Cherry had been to Carter Manor and knew Mrs. Carter.
So even though Mrs. Carter visited unexpectedly without an appointnt, Cherry dared not neglect her and quickly led Mrs. Carter to my studio.
Seeing the sudden visit from Mrs. Carter, I was extrely surprised but still got up very warmly and respectfully to greet her.
"Auntie, why didn’t you let know you were coming in advance? I could have gone downstairs to welco you." I tried to emulate Jessica Sawyer’s mannerisms, saying as many flattering and pleasing words as possible.
Mrs. Carter smiled, took off her lambskin gloves, and then removed the scarf from her neck.
Her personal assistant followed behind, taking these items one by one and then exiting the room.
Seeing Mrs. Carter begin to take off her coat, I imdiately walked behind her to help and then hung the coat on a hanger and placed it aside.
"Hmm, your place is really nice. lissa ca here once and talked about it several tis."
Mrs. Carter walked around casually, looking around and smiling with praise.
I couldn’t figure out the purpose of Mrs. Carter’s visit, nor did I dare to rashly start a topic, so I could only follow her lead: "I’ve been busy with Fashion Week recently, and haven’t had a chance to tidy up the studio since returning ho, it’s a bit ssy."
"Not ssy, it’s quite good." Mrs. Carter walked over to the sofa and sat down.
I imdiately brewed a cup of tea and brought it over, "Auntie, this is tea I brought back from my trip, Norland black tea, please try it."
"Hmm." Mrs. Carter waved at , her expression still kind and amiable, "Sit down, don’t fuss."
I smiled and could only take a seat on a single sofa nearby.
In fact, I already had a premonition, guessing what Mrs. Carter wanted to talk about.
It was like the long-awaited "verdict" was finally about to be delivered, and I felt like a guilty person awaiting judgnt, with my heart hanging in suspense.
"Has Daniel contacted you in the past few days?" Mrs. Carter got to the point after taking a sip of tea.
I shook my head, feeling increasingly anxious inside, "No."
"A few days ago you accompanied lissa for a al and shopping, and when she returned, she asked about Daniel’s matter..."
Mrs. Carter spoke elegantly, unhurriedly.
But I was secretly anxious at heart.
"Actually, I didn’t know what was going on with Daniel either. That night they talked for four or five hours, and it seed there was a dispute. Daniel’s father forbade from interfering, so I was powerless. After lissa asked , I called Daniel’s father several tis, and he finally relented and told what happened—"
I stared intently at Mrs. Carter, my hand unconsciously gripping the fabric of my pants tightly, "Is he in trouble?"
"Yes." Mrs. Carter nodded decisively, her well-maintained face looking heavy, "On his trip abroad, soone reported him for a confidentiality breach, and his superiors are investigating him. You know, in families like ours, we rise and fall together. Originally, his father was supposed to be transferred to the capital after the New Year, but because of this... it might also be put on hold."
Hearing this, I was completely stunned as if struck by lightning.
I had imagined all sorts of bad scenarios, but I never expected it to be this.
But I was also very sure that Daniel Carter wasn’t that kind of person!
He couldn’t have done such a thing!
"Auntie, he was with during those days. We didn’t co into contact with any suspicious people, and aren’t there two colleagues assigned by his superiors with him? They can also testify."
I tried my best to clear Daniel Carter’s na.
"Yes, I know everything you say is true. But it doesn’t matter if we believe him; it matters if his superiors do."
"Then they should investigate!"
"They are investigating, so they have asked him for talks these days."
My mind was in turmoil, totally at a loss.
"Where is he? Will he suffer any consequences?" My eyes reddened, and my voice unconsciously beca hoarse.
"I don’t know. If I hadn’t called several tis, even his father wouldn’t have told about it. We all thought he was just on a business trip."
Mrs. Carter kept her gaze fixed on , never looking away.
Her expression was serious, her deanor calm, but I knew she must be very anxious inside.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have lowered herself to co to personally.
"A clear conscience fears no accusation, Auntie. Daniel is innocent and isn’t afraid of investigation." I spoke these words to comfort Mrs. Carter and also to comfort myself.
"Hmm, I hope so too." Mrs. Carter nodded, her expression relaxing a bit, "Lily, to be honest, I like you a lot. Aside from the help you gave Daniel when you were younger, I admire you as well. You’re beautiful, well-mannered, capable, and you maintain your integrity despite adversity. Most importantly, Daniel likes you and has liked you for many years—the first ti I saw you, I truly considered letting you be my daughter-in-law."
