Chapter 382 Philip Gets Teased
It had been years since they last held each other in a car.
There was no heat in it, no unspoken seduction—only warmth, and the quiet weight of something hard-won.
In the world of adults, there were no tidy morals, only wounds deep enough to leave scars.
Charles's phone rang, the ringtone reserved for the Windsor family chiming alongside a strange, jaunty melody.
Gabriella gave him a small shove. "Your phone..."
He didn't let go. With his free hand, he reached into the pocket of the jacket draped over her shoulders and fished out the phone.
He pressed the answer button. Philip's voice exploded from the other end.
"Charles! Are you insane? You sent Ms. Kate to find me?"
"I told her to find you or Richard. Looks like she picked you."
Philip was crouched in a narrow alley, staring at Emma, who leaned casually against the entrance, smiling like a cat that had cornered its prey.
"Charles, do you have any idea this woman is a lunatic? We hated each other back in school—hated!"
Emma and Philip had been law school classmates—she studied international law, he studied criminal procedure.
Philip wanted to sink into the pavement and disappear.
Charles's tone was mild. "If you already know each other, that should make working together easier."
"Working together? Are you trying to ruin me? You're single—why don't you partner with her yourself? In our circles, business marriages are hardly unusual."
"No thanks. I have a girlfriend."
Philip froze. "What? Since when? And why didn't I know?"
Charles didn't bother to hide the call from Gabriella. He raised an eyebrow at her, a roguish smile tugging at his lips.
"You see? If you keep turning me down, I'll be forced into a business marriage."
Gabriella's face was still wet with tears. The suddenness of his words made her tense.
Philip's outrage spiked. "So you dump this woman on me while you go play boyfriend? Charles, you bastard! I'm telling Mom!"
"Go ahead," Charles said evenly. "You're in your twenties and still running to your mother."
Philip hung up in fury and immediately called Aurora to complain.
When Aurora heard Emma had gone to Philip instead of Charles, she peeled the face mask from her skin. "Emma went to you? Not Charles?"
"Charles is with his girlfriend right now! Mom, don't you think—hello? Mom? Mom!"
Aurora had hung up the moment she heard the first half of his sentence.
Listening to the dead line, Philip felt like his sanity was slipping.
He stood, rubbing at his temples. "Emma, this is pointless. I'm not interested in whatever business advantage this marriage would bring. And besides..." He shrugged. "I'm not interested in you."
Emma's smile vanished. She lit a slim cigarette, her sleeve sliding back to reveal a vivid full-color tattoo curling over her arm.
"I told you. Beat me, and I'll let you go. Lose, and you agree to my terms."
"You're a violent maniac! Don't think I won't hit a woman!"
Aurora had no idea what Emma was really like when she suggested her for Charles. She wasn't some docile socialite—she was a force of nature, all sharp edges and fists.
Emma exhaled a ribbon of smoke, her narrow eyes tilting upward, dangerously alluring. "Mr. Windsor, with a face like yours, I bet you'd look beautiful crying."
Philip felt insulted to his core. Unfortunately, Emma had once been an international judo champion, and most people wouldn't dare face her head-on.
Spotting a familiar figure passing the mouth of the alley, Philip shouted, "Catherine! Help me!"
Catherine stepped back, then returned to the alley entrance. There, wedged between a row of garbage bins, was Philip.
"Philip? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Catherine! This woman is trying to kill me!"
Catherine's gaze slid to Emma, who looked deceptively delicate despite the tattoo curling over her arm. At the sight of Catherine, Emma hastily stubbed out her cigarette and hurried forward with a grin.
"Ms. Windsor! I've missed you so much!"
Catherine pushed her away in disgust. "Didn't I tell you to quit smoking? If you can't take my advice seriously, don't bother coming to me for treatment."
Emma knew she was in the wrong and clung to Catherine's arm like a child. If Catherine hadn't taught her judo, she'd have been chewed up by the Kate family long ago. To Emma, Catherine wasn't just a friend—she was a savior.
Catherine glanced at Philip. "Don't tell me you don't know this is my brother."
Emma laughed. "Honestly, I didn't. I knew you were a Windsor, Ms. Windsor, but the Windsor family in Imperia City is huge—so many relatives' children to keep track of! And I only just found out he's Philip."
The Kate family was enough trouble without memorizing the entire Windsor family tree.
Watching Emma cling to Catherine, Philip's temper snapped. He shoved her off. "Stay away from Catherine! She's not going to work with you, so give it up! She doesn't like women, and she's about to get engaged. You're insane—stay away from her!"
Now that she knew Philip was Catherine's brother, Emma softened, her voice turning sweet. "Ms. Windsor, I didn't mean anything by it. My mother just told me to date someone from the Windsor family or she'd cut me off. I'm struggling here."
Catherine patted her head. "Then come back to the Windsor Villa for dinner. As for dating... that's up to Philip. Don't force it."
"Alright. But Mr. Windsor is so mean—I'm scared."
Philip was speechless. Who was mean? Who had cornered him in a filthy alley and refused to let him leave?
Emma's eyes curved into a sly smile. "Mr. Windsor and I were classmates. We go way back, don't we, Mr. Windsor?"
Philip rubbed his sore arm, met Catherine's concerned gaze, and ground out, "Yes. Very close."
Emma beamed at the answer and nuzzled Catherine's shoulder. "I'm almost done with what I came here to do, but I'll need the Windsor family's help just a little longer."
"I'm a Windsor too," Catherine said calmly. "Whatever it is, I'll help you."
Emma's eyes lit up. Catherine was perfect.
Then a thought struck her, and she hesitated. "But you can't marry me, can you?"
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