Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1663: Full of joy

The discussion with the Bennet men and Zoren didn't last long, as Atlas, Hugo, and Zoren had to leave. Meanwhile, Charles and Haines remained seated in the study room.

Neither Charles nor Haines dared to break the silence. Charles, in particular, just stared at the beaten face of his daughter without a word.

Charles knew that the incident was terrible. Haines' leg was proof that it had been terrible. However, he never expected it to be this bad. He felt sorry for Haines, but the latter was old and had always been mentally strong enough to carry on.

His daughter might've always been the resilient type, but as a parent, how could one expect Charles's heart to stay in one piece after seeing this?

Haines studied Charles's side profile and sighed.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," he expressed. "I know Penny asked me to keep it from you and Allison, but in truth, I also wanted to keep it from you."

There were many reasons why Haines didn't think he should detail the incident to Charles. One of them was that Charles had been through a lot in the past, to the point where he almost completely lost his mind. Even when Charles never showed signs of relapsing, Haines had always been mindful of his state of mind.

Of course, Charles was mentally stronger now, especially after becoming a husband and a father of five wonderful children. Even so, Haines didn't want to take chances.

"I'm sorry, Charles," he repeated sincerely. "I didn't want you to find out this way."

Charles smiled bitterly as he peeled his gaze from the photo to look at Haines. "If there's someone to apologize, it should be me."

He let out a weary laugh, hanging his head low.

his face twisting as he clasped his hands. His jaw tightened as he looked back at everything and forced himself to see what he would usually ignore. "Stephen was right. I was... selfish and ungrateful. And that I

there was some

the chairman of the Bennet Family, Charles had privileges that only he had. Even if he said otherwise, it was true. When Chairman Bennet told him to take over the company-regardless of Charles's qualifications—he defied that and chose

that was what he truly wanted or if it was his way of spiting his father. After all, Chairman Bennet was deeply against

Then, that incident happened.

was his father. Of course, Chairman Bennet didn't do it kindly. But one could understand that, despite the chairman's harshness, he protected his son from any scrutiny and did

However, one also had to realize that if that had been someone else, there would've been no way for them to return to the family. Let alone have a significant position in the family business. Yet,

logic to it and said, "It's because Charles was born a leader.

was given far more opportunities and chances than

whispered, his heart clenching as his breathing slowed. "And even

are everything to me...

centered on me."

laugh escaped. "I claim that I know you more than anyone else,

even know you've been suffering

yet he stopped, sniffing hard as he held back his tears. "And yet, I didn't Care

daggers slicing through his heart, a hand

job," he scoffed. "But no. All this time, everyone's been walking cautiously around me just to make sure I don't fall or trip out of the bubble I've wrapped myself in

fall onto the carpet. He kept

"I am... very sorry for not knowing. Even if you tell me I wouldn't have

tell Charles that wasn't the truth- but they both knew saying that would be

little selfish in his

protect Haines and would even take a bullet for him. However, that trait of his had grown along with all his other good qualities. Even so, that was something Haines wouldn't see as Charles's flaw. It wasn't