Chapter 261 Behave Yourself
Frederick had been living it up a bit too much lately, and he got hit with a fever.
Charlotte was both ticked off and embarrassed. She wasn't having any of his nonsense and made him stay home to rest.
Frederick was quite restless; even while sick, he couldn't keep his hands to himself. Charlotte was at her wit's end. She couldn't just waltz him into the hospital, so she called up the family doc.
Come Monday, Laura rang her up, asking her to swing by.
Charlotte let out a big sigh of relief. She pushed open the study door, and there was Frederick, lounging on the sofa with some documents.
He was rocking a white sweater and gray sweatpants, looking all cozy and laid-back.
Charlotte walked over and felt his forehead.
Thank goodness, he wasn't burning up anymore.
Frederick grabbed her hand and gave her a sly smile. "Heading out?"
Charlotte nodded, "Laura wants me to come over."
Frederick's eyes went back to his papers, and he let out a little snort. "So, you're just gonna ditch the sick guy at home? Mrs. Hawkins, you had your fun, now you're bailing?"
Charlotte replied softly, "I'll be back early in the afternoon."
He didn't say a word.
Charlotte gave him a kiss. "Is that cool?"
Frederick stared at her for a bit before finally saying, "Alright. I want pizza tonight."
Charlotte agreed.
She grabbed a car to the Hawkins Mansion, only to find Laura there solo. "Where's Chloe?" she asked.
Laura smiled. "She took Gavin out for some fun."
She led Charlotte up to the master bedroom's living room on the second floor.
In such a private spot, Charlotte knew Laura wanted to chat about something personal, away from the servants' ears.
Charlotte took the initiative to make some coffee.
Once the coffee was ready and set down, they sat close together. Laura handed Charlotte a photo. "Someone introduced him. He's around Chloe's age. A college professor, and his family runs a small business. What do you think?"
Charlotte took a good look at the photo.
He looked decent and had a classy vibe.
Charlotte thought he seemed alright.
Laura looked worried. "Charlotte, help me talk to Chloe. She agreed to the date, but she's so passive about it. She can't stay single forever. Her dad doesn't say it, but he really wants her to settle down."
Charlotte felt a pang of emotion. She felt kinda guilty.
Laura noticed and patted her hand. "It's not just about her and Andrew. There are too many things involved in their relationship. They just weren't meant to be."
She wiped away a tear. "They have a kid together. If it weren't for their differences, they would've stayed together for the kid's sake."
Charlotte comforted her for a long time.
Around four in the afternoon, Chloe came back with Gavin.
Charlotte played with Gavin for a bit, and Chloe quickly caught on. She called a servant to take Gavin for some dessert.
Once Gavin was gone, she whispered, "Charlotte, did Mom ask you to come?"
Charlotte sighed softly. She gently placed the photo down, and Chloe stared at it for a long time.
Charlotte whispered, "If you don't wanna go, I'll talk to Mom and Dad. If that doesn't work, I'll get Frederick to talk to them."
She didn't want to push Chloe.
Being a woman herself, she could see Chloe hadn't moved on from that past relationship, and with Gavin around, it wasn't easy to let someone new in.
Chloe held the photo, looking down. After a long pause, she said softly but firmly, "Charlotte, I'll go."
Charlotte was momentarily stunned.
Chloe looked up and gave a faint smile. "We gotta move forward, right? I'm willing to go on a date, and this guy looks nice. Maybe we'll hit it off."
Charlotte was at a loss for words.
She gently hugged Chloe.
Chloe leaned on her shoulder, and maybe because she felt close to Charlotte, she started spilling her guts. She choked up and said, "Charlotte. I really liked him back then, way more than I ever liked Ethan. But he had so much going on, and I felt so small."
After picking up Lola and heading home, Charlotte was still all over the place.
She even managed to burn herself while making pizza.
Frederick felt bad for her, holding her hand and putting on some ointment, silently watching her. "What did my mom say? Why are you so out of it? Is it about Chloe?"
Charlotte was about to spill but saw Lola's big curious eyes.
She held back and said softly, "We'll talk later."
Frederick gave a faint smile. He put Lola to bed and came back to the master bedroom.
When he opened the door, he saw Charlotte in a bathrobe, sitting at the vanity putting on some skincare. He walked over quietly, gently touching her shoulder, his voice rough. "What's up with Chloe?"
Charlotte didn't stop him. She let him enjoy the moment.
Afterward, she leaned softly on his shoulder and told him everything in a low voice.
Frederick kissed the soft skin behind her ear, his voice raspy. "Charlotte, do you want her to be with Andrew?"
Charlotte turned and hugged his waist.
She said softly, "Yes and no. Frederick, I want her to marry for love, not just settle. You know, a woman with a kid, no matter how young and beautiful, always has to compromise when picking a partner."
She couldn't stand seeing Chloe like this.
Chloe cried a lot today, and Charlotte figured her agreeing to the date was partly to make her parents happy.
Her position was tricky, so she talked to Frederick, hoping he'd look out for Chloe more.
After listening, Frederick was quiet for a long time.
He held her tight, gently stroking her earlobe. "Charlotte, did you marry for love? Tell me, please."
Charlotte's voice was low. "I'm talking about Chloe."
Frederick gave a faint smile.
He leaned in to kiss her, kissing for a long time before saying, "Let her go on the date. It's good for her and her relationship with Andrew. If Andrew can still hold back, then they were never meant to be."
Charlotte didn't quite get him.
She looked at him, not moving.
After a while, Frederick tugged her ear. "You zoned out? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Charlotte still didn't move.
He was always so passionate, and now with her all disheveled in his arms, he couldn't help but want more.
Charlotte snapped back to reality, gently holding his hand, her face flushed. "You're still not well. Behave yourself; wait until you're better, okay?"
Frederick chuckled lightly.
Charlotte almost didn't dare to look into his eyes. Just as she was about to find an excuse to send him to the guest room, footsteps echoed in the stairwell, followed by Dana's voice at the door. "Frederick, Charlotte, Mr. Devereux is here."
Charlotte was visibly startled. She looked at Frederick. "Why would Andrew come over so late?"
Frederick straightened his clothes and said softly, "He must have something important. I'll go down first; you change and come down."
Charlotte nodded.
In the villa's grand hall, the crystal chandelier lit up the big space brightly.
Andrew wasn't sitting but standing in front of the piano, checking it out. He'd heard that Frederick spent a fortune to buy this piece from an antique dealer; he must be nuts.
"Andrew." Frederick called from the stairwell.
He watched Andrew, and even if he didn't want to admit it, Andrew was very attractive, even just from the back.
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