Chapter 276 Frederick, I'm pregnant
But he didn't.
Frederick, who'd lost a chunk of his memory, was barely even pretending to be a husband.
The only reason he showed up was 'cause he was scared she'd cheat.
Sure enough, after checking out the test results, he coolly walked her downstairs but didn't even bother to ask her to lunch.
They split ways right there.
In the days that followed, Frederick lived like a single dude, always out partying and barely ever home.
A private detective sent Charlotte pics of Frederick hitting up one party after another, always surrounded by a bunch of socialite chicks.
A month later, Charlotte stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the president's office at Vertex Innovations Group, with a few photos scattered on her desk.
Keith walked in and saw them.
He pretended not to notice and said, "Ms. Russell, how about I handle Mr. Flores' private dinner tonight? You should go home and chill."
Charlotte gently shook her head. "Mr. Flores has helped us a lot this time; we should at least show him some respect."
Keith didn't push it.
He left the room.
At the swankiest business club in Syeattel, Charlotte finished her meal and was about to leave. Keith was gearing up for another round of drinks before taking her back, and they were chatting about business as they walked.
Suddenly, Charlotte's gaze froze.
Near the elevator, a private room door was half-open.
Everything inside was crystal clear.
There were about five or six dudes, half of whom Charlotte knew, including her husband. Most notably, each guy had a young girl hanging on him, and Frederick was no exception.
Even though he wasn't hugging anyone inappropriately, the girl was leaning softly against his side.
And he didn't push her away.
Charlotte watched quietly.
Sensing her gaze, Frederick looked up and met her eyes, making things super awkward.
Lester Jones, the owner of a six-star hotel and familiar with both of them, was inside.
Lester immediately put out his cigarette and stood up quickly. "Charlotte, what a coincidence. Don't get the wrong idea about Frederick; we're just talking business, nothing else. You know better than anyone how straight-laced he is."
He invited Charlotte inside.
There were another five or six girls in there.
In such a setting, walking in would be beneath Charlotte's dignity. Keith also said, "Ms. Russell, let's head back."
Charlotte wanted to leave, but she stood frozen in place.
She stared at Frederick.
The girl next to Frederick, full of herself, said, "This Mrs. Hawkins is really funny. She can't control her husband but still wants to save face."
Lester panicked.
Charlotte's temper was not something to be trifled with.
Charlotte still went in. She held her six-month pregnant belly and walked gracefully to the girl, smiling faintly. "You're a student at North Art University, right? At such a young age, instead of honing your skills, you're out here drinking with men. Do you believe that with just one word from me, you won't have any performance opportunities after graduation?"
The girl didn't believe her, thinking Frederick would protect her.
But after waiting for a long time, Frederick remained indifferent and didn't intervene.
The girl's smile froze.
Charlotte didn't feel she won because she knew exactly what Frederick used to be like.
He never liked girls like that.
He was just deliberately making her uncomfortable.
Finally, Frederick moved.
He looked at Keith's hand on Charlotte's shoulder and said lightly but firmly, "I'll take you home."
With that, he grabbed Charlotte's hand.
To ease the tension, Lester said, "See, Frederick and Charlotte are very much in love."
The girl felt embarrassed.
But Charlotte felt even more humiliated.
She didn't speak to Frederick the entire ride in the black car, turning her face to look out the window.
The night was pitch black.
The darkness, like a winged monster, swallowed everything, including their past feelings.
Frederick received a call in the car; it was from Patrick, who angrily scolded Frederick, presumably aware of what had happened at the club.
Frederick responded nonchalantly to his father, casting a deep glance at Charlotte.
Half an hour later, the car stopped inside the villa.
Frederick got out, opened Charlotte's door, and gestured for her to get out.
Charlotte slowly raised her eyes.
Her gaze was moist and tired.
Frederick simply picked her up and carried her into the villa's main hall, then up to the master bedroom on the second floor.
She was pregnant.
He wasn't rough; he just pressed her down at the foot of the bed, quickly stripping off her coat. Underneath, she wore a thin red wool dress with a V-neck, highlighting her fair and tender skin.
After a moment of confusion, Charlotte began to resist. "Frederick, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to sleep with you."
He threw down a stack of photos, scattering them around her face.
Each one was of him, in different settings, but mostly at social events.
The edges of the photos were sharp, cutting her delicate face.
But Charlotte didn't feel the pain.
He had always known, so he deliberately stayed out and didn't come home.
He resisted this marriage.
"There are many more! Mrs. Hawkins, you had someone follow me and take these photos. Isn't this what you wanted to see? Now that you looked them, why are you crying instead of being happy?"
Frederick started unbuttoning his shirt, his long fingers moving slowly, one button at a time, letting her see his muscles.
