157: Chapter 157

Chapter 157

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"Twenty thousand dollars?!" Kate's jaw dropped when Henry mentioned that number casually. "Did you just send twenty thousand to that bitch last night?!"

"H—Hey, calm down," Henry tried to take control of the situation before Kate misinterpreted his action. He didn't want to fight with her, especially not during their supposed date. "She called me last night, demanding that I go to her room for, you know—sex. I don't want to cater to anything she says, so I shut her up with money."

"So you sent her twenty thousand?"

"Well, yeah," Henry admitted. "And it works. At least we will have a peaceful date, right?"

Kate sighed.

Of course, she couldn't blame Henry here. He must be frustrated with her withholding his reward and Erin for being her bitchy self.

Thus, she nodded, "You should've just given her five thousand at most, and she will shut up. But I get it, I know you're trying your best to help me."

"I know, I regret it so much," Henry said. "I just thought twenty thousand should be enough to stop her. After all, it's mere pocket money for me."

Kate rolled her eyes, "I will transfer the same amount to you later. She's my responsibility after all."

"Oh, come on, why are we fussing over a mere twenty thousand? Let's just go now and forget about our problem," Henry said. He rubbed his belly like a kid and added, "I'm starving."

Kate chuckled, "Alright, big boy, let's go out and have brunch first."

**

Henry had already coordinated with the hotel staff the moment he arrived yesterday, and he had booked a car plus the driver from the hotel to give them a tour around Toronto for their date, so they wouldn't need to be worried about getting lost in this new city.

They had brunch in the recommended cafe with a city view and then went to their first destination, which was Casa Loma, the popular Castle in Toronto that had been the setting of many popular movies.

Kate was excited when she saw the big and beautifully decorated gothic castle. Her eyes glimmered as if the castle was the best thing she ever saw.

"Oh my god! Look at the garden, Henry!" Kate said even before they entered the castle. "It's gorgeous! It gives me that Victorian garden vibes, complete with the fountain!"

The air was a bit chilly right now since it was the start of autumn, yet the air around them was very warm.

Henry smiled when Kate rushed to the garden and made a little twirl as if she was a princess in the middle of a Disney movie.

She seemed so happy now that Henry didn't have the heart to break her immersion. So he just gazed at her in silence and huffed as his heart beat faster when she smiled at him. 

'She seems to like this kind of garden, maybe I should build her one later,' Henry thought. He then scoffed as he found himself ridiculous.

But he had to admit that spending time with Kate gave him many ridiculous ideas. 

Just like what he experienced right now, seeing her in such joy just because of a garden made him think that he should build her one, so she would be happy every time.

Kate blushed when she realized that she had broken her character just now.

She returned towards Henry, who was watching her the whole time, and said, "S—Sorry, I got carried away with the garden. It's just so beautiful and I… uhm… let's just say I've been a fan of historical romance for so long."

Henry chuckled, "Oh really?"

"Y—Yeah," Kate nodded. Her cheeks reddened even more as she realized that Henry might find her weird and too 'nerdy.'

She has been a bookworm since she was young. She read many books as an escapism because the reality of her life wasn't so lucky.

Her favorite had always been historical romance, mostly the romance with a Prince or Duke, and she had been a fan of Jane Austen since she discovered Pride and Prejudice at such a young age. 

She often fantasized about what it felt like to be loved by a Duke or a Crown Prince and imagined life would be if she lived in a castle, wearing dresses of the said era and socializing with other nobles.

She had diversified her taste once she became the then Chief Editor. After all, she knew that people's tastes varied, and she had to ensure that she could reach as many audiences as possible with the book the company published. 

But historical romance was still her favorite, and she still fantasized about having a heart-wrenching romance with a handsome but mysterious Duke.

"I see, so that's why you're so good at finding a good book to publish," Henry commented. He went quiet for a moment and added, "Since you like kingdom romance so much, does that mean you have the idea of marrying a Duke?"

Kate was so embarrassed and nodded shyly, "W—Well, we all have a fantasy, right?"

"That's true, we all have a fantasy," Henry said. He had a mysterious smile and grabbed her hand, "Then, why don't we go inside the castle and explore. I'm pretty sure it will relive your childhood fantasy of marrying a Duke."

"C—Can you stop talking about that? It's a bit embarrassing if you keep mentioning it."

"Hey, it's fine, I have a childhood fantasy too," Henry said. 

"Then, what kind of childhood fantasy do you have?" Kate asked. "It's not fair that I'm the only one who gets exposed here."

"Hahah, well, my childhood fantasy is not quite simple," Henry leaned towards Kate and whispered in her ears. "My childhood fantasy is to have a complete family of my own. I want a wife, and a few kids, and I want to be a responsible man for the woman I love."

"What do you think, Kitty? Can you help me to make that fantasy come true?"

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