Chapter 276 This Show of Force Is a Bit Too Grand

Chapter 276 This Show of Force Is a Bit Too Grand

Catherine buried her face in his shoulder and let out a muffled laugh.

After laughing enough, she lifted her head and looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"I have tons of secrets. You've only known me for such a short time, and you already want to know everything about me inside and out?"

Charles reached out and pinched the tip of her nose. "So when are you planning to tell me? You can't wait until we're in our seventies or eighties to say, 'Charles, actually I have one more secret I haven't told you—I'm an alien.' That would be way too late, wouldn't it?"

Catherine tilted her head, blinked, then answered with a completely serious expression.

"Of course I'll have to wait until after we're married. Once we're married, you'll be my legal husband. Then you'll have a whole lifetime to slowly, bit by bit, discover your wife's secrets. Wouldn't that be interesting?"

Charles froze, his mouth opening slightly, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

He pulled her hand to his lips and pressed a firm kiss on it, saying solemnly, "Alright, after we're married then. I've got all the time in the world to find out all your secrets, one by one."

The next day, at Starlight City International Airport.

The private plane slowly came to a stop on the runway. The moment the cabin door opened, Catherine almost thought she'd walked onto the wrong set.

The airport's special arrival corridor was lined with flower baskets on both sides. A huge red banner stretched across the exit, with gold lettering that read: "Warmly Welcome ECHO FASHION's Triumphant Return! Congratulations to Ms. Catherine on Winning Her First International Nova Award! The Montgomery Family is Proud of You!"

Below the banner, Leonard stood in an immaculate suit, his hair perfectly combed. Elizabeth held onto Leonard's arm, clutching a huge bouquet of champagne roses, her face beaming with a smile she couldn't hide.

Rebecca was there too, her face wrinkled with laughter.

All four brothers were lined up behind them without exception. Alexander held up his phone recording video, the camera following Catherine's face the whole time while he kept muttering, "My sister is so amazing, my sister is actually L, so amazing!"

Simon pushed him aside to stop him from blocking the view. Baldric and Harry each held a small flag, their expressions as serious as if they were at a military parade.

Zack stood in the back with a dozen servants from the estate, each holding a white rose. The scene was so grand it could be called the highest-level reception in Montgomery family history.

Catherine stood at the cabin door, staring at this spectacle that rivaled a celebrity airport reception. After a long moment of stunned silence, she turned to look at Charles beside her, her expression too complicated for words.

Charles leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Looking at this setup, even our engagement didn't compare. Uncle Leonard and Aunt Elizabeth are really over the moon."

Catherine took a deep breath, trying to suppress the embarrassment that was already burning to her ears, and walked down the stairs.

The moment her foot touched the red carpet, Elizabeth shoved the bouquet into her arms, cupped her face and looked her over from left to right, eyes red-rimmed, murmuring, "You've lost weight, you've lost weight. You definitely didn't eat properly in Milan."

Leonard reached out and gave his daughter's shoulder a heavy pat. "Well done, Cathy."

He paused, then added, "You're better than me."

Rebecca walked over with her cane, took Catherine's hand and looked her up and down, grinning from ear to ear. "My granddaughter-in-law is amazing! Good at business and design, and won an international award too! Charles, you better treat her right and not let her down!"

Alexander finally couldn't hold back and pushed through the crowd, holding his phone practically in Catherine's face, his expression both worshipful and resentful. "Catherine, you hid this way too well! I have several pieces designed by L in my closet. Every time I wear them out, people compliment my taste, and it turns out my sister is L! I can brag about this for the rest of my life! Next time, custom-make something for me so I won't have to be jealous of other people!"

Catherine couldn't help but laugh.

"But isn't this whole thing a bit over the top?" Catherine finally couldn't help but comment.

As soon as Alexander heard this, he immediately waved his hand dramatically.

"Over the top? This is nothing! You didn't see Dad's original plan. The red carpet was supposed to go from the terminal all the way to the parking lot, with greeters lining both sides, and they were going to set off colored smoke overhead and have a plane drop flower petals on you from the sky! Mom and I barely managed to stop him. Even this banner is half the length of the original version."

Simon added coolly from the side, "Cathy, you have no idea. Dad was so excited last night he couldn't sleep. He made the four of us rehearse three times—when to stand, when to clap, when to shout slogans. The division of labor was more detailed than our family's annual meeting agenda."

Baldric hid the little flag behind his back with a blank expression. "I was in charge of waving the flag, Harry was in charge of waving the other flag, Alexander was in charge of recording the whole thing, and Simon was in charge of clapping the loudest. Mom said this is called everyone doing their part."

Catherine couldn't hold it in anymore and bent over clutching her stomach, laughing so hard tears nearly came out.

Well, whatever. However it was, as long as everyone was happy.

Back at Ravenwood Estate, everyone enjoyed a lively reunion dinner together.

After the meal ended, Elizabeth helped the slightly tipsy Leonard back to their room to rest, and Charles accompanied Rebecca back to the Davis Manor.

Catherine was also getting ready to go back to Tranquil Villa to sleep off her jet lag.

She had just pushed open the door to Tranquil Villa and hadn't even had time to change her shoes when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Turning around, she saw Alexander wearing an ingratiating smile, squeezing through the doorway and holding out a cup of chamomile tea, his tone overly eager. "Cathy, thirsty? I had Daisy make this especially for you. Tired? Want me to give you a shoulder massage? You stood at the airport for so long today, your back must be killing you."

"Alexander." Catherine took the chamomile tea, looking at him with a half-smile.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Alexander scratched the back of his head sheepishly and sat down on the sofa, his face showing a rare hint of embarrassment.

"Cathy, before this I was thinking of introducing you to Rolf, having him share some business experience with you to help you break through ECHO FASHION's difficulties. But it turns out you're L, and your international reputation is even bigger than Rolf's. It's actually pretty embarrassing when you think about it."

Catherine took a sip of chamomile tea and smiled. "You meant well. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"It's different!" Alexander suddenly looked up, his eyes bright and fixed on her.

"You don't know—I've watched that livestream from Milan over and over so many times. When they announced you were L, the whole place went crazy. I got goosebumps just watching it! My sister is the best in the world! Me, as your brother, I used to think you just came back from outside and didn't know anything, that I needed to look out for you. Now I see I should be learning from you. From now on, you're my role model. I'm following your lead!"

Catherine burst out laughing at his rapid-fire flattery, nearly spilling her chamomile tea.

She quickly set the cup on the table and waved her hand, laughing. "Alright, alright, enough with the sweet talk. What do you really want? If you don't tell me soon, I'm going to take a shower."