Chapter 135 Why Be Biased?
They chatted for a while longer, then it was time for lunch.
"I'll call Charles and see if he wants to come home for dinner," Amelia said.
Zoey perked up immediately. "Oh yes! I haven't seen Charles in days."
Then Amelia pulled out her phone right in front of everyone and called Charles.
"Charlie, remember Juliana? My best friend's daughter from England—the one I've mentioned to you and your brother so many times?"
Charles had no idea Amelia had him on speaker. "Sure, yeah. Isn't she the one you've always wanted to introduce to Wentworth?"
Matilda's expression darkened. Just as she'd suspected.
Zoey couldn't help interjecting, "Charles, Matilda and I are both here."
Charles realized his mother had set him up. "Oh, you're all there? I was just kidding around. Matty, don't take it to heart."
"Are you coming home for lunch? We're all waiting for you," Amelia said.
"Can't make it. I've got meetings this afternoon, so I'll just grab something at the office."
"It won't take that long."
"The round trip's a waste of time. You all enjoy yourselves. Give Juliana my regards."
He hung up. Amelia shot Matilda a contemptuous look, clearly waiting to see her reaction. But aside from that brief moment earlier, Matilda's expression had already returned to its calm composure.
Juliana said warmly, "Mrs. Gonzaga, why don't we go ahead and eat? After lunch I'd love to explore the city a bit."
...
After the meal, Matilda and Zoey left together. Juliana and Amelia saw them to the door.
As they turned back, Amelia let out a sigh.
"Mrs. Gonzaga, why are you sighing? Isn't it nice having both daughters-in-law come visit you?" Juliana asked.
Amelia glanced at Juliana and said helplessly, "You know my ideal daughter-in-law candidate has always been you. If only it were just you and Zoey here today—wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Juliana laughed. "Actually, I could tell you're playing favorites between your two daughters-in-law. You like one, not the other. But to me, they both seem like lovely girls. At least they're willing to come see you."
Amelia sank into the sofa. "If only you and Wentworth had met earlier. You're so beautiful and accomplished—there's no reason he wouldn't like you, and no reason you wouldn't like him."
Juliana smiled. "Do you think your sons are so exceptional that no daughter-in-law could possibly measure up to them?"
Amelia disagreed. "I know what you're trying to say, but this is different. You just haven't met Wentworth yet. Once you do, you'll absolutely agree with me."
Juliana smiled but didn't want to continue this debate.
"So what are your plans going forward?" Amelia asked.
"I'm thinking I'll stay with this relative for a few days, then that relative for a few days, and a few days with you too. If I decide to settle down here, I'll renovate my mom's old place in the city and move in long-term."
"That sounds perfect. I adore you—I really hope you'll stay close by," Amelia said hopefully.
...
Zoey dropped Matilda off at Sunshine Gardens first. After leaving Matilda, she found herself missing Charles terribly. She'd been holding back, but after hearing his voice at lunch, she couldn't resist anymore.
"Let's go to Gonzaga Group," she told her driver.
Forty minutes later, Zoey appeared at the Gonzaga Group building. She got out of the car and headed inside.
The security guard didn't recognize her and stopped her.
"I'm Charles's fiancée. My name's Zoey," she said.
The guard wasn't sure and didn't dare let her through. Over the years, plenty of women had tried claiming to be Mrs. Gonzaga to get inside. But the guard had read enough romance novels to know that if one of them turned out to be real and he'd blocked her, he'd get fired. He wasn't going to be that stupid.
So he ran to the reception desk and had them call upstairs. The receptionist had the same concerns, so she called the executive assistant's office. The assistant checked with Kai, who'd been about to head into a meeting but came down to check. When he saw Zoey, he brought her up.
Kai knew who Zoey was—he'd handled Charles and Zoey's wedding invitations, which featured photos of both of them.
That's how Zoey ended up in Charles's office. His office was on the thirty-ninth floor—a massive space with the heat running, very comfortable.
"Where's Charles?" Zoey asked Kai.
"He's in a meeting. Should be done around three. I'll pop in and let him know you're here, see if he can step out early."
"No, no, don't bother. I don't have anything urgent—I was just passing by and wanted to stop in. You don't need to tell him. I'll just wait here."
"Alright, make yourself at home." Kai left to attend to his own work.
Zoey sat in the office. The enormous space contained a desk, chairs, a sofa, and some decorative items—not much else. It felt a bit lonely. Did Charles get lonely working here by himself all day?
She walked over and touched his desk, his chair, the computer he used for work. She paced around for a while, breathing in the air that belonged to Charles.
Half an hour passed. Charles didn't come back. An hour went by. Still no Charles.
She lay down on the sofa and drifted off to sleep. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out when she heard the sounds of a mouse clicking and keyboard typing. She groggily opened her eyes.
Charles had returned at some point and was sitting at his computer, working. He was completely focused on his work, as if she didn't exist at all.
In that moment, she suddenly regretted coming up here. He'd already agreed to marry her—she should just quietly wait to become his wife. Why had she come here? Men didn't like clingy women, right? It made her seem immature.
She sat up.
Only then did Charles glance at her. "Awake?"
"Yeah, I'm up." She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and checked her watch. Four in the afternoon.
She explained, "I was just passing by and wanted to stop in. I haven't seen you in days, and you haven't contacted me either."
He made a sound of acknowledgment. After a moment, he added, "I've been pretty busy lately."