Chapter 231: Concern
"You’ve got it all wrong."
Alexander loosened his shirt, taking a deep breath. His entire presence exuded a chilling, sharp aura, brimming with lethal intent.
A slightly sinister smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"I'm letting him live because he still serves a bigger purpose. Catherine fears he might tarnish the Windsor name. You wouldn’t want Catherine to be concerned about you, would you?"
Upon hearing that Catherine was behind the decision, the frown on Charles’s face softened noticeably.
If it was her idea, then everything suddenly felt very different!
Catherine was the wisest and most compassionate person in the world. Whatever she said was unquestionably right. Anything Catherine decided was beyond question!
Alexander understood just how deeply the Windsor family valued and adored Catherine.
"Catherine is concerned you might stress over her, so she doesn’t intend to inform you. But, after all, the Howard family’s relationships are complicated." "I'm also concerned there could be gaps in her protection, so I hope you can watch over Catherine carefully as well!"
Alexander spoke with genuine sincerity, every word reflecting his thoughts of Catherine. His concern was unmistakable, anyone could feel the depth of his care and protectiveness for her.
Charles’s face relaxed significantly. "You don’t have to tell me, I know what to do! I’ll make sure Catherine is protected discreetly, without disrupting her!"
Catherine was far too kind. If anyone knew the danger she had faced, the Windsor family could completely destroy the Howard family!
Knowing that Catherine was concerned for them, Charles’s heart completely melted! How could she be so incredible? The warmth of his feelings made his heart ache with tenderness!
"Even though this concerns the Howard family internally, for Juniper and Catherine’s sake, I hope you don’t mind me asking. How do you intend to manage the situation with the Howards?"
Even if Catherine didn’t marry Alexander, Juniper would remain a Howard by blood. That connection could never be undone.
At the moment, Juniper didn’t carry the Howard surname, but Felix had already added her to the family registry and intended to transfer all his Howard Group shares to her.
This meant Juniper was bound to encounter numerous challenges! Charles’s voice grew icy.
"You need to understand that Juniper is just as important to me as Catherine. If the Howard family can’t ensure her safety, I may not permit her to come back!" That goes for Catherine too—if you truly love her, you need to think about what lies ahead for her!
"The daughter of the Windsor family shouldn’t be forced to marry into a perilous family."
To be frank, the events involving Alexander’s mother years ago had caused a significant uproar in high society.If Catherine were to marry into that and suffer the same fate, the whole Windsor family would feel they couldn’t go on living!
Just the thought of it made Charles feel as if his heart would break!
Alexander understood that Charles’s sharp words stemmed from his deep love for Catherine and Juniper.
The Howard family’s actions toward Catherine had left him genuinely shaken!
"I’ve taken care of most of the Howard family issues. I promise that before Juniper returns home and Catherine joins the family, everything will be resolved thoroughly."
"I hope that’s true!" Just receiving Alexander’s assurance was enough to satisfy Charles.
He understood how tangled the Howard family affairs were and didn’t push for more details. After all, Charles’s only concern was the safety of his two cherished younger sisters!
Once he hung up, the calm expression on Charles’s face disappeared, replaced by anxious pacing around his office. After a moment of thought, he still picked up the phone to call Catherine.
"Catherine, what are you up to? Are you thinking of me?"
"I’m out shopping with Emilia. What’s going on?"
Her steady, calm voice finally eased Charles’s racing heart.
He had managed billion-dollar international acquisitions without breaking a sweat, yet when it came to Catherine, Charles was drenched in anxiety!
"Nothing important, just promise to tell me if anything happens! And if you need more money for shopping, your big brother has got you covered!"
Charles sent some money to Catherine immediately after ending the call.
Seeing the bank transfer notification and hearing the tone in Charles’s voice, Catherine immediately realized that Alexander must have informed him about the attack.
Charles hadn’t asked her directly, fearing it might worry her about the Windsor family, right? This was his unique way of showing he cared!
Emilia glanced at Catherine’s phone message, her expression tinged with envy. "Catherine, does your brother need another sister? Do you think someone like me would do?"
Catherine gave her a casual glance and let out a soft laugh. "My brother doesn’t need a sister, but he could use a girlfriend. Interested?"
Emilia instantly twisted her face in a comical expression, as if she’d nearly bitten her tongue, waving her hands wildly while her cheeks turned bright red!
"No, no, no, absolutely not! I could never bring down your bloodline!"
Thinking about her grades, the idea of joining the Windsor family felt utterly humiliating. Emilia touched her face and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"Catherine, we still haven’t tracked down the person who sent me that message. Where should we start looking?"
Emilia hadn’t lost sight of their original goal for coming to the antique street—to find the person who had messaged her claiming to have her mother’s belongings.
Catherine looked over at Uranus, hunched over his computer sifting through data.
"Found them yet? I’ve already finished two rounds at your speed."
Sensing Catherine’s icy stare, Uranus hastily closed the game on his computer and switched to the data.
That was a close call, Catherine had nearly caught him gaming!
He could only blame the new games from the Galactic Aurora Collective, they were far too engrossing.
"Found them! That person is now working as Ezekiel’s assistant, Solon Dunn."
Emilia nodded without hesitation. "Right, he used to be with Blade of Dusk, and he was clearly loyal to them—so how did he end up as Ezekiel’s assistant?"
Emilia was puzzled. Neither Solon nor Ezekiel seemed to have any particular reason to summon her to the antique street, did they?
"Boss, Vincent wants you to be at school next week." Catherine arched an eyebrow. "Vincent actually went to Imperial University?"
"Looks like it. Vincent wants you to go to the school tomorrow to find him—it seems pretty urgent. It’s been ages since I last experienced student life!"
Catherine gazed at him in silence.
The children of the Galactic Aurora Collective had never attended school. From the moment they were chosen, they were ripped from their families and sent to the Galactic Aurora Collective, forced to endure countless experiments
It was only natural that Uranus and the others wanted to follow her to school and experience it for themselves.
Catherine rose to her feet. "Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill every promise I made to you."
She would steer the members of the Galactic Aurora Collective back to a normal life. Even those already lost in darkness, she would guide them toward the light.
Uranus smiled, deeply touched. The facts confirmed they had been tracking the right person. Yet no matter what Catherine did, she would always remain the leader of the Galactic Aurora Collective!