Chapter 286 You Said You Wanted to Be a Good Husband
Charlotte tapped his phone with her slender fingers.
Brenda's number got the boot from Frederick's contacts.
After that, she couldn't help but feel a bit off, and it showed when Frederick tried to chat.
It wasn't until they pulled up to the villa.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, turned to her, and asked gently, "Why so quiet?"
Guys loved to compare.
Frederick thought for a moment and then asked, "Did I make you uncomfortable just now?"
Charlotte shook her head slightly.
She opened the car door and got out, changing the subject. "Dad and the others are waiting for us."
After just a couple of steps, Frederick grabbed her hand from behind.
She fell into his arms.
Light snow started falling.
It dampened their coats, but neither cared. On such a cold night, a hug like this was rare.
"Charlotte. Maybe I can be a good husband." he whispered in her ear.
He let go of his old grudges and wanted to truly accept her.
Whether it was a man's desire or her good nature, he felt she was a great lover, wife, and mother.
Charlotte leaned on his shoulder and asked softly, "Really? Frederick, what do you like about me?"
Frederick lazily patted her. "I'll tell you tonight."
Charlotte muttered, "It's too fast!"
Frederick gently stroked her back, one stroke at a time. At this moment, she was very soft, and he was willing to indulge her like this.
At the villa entrance stood Patrick and Andrew.
The two were smoking.
Suddenly, Patrick said, "Do you think those two hugging over there are Frederick and Charlotte?"
Andrew lowered his head to light a cigarette, took a long drag, exuding masculinity.
He looked over. "Obviously."
Patrick got agitated.
He bit his cigarette and walked quickly towards them through the snow, shouting as he walked, "Frederick, are you an idiot? Playing romantic in the snow? You don't care because you're thick-skinned, but Charlotte just had a baby two months ago, and you're making her stand in the snow with you?"
Andrew almost burned himself with his cigarette.
Over there, Charlotte embarrassedly pushed Frederick away. "Dad's coming over."
Frederick also realized it was inappropriate, took off his coat, and draped it over her shoulders, holding her close. "Alright, let's go inside. I told you Dad likes you the most."
As he spoke, Patrick had already arrived.
He had a large black umbrella in his hand, which he directly handed to Charlotte, then started scolding Frederick.
Frederick took a cigarette from his pocket.
In the light snow, he lit it, then glanced at Charlotte with a faint smile.
He had a teasing look.
Honestly, this side of Frederick was very appealing to Charlotte. But with elders around, she was too embarrassed to flirt with him and quickly went into the hall.
Patrick gave Frederick a lecture on postpartum care.
Finally, he waved his hand. "Go take care of Charlotte; I'm tired of seeing you."
Frederick leisurely finished his half-smoked cigarette and went inside.
As soon as he entered, he saw Charlotte had taken off her coat and was drying her hair with a towel.
She was wearing a thin wool dress, looking very gentle, making her skin look especially fair.
Frederick's tone was gentle. "Dinner is in half an hour; go upstairs and take a bath. I'll go check on Kingsley."
Lola held his hand, eager to go. "I'll go with Daddy to see Kingsley."
Frederick bent down, picked up Lola, and kissed her.
Lola wrapped one arm around his neck, extremely happy.
Charlotte looked at the big and small pair, her expression unconsciously gentle.
Laura took the towel from her hand and said softly, "Over time, he will settle down. You two have such deep feelings."
Charlotte softly responded.
Actually, whether he could remember or not wasn't the most important thing.
What mattered was the future.
She went upstairs to take a bath, while the first floor of Hawkins Mansion was bustling. Servants were coming and going, bringing out sumptuous dishes. The hall was steamy, giving a strong sense of the New Year.
Frederick finished checking on Kingsley and came downstairs with Lola.
By then, it was already 7:30 PM.
In the suburbs of Seattle, someone started setting off fireworks.
Lola, wearing a beautiful little dress, ran around Frederick. The handsome man felt soft-hearted and simply picked Lola up again.
When he read financial magazines, he would get distracted and look at that fair little face.
Seeing Lola was like seeing Charlotte.
Lola felt embarrassed being stared at, twisting her fingers. "Daddy, even though you're very handsome, I think Johnny is better looking."
Frederick gave her a light smack on the butt.
