Chapter 224 How Have You Been?
Three years later.
Charlotte and Sophie strolled out of the airport.
At the exit, Brian, with his long legs, spotted them and immediately ditched his sunglasses, scooped Sophie up, and planted a big ol' kiss on her.
Sophie's face went beet red.
Charlotte just rolled her eyes.
Sophie was only 19. Brian was such a tool!
Over the past few years, Brian had been running the music studio. With Charles's genes, Brian expanded the studio to Bostan and made it boom.
And, of course, he managed to snag Sophie too.
When Oliver found out, he nearly beat Brian to a pulp! But shocker, after Brian and Sophie got together, he quit drinking and messing around, turning into a decent boyfriend.
Sophie was in Vienner, and he visited her every month.
Charlotte came back to Syeattel mainly because Maria's leg injury flared up again and needed treatment and rest here.
She invested in a few restaurants and would occasionally go there to play the piano.
A mature, beautiful, and financially independent woman naturally had many admirers.
But Charlotte wasn't feeling any of them.
At the CEO office on the 68th floor of Vertex Innovations Group,
Frederick sat behind his wooden desk, going through documents. The light from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him made his features look even more sharp and refined, like some kind of deity.
Cherie pushed the door open and walked in.
She looked at her boss, marveling at how generously fate had treated him.
A man at 33 was truly in his prime, oozing the charm of a mature man. Plenty of women wanted a piece of Frederick.
Cherie gently placed a manila envelope on the desk.
Frederick stopped writing, picked it up, and opened it.
Cherie cleared her throat lightly. "Charlotte's back!"
Frederick was visibly stunned.
He looked up at Cherie, his voice a bit hoarse. "She's back?"
Cherie felt the pressure and nodded. "Yeah, she's back! For Maria's leg injury, she might stay in Syeattel for a while."
Frederick didn't ask any more questions.
He opened the manila envelope.
Inside was a stack of photos, all of Brian and Charlotte. They weren't super intimate, but enough to make him jealous.
He knew Brian went to Vienner every month. And in these three years, he hadn't gone even once.
Because of Lola, he couldn't leave, and he didn't dare to disturb Charlotte easily!
For three years, he could only see her through photos, but every time, Brian and Oliver's sister had to be in them!
Cherie could tell that Frederick was jealous!
She discreetly placed an invitation on the desk. "I heard Bradley and Lily's fourth wedding anniversary banquet is gonna be pretty grand!"
Frederick smiled faintly. "They're sweet!"
Cherie smiled. "Charlotte's going too!"
Frederick suddenly found the invitation very important, holding it in his hand and examining it while casually saying, "You've been working with me for quite a few years now. Your salary and benefits should be increased! By the way, your birthday's next month, right? Go to the mall and pick out a gift, and then get it reimbursed by finance!"
Cherie beamed. "Thanks, Mr. Hawkins!"
To reward herself, she picked out a $30,000 necklace! She had gone from a legal worker to a cunning person, and she deserved it.
Cherie left.
Frederick walked alone to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down.
After about 10 minutes, his fingers trembled as he took out a cigarette and lit it.
Taking a deep drag, he gently closed his eyes. 'She finally came back.'
On Saturday night, it was Bradley and Lily's wedding anniversary banquet.
Charlotte made her first appearance in three years.
She hadn't seen Lily for a long time, and as soon as she arrived, they hugged.
Lily carefully looked at Charlotte, who had recovered well, still slender and delicate, but with a few more touches of maturity, making her even more attractive.
Lily's eyes welled up with tears. "Charlotte! You went so far away!"
Charlotte smiled lightly. "I'm not leaving for now!"
Lily laughed through her tears. "If you run away again, I'll break your legs!"
As they were talking, Bradley came over, holding their son Jimmy Lawson. Jimmy was already five years old, and very cute and sturdy.
Bradley asked Jimmy to greet Charlotte.
Jimmy was very well-behaved, and Charlotte liked him a lot, even bringing a gift for him.
Seeing how much Charlotte loved the kid, Lily quietly advised, "You like kids so much, and so many people are pursuing you, but you don't seem interested!"
Charlotte smiled faintly.
Lily was about to say something when there was a commotion at the door.
Charlotte naturally looked over and then froze. It was Frederick!
Obviously, Frederick saw her too. They looked at each other, and it seemed like everything around them disappeared.
