Chapter 253: Reunion with a Friend
Charles gazed at Emily's peaceful sleeping face, feeling an overwhelming surge of protectiveness wash over him. He silently vowed to protect her for the rest of their lives, never letting her get hurt again.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a soft glow over their intertwined bodies. That night, they slept wrapped in each other's arms, more soundly than they had in weeks.
And they spent three blissful days like this.
Charles seemed determined to make up for every moment of their two-week separation, clinging to Emily from dawn to dusk with inexhaustible energy. Though Emily sometimes complained about his clingy behavior, her longing for him was no less intense than his for her.
On the third morning, Emily finally reached her limit. She pushed away Charles, who was trying to pull her close again, her voice tinged with gentle exasperation. "Charles, we really need to go see the children. It's been three days—they must be missing us terribly."
Charles pulled her back into his arms, kissing her neck. "The children are fine with grandfather taking care of them. Let's stay just one more day. Just one."
"Absolutely not. I haven't seen the children in three days, and I miss them."
Seeing her serious expression, Charles sighed reluctantly. "Fine, we'll go back this afternoon. But this morning, you're still mine."
With that, he kissed her lips again.
Emilyeventually gave in.
Just as they were getting lost in each other again, Emily's phone suddenly rang. Charles frowned and reached to decline the call, but Emily grabbed the phone first.
"It's Elodie." Emily looked at the caller ID, her eyes lighting up with surprise. During her time at the training camp, whenever she saw others laughing and chatting together, she'd found herself missing Elodie terribly.
Charles reluctantly released her, his face clearly showing his displeasure.
Emily smiled as she answered the call. "Elodie!"
"Emily! You finally picked up! I've called you a dozen times these past few days, and you never answered—I was starting to think something terrible had happened to you!"
Emily suddenly remembered that during her time at the training camp, her personal phone had been turned off the entire time. Even after being discharged from the hospital, she hadn't gotten around to checking her missed calls.
Besides, Elodie had left for advanced training at Seraphim Medical Center before Emily entered the camp. Not wanting to disturb her studies, Emily hadn't told her about the training program.
With everything that happened afterward, she'd completely forgotten.
She hadn't expected Elodie to return so soon.
"I'm so sorry, Elodie. I've been dealing with some things lately, and my phone was turned off the whole time," Emily said apologetically. "You're back in the country?"
"Yes! I just got back yesterday, and you're the first person I wanted to see! Let's meet up—I haven't seen you in forever, and I have so much to tell you!"
Emily glanced at Charles, seeking his opinion with her eyes.
Though Charles looked thoroughly displeased, he nodded. He knew how important Elodie was to Emily, and honestly, it was probably time for Emily to reconnect with her friends.
"Sure, where should we meet?" Emily asked.
"The usual place."
"Perfect, I'll head over now."
After hanging up, Emily looked at Charles apologetically. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen Elodie in such a long time."
Charles sighed and pulled her into his arms. "Go ahead. But I'm driving you there."
"That's not necessary—I can drive myself."
Charles raised an eyebrow. "Drive what? Your car is still at Windsor Manor, and there's nothing here."
Emily suddenly realized the problem. This villa was Charles's new preparation, and indeed, her car wasn't here.
"Should I call an Uber then?"
Charles smiled mysteriously. "No need. Come with me."
He took Emily's hand and led her to the villa's basement. When the lights flickered on, Emily gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
The underground garage was filled with more than a dozen luxury cars, parked in perfect rows. From a classic Rolls-Royce Phantom to a sleek Lamborghini Aventador to an elegant Bentley Mulsanne—each one was top-of-the-line and maintained to perfection, gleaming under the lights.
"Oh my God!" Emily's voice trembled.
Charles wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, whispering in her ear, "They're all yours. Drive whichever one you like. From now on, wherever you want to go, whatever car you want to drive—it's all up to you."
Emily turned around, staring at him in disbelief. "Charles, have you lost your mind? This many cars—how much did this cost?"
Charles waved dismissively. "Money doesn't matter. What matters is that you're happy. These past two weeks, when you were gone, every time I missed you, I went and bought you a car. Before I knew it, I had collected all these."
He led her over to a jewel-blue Porsche 911. "How about this one? Limited edition—only fifty made worldwide. I thought this color would suit you perfectly."
Then he walked her to a white Aston Martin DB11. "Or maybe this one? More understated, but excellent performance."
Finally, they stopped in front of a pink Rolls-Royce Ghost, and for the first time, Charles looked slightly embarrassed. "This one was an impulse buy. I thought the pink was adorable and that you'd love it."
Emily stared at the garage full of luxury cars, her emotions all over the place. She was touched by Charles's thoughtfulness but also thought he was being ridiculously extravagant.
"This is absolutely insane," she said helplessly.
Charles looked at her seriously. "Emily, I want to give you the best of everything in this world. I want to make you happy."
Emily's eyes welled up again. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you, Charles. But please, don't do this anymore—it's such a waste."
Charles kissed her back. "Never. Now choose one."
After surveying her options, Emily finally selected a relatively modest silver Mercedes G-Class. Though still a luxury vehicle, it was at least less flashy than those supercars.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? That pink Rolls-Royce is so cute."
Emily shook her head firmly. "Absolutely not. If I showed up to meet Elodie in that thing, she'd never let me live it down."
Charles chuckled and didn't press further. He personally opened the car door for her and watched as she settled into the driver's seat.
"Drive safely, and come back soon. I'll miss you." He leaned down to kiss her forehead.
Emily's heart warmed. "I will. I'll be back before you know it."
As the car pulled out of the villa, Emily caught sight of Charles in her rearview mirror, still standing at the entrance, watching her leave. His figure looked almost lonely.
A warm feeling spread through her chest, mixed with a touch of guilt. These past three days, she had indeed been completely absorbed in their private world, almost forgetting everything else—including the feud between the Campbell and Windsor families.
Could such deep-rooted hatred really fade with time?
Forty minutes later, Emily arrived at their designated meeting spot.
"Emily!"
The moment she walked into the café, a figure rushed toward her and enveloped her in a tight hug.