CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65- ACCEPT

Following the floor information Bert had given her, Catherine took the elevator straight up. This was a high-end apartment building, and Bert’s residence was a large unit with one apartment per floor—only he lived on that level.

The hallway was therefore very quiet, and Catherine felt a strange tension building inside her.

After knocking, someone came to open the door. Catherine looked up to say something, but froze the moment she saw who it was.

A beautiful young woman stood there, wearing an elegant black wool long dress, with a brick-red turtleneck underneath. The outfit was warm yet stylish, playful yet graceful.

For a moment, Catherine wondered if she had come to the wrong floor. But then she recalled Bert’s message, which she had read several times before coming. The floor was definitely correct...

Her eyes drifted to the young woman’s slightly rounded belly, and Catherine immediately realized her identity—it was Bert’s sister.

She remembered that last night, when she had ridden with Bert in the car, his sister had called him to arrange a meeting. He had replied that he would be free today to pick her up. It seemed his sister was visiting him now.

Catherine felt a bit annoyed at herself for forgetting this and for coming straight to his home. Now, what was she supposed to do?

Clearly, the young woman was surprised to see her as well.

However, she was considerate and, seeing that Catherine was a stranger, quickly called out to Bert,

"Bert, do you have a guest?"

She then warmly welcomed Catherine,

"Bert is cooking. Come in and have a seat."

Catherine felt embarrassed by the young woman’s enthusiasm, giving a slightly awkward smile,

"No, thank you. I won’t come in. I just came to deliver something to Lord Washington—"

Before she could finish, Bert emerged from inside.

He was dressed in comfortable home clothes: a navy knit sweater and gray casual pants. It was a different side of him from the suited, polished businessman Catherine had seen before.

Even so, despite the casual attire, it couldn’t hide the authority he carried from long years of high status. It was something ingrained in him over time, impossible to mask.

He walked out calmly, expressionless. Catherine couldn’t read his emotions—she didn’t know if he was pleased or annoyed, or whether he was unhappy that she had interrupted his time with his sister.

As Bert approached, the young woman smiled at Catherine and then retreated into the room. Catherine noticed that she still peeked from behind a cabinet near the entrance, blushing slightly.

Bert stopped by the entryway, glanced at the paper bag Catherine was holding, and said indifferently,

"Come in."

Catherine hesitated, then quickly replied,

"No, I’m just here to deliver the suit."

She handed him the bag in her hands.

She hadn’t planned to enter Bert’s home anyway, and with his sister here, she certainly wouldn’t go in to disturb them.

Bert didn’t take the bag immediately. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Don’t I need to check if it fits?"

Catherine wanted to say that he had tried it yesterday, and she remembered the size clearly, so it should fit. However, Bert turned and walked back inside, leaving her unsure whether to leave or go in.

"Come in," Bert said. But with his sister there, Catherine hesitated. She didn’t want to disturb them and felt it wasn’t appropriate for her to have any interaction with his sister—after all, she was family. Meeting a man’s relative like this... was it proper?

But if she didn’t go in, he had just implied he wanted to try on the suit...

Just then, the young woman came out again, smiling brightly, and took Catherine’s hand.

"Oh, it’s so cold outside! Come in and have a seat for a while, and it’ll give bert a chance to try on the suit."

The girl’s smile was sincere and warm, making it hard for Catherine to refuse. She let herself be guided inside. Just as she sat down on the sofa, her phone rang—it was Riley.

"Cici, I suddenly have something to take care of. You can take a cab back later. Better let Bert send you home."

Riley’s tone was teasing, clearly leaving her behind on purpose.

Catherine, fuming, turned away and whispered through gritted teeth,

"Hey, Riley, how can you do this? Weren’t you supposed to wait downstairs? And at this hour, you actually want me to take a cab home?"

Although she tried to keep her voice low, the people in the room still heard her.

Lilian covered her mouth to suppress a laugh, then glanced at her bert, expressionless, seemingly unsure whether he heard her. Riley’s "abandonment" was deliberately creating an opportunity for the two of them.

In the end, Catherine was left behind by Riley, clenching her teeth in frustration but with no recourse.

