Chapter 35: Breaking Off the Engagement with the Windsor Family!
Alexander unbuttoned his suit jacket with one hand and sat down like a gentleman.
"Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Alexander, I'm single, and at home I have grandparents who aren't in good health, a useless father, and two brothers who aren't quite right in the head. As you can see, I'm working hard to earn money to support my family."
Catherine glanced at him briefly.
What did his family situation or whether he was single have to do with her?
"The woman who called me just now has nothing to do with me."
"I've never been in a relationship. Zero romantic experience."
"Okay."
Alexander's handsome face wore a warm smile like a gentle breeze, and his gold-rimmed glasses gleamed, adding to his refined appearance.
"There's a favor I'd like to ask of you."
"Go ahead."
"I want to meet that doctor 'Moon' from Faceless Ones. My grandparents' health isn't very good, especially my grandfather. His heart condition hasn't been looking good these past two years. To be honest, my hand has gone numb from signing critical condition notices so many times."
On the dark web, 'Moon' had quite a reputation. Apart from knowing that Moon belonged to Faceless Ones, no one knew any more information about her.
Rumor had it that during a group mission for Faceless Ones, Moon single-handedly saved all the severely injured members. Even Death couldn't snatch people from her hands!
Catherine pressed her lips together.
"I can help. When?"
"The sooner the better."
"Is the 20th convenient?"
On the 18th, the Windsor family was throwing her a birthday party, so she couldn't spare time to see Felix.
"Of course, I'll arrange everything. I'll pick you up then! I'll trouble you to contact Moon. I'll have the consultation fee ready."
"Okay."
Catherine agreed, then thinking of Alexander's financial situation, added: "The consultation fee doesn't need to be too much."
Moon's fee for a house call might be more than Alexander could afford.
Alexander chuckled softly.
This was the first time in the world anyone had worried about him not having money!
Yet Catherine before him was so pure and clear, like an uncarved jade, making him reluctant to shatter her innocence.
Alexander admitted he quite enjoyed this concern!
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Okay."
After dinner, the two walked out of the restaurant. The long streets on both sides were brilliantly lit.
Under the warm yellow streetlights sat a somewhat aged BMW. Oliver got out of the car and rushed up to Catherine.
"Catherine, did you take Elodie's shares? I'm telling you, those all belong to Clara. Give them back right now! I can still let this go!"
He tried to grab Catherine's hand but was stopped by a hand that gripped his wrist like an iron clamp!
Standing before Oliver was a cold-faced handsome young man, nearly 6 feet 3 inches tall like a wall. Though he looked refined and scholarly, his grip left Oliver completely unable to break free!
The fear of being dominated by Philip still lingered in Oliver's mind!
"Let go of me! I'm disciplining Catherine, what's it to you?"
Alexander frowned slightly and turned to Catherine: "Can I hit him?"
"You can, but there are cameras here."
"Then let's go to the alley next door."
Oliver's eyes widened in disbelief!
What were they talking about?
"You want to hit me? Let me tell you, everything of Elodie's belongs to the Smith family. You must give it back!"
Catherine said flatly: "You didn't come to Grandma's funeral. When Grandma was dying in the hospital, she waited three days hoping to see you one last time, but you didn't come."
"I was too busy with work. If I hadn't been working hard, could your grandmother have afforded such a nice hospital room?"
"In the years Grandma was sick, you visited her three times total, never more than ten minutes each time. The person who took care of Elodie was me."
When Elodie was at her sickest, she couldn't recognize people anymore and would just call Catherine's name over and over.
Before she died, she wanted to see Oliver one more time, to tell him to take good care of Catherine.
But Oliver thought Elodie had been critically ill too many times and didn't want it to interfere with his dinner with a young model he'd just met.
At Elodie's funeral, Celeste thought it was bad luck, and Oliver also felt that as a businessman, attending funerals wasn't appropriate for him, so he never went to see Elodie one last time.
"I was working hard. You have nothing to do with the Smith family anymore. Clara is my biological daughter. You must return everything from the Smith family!"
Catherine said flatly: "I didn't take anything with me."
When she left, she only took the computer Elodie had bought her!
"You didn't take anything? Then where are Mom's shares?"
Catherine smiled mockingly, looking at Oliver like he was crazy: "Don't you know whether Grandma had shares or not?"
Elodie's shares?
Only when Catherine mentioned it did he remember that he had never given Elodie any shares.
What would an old woman need shares for?
"Never mind the shares, where's the proposal you stole from me? Hand it over now!"
The proposal?
With Oliver's intelligence, the proposals he made were so bad Catherine felt insulted just looking at them.
Someone who'd been in business for decades could still produce such garbage proposals - Oliver really was an idiot.
"I have no interest in taking your things. As for where your proposal is, go home and check the surveillance footage."
Oliver's study had always had cameras!
Originally installed to guard against Catherine and Elodie, after Catherine left the Smith family, he'd almost forgotten about the surveillance.
Catherine left after speaking, not sparing Oliver another glance.
These people were sick in the head - she didn't want to waste a single moment on them.
Alexander released Oliver's nearly dislocated hand and followed her.
His heart ached with threads of pain!
These were her former family members?
This was the kind of life she had lived!
Catherine walked through the night, her slender body resilient, hair tucked behind her ears. The girl standing under the streetlight, with just a slight glance, carried a breathtaking intensity!
Yet from this moment, Alexander sensed a faint sadness emanating from Catherine!
Alexander stepped forward and took Catherine's hand, wrapping her small hand in his palm.
Catherine looked puzzled.
"I drank too much, just help me a bit."
"What?"
"They're not your people. You don't need to feel sad because of them."
Catherine shook her head: "I'm not sad, but you can let go of my hand."
She had seen through Oliver long ago.
She just thought of Elodie on her deathbed, still looking reluctantly toward the door, those weathered eyes full of tears, gripping Catherine's hand as her strength gradually faded.
Thinking of that moment, Catherine still found it hard to let go!
Alexander obligingly released her hand.
Watching Catherine hail a cab and leave, Alexander remained standing there, somewhat reluctant to see her go.
Annie pulled the car up behind Alexander and sighed: "You're really bad at pursuing someone, aren't you? She tells you to let go, and you just let go?"
Alexander's smile faded as he turned around, once again covered in icy sharpness.
"You don't understand. Before I break off my engagement, I can't openly pursue her. That would be immoral."
"So you just let her take a cab by herself? I was waiting behind you with the car, expecting you to bring her along!"
"She doesn't know my real identity. I don't want to burden her. She seems like she doesn't really like wealthy families."
Alexander thought of his previous attempt to test the waters and felt a slight headache.
He was afraid of scaring Catherine away, so he could only use the simplest way to disguise himself to gain her care and trust.
Annie fell silent.
Incredible!
Alexander, who commanded the business world with deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, was actually a romantic innocent!
"What about the engagement with the Windsor family?"
"I'll attend the birthday party the Windsor family is hosting. Prepare a gift. I'll propose breaking off the engagement with the Windsor family that day!"