Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1601

Chapter 1601: I once imagined a future with her.

[Bennet Mansion]

Charles was supposed to return to Miller’s Company. However, after picking up that photo, he ended up not going. Instead, he locked himself in his study and asked Butler Jen not to disturb him.

"Slater..." he whispered, his elbow propped on the armrest, eyes fixed on the photo on the desk. "... where did you get this?"

Or did someone send it to Slater, and his oblivious son just didn’t know?

According to Butler Jen, it must have slipped out from one of Slater’s things. After all, Butler Jen had seen this photo before in Slater’s room. Since that was all Butler Jen knew, Charles didn’t pry further and returned to his study.

His phone buzzed nonstop until he finally put it on silent. Silence quickly reigned in the study, with only his breath filling the space and his thoughts racing. His eyes never left the portrait, his breathing slow and heavy.

"Charles."

After a long silence, Haines’s angry voice broke through. The door instantly flew open, revealing Haines, his displeasure evident on his face. He dragged himself inside, leaning on his cane.

"Charles, what are you doing here?" Haines confronted him, stopping just a step short of the desk. "You were supposed to return to the company. We have an important deal to close. Did you forget that?"

Haines’s teeth clenched in irritation. It was he who had to deal with the consequences of Charles’s behavior. Thankfully, their big client had been appeased by Haines’s efforts, allowing them to look past Charles’s absence. Even so, that didn’t mean Charles didn’t deserve a scolding.

They were old now, and Charles’s antics when they were still in their prime should’ve been fixed.

"Charles, I thought you’d already moved past this habit..." Haines trailed off, watching as Charles slowly lifted his eyes to meet his gaze.

Deep lines appeared between Haines’s brows, noticing the change in Charles’s usual expression. "What’s wrong, Charles?" he asked, his voice quickly shifting with concern. "Did something happen?"

Charles didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he just stared at Haines with mixed emotions—heaviness, worry, confusion—all of them fusing together, making his chest swell.

His mouth parted slightly, but no words came out. He didn’t know where to start or what to say.

"What?" Haines insisted, clearly wanting answers.

Another deep breath escaped Charles before he spoke. "I mentioned before that during my last mission... there was this woman who got caught in a crossfire."

"..."

"And because of her, I was abducted and tortured. Some people were still looking for her body. Had it not been for another group saving me, I would’ve been dead," he continued, causing Haines to furrow his brows even deeper. "I just saw her."

"What?" Haines gasped in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

Wasn’t she dead? How could a dead person come back to life?

Charles shrugged weakly, raising his brows briefly. He reached out and placed his hand on the small photo on the desk, the one Haines hadn’t noticed among the others. He slid it toward Haines, his fingers resting on the woman’s face.

Haines followed Charles’s hand and saw the woman’s portrait beneath Charles’s finger. When Charles finally removed his hand and revealed her face, the lines on Haines’s face faded. His breathing slowed, and his eyes widened in shock.