Chapter 153 Charles' First Love Part I
Charles was seventeen when he first met Janice Lane.
Janice's parents were key executives at the Gonzaga Group and among Amelia's most trusted confidants. Years ago, when Amelia was expanding into overseas markets, she'd sent the couple abroad to lead the charge.
After successfully establishing those markets, the couple died in a plane crash on their way home.
Janice had stayed behind for school and escaped the tragedy.
Consumed by guilt, Amelia brought Janice back to the country and had her move into the Gonzaga house, planning to raise her as a daughter. Janice was sixteen at the time.
When Janice first arrived at the Gonzaga home, she was understandably devastated from losing both parents. Amelia was swamped with company business, so she asked Charles and Wentworth to spend time with Janice and keep her company.
Wentworth was still young, at that playful age, and had zero clue how to navigate a girl's emotions. So the responsibility fell mainly to Charles.
Janice had spent her entire childhood abroad with her parents and attended international schools. After returning home, she struggled to adjust. Her academics suffered. Charles took on the role of tutor.
Back then, Janice was incredibly fragile. She'd often clutch a stuffed rabbit her parents had given her and just stare into space. Sometimes she'd cry quietly.
Charles suggested to Amelia, "Mom, I think Janice might need to see a therapist."
Amelia shot that down. "No. If we bring in a therapist, Janice will think we look down on her, that we see her as damaged. You spend more time with her. Help her work through this."
Charles ended up reading stacks of psychology books.
Under Charles's guidance, Janice gradually came out of her shell. She loved singing and said her dream was to become a professional singer.
Charles had zero interest in the music industry, but because of Janice, he researched famous domestic and international singers and bands. He even took her to concerts regularly, both at home and abroad.
Janice grew increasingly attached to Charles.
Amelia noticed and was secretly delighted. She hoped Janice would eventually marry Charles—it would make up for her regret about Janice's parents while also gaining her a daughter-in-law.
So Amelia would occasionally tease them about it.
Charles didn't think about Janice that way initially. He saw her as a younger sister. He didn't want to date so young, much less get married. He firmly believed a man needed to establish his career before settling down.
Janice also treated Charles like an older brother at first. She was beautiful and had plenty of admirers. She hit it off with one particular guy—Charles had seen them talking together multiple times.
But then one day, Janice suddenly changed.
She'd been doing so much better, but suddenly she became withdrawn and melancholic again. She deliberately distanced herself from the Gonzaga family and even wanted to move back to the house her parents had lived in.
Only after Amelia spent ages persuading her did Janice agree to stay.
After about two months of this distance, her attitude toward the Gonzaga family suddenly improved again.
At the time, Amelia was buried in company matters, and Charles was consumed with his studies. At seventeen, he'd already self-studied through the entire high school curriculum and was preparing for university placement exams.
So Charles overlooked the shifts in Janice's psychological state.
On Charles's eighteenth birthday, the family threw him a party.
That day, Janice gave Charles a carefully chosen gift and hugged him.
Even though Janice had been living there for over half a year and they'd grown close, they were both teenagers who understood appropriate boundaries. They'd had virtually no physical contact.
Charles chalked the hug up to the special occasion—people sometimes get carried away when they're happy.
But after that, Janice started finding excuses to make physical contact.
Like clinging to him while he explained homework problems, then 'accidentally' brushing against him. Drinking from his cup after he'd used it. Making verbal suggestions with underlying implications.
One night during a thunderstorm, Janice suddenly burst into Charles's room and threw herself at him. "Charles, I'm scared!"
Teenage girls have a natural sweetness to them, and Janice had deliberately used scented body wash. Her body was soft, pressed tightly against Charles, and he suddenly found himself having a physical reaction.
Charles was only eighteen at the time and had never had physical contact with any woman besides his mother.
Janice clung to him for a long time, tears streaming down her face. She even suggested sleeping in his room.
Charles let her take the bed while he slept on the couch.
That night, with rain pattering against the windows, Janice suddenly confessed to Charles. "Charles, I think your mom wants us to get married when we grow up. I'd be okay with that. What about you?"
Charles's heart stuttered. "That kind of thing... it's hard to say."
"I think so too. I mean, we're still young, right?"
"Y-yeah. Right."
After that night, Janice's style of dress changed.
She used to dress like a typical teenage girl, but afterward she started wearing more form-fitting clothes that accentuated her feminine features. Her body had fully developed—full chest, curved hips.
She'd still seek Charles out to ask questions, then deliberately tease and provoke him.
Charles finally fell for it. Whenever he had breaks, he'd come home to be with Janice. The two of them even crossed that line.
Janice's grades tanked. Amelia wanted to send her abroad for university, but Janice refused. She said she wanted to attend a regular domestic university, then join the Gonzaga Group to continue her parents' legacy.
Amelia had a vague sense something was off, but she didn't dig deeper.
Later, when Charles finished his studies and joined the Gonzaga Group, Janice frequently tagged along.
Charles had fallen in love with Janice by then, so he didn't mind bringing her around.
One day, Charles found Janice looking at his computer—she'd even copied something to a USB drive. The moment he walked in, she yanked the drive out and said she was copying material for her graduation thesis, that she wasn't great at writing and wanted to reference other people's work.
Charles didn't suspect anything.
Because in that moment, Janice initiated intimacy right there in the office, saying doing it on the desk would be thrillingly different. During the act, the office phone kept ringing. Janice told Charles to answer it. Charles refused—he was thoroughly engaged. But Janice playfully held the receiver to his ear, forcing Charles to lower his voice and control his breathing.
The whole experience was genuinely thrilling. Charles couldn't stop thinking about it.
Not long after, Charles lost a bidding war because his proposal had been leaked.
His first instinct was that Janice had done it.
He even considered investigating, but at the time he was head over heels for Janice. He was a devoted person—he didn't want to doubt the woman he loved.
Amelia didn't suspect Janice either.
Two more years passed. Charles was twenty-two, preparing for a critical project. If this project succeeded, the Gonzaga Group would become the leading enterprise in Phoenix City.
He threw himself completely into the project, which naturally meant neglecting Janice.
One night, he woke up in the middle of the night. Janice wasn't beside him.