Chapter 48 To Kiss You

Seeing Henry holding her underwear, Alice's face turned beet red. She snatched the clothes and bolted to the bathroom. Changing in front of Henry was still too much for her.

After she changed, she came back out.

Henry handed her a pair of flats. "Put these on. Let's grab breakfast downstairs."

Alice slipped them on. "Uncle Henry, what are you going to do about Clara?"

Henry's expression darkened at the mention of Clara, but he asked, "What do you want to do?"

Alice got his drift. Clara was part of the Savoy Family, even if they weren't blood-related. She was still technically her sister.

He was being considerate of her feelings.

Alice took his hand. "Uncle Henry, don't worry about me. What she did to you is unforgivable, and I don't care about the Savoy Family anymore."

Henry gently touched her face. "I'll follow your lead."

"The Henry I know never listens to anyone. Why do you listen to me?"

Henry chuckled, "As you wish."

"The Henry I've heard about never listens to anyone. Why do you bow?"

Henry chuckled, "I only bow to you."

Alice's heart skipped a beat at his sweet words.

Henry continued, "I bow not just to yield to you."

Alice blinked. "Then what?"

"To kiss you."

Alice playfully punched his chest. "You're such a smooth talker."

Henry laughed, took her hand, and led her to the door. As he opened it, Alice pulled her hand back.

He turned, puzzled. "What's up?"

Alice cleared her throat. "Even though you want to go public to show you respect me, I think we should keep it quiet for now. I'm worried your parents might not approve, especially since I was once engaged to Oliver."

Henry didn't want to hide their relationship, but her words reminded him that his parents were against him being close to Alice, let alone dating her.

To his parents, being with Alice was like incest.

Henry ruffled her hair. "Alright, we won't go public yet. I'll test the water first."

Alice nodded. "Okay. You go out first. If the coast is clear, I'll follow."

Henry smiled helplessly. They could be together openly, but now it felt like they were sneaking around.

Seeing no one in the hallway, Henry and Alice walked out separately and took different elevators to the restaurant.

As soon as Alice arrived, Esme jumped up and ran over. She looked Alice up and down. "How are you feeling?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "You and Charles should try it and see."

"You know Charles and I are just pretending." Esme gave her a knowing look. "Look over there, why is Oliver with Clara again? He dumped her yesterday, and now they're back together."

Alice glanced over and saw Clara feeding Oliver eggs.

Even with makeup, Clara's swollen cheeks were obvious, and she was covered up in long sleeves and pants, like she was hiding bruises.

Alice imagined the scene and laughed, "Maybe she has got some dirt on him."

Esme's eyes widened. "Did Clara catch them in the act?"

Alice didn't answer, letting Esme's imagination run wild.

Alice noticed Oliver staring at her, so she turned away and sat down, giving him the cold shoulder.

As she ate her sandwich, she said casually, "They'll probably get married soon."

Esme sat across from her. "Married? I thought they are only getting engaged?"

Alice scoffed, "Clara won't let this chance slip by."

Alice glanced over at Henry sitting at another table. He seemed to have expected this.

With Oliver and Clara back together, Henry couldn't go after Clara. He wouldn't disrespect Oliver like that.

Clara using Oliver as her shield was a smart move.

But even though Henry didn't go after Clara, the Savoy Family's company hit a rough patch after they got back.

The Savoy Group's stock tanked for three days straight. Lester had no clue who he had pissed off in the business world, so he went to beg Henry. "Mr. Howard, Oliver and Clara are getting married at the end of the month. Can you help me out? I really don't know who I offended. If this keeps up, the Savoy Group won't make it!"

Henry stirred his coffee with a small spoon. "Mr. Savoy, I'm afraid my hands are tied."

"Your influence is huge. If you just hold a press conference announcing the Howard Family and the Savoy Family will be united by marriage at the end of the month, the Savoy Family will be fine in the business world." Lester said, practically groveling.

There were less than ten days until Oliver and Clara's wedding, but the Howard Family hadn't held a press conference yet, making Lester super anxious.

He knew the Howard Family didn't like Clara. But at this point, Oliver and Clara had already slept together, and the Howard Family was still silent. This disrespect was something they couldn't call out, but the Savoy Family hadn't even received the promised five-hundred-million-dollar dowry from the Howard Family, which made Lester very uneasy.

Henry smiled faintly. "I don't have that kind of influence. Besides, whether or not to hold a press conference is up to my father."

Lester almost wanted to kneel. Everyone knew Henry was the one running the Howard Family. He suddenly thought of how well Henry treated Alice. "Mr. Howard, even if you don't care about me, think about Alice!"

Henry kept stirring his spoon, his expression unchanged, while Lester continued, "Alice has 25% of the Savoy Group's shares. If this keeps up, her assets will shrink too. Alice has lived outside for a long time and doesn't get along with us. I'm worried she'll be bullied, so I transferred 25% of the company's shares to her. She may not ask you for help, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care."

Henry took a sip of his coffee. "As far as I know, Alice got those shares back through a lawyer."

Lester felt a bit helpless. "Alice is stubborn. I was just holding them for her, worried she might sell them for money."

Henry chuckled, "If the Savoy Group is really going down, selling the shares might be a good move."

Lester fell silent.

Henry placed his coffee cup on the table. "You go back first."

Lester's eyes lit up, thinking Henry had given in.

He stood up and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Mr. Howard."

With that, Lester turned and left the office.

Henry picked up his phone and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window while dialing Alice's number. "What are you up to?"

Alice laughed, "Doing things with my love."

Henry narrowed his eyes and tugged at his tie. "I'm not there. How are you doing it?"

"What are you thinking? I'm baking a cake. Are you back?"

Henry responded, "I just got to the office an hour ago to handle some documents. I'll see you tonight. What do you want to eat? I'll take you out."

"I'll cook for you. What do you like?"

"Anything you make."

"Then I'll cook to my taste."

"Okay."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.