CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81- EASY TO SAY. HARD TO MEAN

When Catherine arrived at the café Lilian had mentioned, she spotted Lilian from afar—and also noticed the man sitting with her. It was Bert, the very person she planned to avoid for the rest of her life.

Perhaps because it was Sunday and he wasn’t working, he was dressed a bit more casually. A black cashmere turtleneck emphasized the flawless lines of his jaw and the sharp contours of his features. A gray wool coat draped over him added an air of quiet nobility. He was the kind of man who attracted attention simply by sitting there, saying nothing.

Catherine froze in place. She never expected him to be here.

Lilian spotted her as well and stood up, waving enthusiastically.

"Catherine, over here!"

Catherine had no choice but to walk over. Just as she approached, Lilian immediately began explaining:

"Catherine, my husband has something to take care of this afternoon, so I dragged bert along to be my driver. You know how inconvenient it is for a pregnant woman to go out alone..."

Since Lilian had already clarified, Catherine couldn’t say anything more. And Lilian’s situation truly was special—she was originally the heiress of Burg Eltz, and now married into the Mos family. Morrison adored her deeply; there was no way he’d let his pregnant wife go out alone or take a taxi.

Catherine understood completely. Out of courtesy, she also had to greet Bert. So she looked at him and offered a polite, restrained smile.

"Lord Washington..."

Doing her best to maintain a sense of distance.

Bert raised an eyebrow at her choice of address but said nothing, simply giving her a slight nod in response.

Lilian quietly watched their interaction with interest, then asked Catherine once she sat down,

"What would you like to drink, Catherine?"

"A mocha is fine."

Catherine had no particular preference for coffee, so she picked something at random.

As soon as she spoke, Bert stood up and said coolly,

"I’ll order. You two talk."

Then he walked to the counter. After placing the order, he didn’t return to the table. Instead, he stepped outside with his phone and began making a call.

Catherine and Lilian were seated near the window of the café, and through the clear glass they could see outside—naturally, Catherine noticed Bert standing there, talking on the phone.

He stood with his body angled slightly away from them, tall and straight. His broad shoulders and upright posture, the expression between his brows, and the quiet confidence in every small gesture—all of it revealed, to every man and woman passing by, what true mature masculinity looked like.

Catherine more or less guessed the truth: he probably stepped away on purpose, afraid that his presence would make her uncomfortable and restrained. She didn’t know how to feel about that. She feared him—yet she couldn’t help but be faintly moved by his consideration.

"Catherine, you seem to be very scared of bert?"

Lilian’s sudden question startled her. Catherine flushed a little and pulled her gaze away from Bert, turning to Lilian instead.

"He’s my boss—my livelihood depends on him. Of course I’m afraid of him."

Lilian laughed lightly.

"You really don’t have to be. He’s a very good person. Especially toward people he cares about—he couldn’t be better."

Hearing that made Catherine even more uncomfortable.

If he treats the people he cares about incredibly well...

then wasn’t Lilian indirectly hinting that she was someone Bert cared about?

Catherine had thought that keeping her distance from Bert would reduce the ambiguity between them—but somehow, things only became more ambiguous in front of Lilian. She could only smile and quickly steer the conversation away.

"Why don’t you tell me your preferences for jewelry? That’ll help me get a better idea."

The waiter came over and set down their coffees. The two of them sipped their drinks as they talked. When Bert finished his phone call and returned, he still didn’t sit with them. Instead, he chose a sofa several tables away, as if he were truly nothing more than Lilian’s driver—or her quiet guardian.

Catherine and Lilian got along remarkably well. Their views on jewelry were surprisingly similar—both preferred simplicity over overly ornate designs. Because of that, Catherine felt that designing for Lilian wouldn’t be as difficult as she feared.

Lilian laughed and said,

"Don’t let the ’fan’—the ’ornate’—in my name fool you. I’m actually the complete opposite of what my name implies."

Lilian’s remark was a little humorous, and it made Catherine laugh despite herself.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lilian quickly extended another invitation.

"Why don’t we have dinner together tonight? Since we’re already out, it’s troublesome to go home and come back again. Let’s just eat outside before heading back. Anyway, someone’s treating us to a big meal!"

Catherine knew perfectly well that the "someone" in Lilian’s words referred to Bert. She was about to refuse, but Lilian pressed her hands together, her expression earnest and pleading.

"Catherine, I felt an instant connection with you. I still haven’t talked enough with you yet. You can’t reject my goodwill, okay?"

With Lilian pleading like that, Catherine truly couldn’t refuse. She called Renata to tell her she wouldn’t be home for dinner, and the three of them went off to eat together.

Fortunately, Bert hardly interacted with them throughout the meal. He only spoke when Lilian occasionally asked him something; otherwise, he simply stayed beside them, silent and composed.

After they finished discussing jewelry, the conversation shifted to life in general. During dinner, Lilian casually asked,

"Catherine, do you have a boyfriend?"

The moment the words boyfriend left Lilian’s lips, Catherine reacted instinctively—her gaze flickered to Bert sitting across from her. At the same time, he lifted his eyes as well, looking straight at her. His dark gaze was deep, steady, impossibly unreadable—as if he had all the time in the world to examine her reaction.

Catherine’s cheeks warmed. She quickly looked away and shook her head as she answered Lilian,

"No..."

Lilian snickered softly, then pressed on,

"Then what kind of person do you want your future partner to be? For example, age—do you dislike men who are older?"

Lilian was obviously steering the topic toward Bert. Catherine answered formally, almost mechanically.

"I don’t have any specific requirements. As long as I find him pleasant to look at."

With Bert present, she really wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything related to romance. No one could comfortably talk about love while sitting across from a man who had recently confessed to them.

But the moment she finished speaking, Bert—who had been calm and quiet the whole afternoon and evening—finally spoke. His voice was mild, neither too sharp nor too soft.

"Easy to say. Hard to mean."