Let me go, Mr. Hill [by Shallow South] Chapter 361 A pitiful smile crept up on Catherineâs face. âSo thatâs what you think of me. Dad, have you ever loved me and tried to understand me? To be frank, Iâve long since known Shaun. Heâs the one who forced me to be with him. Recently, heâs been suppressing my company and Wesley. Itâs all his doing. Do you think I enjoy living a life without dignity? Do you think I enjoy being pointed at and criticized as a b*stard?!â
As she went on, she eventually choked with tears.
Joel was dazed. âWhat? Why didnât you tell me earlier?â
âWould it make any difference if I told you?â Catherine gave him a mocking look. âYou couldnât even protect me in your own house, much less in front of Shaun.â
An awkward expression crept up Joelâs face. All of a sudden, he seemed like he had grown a few years older.
âIâm useless. I brought you to Canberra but left you to be bullied by others. Iâm going to look for Shaun now. He has gone too far.â
âYou donât have to look for me. Iâm here.â
The door of the private room was violently kicked open, and Shaunâs tall and sturdy figure walked in.
He kept a cool expression on his handsome face, as if he was a late guest.
âWhy are you here, Shaun?â Catherine rose to her feet in a fit of fury. âYou tailed me!â
âI didnât tail you. I just came with you to meet Dad.â
Shaun dragged the chair beside her and sat down. His shameless look made Joelâs blood boil. âWhoâs your dad? Youâve been forcing Catherine to listen to you while youâre in a relationship with Melanie. Iâll certainly not let my daughters marry such an awful man like you.â
âIâve set my heart on Catherine. You shouldâve been clear about this the night before yesterday.â
Shaun placed his big palm on the back of Catherineâs hand and looked at her with deep, gentle eyes. âI want to marry her.â
Those five words gave Catherine a shock.
She turned around and stared at him incredulously. Was he really going to marry her?
Did this mean everything that Chester said was true?
âImpossible!â
Joel slapped the table in a huff. âIf you want to marry her, why did you get into a relationship with Melanie in the first place? Everyone in Melbourne now knows that Melanie is your girlfriend, and the next thing they know, youâre getting married to Catherine. Have you ever thought about how people would criticize her?â
âPreviously, we had a misunderstanding in Melbourneâ¦â
âI donât care.â Joel waved his hand. âWhen you love someone, you should respect and protect her, instead of hurting herâ¦â
Shaunâs brows gave a slight twitch. âUncle Joel, you used to let Aunty Sheryl down too. Shortly after she got pregnant, you married another woman. Youâre a failure at relationships.â
Joelâs face turned pale. âYeah. Thatâs exactly why I want to protect Catherineâ¦â
âProtect?â Shaun took the empty coffee cup from the table. âWhere were you when Catherine got kicked out of the house by Nicola and Melanie? If you had protected her last night, would she have been hurt by your wife and daughter?â
At that, Joel went deathly pale.
Catherine looked down in silence.
Indeed, Joel had never been capable of protecting her.
âLook. You donât know anything, and you canât even protect her. You donât even have the audacity to go against the Yule family, which also explains why you wronged Aunty Sheryl back then.â
Shaunâs eyes were fierce. âIâm different from you. I want her. Even if I fail to be the president of Hill Corporation and everyone in the Hill family opposes it, I will still marry her.â
He uttered every word so powerfully that Joel was taken aback, and so was Catherine.