Chapter 288 You Are Really Something
At night, he took it upon himself to whip up some milk for Lola.
Pushing open the door, Charlotte's face was all calm and serene under the soft glow.
Lola was all snuggled up in her mom's arms, clutching tight, listening to Charlotte read a fairy tale.
Charlotte's voice was super soothing and gentle, with a bit of a raspy edge, which totally took Frederick back to those steamy nights when she was under him, her voice all hoarse, pleading for him to stop.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he gently placed the bottle in Lola's little hands.
Lola grabbed it and started drinking.
After downing more than half, she got all sleepy, her tiny head nodding off.
Charlotte's voice got even softer.
Late at night, she patted Lola's shoulder, humming a lullaby.
Frederick leaned in close and whispered, "She's out cold."
Charlotte carefully laid Lola down and kissed her forehead before slipping off the bed.
She then headed next door to check on Kingsley.
Now Kingsley was sleeping solo in the nursery, with two nannies taking turns on night duty. After checking on him, Charlotte came out, with Frederick trailing right behind her. In the empty hallway, he grabbed her hand and gently pinned her against the wall.
"Charlotte, how long are you gonna keep giving me the cold shoulder? There's nothing going on with her and me!"
Charlotte shoved his shoulder, pushing him away, and walked towards her bedroom.
Frederick grabbed her slender wrist again. "We need to talk!"
Charlotte stopped in her tracks, her slim figure looking even more fragile under the dim light.
In just a few days, she had dropped a lot of weight.
How could she look like a woman who had just popped out a baby two months ago?
Charlotte's voice was a bit raspy. "What do you think we have left to talk about? From the moment Brenda showed up, I made it clear I was not okay with it. If you had any feelings for me, if you really saw me as your wife, you wouldn't have made that call."
With that, she walked straight to her bedroom.
After the faint sound of the door closing, all that remained was Frederick's sense of loss.
The next morning, with only the servants present, Frederick and Charlotte were alone in the dining room.
Dana said with a smile, "Patrick and Laura took the kids out."
Frederick knew his folks were trying to give them some alone time, and he rolled with it. He said to Charlotte, "There's a concert at 2 PM. After you feed Kingsley, wanna go?"
Charlotte quietly ate her meal.
After a moment, she softly said, "I wanna stay home."
Frederick looked at her face. "The snow's stopped outside. Don't you wanna go out and check it out?"
"Not really," she replied.
Frederick was born with a silver spoon, all proud and noble, and was never turned down by a woman.
'This woman is quite a character.' he thought.
He felt all awkward and decided not to push it, planning to head upstairs to check out some cases later.
Just as he was about to get up, his phone buzzed.
It was Brenda.
Frederick stared at it for a while, then glanced at Charlotte, and hung up.
The phone buzzed again.
He hung up again and finally said softly to Charlotte, "Once I'm sure she's not in any danger, I won't contact her again."
Charlotte put down her knife and fork, giving him a quiet look. "How'd she get off your blacklist? Couldn't let go?"
"Charlotte!"
"Frederick, this time she ended up at the bottom of a hill. Next time, she might jump off a building. If you don't answer her calls, she'll have her friends come over to relay messages. Then you'll say it's a matter of life and death again."
Charlotte gave a faint smile. "It could be the thin end of the wedge."
She couldn't be bothered to say more. She got up and went back to her bedroom to read for a bit.
At noon, she skipped lunch with him.
In the afternoon, she hit the basement for some yoga, working up a sweat.
Frederick stood at the door, holding her phone. "You got a call."
Charlotte was stretching her legs. Hearing this, she came over and said thanks.
She saw it was Lily.
Lily had heard some news from somewhere and invited Charlotte out to chill.
Charlotte felt a bit lazy.
Lily leaned on Bradley's shoulder, gently stroking her husband's prominent nose, saying, "It's just some old friends. You're the most successful among us now, with billions in assets, a son and a daughter. Come on; there's even a mysterious person."
Charlotte was amused. "Who is it that's so important?"
Lily wouldn't spill.
Charlotte wiped her sweat with a towel. "Alright. Is it still at that club?"
Lily playfully said yes, then whispered, "Dress up nicely; it will be worth it."
Charlotte couldn't help but laugh.
All these years, having a friend like Lily by her side was great.
She hung up the phone, feeling better.
Frederick, however, was fuming. Although he couldn't hear the voice on the phone clearly, he could more or less guess it was about socializing and networking.
He leaned against the treadmill, all grumpy. "I invited you to a concert, and you didn't have time. But when Lily invites you out for fun, you're available? I wanna go with you."
Charlotte kept running, casually saying, "Lily didn't invite you."
"Take me with you." Charlotte just smiled, the meaning clear.
Frederick stared at her for a few seconds, then turned and left.
Frederick had a bit of a temper too.
