“Stop dreaming,” Zachary replied, his voice emotionless as he looked icily at the woman in front of him. “I would have done the same for any woman that became my wife. You’re not special at all.”Charlotte’s lips curled into a self-deprecating smile as she said, “Save your breath. I know my own place.”She wasn’t special?The higher the status of a person, the more they cared about their reputation. She had publicly defeated Zachary twice and won two bets. In other words, she had left him with an egg on his face twice in public. Therefore, it was considered a blessing from God that Zachary was not holding a grudge against her, and she was not foolish enough to think that she deserved a special place in his heart. Zachary did not answer but scanned her up and down with a clearly disdainful gaze. Then, he turned around and left the bathroom. He slammed the door shut. His black, jewel-like eyes were dark as he listened to the rippling sound of water that wafted from the bathroom.
Holding a cigarette between his lips, Zachary looked ahead expressionlessly, his eyes deep as the fathomless sea. Nobody dared to say anything, and the atmosphere in the hall was oppressive. Time passed second by second, and each second was as long as a century for Victor. Roughly eight minutes later, a series of footsteps were heard from the other side of the door. The footfalls grew louder and louder and then stopped. The door was pushed open, and two men, one tall and one short, stepped into their line of vision and appeared in the living room. Both of them bowed reverently before Zachary and said, “Mr. Connor, we heard you were looking for us?”Victor took a glance at the two men, and his stomach started to flip-flop. He had never seen anyone as ugly as them before. Not only were their facial features grotesque, but their faces were also filled with purplish-red cysts to the point that he could smell their stench even though there was still some distance between them. Vi
’What?’‘What did he mean by that? I’m clearly wrapped in a large towel!’Besides, Victor had torn her clothes to shreds. This towel was the only thing in the bathroom that was big enough to cover her entire body!‘What more does he want from me?’‘Was I supposed to stay in the bathtub forever?’Charlotte wasn’t in the mood to argue with Zachary. She pursed her lips and trudged resentfully toward her bedroom.Zachary shot a nonchalant glance at her figure.‘Charlotte Simmons!’‘How typical! She’s just like any other celebrity—stupid.’They all thought that they could worm their way into his good graces simply by stripping and exposing their naked bodies in front of him.More than five minutes later, Charlotte re-entered the living room after putting on a new set of clothes.Zachary had only intended to glance at her at first… but he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from her. This time, Charlotte was wearing a white shirt, casual pants, and comfy sports shoes. She looked f
Charlotte got into the car.“Now, tell me. How on earth did you manage to drive the car across the river?” Zachary casually asked as he sat in the driver’s seat.Charlotte would have completely forgotten about that if he hadn’t mentioned it. She stared out of the window absent-mindedly. “This river may seem to be filled with water on the surface, but there are two stone pillars hidden in its depths. The surface of the stone pillars is around 20 centimeters beneath the river’s surface. The distance between those stone pillars is similar to the distance between a car’s tires. I used those pillars to drive the car across the river.”“Oh?” Zachary mused.He was the King of Drag Racing, who had driven through every harsh terrain in Rothesay, yet he was not aware of this hidden gem. How could a frail little girl like her possibly be aware of this?A hint of sadness flitted across Charlotte’s eyes, as she knew exactly what Zachary was thinking.“Bryson loved motorcycle racing. I joine
Charlotte chose a room she liked.She had received the devastating news that her father had fallen into Bryson and Victor’s trap after her delivery. She’d had to drag her frail body everywhere, like a small boat adrift in a violent storm at sea, unable to find peace. Now, she had successfully put her father’s worries to rest, and her mind was finally at ease.Charlotte had not expected that the man who saved a lonely, helpless little boat like her would have been a stranger to her just a few days ago.She fell asleep as soon as her head landed on the pillow.Then, she had a dream—another dream about Bryson.In her dream, she and Bryson were in a strange, large room. The room was dark, and there were no lights. Bryson was walking in front of her and would turn around and smile at her from time to time. “Hold onto my hand, Charlotte. Don’t get lost, or I’ll lose you forever.”Charlotte ran toward him but couldn’t catch up to him at all.‘Bryson… Bryce!’She wanted to call out his
His intimidation was like a breath of ice hurtling against Charlotte.Charlotte was immediately reminded of Zachary’s punishment for Victor. Her face was instantly drained of color. “L-Listen to me… I-I didn’t mean to do it. I-I was sleep-walking… That’s right! I have sleep-walking tendencies. Just ask my dad. I really don’t know what happened. I really was sleeping-walking!”She noticed the corners of Zachary’s lips lift just as she said this.Even a casual curl of his lips could result in a perfect line on this extremely handsome man, who was absolutely stunning.‘Is he smiling?’However, Charlotte soon realized how stupid that notion was. How could Zachary possibly be smiling? The corners of his lips were obviously quivering from rage!“Are you implying that I look like an idiot to you?” Zachary’s icy lips seethed, enunciating every single word, every syllable coated in bone-piercing frost.Charlotte felt as if she had been turned into ice.Zachary released her, removing his
Zachary promptly marched out of the bedroom as he spoke.Charlotte was close to a breakdown, and her eyes were filled with desolate tears.“You say that you’re placing me in confinement. How long will that last?”“That will depend on your behavior,” replied Zachary. “It could be a week, a month, a year… It could even last until the day you die.”Charlotte’s legs gave way, and she slumped onto the ground with a loud thump. Zachary turned around. His expression was cold and sinister.“Remember, you have ten seconds to get out of my room. One second more, and I’ll extend your confinement by another year.”Charlotte was left speechless, and her face twitched. She scrambled to her feet a second later and bolted out of Zachary’s room.She locked her bedroom door, sat on her bed, and indignantly snatched the teddy bear, which was sitting by the head of her bed. Then, she forcefully jabbed the teddy bear’s nose with her finger. “Zachary, you jerk! You’re a huge jerk! You are an unreason
By the time Charlotte reached the living room on the first floor, Zachary was sitting on the couch. However, since she was in a rush to see her father, she failed to notice him when she ran past him despite his imposing presence.She slowed down a little, but she was still walking toward the door. “My dad is awake. I have to go to the hospital to see him now.”Zachary replied expressionlessly upon hearing her words, “Have you forgotten that I’ve placed you in confinement?”Charlotte suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, petrified by his words. Her face was ashen, and her eyes were filled with disbelief. She turned her head around and looked at Zachary as if she was staring at a demon.“Look, if you’re talking about the incident that happened last night, regardless of the cause, I admit I was the one who climbed into your bed. I didn’t mean to oppose your decision to place me in confinement because of what I did. However, things are different today. My dad’s awake, and I have to see