I was extrely surprised.
I didn’t expect Mrs. Carter to have such a high evaluation of .
But I also understood that this praise was just a prelude.
My heart began to ache, knowing what Mrs. Carter wanted to express beneath all these complints.
"But you’ve brought too much trouble to Daniel, not just from your family background, but also your grievances with the Gordon Family. This ti he went against the Gordon Family largely because of you. Of course, the Gordon Family broke the law and deserved to be investigated, and Daniel did a righteous deed worthy of praise. But his unique position ant that if it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t have personally intervened and invited trouble."
Mrs. Carter’s tone was gentle, always elegant and appropriate.
But I lowered my eyes, feeling unable to lift my head.
I also wanted Daniel Carter to be well.
From the mont he began pursuing , I knew very well that I wasn’t worthy of him and had refused many tis.
But eventually, I was still captivated.
I thought about the day we might break up, yet never expected he would be implicated so badly by .
After a long silence, I gathered the courage to look up at Mrs. Carter, extracting so information between her words.
"Are you implying that the one who reported him for leaking secrets is the Gordon Family?"
"Yes, Adrian Gordon." Mrs. Carter closely watched as she gave that na.
My expression froze, surprised yet not wholly unexpected.
I recalled that anonymous ssage I received days ago; I suspected it was from Adrian Gordon, now I’m even more certain.
He knew the consequences of his actions.
"Doesn’t he fear responsibility for such baseless accusations?"
Furious, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself.
Mrs. Carter said, "The Gordon Family is completely ruined this ti. Do you think the mistakes of his father can absolve the son completely? Since he’s bound to go down, dragging soone along is a way to vent his grievances. Do you think soone like that would care about an extra cri?"
I frowned, suddenly realizing.
Indeed, Adrian Gordon must have known he would not escape either, so he made a wild accusation.
It’s easy to make false accusations but hard to clear them up.
Moreover, the Carter Family is so special; even a slight negative impact can cause a stir.
Look at this; his casual accusations affected Uncle Carter’s career path and caused Daniel Carter to be secretly investigated.
"I’m sorry, Auntie. I shouldn’t have let Daniel co to Veyrona to see during the New Year. Then none of this would’ve happened."
Besides apologizing, I didn’t know what else I could do.
Mrs. Carter sighed softly, "It’s not your fault. Daniel has his own opinions when doing things. He was troubled by our matchmaking, so he simply escaped abroad and ended up being taken advantage of."
I looked gratefully at Mrs. Carter.
She really understood her son.
But I still felt regret and self-bla. Had I known Adrian Gordon was also in Veyrona, I would have stopped Daniel Carter from going there at all costs.
But from Daniel’s perspective, if he had known Adrian Gordon was in Veyrona, nothing could have stopped him from going, not even if the sky were falling.
"If it is destiny, it cannot be undone. Daniel should be back in the coming days, but this incident served as a wake-up call for our whole family. Grandpa Carter was already unwell, and after learning of these matters yesterday, his blood pressure soared. He made many calls, roughly understanding the progress of things."
I hurriedly asked, "Does that an they figured out he’s innocent, the investigation is clear?"
"Not sure; so things are classified, and I don’t know."
"I understand."
Such matters are sensitive, and even Mrs. Carter may not know the details, let alone tell even if she did.
But her visit today reassured that at least Daniel Carter is currently safe, which eased my mind a bit.
"Lily, I trust the feelings between you and Daniel, but I also ask you to understand our feelings as elders. As the saying goes, ’Too much wisdom can hurt, deep love doesn’t last long’—sotis, loving and separating aren’t contradictory."
Mrs. Carter took another sip of tea, declined my offer for a refill, and slowly stood up: "The old man’s health is not good, I must go back to take care of him. Sorry to disturb you, Lily."
"Aunt, please don’t say that." I stood up to see her off, feeling a deep sense of guilt and worry for Daniel Carter.
Though I knew he would eventually be fine, just thinking about the tornt of these days felt like an eternity for him.
A loyal and industrious model worker, fighting for his career for so many years, now due to a baseless accusation, is confined sowhere to endure lengthy interrogations.
For him, it’s not just disheartening, it’s humiliating.
After sending off Mrs. Carter, I couldn’t focus on work at all.
