case?"
"Do as I say."
The secretary quickly agreed.
Putting away his phone, Charles extinguished his cigar, calmed himself, glanced at the lab, and drove off.
Gabriella lived nearby, but the buses had stopped running at this hour.
She didn't want to take a cab, so she decided to walk home, her mind a mess.
When a car stopped beside her, she was still a bit dazed.
Charles rolled down the window, his face stern. "Get in. I'll give you a ride."
"No, thanks. I'll walk."
"You're Catherine's homeroom teacher. I don't want anything to happen to you. Catherine would have to adjust to a new teacher, and that's not ideal."
His words were so cold.
Gabriella swallowed her response.
He was worried about her… only because he didn't want Catherine to have to adjust to a new teacher.
Gabriella's heart sank. She opened the door and got in. "Thank you, Mr. Windsor."
In the car, sensing the tension in the air, Gabriella hesitated before speaking. "Mr. Windsor, what did your last message mean?"
Charles's face was expressionless, his eyes on the road.
"Don't I have a name? Or have you always called me Mr. Windsor since we met?"
Gabriella almost bit her tongue.
What had she called him before?
Charles?
Was that too informal now?
Gabriella turned her head. "I can call you whatever I want. I'm not your employee. You can't control me."
Charles tugged at his tie, smiling.
"So I can send you messages whenever I want. I'm not your student. You can't control me either!"
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