At 7 PM, Charlotte headed out.
Frederick suddenly swung open the bedroom door, watching her.
She was rocking a golden sequin dress with thin straps.
No stockings, just her fair legs, slender and straight, with a faint pearly sheen.
Outside, she had on a fur coat and matching high heels.
Tonight, Charlotte looked drop-dead gorgeous.
Frederick's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his voice hoarse and deep. "I'll take you."
"No need. Jared's already waiting."
"Are you sure you wanna dress like that for the party? Charlotte, you have a husband."
Charlotte lowered her eyes and gave a faint smile.
Husband? Did he ever treat her like his wife?
In his heart, she was just a good bed partner, or the perfect daughter-in-law for the Hawkins family.
She turned and left without a second thought.
When she got in the car, Jared couldn't help but praise, "Charlotte, you look absolutely stunning tonight."
Charlotte was absent-minded. "Just for a social event."
Half an hour later, the car pulled up at Serene Oasis.
Pushing open the door to the small banquet hall, she saw that, just like Lily had said, there were a lot of old friends.
It was a good place to kick back and have fun.
Charlotte was in a good mood. She took off her coat and leaned on the sofa in the corner, chatting with Lily.
Even if she kept a low profile, eyes around her were still on her.
They were amazed by her beauty and curious about her marriage with Frederick.
Lily had also heard about Brenda, and she leaned close to Charlotte, whispering, "Why not just kill her?"
Under the luxurious dim light, Charlotte swirled the golden champagne in her flute.
After a while, Charlotte flicked her golden hair and smiled. "Wait until she gets out of the hospital."
At this moment, the vibe was perfect.
Lily was dragged to the restroom by Bradley for some intimacy, leaving Charlotte alone, quite enjoying herself.
"Charlotte."
A tall figure appeared in front of her, the voice familiar.
Charlotte looked up, and it was Ethan.
She hadn't seen him in ages.
Ethan slightly raised his chin. "May I sit?"
The past had long since faded away, and Charlotte was very calm. "Go ahead."
Ethan didn't overstep.
They had known each other for years, liked each other, hurt each other, and now they could sit together and have a drink peacefully. He couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
"Charlotte, are you doing well?"
Charlotte smiled lightly. "Pretty good. Are you married?"
Ethan held out his hands, revealing bare fingers, free of any rings.
Charlotte didn't say anything.
Ethan's voice was hoarse. "I've been swamped with business lately. I heard you weren't doing well. Charlotte, we're not kids anymore, so I'll be straight with you. After all these years, I've had many women, but in the end, I've only ever liked you."
He regretted it deeply.
He truly regretted losing the girl who was willing to cook for him and stick with him through the rough patches.
These years, he had been drifting through life.
And Charlotte, stumbling through her marriage.
Ethan had asked Lily for this chance to meet, and he said, "Frederick lost his memory, didn't he? He forgot he loved you. Charlotte, if it's too hard, consider me. I'm willing to treat Lola and Kingsley as my own kids."
After he finished speaking, he quietly watched her.
Charlotte still leaned against the sofa back, gently swirling her wine.
After a while, she smiled. "Ethan, are you infertile, and that's why you're so fixated on other people's kids? If you can't have kids, see a reproductive specialist, or maybe a neurologist."
What was there to consider between them?
Charlotte's good mood was ruined, and she felt bored. She grabbed her purse and prepared to leave.
Ethan grabbed her hand, which was smooth and tender, like tofu.
Charlotte shook him off. "I shouldn't have said a word to you."
Ethan smiled bitterly.
He was sincere, but he had long lost credibility with Charlotte. Looking at her beautiful face, all his bitterness turned into one sentence. "Charlotte, you've changed a lot."
In his phone's photo album, he still kept that picture.
It showed Charlotte, waiting for him to come back in the dead of night, lying on the dining table with steaming dishes on it.
That was the best relationship he had ever had.
Charlotte didn't want to reminisce with him.
She quickly left and called Lily from the elevator. Lily's voice was trembling, probably from intimacy. "You left? I'll be there in a bit!"
Charlotte was both amused and annoyed.
Stepping out of the club, she realized she had left her fur coat inside.
She rubbed her fair arms, thinking of asking Jared to get it for her. She really didn't want to see Ethan again.
A long leg stepped out of the black Rolls-Royce Phantom.
It wasn't Jared; it was Frederick.
Under the myriad lights, he looked noble and handsome.
Charlotte, slightly tipsy, took a moment to find her voice, speaking coldly, "Why is it you?"
Frederick took off his coat and draped it over her.
Charlotte struggled a bit but was firmly wrapped by him, enveloped in his coat, surrounded by his pleasant pine scent.
He held her tightly, his lips pressed against her earlobe, unwillingly saying, "You're really something, Mrs. Hawkins."
"None of your business. Let go of me."
"I won't let go."
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