From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 154- disdained

Catherine let out a sigh.

"He’s your father—how could I not be nervous?"

The moment the word father crossed her mind, Catherine couldn’t help thinking of her own father, Channing, and a shadow passed briefly over her expression. She held Daniel in awe, but her own father was someone who did not deserve even a shred of Bert’s respect. Channing inspired nothing but contempt, disgust, and scorn.

Granted, Daniel was far from a perfect father to Bert—but compared to Channing, he was leagues better. At the very least, Daniel had made plans for Bert’s future and thought ahead for him in many ways.

But Channing?

He didn’t deserve to be called a father at all.

Bert did not miss the fleeting gloom in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking. Most parents in this world were loving and responsible, but there were also those who were utterly negligent. It could only be said that Catherine had been deeply unfortunate to have a father like Channing. And in much the same way, Bert himself had not been lucky either—his own mother had hardly been a responsible parent.

Fortunately, they had found each other. Perhaps the first half of their lives had been filled with regrets, but the future was something they would build together, hand in hand.

Before meeting Channing, Catherine hadn’t even known what she should wear. In the end, Bert helped her choose—an outfit that was clean and simple, yet perfectly highlighted her gentle, composed temperament.

Catherine also insisted on buying a gift for Daniel. With Bert’s company and suggestions, she chose a tea set. Older men generally enjoyed drinking tea, and Daniel was no exception.

Bert felt Catherine was being a bit too formal about it, but she believed this was simply basic courtesy. Seeing how firm she was, Bert let her have her way.

In truth, as far as Bert was concerned, this was nothing more than an ordinary dinner. He didn’t particularly care what Daniel thought of Catherine. Whether Daniel liked her or not would have no impact on his decision.

Bringing Catherine to meet Daniel was merely a formality—a gesture that showed he respected Daniel as his father. But that respect went no further. It did not mean obedience, and Daniel’s opinion was, ultimately, unimportant.

The same applied to his mother. His choices were his own, and they would not be swayed by anyone else.

Of course, introducing Catherine to his parents was also, in itself, a form of respect toward Catherine.

Overall, Daniel struck Catherine as a kind and gentle man—this was her very first impression of him.

She felt a little restrained and ill at ease. Yet Daniel seemed just as uncomfortable himself. Bert, the other party involved, cast a brief frown at the two of them but said nothing.

In fact, this was also Daniel’s first time meeting one of his children’s partners in such a formal capacity as a parent.

With Dave and Laurent, the situation had been entirely different. Laurent’s father was an old friend of Daniel’s, and it was Daniel himself who had strongly encouraged Laurent and Dave to be together. Long before Laurent and Dave officially married, Daniel had already interacted with Laurent many times—so much so that Laurent’s relationship with Daniel was even closer than his relationship with Dave.

As for Lilian and Morrison, things were different again. Because of the way Morrison had behaved later on, when he eventually came to pay his respects as a son-in-law, Daniel’s presence alone had completely overwhelmed him. Moreover, the Mo family and Burg Eltz had been close friends for many years, and Daniel had practically watched Morrison grow up. There had been no room at all for nervousness.

But now, facing Catherine—whom he was meeting for the very first time—Daniel felt inexplicably tense, even cautious.

Bert had already spoken to him about Catherine before, so Daniel knew how important this young woman was to his son. Naturally, that made him nervous. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing something inappropriate and ruining everything—because if that happened, his eldest son would very likely lose his mind.

Sensing the stiff atmosphere between Daniel and Catherine, Bert discreetly raised his glass and persuaded Daniel to have a drink. In recent years, Daniel had hardly touched alcohol due to health reasons, and his tolerance had dropped significantly. But today was a special occasion, so he allowed himself a glass. After it went down, the alcohol began to take effect, and his words and movements gradually lost their stiffness.

As Daniel relaxed, Catherine slowly followed suit. The atmosphere at the dinner table became fairly pleasant.

When Bert stepped out to take a phone call, Daniel took another sip of wine and fell into thought for a moment. Then he looked at Catherine and said solemnly,

"It’s obvious that he really likes you."

After seeing Catherine in person, Daniel finally understood where Bert’s increasingly calm and gentle demeanor came from. A girl like Catherine was someone any man would treat with tenderness.

And during dinner, Bert’s unconscious, instinctive attentiveness toward Catherine had not gone unnoticed. Daniel could clearly feel how much Bert cared for her. It made him think of the Bert from the past—sharp, irritable, and brooding—back when he had been with Clark.

Back then, Bert’s stubborn fixation on Clark had been driven by conflict and spite—but never by love.

Thinking of those years, Daniel felt a deep ache in his heart. When he looked at Catherine now, there was both a plea and a sense of entrustment in his gaze.

"Please... treat him well. I owe him so much—far too much."

Daniel knew with absolute clarity that, as a father, he had failed Bert in countless ways. Even though he had planned ahead by setting up a company for Bert, even though he had provided Bert and his mother with considerable wealth, all of that had been purely material. When it came to emotional presence, companionship, and protection—those things a father should give—he had not fulfilled even the slightest responsibility throughout the decades of Bert’s life.

Yet for Daniel, abandoning Bert had been the only option once he chose Tiffany.

That was the price of the recklessness of his youth—a lifelong burden of guilt toward his own son. But fortunately—fortunately—Bert had now met such a wonderful girl, someone who could ensure that the latter half of his life would no longer be lonely or bleak.

And so Daniel had no choice but to make this plea to Catherine, asking her to treat Bert well. It was the only thing he could still do for his son as a father.

Catherine could sense the complicated emotions Daniel held toward Bert—his remorse, as well as his sincere blessing for his son. She smiled gently, her voice calm and reassuring.

"Please don’t worry. We both treasure this relationship very much, and we’ll walk forward together."

The firmness in Catherine’s words put Daniel at ease. A girl like her was clearly not someone who flitted from one person to another. Her inner world was clean and simple. If Bert treated her with sincerity, she would, without question, devote herself to him just as wholeheartedly.

For Catherine, before she began this relationship with Bert—before she had truly come to understand the kind of person he was—she had lacked confidence in it, simply because Bert was too outstanding.

She had even feared that he might be tempted away by other women. Yet after truly getting to know Bert, that worry had completely disappeared.

Leaving aside the care and affection he showed her, simply judging by his character alone, he would never commit an act of betrayal or cause such harm.

He disdained such behavior. He looked down on anything base or beneath him.