Chapter 170 Make Up For the Lost Time
Frederick pulled her close and kissed her. "Say it again!"
But Charlotte wouldn't. She leaned on his shoulder, breathing in his slightly damp scent, and hugged him gently.
Frederick wanted more.
Charlotte's fingers traced his features as she whispered, "You should rest more. Drink the soup later."
Frederick's eyes were intense. "Are you feeling sorry for me?"
Charlotte did feel sorry for him.
Her gentle touch made Frederick feel something special, so he turned her over, wanting more.
Then his phone rang. It was a special ringtone for Elijah.
Charlotte hated Elijah's calls.
Sure enough, after a few words, Frederick's face darkened, and he got up to dress.
Charlotte hugged him from behind, trying to stop him. "Frederick, can't you just ignore her? She's doing this on purpose. How long will you let her hurt you? Even debts have limits, right?"
Charlotte couldn't keep pretending everything was fine, making him soup, and then watching him go to the hospital to give blood to a lunatic!
She looked at the needle marks on his arm and felt suffocated.
Frederick was silent, kissing her for a long time.
He calmed her trembling body and softly said, "I'll be back soon."
"No, you won't. Katherine won't let you."
For the first time, Charlotte seriously talked to him, "Frederick, Katherine isn't your responsibility! You can represent her in court, but indulging her only makes her crazier."
She wanted to say that if Katherine was truly crazy, she should be in a psychiatric ward.
Frederick got the gist. His gaze was flickering, deep and unreadable.
In the end, he still dressed and left.
As usual, Frederick didn't come back.
Spring nights were cold. Charlotte lay in bed until three in the morning and couldn't stay any longer. She wanted to go back to her apartment but didn't want to disturb the little white dog.
She sat in the living room all night.
For the next half month, Katherine caused a huge commotion.
Charlotte hardly saw Frederick.
The only two times they met, he looked terrible and fell asleep immediately.
Charlotte stopped asking.
In this relationship, she was always at a disadvantage, with no way out. Her connection with him was so weak.
She didn't even have the right to feel sorry for him.
Sometimes Charlotte thought, 'Maybe deep down, I already lost hope, and sticking around was just waiting for an end.'
She hadn't expected Patrick to come looking for her.
The president's secretary from Hawkins Group personally came to pick her up, saying respectfully, "Miss Russell, our president wants to see you."
Half an hour later, Charlotte was in Patrick's office.
Patrick sat across from her, speaking casually, "Why haven't you visited us lately? Chloe talks about you every day, and Laura is looking forward to you coming over for dinner."
Charlotte didn't know how to respond. Her relationship with Frederick seemed hopeless.
Patrick liked Charlotte; she was beautiful and had a stronger personality than Laura. He didn't want to lose such a future daughter-in-law because Frederick couldn't come home because of Katherine.
Patrick slid an invitation letter to Charlotte and smiled gently. "This is an admission invitation from the top music academy in Torontow. I don't mean anything else. You've been through a lot, so why not go abroad for a couple of years to relax? By the time you finish your studies, the Mitchell family's case will be over, and the debt between the families will be settled. Then, it will be the perfect time for you and Frederick to get married and have kids."
Charlotte felt a chill. She understood what Patrick meant.
The relationship between the Mitchell and Hawkins families wouldn't break because of her.
So, she had to be the one to sacrifice.
If she left, Katherine wouldn't cause so much trouble, and Frederick would suffer less. It was a considerate arrangement, taking care of everything—except it wasn't Charlotte's fault, but she was the one who had to sacrifice.
Everyone else would be fine. The only one who had to leave was Charlotte.
Charlotte was in so much pain she forgot to breathe.
The large, luxurious office fell into a long silence. Patrick didn't rush her; he seemed to have endless patience.
Finally, Charlotte looked up and said with difficulty, "I need to think about it."
When she stood up, her face was pale.
Patrick felt somewhat compassionate and called his secretary to send her back.
As soon as Charlotte left, Laura came over.
By the time she arrived, Charlotte was already gone. The beautiful and dignified Laura was worried and blamed Patrick. "This matter with Katherine should never have been Frederick's responsibility!"
Patrick felt pretty helpless.
