CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 82-DINNER

Catherine and Lilian both turned to look at him, neither of them understanding what Bert meant by that.

Bert cast a cold glance at Catherine and continued,

"’Easy on the eyes,’ huh? Then why did you reject someone who is easy on the eyes?"

Catherine hadn’t expected the man who’d been silent for so long to suddenly snap back at her like this—so bluntly, without the slightest mercy. She froze on the spot, embarrassed, unable to say a single word.

It was Lilian who finally broke the tension.

"Bro, what kind of tantrum are you throwing? You sound like some resentful housewife."

Bert snorted.

"When someone treats genuine feelings as empty sweet talk—how could I not be resentful?"

His bitterness was so obvious that even Lilian fell silent. She shot a quick glance at Catherine across the table, then lowered her head and pretended to focus on her food, acting as though she had no idea what was going on between them.

But in fact, Lilian knew everything.

Last night after dinner, she had received a call from Bert. The first thing she asked was:

"Bro, how did your ’overtime date’ with Sister Catherine go today?"

Bert didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he said,

"Didn’t you say you wanted to meet with her about the jewelry project? Ask her out tomorrow."

Lilian was a smart girl. She immediately figured out what he was thinking—he wanted her to invite Catherine out for him. So she agreed readily.

"Sure."

Then earlier, when Bert came to pick her up, she finally managed to get the story out of him on the way. Turns out Catherine had rejected Bert, so now he could only approach her through Lilian and get her to arrange a meeting.

That was why Lilian had kept steering the topic toward Bert just moments ago—asking Catherine whether she didn’t like older men, and so on. Since her brother had finally found a girl he genuinely liked, Lilian naturally wanted to do everything she could to help.

After snapping at Catherine like that, Bert put down his chopsticks.

"I’m done. You two take your time. I’ll wait for you outside."

With that, he stood up and walked out.

Only Catherine and Lilian were left at the table. The atmosphere wasn’t as tense as before. Lilian smiled and urged her,

"Catherine, eat more. You’re way too thin."

Then she added,

"I actually understand how you feel. I once went through a period where I lost a ton of weight too. Back when I broke up with Morrison, I got so skinny. It wasn’t until I got pregnant that I slowly gained some weight back."

Lilian felt that she and Catherine were the same type—girls who didn’t easily show vulnerability. Girls who didn’t scream or break down, who endured everything silently no matter how much it hurt. So all the bad emotions simply got trapped inside, and in the end, the only one who suffered was themselves.

"You and Morrison broke up before?"

Catherine really didn’t know much about what had happened between Lilian and Morrison. Their relationship had been kept underground, and when they broke up, Catherine happened to be in Australia. Later, when they reconciled and held their grand wedding, Catherine was still abroad.

"Yep. We were separated for almost two years."

Even now, when Lilian spoke of those days, there was still a trace of melancholy in her eyes.

"He broke up with me because he didn’t want marriage at the time. So, Catherine, if you meet a man who’s willing to give you a marriage promise—marry him. It must be because he really likes you. That’s the only reason a man would dare, or even want, to offer marriage."

Catherine hadn’t expected Lilian and Morrison to have had that kind of past. And she suddenly remembered what Bert said yesterday—dating with marriage as the premise. Was it because he truly liked her, so he offered a promise of marriage?

They hadn’t known each other for very long. If he had simply asked to date, she wouldn’t have been shocked. But who talks about marriage with someone they’ve known for only a few days? Of course she would doubt his sincerity. Of course she would think it sounded like sweet talk. Because she was the kind of person who would never give such a commitment impulsively.

Originally, Catherine had thought Bert’s quick willingness to talk about marriage was frightening.

But after hearing Lilian say that Morrison once broke up with her because he didn’t want marriage,

Catherine suddenly felt that Bert’s talk of marriage... wasn’t quite so terrifying anymore.

After Bert left the restaurant, Catherine only ate a few more bites before putting down her fork. Mostly, she felt bad making him wait outside, so she rushed to end the meal. It was already late autumn, and the temperature at night was dropping close to freezing.

Lilian was still chewing.

"Catherine, why aren’t you eating? Mmph."

Catherine smiled.

"I’m full."

In truth, the three of them had already eaten most of their meal before Bert left. Lilian urged her again,

"Eat a little more, keep me company."

Catherine reminded her gently,

"Your brother’s still waiting outside for us."

But Lilian didn’t care at all.

"It’s fine. He’s very patient. We could stay for another hour and he still wouldn’t rush us."

Catherine pressed her lips together and fell silent. But her heart grew uneasy. He was only wearing a coat—and it had to be cold standing outside all this time.

She glanced at Lilian, who was still happily eating, and finally said,

"The weather’s so cold... letting him wait outside like that doesn’t seem very considerate..."

Lilian blinked her bright eyes and grinned teasingly.

"Oh my, Catherine—why are you so worried about my brother? Afraid he might freeze?"

Catherine’s cheeks turned pink at being teased.

"Just finish eating."

She refused to admit she was actually worried about Bert.

Lilian laughed, picked up a napkin, and wiped her mouth.

"Alright, I’m done. Let’s go."

In truth, Lilian had finished long ago. Ever since Bert scolded her last time, she had started controlling her diet. Small meals throughout the day were a healthier choice for a pregnant woman anyway.

She hadn’t left earlier on purpose—partly to see whether Catherine would show concern for Bert waiting outside. And now she had her answer. Catherine truly cared; she even worried he might be cold.

But if he had really been cold, he could’ve waited in the restaurant’s lounge—or in the car. Catherine didn’t consider any of that. Perhaps she cared too much, and that made her forget the obvious.

When Catherine and Lilian walked out, they saw Bert standing by the car, chatting with Morrison, who had apparently arrived at some point. Morrison came over as soon as he saw them, slid an arm around Lilian’s waist, and greeted Catherine warmly.

"Miss Catherine, we meet again."

Catherine returned the greeting politely.

"Hello, Mr. Morrison."

Morrison chuckled.

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Morrison."

Catherine felt a little awkward. Someone like Morrison—such a prominent figure in Burg Eltz—being addressed by his first name felt improper. And she didn’t think they were close enough for that level of familiarity.

"Well, since you two are done eating, I’ll take Lilian home," Morrison said, before glancing back at Bert, who was still standing quietly behind him.

"We’ll leave first."

Lilian also said goodbye to Catherine and Bert, then walked with her husband toward his car—effectively handing over the task of driving Catherine home to Bert.

But Catherine didn’t want to be alone with him. She quickly called after her friend:

"Hey—Lilian—!"

But Lilian had already slipped into Morrison’s car, and the two drove off, leaving Catherine standing there, frustrated and stuck.