Chapter 137 Shattered Mirrors Can't Be Made Whole
Wasn't Charles supposed to be at their Gedser branch? Why on earth had he turned up at her house now?
After much deliberation, she took out her phone and called her dad to find out what Charles was doing there. If he was there on business, she wouldn't bother going home, but if it had anything to do with her, she'd have to.
Mr. Murphy had just started his conversation with Charles when Daphne's call came in. Recognizing the caller ID, he answered immediately.
Before Mr. Murphy could even say her nickname, Daphne preempted him, "Pretend it's your secretary calling."
"What is it?" Mr. Murphy instantly caught on—strictly business as usual.
Daphne breathed a sigh of relief.
Without mincing words, she got straight to the point, "Is Charles there with you right now?"
"Yes."
Mr. Murphy was a pro at 'playing it cool'. During the conversation, he didn't even glance at Charles, acutely aware of how sharp the young man was.
"Find an excuse to go out onto the balcony. I need to ask you something," Daphne instructed clearly.
Mr. Murphy, a veteran in the business world, was an old timer at such performances.
With his phone in hand, he said to Charles, "Excuse me, I need to handle something for work. Please wait a moment, Mr. Lancelot."
"Sure," Charles replied, unsuspicious.
Mr. Murphy walked to the balcony with measured calm, not giving anything away. Once the door was firmly shut behind him, he finally let out a sigh of relief, concerned about messing things up for his beloved daughter, "I'm out on the balcony now."
"Lydia mentioned Charles brought a lot of stuff?"
"Yes... he did." he confirmed.
"What kind of stuff?" she asked, curiously.
"Supplements, collectibles, things like that," he informed.
"Why would he bring those?" Daphne was puzzled.
Mr. Murphy felt a twinge of nerves. He swallowed hard, uncertain if he should spill the beans. He was sure about one thing. 'If Daffy found out, she'd be livid!'
Daphne didn't rush him. She simply waited for Mr. Murphy's response.
"He... he says he's here to propose," Mr. Murphy finally spilled the beans, his voice tinged with hesitation that managed to survive a struggle to get the words out.
Daphne was flabbergasted. 'Propose? Seriously?'
"Don't worry, I won't agree to it," Mr. Murphy assured her, wanting to prevent any misunderstandings, "I'll make sure to return all the gifts he brought."
"You have a talk with him. I'll be back shortly," Daphne admitted to herself this was the first time she couldn't grasp Charles's line of thought.
'Has this man lost his mind? A proposal? More like a joke!' Daphne thought it was outrageous.
A flicker of doubt crossed Mr. Murphy's face, but he ended up saying nothing more.
After hanging up, he headed back into his study. Charles was still there, cool and detached in his suit, the epitome of the wealthy Charles.
Mr. Murphy sat down again and responded to Charles's earlier remarks, "You're already divorced."
"That's exactly why I'm here," Charles replied, his voice deep, his demeanor exuding an aristocratic air, "It was my mistake not to pay a visit to my father-in-law over the past two years."
With those words, Mr. Murphy's mouth twitched as he thought, 'Father-in-law? The audacity!'
"I didn't know about your last marriage to Daffy and couldn't stop it, but this time, I won't let her be with you again," Mr. Murphy's tone was grave, with no room for humor, "I'm aware of everything you did to Daffy."
"I was wrong before, and I apologize to you and her," Charles sounded sincerely repentant, promising, "Such things will never happen again."
Mr. Murphy was resolute, "There's no taking back an arrow once it's shot, no regretting a move in chess. You chose to divorce, now you should both move on with your lives."
"Everyone makes decisions they regret to some extent," Charles asserted, "Haven't you ever, father-in-law?"
Mr. Murphy paused, his thoughts involuntarily drifting to the past.
Charles continued, "Some regrets are beyond fixing, but this isn't one of them."
"There's no room for turning back!" Lydia burst in, her words were final and decisive.
Charles's gaze deepened as he looked at her.
Lydia stepped in, fully aware that eavesdropping wasn't right, yet she also knew this man was up to no good.
"A broken mirror can never be made whole again," Lydia firmly held her ground, "From the moment you divorced my sister for a crush, there was no going back."
She despised the notion that tears from an ex demanded a loss for the current love. "Damn it!" she exclaimed in frustration.
"I was at fault here." Charles raised his eyes slightly, pausing for a moment before speaking in his usual calm and measured tone.
Mr. Murphy furrowed his brow, clearly not taking a liking to him.
Lydia didn't utter a word, but her expression vividly conveyed her disdain.
After a brief silence, Lydia suddenly asked, "Do you truly want to get back with my sister?"
Mr. Murphy was stunned by the sudden question to Charles.
'What is this girl up to?'
Charles didn't believe Lydia would take his side, "Yes."
"Fine," Lydia said bluntly, "then sign over your entire stake in Lancelot Group and your whole estate to my sister." She cut to the chase, "And while you're at it, try putting a shattered mirror back together, gather the spilled water off the floor without missing a drop."
"If you can manage that, you might have my blessing to pursue her." Lydia was being direct.
Charles's lips parted slightly with each word said deliberately, "Why insist on putting a broken mirror back together?"
"Aren't you trying to remarry my sister?" Lydia blurted out, puzzled by his train of thought.
"I do want to remarry, but by that, I mean a fresh start," Charles clarified with emphasis, "not to return to our past marriage, but to begin anew, another chapter together."
"The past is irreversible," Charles added, "what's left is the beginning of something new."
Lydia was caught off guard and remained silent.
She thought he was too cunning: "You're exploiting loopholes."
Charles fell silent, his gaze fixed on Mr. Murphy, waiting for a response. If Mr. Murphy agreed, he could take his time talking with Daphne. If they didn't agree, trouble loomed.
Mr. Murphy remained silent. The atmosphere in the room was tense, none of the three speaking.
After what felt like an eternity, Charles spoke again, directing his words to Mr. Murphy, "I will take good care of her."
Still, Mr. Murphy said nothing. One thought consumed him, 'Why hasn't Daffy arrived yet?'
There was no way he'd agree, considering Charles had hurt his dear Daffy. It was grace alone that kept him from physical retaliation, and yet Charles dared to come by seeking a blessing.
"Father-in-law," Charles ventured once more.
"Mr. Lancelot, do you have a memory like a goldfish?" Daphne's voice arrived just in time, followed by her entrance, dressed impeccably for the office, "There is no 'father-in-law' here for you."
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