Chapter 312 I Want You to Know How Awesome I Am
Charlotte hung up the phone and saw Frederick chillin' by the door.
His eyes were soft.
Charlotte waved her phone. "It was Brenda. She's already in Bostan."
Frederick strolled over and gave her a quick nose kiss. "I just fed Kingsley! Doc said we can start giving him some solid food."
Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. "Where's Lola?"
"She's downstairs munching on breakfast!" After that, Frederick leaned in for a kiss. They made out for a while before he gently held her hand. "What kind of wedding do you want?"
Charlotte grinned. "We're already an old married couple. No need for a wedding."
When Charlotte went to freshen up, Frederick sat at the foot of the bed and lit a cigarette, just watching it burn.
He knew Charlotte still had her reservations about their relationship.
She'd made up with him mostly for Lola and Kingsley, which made sense.
But Frederick wanted more. He wanted Charlotte to love him and depend on him.
When Charlotte came out, she saw Frederick smoking.
She was a bit taken aback.
Frederick's blue eyes locked onto her before he reached out. "Come here!"
Charlotte walked over.
He pulled her close, his voice low. "Let's go on a date tonight, Charlotte. I want you to see how awesome I am!"
Charlotte leaned against his chest, gently tracing his features.
It seemed the last incident had really hit him hard!
She agreed to their date that night.
Frederick whispered in her ear, "Tonight, I'm gonna make you cry."
Charlotte's cheeks turned pink. She pulled away and walked out of the bedroom.
Downstairs, Lola was eating. She saw her mom and dad coming down.
Even though they were one after the other, seemed not very close, it felt different from before!
Lola hugged her dad's leg. "Are you gonna live here now?"
Frederick picked her up and kissed her, nodding.
Lola hugged his neck tight.
Charlotte looked at Lola's happy face and smiled softly. She gently held Kingsley, thinking, 'This is probably what family means.'
Frederick was really good to her.
He cut back on his shares in the firm. He rarely went out and spent his free time with her and the kids. He took them on trips, and Lola and Kingsley were growing up great.
Frederick was the perfect husband in everyone's eyes.
Six months later, Charlotte handed the management of Vertex Innovations Group back to him.
She preferred a chill life over a career, mainly because Lola and Kingsley needed her. No matter how many nannies she hired, they couldn't replace parents in a kid's life.
This decision shocked a lot of people.
Because Charlotte had run Vertex Innovations Group like a boss for two years.
Only Lily guessed why.
She set up a meet with Charlotte at their usual coffee spot. When Charlotte rolled in, Lily had to admit, Charlotte was living the dream now.
She held 45% of Vertex Innovations Group's shares, and Kingsley was the heir to the Hawkins Group.
But only Lily had the guts to ask, "Charlotte, did you patch things up with Frederick just for Lola and Kingsley?"
Charlotte gave a faint smile. "Nah, we're doing great now!"
But after saying that, she started stirring her coffee, looking kinda lost.
Over time, she had gotten used to Frederick being around.
She almost forgot he had lost part of his memory.
Their relationship always felt like it was missing something. But Charlotte figured it didn't mess with their day-to-day life.
Frederick had mentioned wanting another kid.
She wasn't down for it.
She knew he was bummed, but he didn't push it!
There wasn't any drama between them, but she could tell their love life wasn't as hot as before. Either he was swamped with work or she was busy with the kids. Sometimes, she'd just crash with Lola.
Charlotte got lost in her thoughts.
Lily gently held her hand and softly asked, "Charlotte, do you still love him?"
Charlotte was a bit spaced out when her phone rang. It was Frederick.
He was probably on his way home from work. Charlotte could hear the traffic. His voice was as gentle as ever. "Just got a call from Dad. He picked up Lola and Kingsley. Where are you? Wanna hit up a concert?"
Charlotte's voice was soft and warm. "Having coffee with Lily."
Frederick was quiet for a sec, then chuckled. "Looks like you don't have time for me! Mrs. Hawkins, I'm feeling a bit neglected!"
Lily quickly mouthed, "You can go; I don't mind!"
But Charlotte felt it had been a while since they hung out.
Charlotte headed back to the villa.
The hall was lit up, and the dining table was set with a fancy dinner, probably whipped up by Frederick.
He was on the sofa, reading a financial report.
He didn't look up when he heard her.
Charlotte took off her coat and sat next to him. "You mad?"
Frederick put down the report, pulled her onto his lap, and while kissing her, his hand slipped under her skirt. His voice was low and husky. "You come home so late! Mrs. Hawkins, you've been ignoring me!"
He was really busy. It had been about ten days since he last touched her.
They got along well. Normally, when Frederick had needs, Charlotte rarely turned him down.
He was getting more and more into it, almost ready to go at it on the sofa. Charlotte stopped him and softly said, "The servants will see."
His handsome nose gently rubbed against her, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. "I gave them the day off! Besides, they're all older women. So what if they know? It's normal for a couple to get it on the sofa once in a while!"
Charlotte couldn't resist his assertiveness.
