Chapter 788: Meeting the Love Rival
Charles took six days off to hang out with Violet and explore the area. Carter and Lassie had a blast too, while Austin trailed behind, his face expressionless. Carter and Lassie were used to his demeanor and didn't think much of it.
Good times fly by, and soon the holiday was over. On the sixth day, Charles saw Carter's family off at the airport. Violet kept looking back, waving sadly at Charles.
"Charles, I'll visit next holiday! Finish your studies quick and come back! I'll be waiting," Violet said.
Charles nodded, "Don't worry, I'll finish soon and come find you! Listen to Carter and Lassie."
"I will!" Violet stood at the gate, eyes moist, staring at him until the staff prompted her for the third time, and Carter had to pull her in.
Charles watched until Violet disappeared, then reluctantly turned away, glancing back occasionally to make sure she hadn't run back.
Violet held back her tears until she boarded the plane. Realizing it would be a long time before seeing Charles again, she started crying. Austin, sitting beside her, silently handed her a handkerchief.
"You need to adapt! Being apart is part of life," Austin said.
Violet, already upset, cried harder. "I don't want to be separated from Charles. We'll never be apart."
Austin's face darkened slightly, but he hid it well. "You may not like hearing this now, but you'll understand later," he said.
Feeling a mix of sadness and anger, Violet exclaimed, "I hate you."
Austin remained calm, "But I'm the closest person to you. Everyone else might leave or betray you, but I won't."
Violet, trembling with anger, switched seats with Carter. "I hate Austin, I don't want to sit with him."
Lassie tried to comfort her and speak well of Austin. Austin, annoyed, turned his head away.
This was typical for them. They always argued over Charles, with Violet ignoring Austin afterward. But Austin knew his sister's temper flared quickly and subsided just as fast. She'd be angry one moment and happy the next day.
He wasn't afraid of her anger because he believed he was right. Carter sighed, feeling helpless. "Why do you always argue over Charles with her? You know how much he means to her."
Austin confidently replied, "I'm just being honest! She's just attached to Charles. When she grows up, she'll see it differently."
Carter questioned, "How can you be so sure it's just attachment?"
Austin replied firmly, "I am sure! She's young and misunderstanding her feelings. As her family, we should guide her, not let her act recklessly."
"She's still young! We..." Carter's words were cut off by Austin. "She's in second grade, not that young anymore."
Carter fell silent.
Time flew by, and five years passed quickly. Violet had grown into a beautiful girl, but she was a bit shorter than her peers. Fannie and Maria were already 12 and stood at 5'3", while Violet was just barely reaching the standard height, half a head shorter than her classmates. Even Austin, the same age as her, had grown to 5'7", making him the tallest among the boys and highlighting Violet's height difference.
During these five years, Charles had grown to 6'2", even a tad taller than Martin. When Charles and Violet stood together, it looked like an adult with a child. Violet felt insecure for a long time, avoiding Charles and not daring to see him.
One evening after school, Violet was kept to finish her homework. Austin went straight to her classroom to find her. They had been desk mates since elementary school, but in high school, Austin, due to his excellent grades, was in the top class, while Violet, known for her poor academic performance, was in the lowest class.
Every night, Violet stayed up until midnight doing her homework, while Austin never did his homework and even had time to play games. Austin leaned lazily against the door frame at the back of the classroom, watching Violet struggle with geometry problems.
She genuinely didn't understand why calculating the area of these shapes would be helpful in life. Did not solving them mean she couldn't survive? She recognized each shape individually but couldn't put them together on paper. At that moment, her desk mate, Emily Johnson, noticed Austin and nudged Violet, "Violet, your brother is here."
Hearing that Austin had arrived, Violet looked relieved, "Austin, come quickly, this is so hard! I don't get it at all." Austin walked over, took a look at the questions, and directly took her paper and pen, swiftly solving the problems.
Worried, Violet said, "Is it okay to do this? What if the teacher finds out? I'll be in trouble." Without looking up, Austin replied, "Do you need money?"
Confused by his sudden question, Violet shook her head, "No."
Austin confidently stated, "Then it's fine! If you don't need money, why learn this? Others study to get good jobs and earn a living. Our family's money is enough for you for several lifetimes. Why bother learning these things?"
He continued, "In the past, Carter supported you! In the future, I'll support you! You don't need to study or work, just learn how to spend money."
Violet was puzzled. Emily joked, "Your brother is so nice! Do you need a sister-in-law? How about me?"
Knowing Emily was joking, Violet laughed and agreed, "I don't have one. If you're interested, I can introduce you."
Emily eagerly nodded, "Sure!"
Just as Austin finished solving the problems, he glanced at her and remarked, "You're too ugly. Before thinking about being my girlfriend, get some plastic surgeries." Emily was taken aback by his unexpected comment, and Violet's eyes widened in shock.
"Emily, my brother is joking with you. You must..." Before she could finish, Austin grabbed her collar and pulled her outside.
"Let go of me, I'll..." Her words were cut off as Austin suddenly stopped. She thought he was finally letting her go and quickly broke free from his grip, straightened her clothes, and cleared her throat, "Austin, I've said before, I..."
All her words got stuck in her throat when she saw Charles standing in front of Austin. She thought she was hallucinating, rubbed her eyes vigorously, and saw Charles smiling gently, arms open, "Violet."
Finally sure it wasn't a hallucination, Violet screamed in excitement, ran over without hesitation, and threw herself into Charles's arms.
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