Chapter 83 Call Me Senior

Michael watched as Charles and Anna left, his hand clenching into a fist without him even realizing it, veins popping on the back of his hand.

Neil, on the other hand, smirked with interest.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, watching them leave like it was the most entertaining thing he'd seen all day.

Once they were out of sight, Neil's eyes flicked over to Michael, barely hiding his amusement.

He reached for a glass of wine, his fingertip tracing the rim. 

He muttered, "Interesting."

Meanwhile, in the top-floor presidential suite, a laptop streamed live footage from the room.

Lester had been watching the whole showdown between Charles and Michael, and he was in a great mood. He laughed heartily and patted Austin on the shoulder. "That Percy kid might have a bad rep, but I like his style! Reminds me of my younger days."

Austin glanced at Lester, who had suddenly changed his tune about Charles, and looked away without saying a word.

There was no point in arguing; Lester would just blame him anyway.

Lester turned back to the screen, watching Michael and remembering how he'd embarrassed Anna in public.

His brows furrowed.

His dislike for Michael hit a new high.

A couple minutes later, Aurora and Neil left too.

As they walked out, Neil glanced at the surveillance camera with its blinking red light and smirked.

Austin was watching the footage too.

Their eyes seemed to meet across the distance.

Seeing the darkness in Neil's eyes, Austin frowned.

When he looked again, Neil was already gone with Aurora.

Noticing Austin's unease, Lester asked, "What's up?"

Austin shook his head, but Neil's look stuck in his mind. "Nothing, just overthinking."

With Anna and Charles gone, Austin and Lester lost interest in the surveillance.

Austin closed the laptop.

Turning to Lester, he said, "Dad, you've seen Anya. Charles seems to treat her well, so can we head back to Whisper City now?"

Lester picked up on the urgency in Austin's voice.

He sat down on the leather sofa nearby. "Why the rush? I've seen Anya, but I haven't bonded with Charles' family yet."

Austin frowned. "What are you planning now?"

Lester glanced at him. "The Percy and Stewart families are both big names, but they haven't clashed much. Now that I'm in Crystal City, I want to see how the Percy family treats Anya."

To avoid Austin's nagging, Lester started nagging first. "I'm lucky to have a niece like Anya, unlike you."

That was a low blow.

Austin raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with me?"

Lester had been waiting for this.

"Anya brought me a great son-in-law early on. Look at you, thirty years old, and still no daughter-in-law!"

Lester's words were mostly about himself.

But wasn't he just bragging about his younger days?

Before Austin could finish that thought, Lester chimed in again. "And Anya's husband can run a company and cook! Unlike you, in thirty years, I haven't even tasted your cooking!"

He thought, 'Let alone running the company. The Stewart family business might never be handed over to him.'

Hearing this, Austin felt a bit speechless.

His dad was being way too harsh.

If he couldn't even go home three times a year, when would he have time to cook?

And Charles, was he here just to mess things up for Austin?

He hadn't even set foot in the house yet, and already Austin was getting the short end of the stick.

Austin was about to head back to the office to dodge more of Lester's nagging.

But Lester, seeing right through him, stood up first and shot him a disdainful look.

As he walked out, he said, "With Anya linking the Stewarts and the Percys, the business market in Crystal City and Whisper City is gonna explode! Just thinking about it gets me pumped."

Watching Lester walk away, Austin couldn't help but get lost in thought.

In the past, when Lester pushed him to get married, he'd just leave without a word.

But today, Lester had flipped the script.

And even threw in some implied criticism.

Meanwhile, on the way back to Regal Retreat, Anna asked Charles, "Did you go to Crystal City High School too?"

Charles turned to her and chuckled. "Yeah, I did. I was six grades ahead of you, so technically, I was your senior."

As the light turned red, Charles hit the brakes, placing his right hand on Anna's head and ruffling her hair.

With a playful grin, he said, "Come on, Anya, call me senior."

Anna pushed his hand off her head. "Stop messing around."

Charles seemed pretty persistent, his gaze lingering on her.

Half-joking, half-serious, he said, "If you don't like 'senior,' how about 'brother'?"

Anna played along and laughed. "Brother Charles? How does that sound?"

No matter how she said it, it sounded weird to Charles.

"Then just call me honey," he said. "Nothing sounds better than 'honey.'"

As the light turned green, Charles started the car.

Buildings zipped by, and Charles, with one hand on the wheel, let his mind drift back a few years.

When Anya was born, he was already six.

The first time he saw her was in the hospital.

A tiny bundle in swaddling clothes, she was incredibly cute.

He really wanted to poke her cheek but was too scared he'd hurt her, so he never did.

As she grew up, he always kept an eye on the once delicate and lovely Anna.

Alice would always talk about wanting a daughter, complaining that he was a son and not as considerate.

Under Alice's influence, Charles paid more and more attention to Anna.

This went on until he went to college and left Crystal City, and his attention to her gradually waned.

Then, Anna reappeared in his life nine years ago.

During his time at Crystal City High School, he was a bit of a rebel, but his grades were always top-notch.

Later, when he was invited back to his alma mater as a distinguished alum to give a speech, he saw Anna again on the bustling playground.

By then, Anna had grown into a young woman, catching the eyes of many men.

Seeing Anna holding a few books and walking towards the teaching building with single-minded focus, Charles felt, for the first time, the urge to protect her, to shield her from those covetous gazes, and to grow up with her.

Later, when the Howard family faced a major upheaval, by the time he rushed back, Michael had already taken her away.

Charles's feelings for Anna were like love that snuck up on him, without a clear beginning.

Love was like a seed that fell into his heart.

Unknowingly, it had grown.

He didn't know exactly when he fell in love with this resilient yet delicate Anna.

By the time he acknowledged his feelings, his love had blossomed into a towering tree, its branches stretching towards the heavens.