Later, he carried her upstairs to the bedroom and they went at it several more times until the early morning.
The night was deep.
Charlotte fell asleep, totally wiped out.
Frederick was also beat, but instead of crashing, he found himself wide awake.
When he closed his eyes, he kept seeing that old video of Charlotte.
It wasn't that he was overly lustful and needed his wife to do that; it was just that over time, he could still sense that Charlotte's feelings for him were kinda reserved.
Back then, she had easily forgiven him. They had remarried without throwing another wedding.
This chill life wasn't bad; he knew that 90% of couples in the world lived like this, raising kids together, and occasionally hooking up to burn off some steam.
But the more chill it was, the more empty Frederick felt!
He couldn't figure out if Charlotte still loved him!
He wasn't the type to say "I love you" every day. On her birthday, Valentine's Day, and the kids' birthdays, he'd give gifts and tell Charlotte he loved her.
But she rarely said it back.
Frederick felt like smoking, but he knew Charlotte hated the smell, so he held back.
He lay behind her, gently caressing her body.
Charlotte didn't wake up.
Early in the morning, Charlotte got up super early.
The sofa was a mess with their clothes. She tidied it up.
She didn't want the servants to gossip.
Frederick came downstairs, tying his tie, and smiled at the clean sofa. "Even if the servants saw, they wouldn't say much! You're over 30; why are you still shy like a little girl?"
Charlotte set up breakfast for him.
Frederick hugged her and gave her a light kiss, then said softly, "There's a package for you on the table."
After saying that, he calmly sat down to drink his coffee.
Charlotte glanced at the package.
It was from Boston, containing only a photo of Brenda.
In the photo, Brenda was eight months pregnant, standing by a bookshelf in a library.
The background was a rural elementary school.
Charlotte turned it over to find a letter from Brenda.
[Mrs. Hawkins, thank you for finding me this job. I really like it. Maybe I was born for a place like this. Compared to the past, I feel at peace now. Also, I found my other half. He's a very honest man and a teacher at this school. He's willing to be the father of my child, and we've already gotten married.]
[Thank you so much for giving me a chance.]
[Mrs. Hawkins, you might not know, but when Mr. Hawkins agreed to help me, I had a bit of hope in my heart. Maybe I could use this child to gain Mr. Hawkins' sympathy, maybe I could ruin your relationship. But when Mr. Hawkins' assistant told me that you agreed to help me and give me the best medical care, I cried like a child. I felt like a clown.]
[Goodbye! Take care, and I wish you happiness!]
Charlotte read it several times.
She gently put down the photo.
Frederick guessed, "Is it from her?"
Charlotte nodded. She put the photo back in the envelope and carefully stored it away.
After a while, she spoke, "Brenda got married."
Frederick was quite surprised. He hadn't been in contact with Brenda, so he didn't know. But seeing Charlotte's slightly red eyes, he deliberately tried to make her laugh. "That's why I say a woman's face is still useful. Look, even pregnant, she found a man!"
Charlotte's mood was still a bit heavy. Thinking of Brenda inevitably reminded her of Katherine.
Charlotte thought, 'Brenda and Katherine were different.' The main reason she was willing to let Brenda go was that, apart from that one time trying to please Frederick and scaring Lola, Brenda hadn't actually harmed her.
Charlotte whispered, "But I still can't bring myself to like her!"
Frederick came over and gently hugged her.
He didn't mention Brenda again. He just held her gently and asked softly, "What about me, Charlotte? Do you still like me?"
Charlotte gently hugged his waist.
She sighed softly. "I do."
Frederick reached out to stroke her golden hair. "Alright, don't cry anymore. After breakfast, let's go pick up Lola from school."
On the way to pick up Lola, Charlotte suddenly spoke, "Next week is our school's anniversary. Do you have time?"
Frederick was driving with one hand. He gently held her hand. "I always have time for you, Mrs. Hawkins!"
His time was always Charlotte's.
He would wait for her to say she loved him again!
The golden Bentley slowly pulled into Hawkins Mansion. As soon as they got out of the car, they sensed something was off.
Frederick closed the car door and walked into the hall.
Inside, several police officers were about to ask questions.
"Dad, what's going on?" Frederick frowned.
Patrick sat dejectedly on the sofa and said in a low voice, "Chloe has been kidnapped."
Frederick was stunned for a moment.
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, and finally, he chuckled lightly and said, "Maybe she had a bit to drink and is out somewhere. You know, she's not smart. What value would she have to kidnappers?"
Laura covered her face, crying.
Patrick glared at him. "How can you talk about Chloe like that?"
Several police officers couldn't help but laugh. They shook hands with Frederick. "Mr. Hawkins, we'll notify you as soon as we have any leads."
Frederick nodded politely. "Thank you."
After seeing them off, he sat on the sofa and looked at Charlotte, who had just walked in. He asked slowly, "Charlotte, what kind of person do you think would kidnap Chloe? For money or for something else?"
He clearly knew who it was but deliberately asked her.
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