He comforted Laura while resenting Frederick for not stepping up.
As a father and a man, Patrick saw the situation clearly. The biggest issue wasn't Katherine, but Frederick.
He knew Charlotte loved Frederick deeply.
She was attractive, came from a good family, and had a successful career—why would she wait for him? Simply because she loved him!
It was Frederick who didn't appreciate her enough, or maybe didn't love her enough.
Patrick made this decision out of necessity; otherwise, they would eventually break up. He was betting on Charlotte's love for Frederick.
Charlotte went home with the invitation letter and thought about it for three days.
During those three days, she saw Frederick once. They didn't do much, just quietly held each other.
That night, while they were embracing, she calmed down and asked herself, 'Is my love for him worth this sacrifice? Two years—my career could be managed by professionals. But I couldn't be with my family. My father's health isn't great.'
At dawn, Charlotte gently touched the ring on her finger, remembering the excitement when he gave it to her, as if it had just happened.
She thought, 'I like Frederick. If two years could change things, I'm willing to take the gamble. I could take my father and Maria to Torontow, where I would further my piano studies. When I return, I'll be more worthy of Frederick and more confident when Elijah asks for Frederick's help.'
When Charlotte made this decision, she felt a bit lost inside.
But Frederick's face was right in front of her, so handsome it made her heart flutter.
She leaned in and kissed his lips lightly. "I love you Frederick! Do you wanna make up for the lost time?"
Frederick woke up.
He turned over, trapping Charlotte beneath him. "What did you just say?"
Charlotte's cheeks turned slightly red, and she refused to repeat it.
Frederick's gaze was intense. He was, after all, a young man full of vigor, and since they hadn't done anything last night, he intended to make up for it this morning.
Charlotte was especially cooperative.
Frederick's eyes were fixed on her as he thrust into her..
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him proactively, her face flushed, her eyes filled with passionate surrender.
After several rounds of indulgence, Frederick lay beside her, panting and teasing, "What's gotten into you today? You're so proactive."
He turned to pinch her cheek. "I heard that when girls reach a certain age, their libido increases. Charlotte, have you been looking forward to this these days?"
"You're the one who's reached that age!" Charlotte pushed him away and headed to the bathroom.
When she came out, he was by the window on the phone with Elijah, discussing the lawsuit.
Charlotte hugged him from behind.
After he hung up, she softly asked, "Can you come back for Valentine's Day?"
She was so soft, and Frederick was in a good mood.
He gently stroked her hand and asked tenderly, "What gift are you planning to give me?"
Charlotte thought of the invitation letter, her heart aching a bit. But she said cheerfully, "It's a secret!"
Frederick turned around and kissed her. They hadn't indulged in a while, so he decided to continue their bed chamber mischief since he had nothing to do that morning.
Charlotte was momentarily stunned but let him have his way.
In the afternoon, Frederick went to the office.
Charlotte called Patrick, who had clearly been waiting for her call and picked up immediately.
Patrick was still very gentle. "Have you made up your mind?"
Charlotte responded with a hum.
She said, "I want to take my father and Maria with me."
Patrick was pleased and immediately agreed. "That's no problem! It's good to have family around. You're very filial."
He then asked, "Does Frederick know?"
Charlotte shook her head. "No, I'll tell him in a couple of days."
Valentine's Day was approaching, and she wanted to prepare well.
It was their first Valentine's Day together, and she wanted to make it special, as they might not have time to celebrate it together in the next two years.
Patrick had been young once and guessed the reason.
He smiled warmly and said, "Let Laura and Chloe accompany you shopping later. If you ever feel lonely, let Chloe visit you often; she has nothing to do anyway."
Charlotte declined.
In the next two days, Charlotte took care of some matters.
She also contacted a renowned studio in the city to design a black-themed plan, transforming Frederick's apartment on Saturday afternoon.
Although the cost was high, at fifty thousand dollars, Charlotte didn't mind spending it.
This was her and Frederick's first Valentine's Day!
She meticulously prepared candelabras, champagne roses, and Michelin-delivered meals.
Everything was very romantic.
At seven in the evening, Charlotte called Frederick, her tone light and cheerful, "When will you be back?"
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