Chapter 52 Alice, I Look Forward to Working with You

Ophelia was totally caught off guard seeing the usually cool Alice look so vulnerable in front of Henry. She had no clue Henry and Alice even knew each other. Ophelia just figured Alice was copying her when she called him "Uncle Henry."

She gave Alice a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Yep, from now on, he is also your uncle. Having Uncle Henry on our side means no one's gonna mess with us."

Henry smiled and motioned them over. "Come here."

Ophelia grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her along. "Uncle Henry, let's get out of here. I'm starving."

Alice couldn't help but be amazed at Ophelia's appetite. She'd just mentioned she had something else after Alice left the restaurant.

If Ophelia hadn't been so eager to catch up with Alice and get her Facebook info, she would've ordered more food.

Henry playfully knocked on Ophelia's head. "Staying hungry would be good for you, keeping you sharp."

Ophelia felt a bit embarrassed. She whispered, "Uncle Henry, don't embarrass me in front of Alice."

Henry chuckled and turned to Dylan. "Mr. Davis, I'm taking these two with me."

Dylan nodded. "Just sign here, and I'll update you on the interrogation results ASAP."

Henry signed the document and left with Alice and Ophelia.

As they stepped out of the police station, a stunning woman emerged from a Bentley.

Celeste walked up to Henry with a gentle smile. "Mr. Henry Howard, Mr. Dash Howard was worried and sent me to check on things."

Alice quickly realized that Henry's "important engagement" tonight was actually a matchmaking event.

Henry's handsome face remained expressionless, his tall and upright posture exuding an air of coldness. "They're fine. You can go back and report."

Celeste awkwardly smiled and tried to change the subject. "Mr. Howard, do you have two nieces?"

Ophelia could see Henry's annoyance, so she stayed quiet and waited for him to speak.

"Is that a problem?"

Henry's words left Celeste feeling stifled. She smiled, "Maybe I can take them shopping sometime." She handed over her contact info.

"Suit yourself." Henry gave Ophelia an indifferent glance and got into the car.

Ophelia understood Celeste's intentions, but adding her as a friend would be betraying Henry. It was clear Celeste wanted to bribe her to get close to Henry. She didn't want to be a traitor, so she used the excuse of her phone being dead and got into the car.

Celeste then turned to Alice, her eyes filled with yearning.

Alice smiled, "Sorry, my phone is dead too."

After she got into the front passenger seat, the car drove away.

Seeing the disappearing taillights, Celeste felt inexplicably frustrated. She got into her car and returned to the Royal Orchid Restaurant.

On the way, Ophelia kept enthusiastically describing how Alice had beaten up five people.

Ethan couldn't help but take a glance at the seemingly fragile Alice, finding it hard to believe.

Henry teased, "Alice, I didn't expect you to be able to take on five people."

"I was just lucky; those five were too weak." Alice felt like Henry's gaze could bore holes into the back of her head.

Ophelia added fuel to the fire. "They weren't weak at all! They were five strong men! Uncle Henry, you have no idea, Alice's moves were incredibly cool."

Henry nodded. "It's a shame I didn't see it myself."

Alice pressed her lips together, realizing that Henry wouldn't let this matter slide easily.

Ophelia's eyes lit up. "Uncle Henry, look how dangerous it is for girls outside the home. I want to learn some self-defense, like martial arts or something."

Henry nodded, already knowing where this was headed. "Yeah, learning self-defense is definitely important."

Ophelia's eyes lit up. "Uncle Henry, I want Alice to be my coach."

Alice quickly turned around. "I don't know how to teach."

Henry smiled gently. "It's okay, you'll figure it out. The first time might be rough, but it'll get easier. With more practice, you two will get the hang of it."

Alice felt her cheeks heat up, sensing there was more to Henry's words.

"Starting this Saturday, come to the old house every afternoon for two-hour sessions. You'll get a thousand bucks per session." Henry added, "It's settled."

Ophelia was so thrilled she nearly hit the car roof.

Alice took a deep breath, thinking Henry's way of handling things was pretty slick.

They arrived at Bernardin Restaurant, and Anna personally brought out new desserts. "Last time Henry and Alice were here, they mentioned Ophelia wanted to try my desserts. Time flies, and now Ophelia is back."

Ophelia blinked, putting two and two together. "Wait, Uncle Henry, you already knew each other?"

Henry didn't dodge the question. "Alice was engaged to Oliver."

Ophelia's eyes widened. "So you almost became my sister-in-law?"

Henry handed her a piece of dessert. "Eat more, talk less."

He then casually gave two more pieces to Alice.

Alice glanced at Ophelia, who was too busy eating to notice anything.

During dessert, Ophelia didn't stop bashing Oliver, saying he had no taste for choosing a woman like Clara.

As they left Bernardin Restaurant, Anna handed Henry three bags of desserts. "One for Ophelia, one for Alice, and one for Mrs. Howard."

Henry thanked her and said goodbye.

Ophelia noticed the direction they were heading. "Isn't this the way to the old house? Aren't we supposed to drop off Alice first?"

A glint flashed in Henry's eyes. "We'll drop you off first, then I'll take your coach home."

Ophelia was excited. "Miss Savoy, please take care of me in the future!"

Alice smiled. "Sure."

"Uncle Henry, make sure to get Alice home safely!"

Henry smiled. "Don't worry, I'll get her to the door."

Ophelia grinned. "Thanks, Uncle Henry, you're the best!"

After dropping Ophelia off at the old house, the car headed towards Bluewater Bay.

After a while, Henry asked to pull over.

Ethan obeyed and parked by the roadside.

Henry spoke softly, "Come to the back seat."

Alice knew he was talking to her, so she moved to the back.

Before the car could start again, Henry pulled Alice into his arms.

Ethan's heart raced. Was he supposed to see this?

As a pro, Ethan quickly raised the partition, giving them privacy.

Henry's hand caressed her waist while the other touched her lips.

"Didn't expect you to have such high combat skills," he mused. "So in the hospital, Oliver's leg wasn't hurt by the bed, but by you?"

Once a small crack appeared, a larger one followed.

Smart as Henry was, many things couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Alice pressed her lips together. "Yes."

"You pretended to be weak to get close to me, to evoke my sympathy and protective instincts?"

She couldn't deny it; that was exactly her plan.

Henry's eyes were deep and unreadable. He spoke slowly, "Let me guess, that kidnapping incident was orchestrated by you?"