Chapter 46 Esme's Embarrassment
Marcus had so many connections, even Brandon was clueless!
Esme looked at the mountain of fancy gifts and felt like she might pass out.
A soft voice whispered in her ear.
"Esme, where do you wanna go?"
"Jesus! Juniper, you scared the crap outta me!"
Juniper was practically breathing down Esme's neck, making her jump out of her skin!
"Quit acting. You were the one who leaked that video, right? You showed it to me before. Don’t tell me someone jacked your phone and played it at Catherine's birthday bash on purpose!"
Esme cried, "I did it for Catherine! What if she likes someone else and doesn’t wanna marry Alexander? I can’t stand seeing her miserable! Juniper, how could you think I did it on purpose!"
Juniper frowned and stared at Esme, making her squirm.
"Juniper, Lila's still in the hospital with no one to look after her. I gotta go there now. Can we talk about this later?" Esme said.
"Go ahead."
Juniper watched Esme's retreating figure with a suspicious look.
'The more I look at Esme, the more something seems fishy.'
After the party, Brandon turned to Alexander and said, "Mr. Howard, didn't say you had something to discuss with us?"
Charles, George, Richard, and Philip all eyed Alexander warily.
'If he says anything about competing with us for Catherine, we’ll kick him out right now!'
"It's my grandpa. He wants Catherine to visit him. Also, someone from the Windsor family bought some negative trending topics about our families. I’ve already handled it, but you should know."
Brandon asked anxiously, "What trending topics?"
Annie handed over a phone respectfully and said, "Mr. Windsor, it was Esme who bought the trending topics, claiming she was the only daughter of the Windsor family."
"Oh dear, how could I forget about Esme?"
Brandon looked around but couldn’t find Esme.
"How could she be so dumb to buy such trending topics? Luckily, you caught it in time. Otherwise, our families' reputations would’ve been trashed. I don’t consider her my daughter. She’s just Lila’s adopted granddaughter."
Brandon apologized, "Lila's health isn’t great, so it’s normal for her to be a bit confused. As for Felix wanting to see Catherine, that’s easy. Catherine visits Marcus every day, so she can see Felix too."
Catherine had already agreed to help Felix with his illness and wouldn’t back out just because she found out Alexander wasn’t broke.
"Alright, I’ll go tomorrow."
"I’ll pick you up tomorrow. I live next door, so we’ll be neighbors from now on."
Charles was stunned. 'If I knew Alexander had also bought a house in Starry Residence, I wouldn’t have bought a house there. A castle would’ve been better for Catherine. I don’t believe that if I buy a castle, Alexander could still be Catherine’s neighbor!'
The Smith Villa, Serenitia City.
Clara held her phone, filled with envy and jealousy as she watched the global live broadcast of Ms. Windsor's birthday party!
Any random wine glass at the party could cover her living expenses for a month.
But just as Ms. Windsor was about to appear, the screen froze, preventing Clara from seeing her face.
"Why does she get everything and not me!"
When the screen resumed, Clara's sharp eyes caught sight of a corner of the screen. 'Isn't that Catherine holding an old man's hand?'
"Celeste, look, isn’t that Catherine? How did she end up at the Windsor family’s birthday party?"
Celeste glanced dismissively.
"That old man looks like he's eighty. Catherine must’ve seduced him because she’s young. When his family finds out, they’ll break her legs!"
Clara also felt it was unlucky, closing the live stream after a few more glances.
She sneaked into Oliver's study, stole a few documents, and took a cab to the Johnson family.
In the study, Charles, George, Richard, and Philip, along with Juniper, wore serious expressions.
Charles said, "I think Alexander's really into Catherine."
George chimed in, "So what if he likes her? Catherine just got back, and there's no way I'm letting her get hitched anytime soon! Not before she's thirty!"
Juniper laughed, "Thirty? Forget Catherine, Brandon, Aurora, and Marcus would murder you."
Richard added, "No one's taking our precious sister away from us that easily!"
Philip said, "I'm gonna dig into the Howard Group's legal stuff, see if there's any shady business. No way I'm letting Catherine marry into their family without checking them out!"
The five of them exchanged glances, all serious as heck.
The thought of Catherine getting married soon made them super reluctant!
Juniper suddenly spoke up, "What if, hypothetically, Catherine likes him?"
Everyone was stunned!
Charles adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "Whether Catherine likes him or not, we gotta look out for her, make sure she doesn't get played!"
'Catherine is innocent and sweet, knowing nothing about the world.'
'This family still needs us to protect it!'
Meanwhile, in Catherine's room.
She looked at a long string of messages on her phone, all from Alexander.
They were all asking where she was, if she needed a ride, if she was tired today, and if she had any tasks recently.
Even after the party, he kept messaging her, which made her annoyed.
Catherine casually blocked him, turning to reply to her teachers.
[I received the gifts, thank you.]
Oscar: [Catherine, I'm coming to Imperia City next month to see you. I heard the King of Stone Gambling will be there. Did you get the news?]
[Yes, I'll welcome you next month.]
[Great, see you next month.]
'Both the previous and current Kings of Stone Gambling are in the group. How many more Kings of Stone Gambling could go to Imperia City to open stones?
Oscar is probably coming to challenge them.
'I am also curious to see who dares to impersonate the King of Stone Gambling, a figure who dominated the black market.'
In the neighboring villa, Alexander held his phone, seeing the message from Catherine: [Moon will go to the hospital.]
He replied, [Okay], and received a glaring red exclamation mark.
It was clear that Catherine had blocked him!
'She must still be mad about my identity!'
Catherine seemed gentle, but she had quite a temper and was very resilient. Otherwise, she wouldn't have become the leader of an organization opposing him.
Alexander was anxious and wanted to rush over to explain, but his manners and etiquette held him back.
'Tomorrow, I will definitely clear things up with her!'
The next morning, Alexander, dressed in a well-fitted dark brown suit, knocked on the door of The Windsor Mansion.
Brandon saw him arrive so early, showing how much he valued Catherine!
"Mr. Howard, you're here so early? Come, join us for breakfast!"
The Windsor family was having breakfast.
Catherine, holding a bowl of porridge, still looked a bit sleepy and dazed, a side of her Alexander had never seen before!
'So, she's this cute when she just wakes up,' Alexander thought.
Aurora invited, "Come sit next to Catherine. We don't know what you like to eat, so let us know next time, and the kitchen will prepare it for you!"
"Thank you, I'll have whatever Catherine is having. Whatever she likes, I like."
Philip, displeased, said, "Mr. Howard, we're having a family meal. Is it appropriate for you to come so early just to join us?"
Aurora glared at him and said, "Shut up. Mr. Howard will be part of our family in the future, and there will be plenty of meals together!"
Alexander smiled politely, "Just call me Alexander. I'm the younger generation and should honor you all with Catherine."
Aurora and Brandon were extremely pleased with Alexander!
'Look at him, this is the demeanor of a noble family, knowing when to advance and retreat, and caring so much for Catherine. He is definitely the best son-in-law!'
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