I dialed Daniel Carter’s number again, but it was still temporarily unreachable.
I sat behind my desk, dazed and lost, unsure what I could do to help him.
Usually, I’d vent to my best friend to relieve any unhappiness.
But because of the sensitive nature of this matter, I didn’t dare to speak to anyone, only bottling it up inside.
By evening, it began to rain.
Thinking that traffic would get jamd later anyway, and having no mind for work, I decided to leave early.
Halfway ho, the rain intensified, and the traffic jam worsened.
In a daze, I clutched the steering wheel, pondering over and over how to bring up the breakup with Daniel.
Suddenly my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.
I casually glanced at the phone thrown on the passenger seat, but when I saw the caller ID, my heart skipped a beat!
Daniel Carter!
He’s calling!
I even forgot I was driving, I suddenly slowed down, grabbed the phone, and answered it.
"Hello—"
A sudden brake caused the car behind to screech to a halt and an angry honk followed.
But I didn’t care and paid no mind.
All my focus was on my hearing senses.
"Lily..." Daniel’s voice ca through, tired, gentle, deep.
I imdiately burst into tears.
But I couldn’t let him know, lest he worried about .
"Hmm, you’re finally done with work—" I forced a laugh, trying hard to control my emotions.
"Yes, these days have been hectic, working on a very special project, everyone’s personal phones had to be temporarily handed in, so I couldn’t contact you."
Daniel was still speaking kind lies, making things sound better, surely he didn’t want to make worry.
"So, are you mad at ?" He laughed softly and asked in a low voice.
"No." Tears blurred my vision, I couldn’t continue driving, so amid the congested traffic, I forcibly changed lanes and stopped at a bus station by the roadside.
"Daniel Carter, I’m not angry, don’t worry about , just take good care of yourself." After parking the car, I freed one hand to wipe my tears, calming down a bit to talk to him.
"Hmm, I’m doing fine, just working long hours each day, but it’s okay, I’m getting used to it." His tone remained gentle, speaking convincingly.
I didn’t expose his lie.
If he didn’t want to know, then I’ll pretend I didn’t know.
This way, it’s also about maintaining his dignity and respect.
"So how much longer before you’re done and co back?" I was only concerned about this point, only when I saw him safe and sound back, would I be at ease.
"Not sure, but it should be soon."
His response gave a sense of judgnt.
The fact he had access to a phone and could reach out to the outside, should indicate that things had mostly been clarified, clearing his na.
So, he’s probably coming back soon.
"Let know in advance when you’re coming back, I’ll co to pick you up." I said with a tone of anticipation, looking forward to that day.
"Okay, I also want to see you soon."
After he said that, a silence fell on both ends.
But actually, I had a thousand words in my heart, just sothing that’s hard to articulate over the phone.
I had to shift to lighter topics, "Have you eaten yet?"
"I’ll eat right after I finish this call."
"Is it cold there?"
"Hmm... it should be fine, I guess."
His response almost made cry again.
He’s probably been indoors for many days, how would he know if it’s cold or hot outside?
I said to myself, "It’s raining hard in Fallhaven, and the traffic is jamd."
"You’re on your way ho after work?"
"Hmm."
"Then be safe, I won’t keep you on the phone longer, we’ll talk when I get back."
Realizing he was going to hang up, a flood of reluctance filled my heart, "No, I’ve parked now, it’s fine."
After speaking, I suddenly realized another point, and quickly asked, "Is it because you don’t have ti to talk?"
I thought maybe he was temporarily given the phone to call and assure his family of his safety, or sothing like that.
But he definitely called first.
If I kept talking to him, he’d probably have no ti to call Carter Manor.
"It’s okay, if you don’t want to hang up, I’ll keep you company a bit longer." He laughed indulgently and said.
"No, no, you should call Aunt and Grandpa Carter, they’re worried about you too."
ntioning his family, Daniel Carter suddenly asked, "Has anyone from my family contacted you these days?"
I paused for a mont, then smiled, "lissa contacted , we ate, shopped, and chatted about gossip."
He laughed too, "That sounds good, alright, I’ll make it up to you properly when I get back, go ho now, be careful on the road."
"Hmm, I’ll wait for you."
I prepared to hang up the phone, but I didn’t want to be the first to hang up, so I lingered, waiting for him to do so instead.
He called again tenderly, "Lily?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"Daniel Carter, I love you too."
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