Chapter 237 She Is Frederick's wife
Cherie strolled over, grinning, and said, "Vivian Martinez is already at the company, waiting for you to sign the contract."
Frederick frowned. "Isn't the spokesperson contract supposed to be handled by the VP?"
Cherie cleared her throat. "Ms. Martinez was pretty insistent."
Charlotte wasn't born yesterday.
She figured Vivian was the actress the media talked about last time. She was the one standing next to Frederick at the celebration, clearly crushing on him.
Frederick glanced at Charlotte, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
He told Cherie, "Let Ms. Martinez come in. And bring some snacks."
Cherie left with a smirk.
Frederick sat Lola on the sofa and smiled gently at Charlotte. "I don't know her. But if you're upset, I'll let you meet her and prove my innocence."
Charlotte wasn't buying it.
She snorted. "I'm not upset. That's your business."
Frederick chuckled. "She's not my business; you and Lola are."
He looked at Lola. "Isn't that right, sweetie?"
Lola climbed onto her Dad's lap and gave Charlotte a big smile.
While they were chatting, Cherie came back in.
She was carrying a tray with Lola's favorite pancakes and some other snacks.
Behind her was the tall actress, Vivian.
Vivian was super confident.
She was an award-winning actress with a squeaky-clean rep in the industry.
That day at Lumina, she had missed meeting Frederick. She wasn't gonna miss out this time.
Cherie gestured. "Ms. Martinez, please have a seat."
Vivian smiled slightly and was about to sit down, but her gaze froze.
Someone was already on the sofa.
She was a stunning woman, young and elegant, not like the skinny actresses in the biz. She was slim but looked healthy.
Vivian's heart skipped a beat. 'Was this Mr. Hawkins' lover?'
Just as she was hesitating, the kid on Frederick's lap climbed down, took Cherie's hand, and obediently sat at the small round table to munch on snacks.
Lola ate a piece and then softly said, "Ms. Russell, join me."
'Ms. Russell?' Vivian's heart relaxed. 'So she was just a tutor.'
Disregarding Charlotte, she sat on the sofa and looked at Frederick with a blend of softness and charm. "Mr. Hawkins, I'd like to discuss the contract details with you."
Frederick glanced at her.
He walked to the coffee machine, put in some coffee beans, and started brewing coffee.
For Charlotte's love of coffee, he had an antique Manilove machine on hand for her visits.
He was wearing a classic suit, took off his jacket, and underneath was a deep blue shirt and black trousers.
The well-tailored shirt perfectly showcased his upper body, strong and attractive, combined with the charm of a mature man. Vivian felt she had finally found the right guy for her.
She thought he was making coffee for her, which made sense.
Frederick was a business elite, but she was also a famous actress, and she felt she was a good match for him.
She couldn't help but want to please his daughter.
Vivian also sat at the small round table, wanting to eat pancakes and find some common ground with Lola.
Just as she reached out, the last pancake was picked up by Lola and put into Charlotte's mouth. Lola softly asked, "Mommy, is it good?"
'Mommy? Wasn't she a tutor?'
Vivian had seen a lot, but this was pretty awkward. She looked at Charlotte again, not daring to be as dismissive as before, but she still had some hope in her heart.
'Mr. Hawkins was divorced, and they might just be meeting because of the kid.'
At that moment, Frederick came over.
He placed a cup of coffee in front of Charlotte and said gently, "Too much isn't good. I only poured half a cup for you."
Vivian was completely bummed out.
That cup of coffee wasn't for her!
She couldn't help but feel resentful and lost her cool, muttered "Why?" She didn't buy that Frederick didn't know what she was after.
She had knocked on his door that night at Lumina. He opened it, was polite, didn't let her in, but didn't say anything harsh either. Later, she heard he had left Lumina that very night.
Frederick always kept his personal and work life separate.
He gently patted Charlotte's shoulder. "Take Lola to the lounge to play for a bit. I need to handle some business."
Charlotte knew he didn't want to embarrass the woman, so she picked up Lola.
Lola leaned on Charlotte's shoulder and made a funny face at Vivian.
Frederick went back to his desk and hit the intercom. "Simon King, come here for a sec."
Simon quickly responded.
Frederick ignored Vivian. He opened a file, read a few pages, then said a few words to Cherie.
By then, Simon had arrived.
As soon as he walked in, Frederick pointed to Vivian and said indifferently, "Ms. Martinez wants to discuss the contract further. You handle it. By the way, wasn't the endorsement fee set at $2 million a year? Due to recent budget cuts, reduce it to $1.8 million. If Ms. Martinez isn't cool with that, find someone else."
Simon was clearly taken aback. 'What was going on?'
Frederick continued, "Ms. Martinez, from now on, you'll be working with Simon."
He had given Vivian a chance, but she didn't know her limits, so he didn't need to be polite anymore.
He was looking for a spokesperson, not a lover.
Vivian was super embarrassed.
Only now did she realize that the rejection that night wasn't a game Frederick was playing. He didn't even pay attention to her, nor did he have any intention of flirting with her.
It was all in her head.
Vivian couldn't afford to piss off Frederick. Even though she was super embarrassed and had her fee cut by $200,000, she still politely said, "Mr. Hawkins, I look forward to our cooperation."
Frederick just nodded coldly.
He wasn't impressed.
Vivian couldn't help but feel disappointed.
After everyone left, Frederick walked into the lounge.
Lola was asleep.
Charlotte was lying beside her, propping her head up. With her slender fingers, she traced Lola's little face, looking very focused and gentle.
Frederick couldn't help but take off his shoes and lie down behind Charlotte.
He wrapped an arm around her slim waist and whispered, "I really didn't seduce her."
Charlotte actually knew.
If he had wanted to, he had plenty of chances at Lumina.
But his personal matters were not something she wanted to dig into because, apart from Lola, there was nothing else between them now.
She stayed silent.
He got her meaning, feeling a bit bummed about her indifference.
He wanted to tease her, his big hand on her slim waist gently moving, and he leaned in to nibble the tender skin behind her ear lightly. "Charlotte, you really know how to get under my skin."
Charlotte reminded him, "Frederick, don't wake Lola."
Frederick rarely had such an opportunity. He lifted the blanket and covered both of them, his hand involuntarily roaming over her body.
Lola secretly opened her eyes.
Then, her small body turned over, and she fell asleep again.
Charlotte was startled.
She grabbed Frederick's hand and looked at him silently.
Frederick interlocked his fingers with hers, leaned close to her forehead, and murmured, "I really want to. Charlotte, I don't believe you haven't thought about me these past few years. Even if you don't think about me, you would think about our..."
Charlotte kicked him.
Her voice was hoarse. "Don't you have work to do?"
Reluctantly, he nuzzled the back of her neck before getting out of bed.
After he left, Charlotte held Lola close and kissed her, closing her eyes.
Frederick always wanted to get it on with her. Whenever there was a chance, he would take advantage of it. Charlotte wasn't particularly conservative, but besides not being able to let go of the past, she was very afraid of getting pregnant.
The pain of giving birth to Lola was still deeply etched in her body's memory.
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