Charlotte cried out in fear, "Frederick, I'm pregnant."
"Six months is fine. I heard women feel different when they're pregnant. I really wanna try it, and you can see if I'm better than before."
He said filthy things as he quickly took her.
It hurt.
Charlotte's face turned pale. She clutched the bedsheets tightly, enduring wave after wave of his anger. Her eyebrows, due to the excitement, faintly quivered, making her look very enticing.
Frederick gently caressed that spot, his voice low and hoarse. "Crying out like this under me, and you say you don't want it?"
Charlotte couldn't speak.
Hot sweat dripped down, making her body tremble. She couldn't help but cling to his shoulders.
"Frederick, you bastard. Frederick, let me go."
'Frederick, do you know how much I miss you.'
After the passion, Charlotte soaked in the bathtub for a long time, until her skin turned a light pink. She then got up, put on a bathrobe, and walked back to the master bedroom.
In the master bedroom, Frederick stood by the window smoking, the room filled with a faint scent of tobacco.
He was still wearing the same clothes, which were just slightly wrinkled.
This reminded Charlotte of the recent encounter. She had been disheveled, while he remained mostly dressed, only removing his shirt and belt.
She felt somewhat humiliated.
This kind of marital intimacy was not as close as their first time.
There was little emotion, just his emotional outburst.
Charlotte quietly stared at him for a long time, and then walked to the vanity to take care of her skin. No matter what happened over the years, she never neglected this routine, so her skin remained soft and tender.
The night was cool, and the wind blew into the bedroom, making Charlotte sneeze.
Frederick heard the sound, put out his cigarette, and closed the window.
He watched Charlotte.
She was taking care of her skin, lightly opening her bathrobe to apply lotion.
From behind, her shoulders were thin and white, her legs slender, not showing any signs of pregnancy. Perhaps because she had been loved by a man, her whole body had a light pink hue, very enticing.
In fact, he had just had a very good experience with her body.
She was pregnant. So, he restrained himself and only did it twice.
In Frederick's memory, this counted as his first time, and it felt very good, especially when she cried and said no, which made him want to continue teasing her.
He thought their marital quality should be quite good.
Men were sensory creatures, after all; sometimes sex was more important than feelings.
Frederick didn't think of himself as a bad guy. Having tasted her once, he wanted more, but he knew that to make a woman willingly be with him, he had to put in some effort.
For example, if he never came home, she wouldn't give him a good face.
Frederick leaned against the wall, his voice slightly deep. "I remember Keith worked for me."
Charlotte paused.
After a moment, she smiled faintly. "Yes, do you want to transfer him?"
Frederick felt quite proud. He could easily transfer Keith, but that would make him seem too concerned about Charlotte, so he snorted lightly. "You're used to him; I won't take away what you like."
Charlotte continued applying her lotion.
The bedroom was quiet.
After a long time, Frederick suddenly spoke, "I'll move back in tomorrow."
Charlotte put down her bottles and jars, lightly closed her bathrobe, and turned to look at him.
Frederick didn't explain.
The next day, he really moved back in with one suitcase, containing two sets of everyday suits.
In the evening, he went straight to the study after coming home.
Frederick was very busy.
Charlotte opened the suitcase, looking at the sparse belongings, and smiled faintly.
He wasn't moving back to live; he just wanted a free, long-term bed partner. Perhaps he had enjoyed it last time, so he came back for more.
But when a man took the initiative to come home, a woman had no reason to kick him out.
Charlotte hung up the suits and slowly went downstairs.
Dana was setting the table. Seeing Charlotte come down, she said happily, "Frederick is back home, so we all chipped in to add a few dishes. Charlotte, please don't mind."
Charlotte looked at the dishes.
There were a few quite expensive ones, just the ingredients costing several thousand dollars.
She smiled slightly, thanked Dana, and planned to reimburse them later. They were all working people with fixed monthly salaries.
She asked Dana to go upstairs and call Frederick for dinner.
Dana went up and quickly came back down, looking a bit uneasy. "Charlotte, Frederick said he has a flight at ten tonight and doesn't have time to eat."
He was going on a business trip.
So that suitcase was for the trip.
Charlotte lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. "It's okay; you all sit down and eat together."
She still went upstairs, like all dutiful wives, to help him pack his luggage. Finally, she knocked on the study door. "Frederick, are you going on a business trip?"
Frederick finished sending his last email.
He nodded. "Yes, it will take about three days."
He packed his briefcase, looked at Charlotte's belly. "Are you going to be okay?"
Charlotte smiled faintly. "I should be fine."
Frederick nodded. He made a call while grabbing his luggage and left efficiently for his trip.
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