Mr. Charles's Hidden Wife novel Chapter 171

Upon seeing her beautiful smile, Henson smirked. "I made it," he announced.

Wendy led him by the wrist through the door.

The moment he came into view, both Ross and Sally were shocked beyond belief.

They instantly recognized the man standing in front of them.

His parents were also very surprised, as the man standing before them was incredibly good-looking, and looked totally out of Wendy's league.

Wendy then brought Henson to the table to introduce him to everyone. "Uncle, Auntie, Ross, Sally, this is... my boyfriend, Henson. Henson, those two are Liam and Anna Lowry, Ross' parents I told you about last time. This guy here's Ross, and the woman there is his girlfriend, Sally," she said.

He nodded to everyone in greeting. "It's my first time meeting you all, and the pleasure's all mine," he said politely.

"Nice to meet you too. Come here, Hensie, have a seat." 

Ross' mother greeted while his father returned to the kitchen to retrieve another set of tableware.

"Hensie," she snickered to herself at the nickname Ross' mother gave him.

Sally covered her lips with her hands and mumbled out loud, "Oh my God, is that THE Mr. Charles? I can't be mistaken, right Ross?"

Ross looked Henson up and down for a while. The thought of Wendy dating Mr. Charles, one of the most prolific people in all of San Diego, had never once crossed his mind. 

His mother looked perplexed after seeing the frightened looks on her son and his girlfriend's faces.

She could understand if it was only coming from Sally, but why was it that her son was acting weirdly too?

Wendy then flashed Sally a smile through pursed lips. "I suppose you should be able to feel more at ease now that you know that I actually have a boyfriend, Sister Sally," she said.

Henson raised an eyebrow after hearing her say that. So, that was why she called him over.

It appeared that Ross' girlfriend was suspicious of her claims. 

Sally nodded profusely at that.

Ross’s father came out of the kitchen eventually and handed a set of tableware over to Henson.

Ross’s mother, who was standing in a corner, didn't understand anything that was going on at the moment suddenly piped up with questions. "Anyways Hensie, what kind of position do you hold in the Charles Group? How many people are in your family now?" She asked.

"I'm working in the managerial department of the Charles Group. My parents are no longer living, but I have an older brother, a younger brother, and a sister who's the youngest in the family," he answered with a smile.

"Ah, that doesn't sound good. I suppose you must be facing a lot of financial difficulties in your family now," she remarked.

"We're doing alright.

After all, it only takes little to raise them," he replied calmly.

She then thought for a moment before quizzing further, "Then, did you purchase any properties in San Diego? Do you own a car? Will you be staying with your siblings once you get married?" 

"I have all of that. My little brother's staying with me now, while my youngest sister's currently studying abroad," he answered politely.

"Where's your house... located then? Doesn't Wendy work as an assistant professor? Is it feasible to drive her to and from the university everyday?" She continued quizzing.

Wendy felt a little embarrassed as she didn't expect his mother to grill him about his personal life so intensely.

"Mom-" Ross interjected and shook his head at his mother.

shook his head at his mother.

"Am I wrong for asking questions now?" She huffed.

Henson gave a small chuckle. "I don't mind at all, Auntie. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. I suppose it's only natural that I answer these types of questions since I'm dating Wendy now.

"I own a few properties in the San Diego area, but most of them are located on Ring Street. My little brother might be staying with me, but we're staying in separate buildings so we don't get caught up in one another's lifestyles on the daily. My place isn't located too far away from where Wendy works, but is still a distance. However, I'd like to think it's in a pretty convenient location, as I'd arranged for a chauffer to drive her to and from campus every time she has to go to work," he explained.

His mother was dumbstruck after hearing all of that. Weren't all the swanky villas located on Ring Street?

On top of that, separate buildings? The man was obviously loaded.

Sally, who was sitting opposite her, hurriedly shushed her, "I think you should stop questioning him, Auntie. This is Master Henson, the CEO of the Charles Group we're talking about here." 

 "Huh?!" His mother gasped.

She immediately looked him up and down. Was he actually the CEO of the Charles Group?

"How in the world did such a high profile person such as himself become Wendy's boyfriend in the first place?" She thought to herself.

"There's no need to look so shocked, Auntie. I might be the CEO of the Charles Group, but in reality, I'm no different from everyone else." 

He said with a smile while scooping up some food for Wendy.

"Didn't you tell me that you missed aunt's food a lot? Then, you should definitely eat more now that you have the chance," he said to Wendy.

The Lowry's were at a loss for words after seeing how gentle he was being towards Wendy. 

Wendy pursed her lips and shifted her gaze to him and said, "You should eat more too. I don't suppose you've ever had such an authentic and fine homecooked meal in your life."

"Then, I suppose I have to thank you. Because of you, I'm able to have such good food tonight," he teased.

Sally later blurted in bewilderment, "How did you meet Master Henson in the first place, Wendy?"

"I used to be a private tutor for his younger brother a few years back, which is how I later got to know him well. Afterwards, his younger brother enrolled in my university and now he's my student again," she explained.

Sally's eyes seethed with envy.

This was literally like the story of the ugly duckling turning into a swan.

However, that didn't sit right with her. Ugly ducklings like her should always stay ugly ducklings. So, how could an ugly duckling like her even turn into a swan in the first place?

What kind of person was Master Henson? He might appear to be in a relationship with her now, but she deduced that he'd definitely dump her in the future.

She surmised that Wendy also probably already knew this, seeing how she said that they weren't married yet at the table just now. This could mean that she was also unsure if they could have a future together. 

Sally raised her eyebrows after hearing that. "I came across a tabloid article that wrote about you and Elizabeth a few days ago, Master Henson. It wrote that you denied all claims of the sort, but my colleagues and I keep thinking that you two are a couple," she said.

"Gossip sites are only meant for brainless idiots. What use is speculating when the person involved has already denied such claims? I suppose it's too late to help these idiots anymore," he chided her flatly.

His words made Wendy's heart flutter.

She still didn't understand why Sally hated her so much.

Sally felt embarassed after hearing him chide her in such a way. "Um, my point being, no one really expected you to be dating a common woman, Master Henson," she said.

"What do you mean by 'common'? Are you implying that you see the world through classes, Miss Sally? If that's the case, then do tell me which class is it that you belong to."

He said in a calm manner, but the way he went about it made people break out in a cold sweat.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," she stammered in response.

"I don't care what you meant by that just now. If you ever have any more suspicions about me and Wendy being a couple, that's fine, but please keep it to yourself in the future.

"The way I see it, me and Wendy are equals. I don't think she should be honoured to be my girlfriend, but I should be honoured to be her boyfriend instead. You shouldn't put the cart before the horse just because I have more money than the average person. Love should never have anything to do with wealth." 

He snapped as he passed the piece of fish he'd deboned while he was lecturing over to Wendy's plate. "The fish is sublime," he commented in a gentle tone.

Wendy pursed her lips and said, "You should have more of it then. The fish that Uncle cooks isn't a dish you can get just anywhere, you know." 

Even after witnessing how much shade that was thrown at Sally, not one of them at the table spoke up to help her get out of the hole she dug for herself.

After all, the way she'd carried herself just now was absolutely abysmal.

She turned her head to shoot Ross a glance, but he straight up ignored her.

"I suppose it's an honour for us to be in your presence now then. Hopefully I'll be able to witness you two get married one day," she said in defeat.

"Oh, the Lowry's will definitely be invited. I'm not too sure about you though, since you're not a Lowry yet," Henson replied calmly.