Chapter 4

"Oops. Sorry for accidentally stepping on your gown." The woman sounded gleeful.

The hem of Giselle's gown fell to her ankles. When tugged on, it tore at the thigh, vaguely revealing her flawless skin.

She turned to see a familiar face—Jonathan's sister, Vivian Lawson. Vivian had picked on Giselle countless times in the past, but Giselle had chosen to grin and bear it for Jonathan's sake.

Now, however… Who did Vivian think she was?

Everyone waited to see Giselle make a fool of herself.

Vivian gave her a challenging look, but a bad feeling arose inside her when she saw Giselle grabbing a drink from the table. Then, Giselle poured it on her, making her scream. Her expensive gown was immediately ruined.

"Oops. Sorry about that. My hand slipped." Giselle raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Her bold action made the spectators gasp. Vivian screamed, "Are you insane, Giselle?"

It was Richard's birthday celebration, so Giselle didn't want things to get too nasty. She looked at Vivian and said matter-of-factly, "It really was an accident."

Vivian almost exploded at that. Giselle had to have done it on purpose!

She charged at Giselle, but Jonathan appeared and caught her. He frowned and growled, "That's enough, Vivi! It's Grandpa's birthday today—you'll get an earful from Mom if she sees you like this!"

Vivian's eyes reddened with grievance. "You saw her, Jon! She poured that drink on me on purpose! Make her apologize!"

The situation ended up in a stalemate.

Charlotte stood beside her parents, Harold Grant and Linda, and watched things play out. The earlier jealousy and resentment she'd felt dissipated.

When she looked around and noticed all the Lawsons focusing on the scene, she knew this was a great chance for her to leave them with a good impression. With that thought in mind, she told Harold and Linda to wait there for her. Then, she headed over to Giselle and the others.

"Say something, Jon! Make Giselle apologize to me!" Vivian whined when Jonathan didn't say anything.

Charlotte stepped forward to help. "Vivi's only a child, Giselle. She couldn't have meant anything bad by it, so you're at fault here. We're at Mr. Lawson Senior's birthday celebration—don't cause trouble."

From an outsider's perspective, there wasn't anything wrong with her words. Vivian was only 17, so she was indeed still young. Meanwhile, Giselle was 25. It was rather narrow-minded of her to be so petty.

Instantly, reproachful gazes landed on Giselle. Jonathan also looked at her and said, "We can sweep this under the rug once you apologize to Vivi."

Vivian smiled smugly at Giselle now that someone was backing her up. In the past, Giselle probably would've been saddened by this. Now, she only found it laughable.

She stood up straight, her expression serene as she smirked. "I already did, didn't I? Sorry for the slip of the hand."

Her tone was lazy and languid. There wasn't anything apologetic about it.

Charlotte reached out to tug on Giselle, but the latter looked at her like she was trash, making her stop. Her hand hovered awkwardly in midair. However, she soon regained her composure and said, "Mom and Dad can't help you if you continue like this, Giselle."

"Have they ever helped me with anything?" Giselle looked like she'd heard a joke. Her gaze turned contemptuous, and she bristled.

The situation turned into a stalemate again. Giselle didn't want to waste any more time on them. Vivian, no matter how brainless, was still a member of the Lawson family. Though Richard was partial to Giselle, she didn't want to put him in a tough spot.

Everyone watched as she tore her gown at the spot it had ripped. The long gown instantly became a short one, revealing her long legs.

Jonathan's expression turned hideous. "Giselle!"

She ignored him and headed to Richard. He looked at her. "Gigi…"

"I have to leave to attend to something urgent, Grandpa. I'm sorry about this." She first expressed her regret before handing him the present she'd prepared.

He saw through her but didn't stop her. All he said was, "I'll have Jonathan drop you home."

Leaving alone and being sent home by the Lawson heir were two different situations. Though Richard didn't mention anything about the incident, his actions made it clear that he was on Giselle's side.

Charlotte gritted her teeth. What right did Giselle have to receive such treatment when she'd stolen her life? Richard was turning senile in his old age!

She resented that. When she saw that Jonathan and Giselle were already at the entrance, she hurried after them.

…

Giselle stopped outside the villa. "I'll give you three days to break the news to your grandfather, Jonathan. I'll do it if you can't."

Jonathan still looked furious. His gaze darkened when he looked at the hem of her ripped gown. "Are you that desperate to sever ties with me?"

She stared at him before smirking. "We don't have to go that far. All you need to do is end things with Charlotte."

He fell silent. His first reaction was objection and refusal. Just as he was about to speak, Giselle said, "I know you're going to say you're just friends, but tell me—what sort of friends end up in bed together?"

Jonathan's feelings toward her had gradually diminished over the past seven years. Perhaps he didn't realize this, but Charlotte had become his priority since she'd appeared in his life.

He kept claiming they were friends, but they were just using that as an excuse to flirt and be amorous. Jonathan had to admit that he enjoyed the process. He could experience the thrill of being with someone new without taking responsibility for her.

At the same time, he had a loyal fiancée waiting to marry him. It was too bad she'd woken up now. This made him feel like things had spiraled out of his control, so he'd reacted the way he had when Giselle had asked to call off their engagement.

Jonathan scowled. He'd just parted his lips to speak when Charlotte joined them. She walked over and stopped beside him, her stance natural and practiced. "Jonathan."

Her tone was familiar and affectionate—it clearly showed there was something between them.

From Giselle's perspective, Charlotte was issuing her a challenge. However, she merely lowered her head to call an Uber. She had no intention of playing Charlotte's game.

Charlotte said, "Should I have the Grant family's driver take you home? He's still the same guy. You should know him."

She sounded earnest. It was almost as if she genuinely cared about Giselle.

Giselle sneered. "Nah. You can keep those disgusting things for your own use."

There was an undercurrent to her words, which pissed Jonathan off. His temples throbbed in anger, and he wrapped an arm around Charlotte's shoulders. The sudden action surprised her before filling her with joy.

Jonathan watched Giselle closely. "I'll tell Grandpa about us calling off the engagement. You'd better not regret this."

Giselle smiled. "I won't."

Her gaze was calm. Despite seeing him with his arm around Charlotte, she didn't show any jealousy. All Jonathan saw in her eyes was dislike and disgust.

They remained like that for a few minutes until an expensive car approached. When they turned to look at it, they saw Chester Fordham get out.

He was handsome, and his black coat made him look even more so. His eyes glinted behind his gold-rimmed glasses, and his demeanor was composed and sure. He oozed regality. His gaze was dark and unfathomable as he looked at Jonathan.

Jonathan released Charlotte and said coolly, "Uncle Chester."

In truth, Chester was only four years older than him. Moreover, whether in terms of capabilities or status, Jonathan was constantly in Chester's shadow.

Chester nodded in response. Jonathan glanced behind him. "Where's Mom? Hasn't she returned?"

She'd told him over the phone that morning that she was at the airport. She should've already landed but was nowhere in sight.

"There was an emergency, so she couldn't come back." Chester turned to look at Giselle. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I need to head home to attend to something urgent. I'll visit some other time," she said. Her answer was infallible.

"Are you waiting for an Uber?"

She nodded after a brief hesitation.

"I'll send you home, then."