Chapter 269 Next Time It Will All Be Yours

Chapter 269 Next Time It Will All Be Yours

A mannequin stood in the lounge, dressed in a gown.

The white satin of the dress gleamed with a pearl-like luster under the lights. It featured an extremely simple off-shoulder design with no extra lace or beading, just a thin silver thread tracing along the neckline.

The waistline was perfectly tailored, and the skirt flowed naturally from the waist down, gathering slightly at the ankles. Just looking at it gave an impression of elegance and lightness.

Catherine couldn't help but walk closer. She reached out and let her fingertips brush gently across the satin of the skirt.

It felt cool and smooth, like touching a piece of moonlight made solid.

She sighed softly, "So beautiful."

Charles came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her, laughing quietly. "I knew you'd love it. You like simple designs, off-shoulder necklines, and skirts that aren't too puffy but drape well. I went through several versions with the designer before settling on this one. Nearly drove him crazy."

Catherine turned her head, but before she could speak, he released her and walked to a safe in the corner. He entered the code and took out a jewelry box.

He came back and opened it in front of her.

Inside was a complete set of jewelry.

The pendant was a teardrop-shaped moonstone surrounded by a circle of tiny rose-cut diamonds.

The earrings and bracelet also featured the same combination of moonstones and diamonds, perfectly complementing the silver thread neckline of the dress.

Catherine reached out and lightly touched the moonstone, her voice already carrying barely concealed delight.

"Charles, are you trying to make me use up a whole year's worth of being touched all at once?"

Charles took the necklace from the box, moved behind her, and carefully fastened it around her neck.

He stepped back half a step, studied her for a moment, and nodded with satisfaction.

Then he smiled mischievously. "Forgot to mention—this dress was designed by that Royce guy from your company."

Catherine whipped her head around. "Royce Castillo?"

"That's him. Nova Award winner for emerging talent, ranked third in the internal competition within six months of joining, and he makes coffee for Ms. Montgomery and remembers how she likes it." Charles methodically brought up all the complaints he'd listed about Royce before.

Catherine laughed at the jealousy he couldn't hide in his words. "Look at you, always going on about him. If you dislike him so much, why did you ask him to design anything?"

"Because his designs really are good." Charles pouted.

"And, charity begins at home."

Charles took her hand, turned her wrist over, and fastened the bracelet on her.

"Your ECHO FASHION is doing great with high-end custom work now. As your fiancé, of course I need to support you. From now on, for all Davis Group events that need high-end custom gowns, I'll have them consider ECHO FASHION first. But your dress has to be made by the best designer in your company."

Catherine looked down at the bracelet sparkling in the firelight, both amused and exasperated. "Don't tell me you bought this jewelry set from Wishper?"

"So smart." Charles smiled and tapped Catherine's nose.

"Amanda designed it herself."

Yvonne didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Charles, when did you go behind my back to buy off my employees?"

"'Buy off' sounds so bad." Charles said righteously.

"This is called market behavior. I pay, they design—fair trade. And I had them sign confidentiality agreements with penalties so high they wouldn't dare say a word to you for the rest of their lives. Can you imagine how hard Royce had to hold it in when he was reporting to you in the office?"

Catherine remembered that yesterday morning when she saw Royce in the office, he did look strange, spoke faster than usual, and practically ran out after finishing his report.

She'd thought he was rushing to revise designs, but it turned out there was this whole story behind it.

Looking up, she saw Charles with that look of waiting for praise, and Catherine burst out laughing. She was about to tease him when Charles suddenly dropped his smile and became serious.

"This time, because you were so busy, I took it upon myself to handle everything for the engagement. But when we get married, I want you to personally choose my outfit."

With that, he tilted his head up slightly in a proud gesture.

"I want to experience being taken care of by my wife too, or I'm going to make a fuss."

Catherine was both amused and touched, her heart warming. "Okay, when we get married, not just your outfit—I'll handle everything for the wedding. You just enjoy it."

Charles broke into a grin, rushed over to pick Catherine up, and spun her around.

"Yay! My wife is the best!"

"Charles! Put me down!"

...

When they returned to the Montgomery Mansion, the rain had stopped.

Catherine was in a good mood and was planning to share her joy with her parents.

But as soon as she stepped through the door of the main house living room, she felt something was off.

Leonard sat on the sofa, not watching TV or reading the paper, his face dark with an irritation he couldn't suppress.

Elizabeth sat beside him, speaking in a low voice trying to calm him. When she saw Catherine and Charles come in, she looked up and gave them a meaningful look.

That look clearly said: Your father is furious, come put out the fire.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Catherine quickly walked over and sat beside him, placing her hand over his.

Seeing his daughter, Leonard's expression softened slightly.

He took a deep breath, but still couldn't suppress the irritation in his voice. "This afternoon while you were out, Frederick came by again. That kid, pushing his luck, came to ask how I'd thought things over. I did what you said and agreed to his marriage with Yvonne."

Catherine nodded. "Isn't that good? He believed it?"

"Yes. He couldn't have believed it more." Leonard's face darkened again at this point.

"The look on his face then—his smile practically reached his ears. Watching him look so smug, I almost threw my coffee cup in his face right then and there. But that's not even the worst part! Two hours later, several people called me asking if the Montgomery family was really forming a marriage alliance with the Aldridge family. You know how the news got out? Frederick spread it himself! Broadcasting it everywhere, practically wanting to take a megaphone and shout it all over Starlight City! Telling me we're all family now, so no matter how angry I am, I should be grateful to have found such a good son-in-law!"