For most divorced couples, three years would be enough to let everything fade away.
But they had a kid and a messed-up past; how could they just forget?
In the end, it was Charlotte who snapped out of it first. She gave him a faint smile, then turned to head into the banquet hall.
Frederick's gaze was intense. He stared at her back, greedily taking in her silhouette; Charlotte was different now!
He wanted to chat her up, but they weren't at the same table. He was stuck with the business big shots Bradley had painstakingly invited. Frederick half-heartedly socialized and talked shop with them. But his eyes were always on Charlotte.
Charlotte kinda regretted coming.
She hadn't expected to bump into Frederick so soon. Seeing him always dredged up some bad memories.
She was pretty quiet the whole evening.
She knew he was watching her, but she played it cool and ignored it.
Later, Brian came over with some business stuff. The banquet hall was too noisy, so Brian leaned in close to her ear to talk.
Charlotte thought it over for a moment and agreed with his plan.
Brian smiled and left.
Frederick saw the whole thing. He saw how close Brian got to her and felt a pang of jealousy. But he couldn't do anything about it.
Someone next to him nudged him to drink, "Frederick, what's up with you tonight? You haven't touched a drop! What? Afraid you'll get into trouble if you drink?"
Frederick smiled faintly. "I drove myself here, Mr. Jones. Gotta stay responsible!"
Lester Jones, the owner of a six-star hotel, had also seen Charlotte earlier and guessed what was up.
He lowered his voice. "Your ex-wife's back?"
Frederick gave a light nod.
Lester felt for him and downed several glasses of red wine to cheer him up, "Frederick, with your clean private life, I bet Charlotte will be impressed! Where are Charlotte going?"
Frederick quickly chased after her.
Charlotte had indeed left early.
Lily mentioned there would be a private gathering later, but Charlotte wasn't feeling it, so she declined.
She took the elevator to the hotel's first floor.
In the parking lot, a black car was waiting for her. The driver saw her coming down and opened the car door for her.
Just as Charlotte was about to get in, the door was gently held down. She looked up and saw Frederick's handsome face up close. He spoke, his voice low and smooth like fine wine, "Charlotte, can we find a place to talk?"
Charlotte hesitated. She didn't want to stroll down memory lane with him, but she knew Frederick. If she refused, he'd make a scene and embarrass her in front of the driver.
Weighing her options, she pointed to the café across the street. "Let's sit there!"
She then walked ahead.
Frederick knew she was trying to keep her distance, not giving him a chance to think. He didn't push it, just followed her slowly, lighting a cigarette as he walked.
When they reached the café across the street, he put out the cigarette.
In the bright café, Charlotte ordered a cup of coffee and stirred it lightly, saying politely, "How have you been these years? I heard you founded Vertex Innovations Group and did very well!"
Vertex Innovations Group had made it into the top ten in three years with a market value of billions of dollars!
Charlotte took a sip of coffee. "Frederick, you excel at everything you do!"
Frederick's gaze was much more direct. Since sitting down, his eyes hadn't left her face, like a scanner. Hearing her words, he smiled lightly. "Really? Am I good at everything?"
Charlotte was a bit taken aback!
Her ears turned slightly red, and then her attitude cooled. "I have to go!"
Frederick felt a bit regretful. He politely tried to keep her, his voice turning gentle. "It's my fault! Let's talk a bit more! Charlotte, why don't you ask about my love life these past few years?"
Charlotte didn't want to ask. She silently paid for the coffee and walked ahead.
A cup of coffee was enough for divorced couples.
Frederick chased after her. "I'll drive you!"
Charlotte stopped.
Under the myriad lights, she looked up at him.
He was still handsome, even more attractive than before, but after three years, they were no different from strangers.
He was longing, but Charlotte had slowly forgotten and moved on in these three years!
Charlotte spoke softly, "I can see you now long for marriage, Frederick. Find a good woman and get married! Our past is over, and I can't stay in the past forever."
Talking about this, she inevitably recalled the pain.
Charlotte turned and quickly walked away.
Frederick stood in the night, silently watching her.
Across the street, her driver was waiting for her. He was someone Andrew had chosen for her. She was now the eldest daughter of the Devereux family, living a life of luxury and comfort, without the need to socialize.
She indeed didn't need to look back.
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