Chapter 856 Taking Responsibility

“You’ve worked hard today, so why don’t you stay for dinner tonight?”

Charles instinctively reached out and gently held Winona’s wrist. He stared at her meaningfully, causing Winona to feel a bit flustered, and her cheeks flushed red.

She managed to free her wrist from his grasp. With a coy glance, she lifted her skirt, turned, and playfully ran off into the distance.

Observing her retreating figure, a faint smile played at the corners of Charles’ lips as he followed her.

Under the guise of a life-saving favor, all of Winona’s advances became reasonable.

When dinner time arrived, Winona prepared a large table filled with exquisite dishes.

Since they were in a fishing village, the table featured an array of dishes made from fish. prepared in various ways.

As Charles surveyed the feast, he recalled Winona mentioning that she and her grandmother were all each other had. However, during his few days here, he had not yet seen the elderly woman, sparking his curiosity.

“Winona, doesn’t your grandmother live here?”

Winona, who was in the middle of serving food, paused for a moment. She replied, “My grandmother often treats sick fishermen in the village. If she hasn’t finished helping a family yet, she won’t return home. Is there a reason you want to meet her?”

With a sweet smile, Winona deliberately let her hair graze against Charles’ cheek as she served him food.

“I was just curious. It’s been a while since I last saw her.”

Winona changed the subject, asking, “Now that you’ve tasted my cooking, what kind of impression do you have of me?”

Charles smiled. “You’re as pure and innocent as Cinderella in the fairy tales.”

Winona blushed slightly at the compliment.

“You have a way with words. But you’ve been here for quite some time. Aren’t your family worried about you? What do you do for a living?”

In response to Winona’s probes, Charles replied, “You know, you took my phone for repairs If I leave now, how will you find me later?”

Winona was slightly taken aback, not expecting Charles to notice that she had secretly taken his phone.

However, she quickly regained her composure and explained, “I only took your phone for repair because I saw it was broken. It might take some time to fix. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Charles picked up a piece of fish and offered it to her. “Why would I be mad at you?”

Winona lowered her head in guilt and mumbled, “I’m sorry for meddling with your phone without permission.”

Charles shook his head, his gaze warm. “There’s no need to apologize. You were just trying to help.”

The two continued their conversation during dinner, getting to know each other better.

As time passed, Charles and Winona spent more time together in the fishing village.

One day, they found themselves dressed in the same traditional fishing village attire, standing by the seaside.

If it weren’t for the fact that this was the uniform attire of the fishing village, people might have mistaken them for a couple.

They playfully teased and frolicked, just like a young couple in love.

Charles splashed water at Winona, and she chased after him.

They played until they were completely exhausted, lying on the beach, panting heavily, and feeling utterly exhilarated.

Charles looked at the panting girl beside him, a flicker of unusual emotion flashing in his eyes.

The hair at the temples of the girl next to him was dampened by the seawater, sticking to her face, stirring an indescribable urge within him.

He suddenly asked, “Winona, have you ever considered being in a relationship?”

Hearing this, Winona pursed her lips in deep thought. “Love? I do envy Sera from our village. She and her boyfriend are indeed very affectionate. However, I haven’t considered it yet.”

Seeing her filled with anticipation and longing for love, Charles abruptly stood up, blocking the sunlight in front of her. He looked at her seriously and said, “So… what if I would like to be your partner?”

“Huh?”

The sea breeze gently blew, lightly caressing their cheeks, while the waves lapped against the shore.

After spending time together, Charles found that many aspects of Winona were similar to Gwendolyn.

He really liked this feeling.

He was selfish, wanting to protect the obsession that had lasted for those ten years.

After a long while, Winona regained her senses, her heart inexplicably racing, a blush gradually spreading across her face.

“I-I’ve never really thought about being in a relationship… I’m sorry.”

Regaining her composure, Winona’s face revealed a pained expression. “I’m unfortunate, and I can’t bring this misfortune upon you. I’m truly sorry. Your phone has been fixed. I’ll get it for you right now.”

After she finished speaking, Winona ran off in a flurry, leaving him with nothing but her retreating figure.

Thinking of her panicked expression, Charles gave a bitter smile and then headed home.

Once back home, Winona handed him his phone, looking flushed. “Take a look. It seems like a lot of people have been calling you.”

Charles unlocked his phone, only to find countless call logs from Whitney, along with a barrage of messages.

Whitney: Where on earth are you? Are you okay? I’m really worried about you.

Whitney: You’ve been missing for a week now. Did you receive my message?

Whitney: Charles…

Whitney had sent a great many messages, each one revealing her extreme worry.

Charles slightly furrowed his brows, his fingertips tightening around his phone. A complex, unusual hue gradually emerged in his deep, azure eyes.

Winona noticed the shift in Charles’ expression. “Your family must be very worried abou you They’re probably anxiously waiting for you. You should go home.”

Whitney.

He turned to Winona, his expression serious and sincere. “Life in the fishing village is tough. You should see the world beyond it. Why not come with me? I promise to take good care of you.”

Winona was somewhat moved, her expression torn.

In the end, she still shook her head in refusal. “I can’t go with you. I have to take care of my grandmother. You should go. After this, we probably won’t have the chance to meet again. Getting to know you these past few days has brought me great joy. Thank you for the happiness you’ve brought me.”

As Winona spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. “You said you’re older than me and wanted me to refer to you as Charles. So, Charles, I’m glad to meet you.”

Charles…

Charles zoned out once again.

He gazed at Winona’s face, which resembled Gwendolyn, his phoenix eyes sparkling slightly.

It had been such a long time since he had heard this title.

Winona was about to turn around and leave, but Charles grabbed her wrist, earnestly saying. “Come with me. Let me take care of you from now on. I’ll figure something out for grandmother. If you call me Charles, I will take care of you till the end.”

Take care of me?

Winona paused for a moment, feeling the warmth of his hand.

It seemed to bring an unprecedented warmth and peace of mind, but she just couldn’t “Charles, y-you should probably contact your family first. You’ve been missing for so long and suddenly you’re bringing a stranger home What if your family refuses to accept me She lowered her head, breaking free from his grasp, and fled out of the room. “I need to go Take care of something”