Lola felt a bit embarrassed and leaned on his shoulder, acting all coy.
Andrew and Patrick walked in and saw this, their eyes deep.
He and Gavin had never been this close; Gavin was super shy.
Coincidentally, Chloe came downstairs with Gavin.
Lately, she’d been doing well. With her parents' support, she didn’t need to struggle for a living and had long since regained her former glow, with an added touch of womanly charm.
Andrew missed her, but for now, he wasn’t in a position to act on it.
He bent down and said to the two kids, "Come here; I’ve got some gifts for you."
Lola was the first to run over.
Andrew handed her a big box.
Gavin felt a bit shy; he always thought Andrew was strict. Chloe gently patted his shoulder. "Go on."
Gavin mustered up his courage and walked over to Andrew.
"Andrew."
For a moment, the vibe in the hall was super awkward.
Andrew felt a bit awkward, but he still lovingly patted Gavin and handed him a thick wad of cash, his voice hoarse. "You should call me Dad."
Gavin, somewhat understanding, nodded. "Dad."
Lola flew over, her voice crisp. "Andrew is Mommy's uncle, so I call him Andrew, but Andrew and Chloe are a couple and had Gavin, so Gavin should call him Dad."
Andrew patted Lola's head.
Lola pulled Gavin away to unpack the gifts.
Chloe slowly came downstairs.
Andrew took a box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "A New Year's gift for you."
Chloe didn’t want to accept it.
Andrew's gaze was deep. "Take it. I rarely come by, and I have to leave tomorrow morning. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come again."
Chloe reluctantly took the box and opened it.
It was a pearl necklace.
You could tell it was valuable just by looking at it.
She didn’t dare accept it, but Andrew casually said it was nothing.
He didn’t tell her that it was a Devereux family heirloom, something only the wives of the Devereux family could own.
Their future was uncertain.
But this time, he impulsively wanted to give it to her.
There was a subtle undercurrent of emotion in his heart.
Over there, Frederick had been quietly watching.
Unlike Chloe, he immediately recognized the significance of the necklace, but he didn’t say anything. Just then, his phone rang in his pocket.
It was an unfamiliar number.
He frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and answered. As soon as he did, he heard crying. "Mr. Hawkins, please help Brenda. She lost her support and had to go back home to work. Today it snowed, and there are mountains everywhere. She accidentally slipped down a cliff, and now rescue is very difficult. Mr. Hawkins, I know she did wrong and offended Mrs. Hawkins, but the rescue is really hard. Without a helicopter, she might freeze to death there."
"She called you several times, but you didn’t answer."
"Mr. Hawkins, I’m begging you."
The girl named Ella Ross kept crying.
Frederick held the phone.
Frederick didn’t hesitate to agree. He asked for details and said he would handle it.
He hung up the phone and looked up.
Charlotte was standing in the middle of the stairs, looking relaxed after a bath, but her face was pale.
"Are you going out?"
She looked at him quietly, already holding a coat, ready to go out.
Frederick nodded. He whispered, "It's somewhat related to us, Charlotte. I’ll be back after I handle it."
"But the food is ready. Andrew is leaving tomorrow morning."
Charlotte held the handrail and slowly walked down the stairs.
She seemed calm, but only she knew how much her hand was trembling.
Finally, she came up to him. "Let Andrew arrange it. It shouldn’t be hard to pull some strings and get a helicopter."
Frederick looked at Andrew.
Andrew took a slow drag on his cigarette and smiled faintly. "I can help."
He then looked at Charlotte.
Charlotte had a faint smile on her face. "With Andrew's help, you should be able to rest easy. Frederick, you promised me you wouldn’t get involved in Brenda's matters anymore, so leave it to me, okay?"
She wasn’t stupid.
In this world, how could there be such coincidences.
Brenda just wanted to gain his sympathy.
But Brenda was ruthless; she was really willing to put herself at the foot of a mountain. If they couldn’t get a helicopter, she might really freeze to death.
Charlotte didn’t care about Brenda, but she had to consider family harmony.
After she finished speaking, she stared into Frederick's eyes.
Frederick reached out and gently stroked her cheek, his voice still gentle. "Andrew rarely comes by. Have dinner with him. I’ll go and be back by morning."
After he finished speaking, he turned to leave.
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