After hanging up, Bert returned, holding a glass of juice. He handed it to Catherine and introduced her to Lilian:

"This is my sister, Lilian."

Then he introduced Catherine to Lilian:

"This is Catherine."

Catherine exchanged brief greetings with Lilian. Lilian’s eyes lit up as she asked Bert,

"Hey, hey, bert, you still haven’t explained your relationship with her. How should I address you?"

Catherine blushed. Lilian clearly assumed there was some kind of romantic relationship between them...

Bert, noting Catherine’s evident embarrassment, said to Lilian,

"Anyway, she’s older than you. You can decide how to address her."

He made no explanation about his relationship with Catherine, then turned back into the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.

Throughout this, he had little interaction with Catherine, and his gaze never lingered on her. They barely spoke, as if they were strangers.

If Lilian didn’t know her bert’s typically detached and austere personality—so detached that he would rarely allow a young woman to visit his home—she might really have believed their relationship was entirely innocent.

According to Lilian’s understanding of Bert, letting Catherine come over, welcoming her inside, and introducing her indirectly confirmed Catherine’s place, even though he said nothing.

Lilian recalled that Bert had taken a phone call earlier and then instructed her,

"A friend will be coming later. Open the door for them."

She had expected a man, perhaps an assistant, since Bert rarely had women around. Instead, when she opened the door, a serene young woman was standing there.

Lilian’s first impression of Catherine was extremely good. She seemed gentle and elegant.

Wearing a camel-colored coat, with simple, understated makeup, she exuded warmth and quiet grace. Seeing her, Lilian felt her heart settle and the world slow down.

It was clear that Bert had deliberately arranged for her to open the door, indirectly introducing the two. It was a thoughtful gesture.

Lilian pondered the relationship between Bert and Catherine, while Catherine felt a bit frustrated. Bert had said he needed to try on the suit, but now he had gone back into the kitchen. Was she supposed to wait until he finished dinner to try it on?

How long would she have to wait?

It wasn’t a matter of being in a hurry; the problem was that she would be stuck interacting with his sister, and she didn’t know what kind of personality the girl had. What if she turned out to be spoiled or demanding...

Catherine’s anxiety was understandable. She had been psychologically scarred by Lucca, a similarly spoiled and high-maintenance sister from a powerful family. Now, knowing Bert’s sister came from such an influential background, Catherine worried she might be even more headstrong.

After Bert returned to the kitchen, Lilian noticed Catherine’s unease. She glanced at the bag beside Catherine and took the initiative to speak.

"Catherine, is this for bert?"

Lilian hesitated for a moment before deciding to call her "Catherine."

Catherine smiled at Lilian and explained,

"Yeah, I dirtied his clothes before, so this is my way of making up for it."

"Making up for it?"

Lilian was surprised.

"How can he even accept this? He’s so stingy! He has plenty of clothes already—really, not a bit considerate."

Lilian complained about her bert, then took the bag and opened it. When she saw the price tag, her little face scrunched even more.

"Oh wow, this is so expensive..."

There was none of the haughty, spoiled attitude Catherine had seen in Lucca. Lilian even felt the price was high. In Catherine’s experience, Lucca had never known such a concept. Whatever she wanted, she would get it—no matter if it was luxury clothes, handbags, cars, or houses. "Buy, buy, buy"—that was the only rule. Perhaps that was why Channing’s company had started to decline. With a mother-daughter duo spending recklessly behind him, it was no wonder things went wrong.

Perhaps that’s what upbringing was about. It had nothing to do with money.

Lilian seemed about to continue criticizing her bert when Bert came out of the kitchen. He looked at Lilian and spoke gently,

"Call Morrison and have him come over."

Lilian frowned.

"Why? What’s he coming for?"

Bert shot her a sharp look.

"Just do as I said."

"Okay."

Lilian obediently picked up her phone and went to call Morrison.

Once Lilian left, Bert’s gaze fell back on Catherine, who happened to look up at him at the same moment. Their eyes met in midair. His gaze was deep and calm, yet within that calmness seemed to be a trace of warmth. Catherine felt her heart inexplicably race.

She instinctively looked away, her eyes catching Bert turning back into the kitchen.