Part 18

"Ouch!" Cassandra almost slammed the apple pie she had just taken out of the oven. This time, she shook her hand and blew it away.

"Cassandra, what's going on?" asked a hurried Charles. He had just returned from the police station to take care of the Miller family matter, and now he found his wife in the kitchen and injured.

Charles immediately took Cassandra's hand and looked at her more closely. "What happened to you?"

"I think I accidentally touched the inside of the hot oven," Cassandra replied softly while Charles blew gently on her wound.

"What did you just do?" Charles could not hide his concern. "We're going to the hospital now. Let the doctor treat your wound!"

Since reuniting with Cassandra for the first time, he had sworn to look after and protect her.

Cassandra shook her head. "It's just heat and not a big burn. Just apply some ointment, and it'll heal. I screamed because I was surprised by the sudden heat."

Charles shook his head. "You can't trivialize it like that, Cassandra. What if it leaves a scar or, worse, an infection."

"No way, I've had worse than this. When I was a kid, my back was hit by a bigger fire, and I can still move normally until now."

Charles gasped, 'There's no mistaking it; she was my childhood saviour. My kidnapper once threw a burning branch at his back.'

"Charles, what's wrong?" asked Cassandra when she saw that her husband was silent.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just worried that something bad might happen to you. I'm not... I'm not going to let this happen." Charles looked around the kitchen; some cooking utensils had not been washed. Then he looked deeply at Cassandra. Did you just cook? Don't I employ servants in this house? What did you bother to cook for?"

Charles touched Cassandra's cheek gently and said, "You know, I'm not the kind of man who requires his wife to do all the household chores. I don't require you to clean the house, do the laundry, cook. I don't need you to prepare clothes for me, I'm used to doing it myself. I want you to be happy, especially with what your family has done.

Cassandra smiled slightly and wrapped her arms around Charles' neck. "You did so much for me. You even left your company to live here with me. Now I just want to make an apple pie for you. Is that too much?"

"You made this for me?" asked Charles as he touched Cassandra's hip.

Cassandra nodded. "Now you have to try it, and you should know that I'm not doing this because a wife is obliged to cook for her husband, but I want to do it."

"Okay, I'll give it a try." Charles then sat down and enjoyed Cassandra's apple pie while Cassandra applied ointment to her burns.

Charles was silent as he munched on his wife's pie. Then, he seemed to get carried away in a nostalgic past. "Cassandra," he called out.

"Did you like it? Or the flavour wasn't quite right. Too sweet, too juicy or something? Tell me what you think!"

Charles, who had already finished a slice, immediately stood up and hugged Cassandra from behind. "I must be honest; your pie tastes like my mom's. I don't know if it's too much, but can you bake a pie for me if you're free?"

Cassandra smiled and nodded. "I will."

This was the first time Cassandra had ever seen Charles so sentimental that her eyes turned red. Of course, as someone who had lost a mother figure, Cassandra understood what her husband was feeling.

Cassandra still had a father, but he was just as absent. Her life was just as alone as Charles'.

Cassandra turned around and hugged Charles tightly. This time, she didn't say anything; she just felt comfortable in the man's arms. Finally, their faces got closer and closer, and unconsciously, their lips began to stick together.

"Oh, sorry," Charles said when his wife covered her mouth with her palm.

Cassandra looked down. Her cheeks were red from blushing, but she was still reluctant to show it. 

"Forget it. Maybe I got carried away, but I won't do anything to you until you want it yourself," Charles said, then he smiled again," Oh yes, I have dropped the charges against them. They have now been released after a night in police custody. It's just that your ex-fiancé I can't do it."

Cassandra looked at Charles seriously, "So why didn't you release him?"

Charles smiled slightly. "I've released her, but she's not just wronged you. He not only offended you but also caused a scene at the event. He threatened arson and injured an officer. The event organizer and the building owner are also suing him. I can't help with that. I'm sorry."

Cassandra nodded, "It's okay. I understand. I'm just asking for your help to drop the charges against the four of them. If they have problems with other people, let them solve them."

"Hmm." Charles turned to Cassandra and said softly, "I thought you were going to ask me to persuade the building owner."

Cassandra shook her head, "I'm not that stupid, Charles. I only want to drop the charges because I care about you. I want to build a good image of you in this city. The public will think you're a big-hearted and forgiving person. Besides, if they are sentenced to jail, I'm worried that they will attack me more violently when their sentence is over. Now is not a good time for them to take responsibility for their actions."

"Are you still thinking about that hotel? If you want, I can buy it for you." Charles said seriously and gave Cassandra a shady look.

But Cassandra shook her head no. "Charles, I know you have a lot of money, but it's not a wise decision." After saying this, Cassandra looked down, exhaled a long breath, and raised her face slowly.

"I feel like there's something the Miller family is hiding, and I need to find out about it," Cassandra said.

Charles let out a long breath and held Cassandra's arm. "You have my support!"