Charlotte bobbed her head and replied, “Don’t worry, dad.”“How can I not worry about you? You’re my daughter, and I know you the best. Everyone thinks that you’re pretty and intelligent, but none of them knows that’s just a mask you wear to keep your true self hidden. You’re a headstrong girl, and you’re rebellious. You refuse to yield to anyone, and if anyone tries to keep you under control, you will certainly fight back. Anyway, listen to me, Carlie. You have to take it down a notch with your attitude now that you’re somebody’s wife. You must not keep fighting with Zachary, and—”“Hold up, hold up! Please stop wittering on, dad. I know what I’m doing.” Charlotte interjected, laughing through her tears.She talked to her father through the video camera for nearly an hour.She learned from her father that not only had Victor Rutherford dropped the charges against him, but he had also returned Simmons Inc’s management rights to her father. After her father recovered and was dischar
Zachary said, “You shouldn’t.” He then cast a pithy gaze at Charlotte.He was clearly telling her, “I have some private matters to discuss with Lucas. You can go out already...”Charlotte was not so unworldly that she would not even understand what people meant in an instant. Plus, she had no intention of interfering with Zachary’s private affairs, so she shook her head and exited the living room.Lucas continued after Charlotte walked away. “That incident was clearly plotted very carefully, and his purpose was to get you to sleep with that lady. After an around-the-clock, full-throttle, all-out investigation, I’ve finally found out that the person who drugged you that night was one of your uncle’s men. In other words, the person who devised the whole scheme against you behind the scenes isn’t someone else. It’s most likely your uncle!”Zachary’s eyes dimmed—the word “uncle” felt like someone was rubbing salt on the bleeding wound in his heart.“Sigh… Second Master, all that is in
’What?’Charlotte had knocked on the door nine times and had almost broken her finger. She had only opened the door and entered the room because of the lack of response from Zachary, okay?Charlotte, who had walked into the room, saw Zachary staring at the emerald locket in a daze. She did not want to disturb him, so she tried to tiptoe back to the bedroom without making a noise, but she was discovered before she could make a move.Seeing that Zachary was looking rather upset, Charlotte did not want to argue with him, so she smiled. “Okay, my bad. I’ll knock next time. I won’t bother you now, so you can continue to stare at your baby in a trance.”Zachary opened his mouth, but before he had the time to speak, Charlotte had already stridden into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.Zachary furrowed his picture-perfect brows unpleasantly.‘Charlotte Simmons! Is this rebellion?’...Charlotte, who had returned to her bedroom peacefully, heaved a long sigh of relief.If she had
There was a cool and refreshing scent of mint coming from him. It was faint but so unique that it could not be ignored—it was as addictive as a drug.Charlotte had the illusion that she had fallen into a blooming garden and completely forgot that Zachary was kissing her...The person kissing her was Zachary!After his lips twitched and separated from hers, Charlotte gradually regained her rationality.As soon as she became sober again, confusion, shock, and panic struck her all at once. “Zachary Connor, why did you... kiss me?”Zachary was still hugging her tightly—the warmth coming from his breath and chest as hot as a prairie fire. Every extra second in his arms made her lose the ability to reason bit by bit.“Please don’t leave me...” The man’s thin, warm lips were pressed against the spot between her eyebrows, and he was still whispering through them, “I love you.”Charlotte was shocked instantly, “You... What did you say?”“I love you.” He hugged her tighter in his powerfu
Charlotte returned to her bedroom, but her heart was still beating vigorously. While she looked in the mirror, her lips were as crimson as if they were bleeding, and her mouth was filled with a faint sweet and metallic blood aftertaste, as if Zachary’s intense kiss was still lingering on her lips...Whenever Zachary approached her, she would always feel panic and awe. She’d even had the illusion that she had returned to the night when that stranger had defiled her ten months ago.This time around, was it because Zachary had mistaken her for his beloved woman? His kiss had been so affectionate that Charlotte had only felt warmth.“Ugh!” Charlotte gave her reflection in the mirror the middle finger to express her contempt and simultaneously murmured to comfort herself. “Charlotte Simmons, you’re doing just fine. There’s nothing wrong with you. No woman should be able to resist that scourge’s charm.”…As Charlotte was lying on the bed and caressing her belly, she thought of the chil
Charlotte was so frightened that her legs and feet suddenly became nimble. They were moving as if her body was no longer under the control of her brain, and because of that, she walked toward him mechanically.She then felt a weight pulling her shoulders downward all of a sudden. Zachary was pulling her in his arms, and she ran into his body, which was as tough as an iron plate, and felt a faint ache.Before she could recover from this daze, Zachary’s lips had already met hers.Gasp...Their lips were locked tightly once again.The sound of a thunder strike pierced the trance in her mind, and a space in her heart seemed to have been emptied. She wanted to escape in a panic, but Zachary’s powerful hand was holding the back of her head and pushing her face against his.“Mmm!”His mint-like unique coolness and the liquor’s faint fragrance engulfed her like overwhelming waves. Charlotte seemed to have been devoured, and it felt like she was freefalling into a sweet dream. She was de
Only then did Zachary recall their original plan. “Okay.”His tone sounded casual, but it still gave everyone present the feeling that he had just remembered about the meeting.He took a huge stride on his long, slender legs and walked toward Lucas. “Are you not coming with me?”Lucas stared at Charlotte, who Zachary had cleverly placed in front of the bedroom door. “Second Master, you were having such an intimate moment with Charlotte just minutes ago... Are you really going to leave her like this?”As he spoke, Lucas suddenly felt a chill down his spine, raised his head, and as expected, ran into Zachary’s grim gaze. He was so scared that he almost knelt on the spot and begged Jesus for His blessing.Zachary’s indifferent gaze was something that he had to deal with daily, and one glance had always been enough to frighten him out of his wits. Why would he stare at him with such a terrorizing glare then?‘Wait a minute! The second master wants to leave the scene in a hurry… Is he
She watched as the bodyguard put down the phone and respectfully stepped aside. “Second Master has given you permission to leave, ma’am.”‘Huh?’The good news had arrived abruptly. Charlotte stayed in her spot in a daze before she could move her legs. As soon as she walked out the door, she turned around, unable to help herself. “Are you saying that I answered correctly?”“I believe the results have nothing to do with your answer, ma’am.” The bodyguard stared at Charlotte with a reverent yet mysterious look in his eyes. “Knowing Second Master, if he was determined to keep you here, any answer would have been wrong. Similarly, if he wished to release you, any answer would have been the right one.”Charlotte stumbled over her feet.So Zachary had intended to release her after all.…El Paradiso was a famous restaurant in Rothesay. It was also Charlotte and Coraline’s favorite hang-out spot.Charlotte headed toward the window seat on the southeast side as soon as she arrived—that