Chapter 86 Catherine Must Apologize!
"Is there any dishes you prefer?" Alexander asked.
"Nah."
He got the hint and told Annie to drive to some downtown joint.
"You into art? Oil paintings or charcoal sketches? Got a few cool ones at home; I can bring 'em next time," he said.
"Oil paintings are my jam. No need to bring any, though; I got plenty," she said, trying to be nice about it.
Dominic painted her a ton every year, and Mars, his top student, had his stuff all over the Galactic Aurora Collective's lab. They were practically swimming in art.
"So, what are you into then?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Catherine couldn't help but glance up at Alexander.
The guy was a looker—handsome and cold. He had that whole decisive, ruthless ruler vibe, but his eyes were soft when he looked at her.
Those eyes were deep, sharp, with a touch of coldness, and he had this cool, refreshing aura. The ruby cufflinks on his sleeves just screamed class.
"Why do you wanna know what I like?" she asked.
"Guessing's one thing, but I'd rather give you stuff you actually like. Plus, I wanna get to know you better," Alexander said, taking off his glasses.
Without the lenses, he could see Catherine's bright eyes even clearer.
"Before I knew you were my fiancée, getting to know you might've been a bit off. But now, I wanna know you through you, not through some other way," he said gently.
Catherine stared into his eyes, feeling like she was looking into a deep, starry sky.
"Got it," she said.
"But hey, there are lots of ways to get to know me. I don't mind," he said, a bit cocky.
Catherine smirked and looked at him. "Saw some gossip this morning about you going into a hotel with some actress. You cool with that?"
Alexander's smile froze!
'Those gossip rags will write anything for clicks! If Catherine buys into that, I'm screwed!' he thought.
Catherine's lips curled into a grin.
Seeing Alexander flustered, Annie, his ever-efficient assistant, jumped in, "Miss, that was someone from the Howard family, related to Mr. Howard, and they were just going into a Howard Group hotel. We'll handle the media, so no worries."
Catherine wasn't really trying to test him; she just enjoyed seeing him squirm sometimes.
Alexander gave a bitter smile but kept his eyes on her. "I get it. You're mad I haven't introduced you to the Howard family. I was worried they'd be too much. But since you brought it up, I'll set it up soon. Just give me a bit."
Now it was Catherine's turn to be speechless!
'When did I ever say I wanted to meet his family?' she thought.
But Alexander was already making plans for a Howard family dinner. Catherine tried to stop him but couldn't, so she just let it go.
The Martinez Mansion.
Esme was bawling her eyes out on the sofa, tears streaming like a busted dam. "Samuel, I never wanted to compete with Catherine! But she went too far; she tossed the painting I worked on for two months!"
Samuel had seen Esme working on that painting and knew it was her blood, sweat, and tears.
But if Catherine chucked it, she must've had a reason!
The gallery was Catherine's turf now, and Samuel wasn't about to meddle. Whatever Catherine wanted to do, he'd let her.
Seeing Esme crying so hard, Brandon got a bit annoyed and said, "Esme, the gallery's Catherine's now. We can't do squat about what she does with it. Look, I've got a small gallery. You can hang your stuff there and have your own show."
Esme's tears dried up real quick!
'Brandon's gallery is a joke compared to Samuel's! They're just trying to shut me up with a tiny space?! Why does Catherine get the prime spot, and I get the scraps?' Esme thought.
"Brandon, that's not what I mean. I just want an explanation. Does Catherine have it out for me? That painting was my hard work, and Samuel, as an artist, you should get how much that means, right? If Catherine treats an artist's work like this, who knows what she'll do with the gallery," Esme grumbled.
Samuel waved his hand like it was no big deal. "Catherine can do whatever she wants. Worst case, the gallery shuts down. No biggie."
'No biggie? That gallery is the biggest art spot in Imperia City and has the most works by Dominic. If Catherine messes it up, won't that prove she can't handle it? Why is Samuel so confident in her?' she thought.
"Samuel, I don't mind, but that painting was my hard work for two months. Catherine doesn't respect me at all; she needs to apologize!" Esme demanded.
Brandon was in a bit of a pickle.
'I can't ask Catherine to apologize to Esme. Even if Catherine did something wrong, it's not a huge deal. But Esme grew up with Lila and calls me Dad. If Esme complains to Lila, Lila will definitely give Catherine a hard time,' Brandon thought.
Aurora was quiet for a moment and then suggested, "Let's wait until Catherine gets back and ask her about it."
Knowing Catherine's character, Aurora believed that the sweet, sensible Catherine would never do something so disrespectful!
Even though the Smith family treated Catherine like dirt, she never thought of using the Windsor family to get back at them. It was truly heartbreaking.
Aurora believed Catherine must've had her reasons.
Seeing that Aurora still didn't believe her, Esme felt both hurt and angry.
"Aurora, are you saying you don't believe me? I'm your daughter too. Even if you care about Catherine, you can't be so biased!" Esme said.
Grace had enough and snapped, "Enough! We can't just take your word for it. We'll hear from Catherine when she gets back. If she had no reason to toss your painting, she'll apologize. But if she had a reason, that's a different story."
"Fine." Esme didn't dare throw a fit in front of Grace and had to agree.
'Damn it, even now they're still siding with Catherine. If I don't do something, I'll have no status in the Windsor family,' Esme thought.
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