Chapter 80 Fake is Fake
Samuel and Grace valued taking photos with Catherine even more than their own awards for their work and research achievements. They actually dug out the formal wear from their wedding and pulled Catherine to sit with them for photos!
Grace wore a burgundy dress. Despite her age, she still looked elegant and dignified.
Samuel's suit was also quite old, but the well-preserved suit had an iris brooch pinned to it, making him look refined and kind.
Catherine sat beside them and took the first photo together.
Grace was completely satisfied and waved at Bethany and Aurora.
The look in their eyes showed they couldn't wait to rush up and take photos with Catherine too!
At the last birthday party, they were so focused on photographing Catherine that they forgot to take photos together. Now they all regretted it.
The whole family sat together and took quite a few photos.
Samuel immediately changed his profile picture to a selfie with Catherine.
He went to chat with Marcus right away.
"Why did I change my profile picture! I just can't see it clearly, who's in this picture?"
Marcus was playing chess with Felix. When he saw this message, he almost cursed out loud!
"This Samuel, actually taking photos with Catherine and showing off!"
Looking at Catherine in the photo with her face close to Samuel's, Marcus was dying of jealousy.
Why didn't he think of taking photos with Catherine!
Now he could only let Samuel show off!
In the Windsor family group chat, Charles pretended to accidentally send many photos of Catherine, including the group photos they had just taken.
George: "Catherine is so cute. Is Grandma feeling okay? I'll come back after my surgery."
Richard: "What does this mean? Why didn't we take photos when I was home?"
Juniper: "Whatever, I can photoshop."
She said this, but her hands were quickly working the equipment. Soon she put her own image into the group photo and sent it to the chat.
Richard: "Fake is fake. Stop pretending. You probably want to cry right now, don't you?"
Juniper quickly called Catherine and spoke pitifully.
"Catherine! Richard says I'm fake. Does he want me to get out of the house? I can't bear to leave you! Oh well, I know I'm not the Windsor family's daughter. I deserve this. I'll leave this house right away."
Catherine quickly comforted her: "Juniper, I'll come see you in Tranquil County when I have time and bring you good food."
"Then I want to take photos with you too!"
"Okay, lots of them."
Juniper hung up satisfied and posted the recording of that phone call in the group chat.
Richard was furious.
"You're going too far! This is trying to cause trouble! Trying to make Catherine feel sorry for you! Right, George?"
George ignored their bickering in the group and called Catherine.
"Catherine, want to have dinner together tomorrow? I want to take photos with you too."
"Okay."
After dealing with the Windsor family's photo requests, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief.
She rarely took photos when she was with the Smith family, and there weren't many photos left behind.
Except for one photo of her as a child that Elodie treasured and took to the grave when she was buried, she didn't have a single photo left from her time with the Smith family.
Grace looked at Catherine in the picture, smiling gracefully and gently. She turned away and quietly wiped her tears. When no one was paying attention, she leaned close to her phone and kissed that photo.
"So cute, she's my granddaughter. This is so wonderful."
Catherine's heart trembled a little. From such a small gesture, she felt Grace's love for her, and a warm current flowed through her heart.
Charles reached out his hand to Catherine. "Want me to take you to see the music store?"
"Okay."
Following Charles into the car, Catherine heard Charles humming some song in a low voice. He seemed especially happy.
"Catherine, Mom and Dad weren't always like this. Dad was always very strong-willed. After finding out Juniper wasn't our child, he suddenly changed. If you had seen Dad before, you'd probably think he was an expressionless, stone-faced person."
"Once there was an elevator accident at a mall, and a child was trapped inside. Dad could have called someone to stay with the child, but he insisted on sitting by the door himself to keep the child company. He said if you were in danger outside, it would be good if someone was willing to stay with you like that."
"Our family has always done charity work, especially a lot in the past two years. Once Lila said it was Mom's fault for losing you, and Mom cried herself sick. Juniper is also great, but we really missed you."
"Now that you're with us, you don't know how happy we are."
Catherine was silent for a moment, then smiled too.
"Okay, I know. I'm very happy too."
Charles reached out and touched her soft hair.
"At first, Juniper came to me and said when you came home, she would leave the Windsor family. But thinking about how Samuel and Grace couldn't bear to part with her, and how Mom and Dad couldn't either, she let it go."
Catherine also knew the Windsor family was in a difficult position at first.
"Juniper is great. Even if she finds her own family, we're still family, aren't we?"
Charles was slightly stunned, then touched and moved as he pinched Catherine's cheek.
Catherine was just too good!
Truly worthy of being the Windsor family's child!
He sent what Catherine just said word for word to Juniper, along with a few scolding words, telling Juniper to stay put in the Windsor family - she would always be a member of the Windsor family.
Juniper quickly sent back a string of crying emojis.
"Catherine is my angel! Charles! What gives you the right to scold me!"
"Catherine loves me, I love Catherine! Charles, blocking you!"
Charles looked at his phone, completely speechless.
After a while, he laughed and cursed.
"Really no respect for elders."
But the corners of his mouth still carried a smile, overflowing with joy.
Serenitia City, The Smith Villa.
Oliver and Celeste were roughly thrown at the villa entrance. The unmarked car sped away.
Clara heard the noise and rushed out, only to see Oliver and Celeste lying on the ground covered in injuries.
"Mom, Dad, what happened to you! I already sent the money!"
Oliver slapped Clara across the face!
"You bastard, did you deliberately delay? Making us take all those beatings! You did it on purpose!"
Half of Clara's face went numb.
This was the first time she'd been hit!
"Dad, how can you say that? I had such a hard time borrowing that money, and I have to pay it back."
Oliver and Celeste entered the house with the servants' help and sat on the sofa, sighing heavily.
"Pay back? Didn't you borrow it from Lucas? Pay back what?"
This was five million dollars. If Oliver actually had to come up with five million dollars, wouldn't that kill him?
Paying it back was impossible!
Clara was a bit conflicted: "But..."
"No buts. Hurry up and call a doctor! I'm dying of pain!"
Looking at Oliver and Celeste covered in bruises, Clara was worried and anxious.
"Should we call the police?"
Oliver rolled his eyes impatiently. "Call the police? They could send us right to our doorstep - what would they be afraid of! Hurry up and call a doctor!"
Most importantly, while being beaten, Oliver vaguely heard about some illegal things their Smith family company had done.
If he called the police and those things were reported by the other party, the Smith family would be completely finished!