The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

"Alright, alright!" Milo said as he nodded. "You're a wonderful child!"

Charles' eyes narrowed slightly, a glint appearing in his eyes upon hearing Milo call him a wonderful child. "Uncle Milo, I'm sure you haven't invited me here just to catch up on old times, have you?" Then, he added, "When did you arrive in Brookville, Uncle?" "You're so well-connected, I'm sure that news of even the slightest stir in Brookville would have made its way to your ears a long time ago, right?"

"That's an exaggeration, Uncle Milo. Brookville is such a big city. I wouldn't know everything that goes on first-hand. I would know even less about the inconsequential happenings within the city," Charles said in response to Milo, hurriedly changing the subject before Milo could respond. "Oh, right. You haven't gotten the chance to meet my mother and Janet during this trip yet, right?"

Milo paused. He had already been feeling agitated before this, and on top of that, Charles had jeered at him. Yet, the topic changed before he could lose his cool, and he had no other choice but to force his temper back down. "Yes, I only arrived at Brookville last night, and haven't gotten the chance to meet your mother and Janet yet."

"In that case, you really are giving me the royalty treatment, Uncle Milo," Charles said implyingly. "Mother and Janet have been staying at the Hoffman residence for some time now, so why don't you take them both to Capiton after you've dealt with your business here, Uncle Milo? After all, both Mother and Janet grew up in Capiton, and they aren't used to life in Brookville. They've complained multiple times to my father and uncle about this."

"Is that so?" Milo asked, a surprised look on his face. "Why has your mother never mentioned this to me?" Then, he added, "So what if they grew up in Capiton? There's a saying that a daughter no longer belongs to her maiden family once she marries. Your mother became a Hoffman the minute she got married, and she will remain a member of the Hoffman no matter if she is used to life here or not. As for Janet, she and you..."

"Janet is like a younger sister to me,

and it's only right that I take care of her. However, I can't take care of her forever. It's just like what you said, Uncle Milo. Though she is your daughter, the minute she gets married, you won't be able

take

care of her for the rest of her life. Isn't that right, Uncle?"

"You... Charles. I won't beat around the bush since it's just the two of us here. What feelings do you have for Janet? You know that she's my biological daughter, and it wouldn't be incest if the two of you chose to get together. Janet's feelings for you are genuine, and besides, what happened between the two of you three years ago..."

oxe

"Uncle Milo, since you've decided to bring this up, I'm sure my response from three years ago has made things clear to you as well. Janet is like a younger sister to me, and she will remain that way for the rest of my life unless you choose to completely cut her out of the Baker family. However, I'm sure you understand as well that the minute she is cut out of the Baker family, she will have absolutely nothing to do with the Bakers, and even less to do with me. In my eyes, she has always been nothing more than an outsider."

"You... Charles, why do you have to treat Janet this way? She surrendered her body to you three years ago. I don't want to force you into anything, but what you did three years ago..."

"Looks like you still don't understand, Uncle. I'm sure you've looked into Winter Shaw! From today onwards, no matter what you plan on doing to her, I'll put twice the effort into helping her as you try to sabotage her."

"She is a married woman, Charles. Indeed, I have looked into her. What is it about her that's so much better than Janet?"

"I would rather lay my hands on another man's wife than a crazy woman. Does it make sense to you now, Uncle?"