Chapter 3: Rejection and Disguise - Secrets in the Rainy Night

Dinner was over, but the rain outside hadn't stopped; instead, it was falling harder, pattering against the window, sounding annoying.

William swirled half a glass of red wine in his hand, sinking into the soft sofa, staring at the girl opposite through the dark red liquid.

After a few glasses of wine, Catherine's originally pale face finally had some color, like a touch of pale pink spreading on white paper, revealing a fragility that made one want to protect her. Her eyes were a bit glazed, but she sat straight, her hands placed dutifully on her knees, looking exactly like a primary school student accepting a teacher's inspection.

Watching her tense appearance, an impulse to tear this layer of disguise to shreds inexplicably rose in William's heart.

"Where are you staying tonight?" William asked casually. His tone sounded nonchalant, but his mind was clear.

Catherine froze for a moment, her heart skipping a beat.

"Four Seasons Hotel."

She blurted it out, answering very quickly, even a bit urgently, as if she had memorized the standard answer long ago. Only she knew that her palms were full of cold sweat.

William raised an eyebrow, his fingers gently rubbing the glass.

Four Seasons Hotel? It wasn't far from here.

But he saw at a glance that this girl was lying.

Although her eyes tried hard to pretend to be candid, her fingers subconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white. This was her habitual action when nervous, like a small animal desperately trying to hide its tracks.

"The rain is too heavy, and your leg is injured; it's inconvenient to go back and forth."

William put down the wine glass, leaning forward slightly, his tone flat but revealing a concern that allowed no refusal. "There are plenty of guest rooms in the manor; stay here tonight."

There was nothing wrong with these words; they could even be said to be very considerate.

A warm room, a soft bed, servants on call... all this was too great a temptation for Catherine, who was physically and mentally exhausted right now.

For a moment, she really wanted to nod and agree.

But reason was like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing that bit of wavering in her heart.

No.

Once she stayed, her disguise would be peeled off layer by layer. Her shabby reality, her life that required careful calculation, would all be nakedly exposed before this man born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

That was the only bit of self-esteem she had left; she absolutely couldn't lose it.

Catherine reacted almost instantly.

She suddenly sat up straight, looking exactly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, fur standing on end all over, eyes full of defensiveness.

"No... no need, thank you for your kindness, Mr. Sterling."

Her voice was tight, still carrying a tremor. "I've already booked the room; money will be deducted if I don't stay. And... and my friend is still waiting for me."

Full of lies.

William chuckled lightly in his heart, a trace of understanding flashing in his eyes.

But he didn't expose her.

Looking at her wary appearance, afraid of being eaten alive by him, the thought of teasing her instantly vanished from William's mind, replaced by an inexplicable heartache.

What was she afraid of? Afraid he would eat her?

He didn't want to make her uneasy.

For a girl as sensitive and fragile as her, pushing a little harder might scare her away completely, never daring to approach again.

"Alright."

William nodded, withdrawing that slightly oppressive gaze, and didn't insist further. "Since that's the case, I won't force you."

Hearing this, Catherine obviously breathed a sigh of relief.

Her tense shoulders slumped as if unloading a thousand pounds of weight. The defensiveness in her eyes was gone, replaced by a gladness of surviving a disaster.

Luckily, he didn't question further.

William called the driver, Old Chen.

"Take Miss Catherine back to the Four Seasons Hotel."

"Yes, Sir."

Before leaving, William took the damaged cashmere pants, which Martha had already packed into an exquisite paper bag.

"Take this back. Although it's broken, maybe you want to keep it as a memento."

Actually, it was because the pocket of those pants contained the key to the rosewood box she had desperately protected earlier. He was thoughtful; he even thought of such small things for her.

Catherine took the paper bag, her fingertips touching the back of his warm hand, her heart trembling.

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling. Tonight... I caused you trouble."

William looked at her, his gaze as deep as the sea, as if to carve her appearance into his mind.

"Remember to change the dressing on your leg wound on time. If it's inconvenient to go to the hospital, you can call me."

Saying that, he handed her a business card.

Black background with gold lettering, only a string of private numbers on it, simple and powerful.

Catherine hesitated for a moment but still took the business card.

"Okay, thank you."

She carefully put the business card into her pocket, acting quite cherishingly, but actually didn't plan to make this call at all.

They were people from two different worlds; tonight's intersection was just an accident. The accident was over, and everything should return to the right track.

Watching the black Bentley disappear into the curtain of rain, William stood at the door, not moving for a long time.

The night wind blew on him with rain threads, a bit cool.

He suddenly felt that this manor, which usually made him feel comfortable and at ease, seemed particularly empty and deserted tonight.

A certain corner of his heart seemed to have become empty with the departure of that car.

...

The car stopped steadily at the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel.

The doorman enthusiastically stepped forward to open the car door.

Catherine politely thanked Old Chen, then straightened her back and walked into the hotel lobby.

She didn't go to the front desk to check in.

Instead, she walked directly to the rest area and found a corner to sit down.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling window, she stared at the black Bentley turning around and driving into the rainy night until it was completely out of sight.

At that moment, the light in her eyes dimmed, and her straight back also bent slightly, showing a deep exhaustion.

Confirming the car had gone far, Catherine stood up and walked out of the hotel door again.

She wrapped her coat tightly around herself, braving the cold wind, and limped towards that youth hostel a few blocks away.

One night at the Four Seasons Hotel cost eight hundred dollars.

And a bed at the youth hostel only cost thirty dollars.

She calculated this account very clearly, so clearly it was heartbreaking.

The wound on her leg throbbed faintly in the cold wind; every step was torture. But Catherine's steps were particularly firm, without a shred of hesitation.

She wasn't Cinderella, nor did she have glass slippers.

Everything in the manor tonight was like a splendid dream. When the dream woke up, she would eventually return to her own reality.

Reality was the cold rain, the cheap bed, the life that must be faced.

There was no warm fireplace, no exquisite French meal, nor that man who was so gentle he made one want to cry.

Only the endless student loans, and Stanford, which she must get into.

Back in the narrow room of the youth hostel, a damp, moldy smell floated in the air.

Catherine lay on the somewhat hard bed, listening to the snoring coming from the next bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

She fished out that business card from her pocket, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Borrowing the faint streetlight coming through the window, she gently touched the raised gold lettering on it with her fingers, as if caressing that man's name.

William Sterling.

She recited it silently in her heart, only feeling the two words roll over the tip of her tongue, carrying a trace of bitter sweetness.

Then, she took a deep breath, tucked the business card into that thick SAT vocabulary book, closed the book, and pressed it under her pillow.

Some things were good just to look at.

No need to take them seriously.

And couldn't take them seriously.