Chapter 381: Frankness and Honesty, Clarifying the Truth
Chapter 381: Frankness and Honesty, Clarifying the Truth
A trace of self-mockery laced Charles’s words.
To Gabriella's ears, they also stung a bit.
Charles quickly pulled himself together.
He quickly regained his composure. Years in the business world had trained him to master his emotions, to reveal nothing he did not intend.
"Let's go. It's too cold out here. I'll take you to get something to eat."
Gabriella caught up with him in a few quick steps.
"Can you give me a chance to explain?"
Charles turned his head slightly, his smile somewhat bright.
"Did I say no? Are you this bossy with your students too, Gabriella? If you ask me, studying art is a waste of your talents. You should've studied law like Philip."
"...Why?"
“Because you both like to pronounce judgment before the defendant has a chance to speak.”
Philip was famous in court for being ruthless, yet all his evidence and materials were always complete, making it easy for him to leave opposing lawyers speechless.
Charles had observed him more than once, whenever Philip appeared, the other side scarcely had the opportunity to respond.
Charles strode ahead, his long legs forcing Gabriella to quicken her pace.
After opening the car door and turning on the heat, Charles finally looked at Gabriella sitting beside him.
"Go ahead, how do you want to explain?"
Gabriella had rehearsed her words on the way over, but now, seated beside him, she found herself unable to speak.
"That young lady just now, who was she?"
Charles nearly laughed in exasperation.
This was what she was focused on?
“Compared to who she is, you should be more concerned about what we’re eating tonight,” he said dryly. “I’ve been hungry all day, Gabriella.”
He hadn't eaten much since morning, he had only grabbed a quick breakfast at the Windsor Villa before heading to the office.
For a man without stomach problems, Charles was already rare in having such good health.
However, after a full day of intense work, he was still hungry.
“Then let’s find somewhere to eat first,” Gabriella said.
Starting the car, Charles said casually, "She's my blind date, but she'll soon become Richard or Philip's blind date."
Gabriella blinked. “Blind dates can be… reassigned?”
"I'm not interested in her, and she's not interested in me. What she needs is the identity of being part of the Windsor family."
Gabriella was somewhat moved.
"Then why did you refuse?"
Charles looked at her with displeasure.
"I won't have dinner alone with a woman I don't like, and whether it's flirting or putting on a show, it's harassment to the woman. I don't need that."
Most importantly, he didn't want a certain woman who already had no standing on this matter to misunderstand him.
To prove himself innocent, he already needed too much effort.
Charles couldn't afford to gamble on this.
Gabriella tightened her grip on the bouquet in her lap. When the car came to a stop outside the restaurant and Charles reached for the door, she finally spoke.
"I... I had a child before. Yes, I had a child."
Charles’s hand froze. Slowly, he withdrew it and turned to stare at her, disbelief plain on his face.
"What did you say? A child? Where did this child come from?"
"A few years ago, on your birthday. But for some reasons, the child left me. As punishment for not protecting the child, I'll only ever have that one child in this lifetime. It's fair."
What kind of fairness was that?
"Why didn't you tell me? You dealt with all this alone - do you think that's fun?"
Charles was angry, but more than that, he felt guilty and heartbroken.
All these years, he knew nothing.
Gabriella gave a faint, fragile smile.
"It was my fault. But I was so scared. Actually, Ms. Windsor coming to find me was just an excuse for me to leave."
At the time, the entire world had seemed to urge her away from Charles.
Even her own mother had told her she was not worthy of him.
Birth mothers can be jealous of their daughters too. In Gabriella's mother's view, if she couldn't have children in this life, the Windsor family would definitely not want her.
Gabriella covered her face.
"That year, my mother tried to commit suicide. She didn't succeed, but she used that method to make me leave. I'm sorry, I didn't choose you."
So as punishment, she would never have children again.
Charles had never imagined there were so many buried truths behind that parting.
Self-blame, pain, regret, heartache - all surged up at once.
"I actually never cared that much about family, but I've always been influenced by family. My mother has severe narcissistic personality disorder - in her world, there's only herself."
People with narcissistic personality disorder never think they've done anything wrong.
“I tried to break free so many times, but she…” Gabriella’s voice faltered. “She stabbed Odette with a knife. I had to call the police.”
The memory pressed heavily on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
The words sounded casual but only she knew how heavy they were.
The moment her mother lunged at Odette, Gabriella had nearly collapsed.
All because she refused to marry an uneducated man her mother had chosen—a man Gabriella could not even bring herself to accept.
"Ridiculous, isn't it? In my family, the mother doesn't act like a mother, the daughter doesn't act like a daughter, and my father is dead. Charles... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I'm sorry."
You could say that after Gabriella's mother found out Gabriella was dating Charles, she completely broke down.
She constantly sent messages harassing Gabriella, telling her to break up with Charles and find a man she could control to marry.
The day Gabriella miscarried after being pushed down the stairs by her father’s mistress, her mother had smiled.
She said, "Good, now you won't be thinking about latching onto rich people."
When Gabriella saw that man, shorter than herself, come to propose, she felt genuinely disgusted.
Yet her mother had sneered, “What are you being so picky about? This is the best you’ll get. Do you really think you’re worthy of Charles?”
"You're not good enough! You're just a slut - you still want to marry into the Windsor family? Give up that dream right now!"
Those words had taken root like thorns, embedding themselves deep within Gabriella’s heart.
Charles took a deep breath.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, switched off the interior light, and leaned toward her, pulling her into his arms.
The scent of cedar rushed over. Charles's solid arms and warm body warmed Gabriella's long-frozen heart and body a little.
"I'm sorry."
She heard Charles's low voice sound by her ear.
"I didn't take good care of you, or the child. I was too arrogant, thinking our relationship was equal, thinking I'd given you enough security. It was my damned pride that kept me from looking for you when you left."
She felt so light in his arms—far thinner than she had been years ago, as though she might slip away at any moment.
Charles steadied himself and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"You've been through so much, Gabriella."
At the softness in his voice, Gabriella realized she was not nearly as strong as she had believed.
She buried herself against Charles's shoulder and cried uncontrollably!