Chapter 379 I Owe Them Too Much (Part 2)
Andrew's pitch was super tempting, but Chloe was on the fence. If it was just her, she might've gone for it, but she had a kid to think about.
If things went south, it’d be a total facepalm moment.
Andrew got where she was coming from.
He brushed her hair aside and whispered, "We'll chat later! Finish up here and head home early."
He should've bounced after that,
But he hung around a bit longer; it was tough to leave her.
Finally, she got back to the shoot.
Andrew stepped out of the studio, and the wind and rain smacked him in the face.
Nathan wanted to hand over his coat, but Andrew waved him off, "It's not that cold."
Nathan chuckled, "At your age, you should take more care of yourself!"
Nathan realized he goofed.
He opened the car door for Andrew, who brushed the snow off his sweater and said, half-joking, "Yeah, at this age, I still can't give my wife and kid a proper home."
Nathan sighed too.
Back at the studio, Chloe was off her game since Andrew left.
She tried to pull it together and finally wrapped up the commercial, turning down the crew's dinner invite.
Chloe was thinking about Gavin.
She headed back early, wanting to pick Gavin up and take him to her place, but when she got to Frederick's villa, it was late, and it was snowing.
Frederick was on the sofa, glued to his laptop.
Without looking up, he said, "Crash here tonight. Gavin wants to play in the snow; he's been waiting all day."
Chloe looked at her son.
Gavin came over, grabbed her hand, and whispered, "I wanna play with Lola and Johnny."
Chloe always felt guilty, so how could she say no?
She ruffled his hair. "Go ahead! Bundle up."
Gavin nodded and dashed out to play in the snow with Lola and Johnny. Watching the kids have a blast, Chloe's eyes got misty.
At some point, Frederick had stopped working.
He looked up and quietly watched Chloe.
Over the years, Chloe had changed a lot because of her thing with Andrew.
She'd grown up, but Frederick wished she could stay innocent and never know heartache. His eyes landed on her hand.
There was a half-drunk cup of cider!
Frederick's tone was casual. "Did Andrew get that for you?"
Chloe pressed her lips together and stayed quiet.
She was scared Frederick would get mad.
Frederick glanced at her, annoyed by her hesitation. "Weren't you all tough this afternoon? Now you're swayed by a cup of cider?"
Chloe snapped back, "Frederick!"
Frederick, after all, couldn't stay mad at her. He said softly, "If you wanna wait, then wait!"
After that, he went upstairs to be with Charlotte.
Chloe sat alone in the living room.
Holding the cup of cider, she walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The snow outside was coming down hard.
Had Andrew's private jet taken off?
Was he safe?
Now, she even regretted the afternoon's fight. He had come to see her and Gavin whenever he could. If she hadn't thrown a fit, they could've spent more time together.
She hesitated for a long time before making a call.
The phone connected.
Chloe sniffled. "Are you driving back to Copenhagen?"
Andrew responded with a hum.
On the other end, she could hear Nathan and the driver chatting, meaning they were on the road.
Chloe felt bad and said randomly, "Be safe."
Andrew was quiet for a moment before saying, "Take good care of our son. I'll come to see you both whenever I can."
Chloe wanted to say it wasn't necessary.
But she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Charlotte was pregnant and slept a lot.
When Frederick opened the door and came in, she had just woken up, looking all soft and cozy. The warm yellow light made her look even more adorable.
He sat by the bed, and Charlotte didn't move.
She just wrapped an arm around his waist.
Frederick was good-looking and had a nice build, and Charlotte loved holding him.
She spoke softly, "Is Lola playing outside?"
Frederick responded absentmindedly with a hum.
"Chloe will watch over them."
His long fingers gently touched her arm, his voice a bit raspy. "Why are you sleeping without clothes?"
Charlotte's cheeks turned a bit red, not wanting to admit it.
So Frederick reached under the covers. "Let me see for myself."
Charlotte quickly grabbed his hand, but it was too late; he had already touched her down there. Frederick's eyes lit up, and he took his sweet time enjoying the moment. After a bit, he started kissing her.
The bedroom was cozy, and he pulled her out from under the covers.
His gaze was intense, and Charlotte, worried he might be too rough, softly pleaded, "Don't hurt the baby."
Frederick gently touched her belly.
There, their third child was growing. Charlotte's body was in great shape; even after two kids, it wasn't super noticeable. Her skin was still tight, and at nearly four months pregnant, her belly was just slightly rounded.
Young guys might not dig pregnant women.
But for a mature guy like Frederick, a pregnant woman had a special charm.
Especially when she was on the verge of tears after being teased too much.
Long lashes wet with tears, the corners of her eyes pink, it was particularly endearing.
Frederick carefully brought pleasure to her, frequently asking how she felt. Charlotte's lips parted slightly, but she refused to speak. The man leaned close to her ear, teasing in a low voice, "Do you like it that much?"
Charlotte couldn't take it and turned her face away, her cheeks flushed with a captivating red.
He was mindful of her condition and only made love to her gently.
Afterwards, he held her tenderly, whispering sweet nothings.
The vibe was just right.
Frederick's phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number.
He answered it and then walked out of the bedroom to the living room to talk. About two minutes later, Frederick returned and started getting dressed. "I gotta head out for a bit!"
He zipped up his pants quickly.
Charlotte was a bit annoyed. "It's snowing, and you're still going out!"
Frederick leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth, whispering, "It's business. Definitely not another woman. Don't worry."
Charlotte leaned against the headboard, her whole demeanor soft.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him. After a moment, she said, "Frederick, I trust you."
It was such a simple sentence, yet it moved Frederick deeply. He and Charlotte had been through so much to earn such an unreserved statement. He cherished her words and kissed her. "I'll be back before ten! I still need to put you to sleep!"
Charlotte kissed him back.
Frederick reluctantly pulled away, smiling. "If I don't leave now, we'll have to go another round!"
He put on his coat and walked into the wind and snow.
Frederick drove himself.
An hour later, the black Range Rover stopped in front of a dimly lit apartment building.
He got out and slammed the car door.
A man in his early thirties immediately approached, looking like a detective. He reported in a low voice, "Mr. Hawkins, the person was already dead when I arrived, strangled by a rope! You'll see when you go in."
Frederick took out a pack of cigarettes, shaking out two.
The two men lit up and walked into the old building, one after the other.
At the door of apartment 302, the door creaked open, and inside the cramped room, a young man lay on a shabby bed.
He was naked from the waist down.
There were strangulation marks on his neck, and he was clearly dead.
Donovan Morris whispered, "From his body, we can tell he died less than two hours ago. There was intense sexual activity before death."
Frederick put on gloves.
He picked up a work ID from the worn-out desk. It was a 24-year-old male, whose occupation was electrician.
Frederick looked around.
He guessed who did it and knew there would be no bodily fluids left; it would be cleaned up thoroughly. Tina was silencing a witness!
There was $100,000 by the bed.
"Hand it over to Preston Brooks for investigation. Also, check this guy's background and give his family $500,000 in settlement money, but don't say it's from me."
Donovan didn't quite get it.
Frederick didn't need anyone to get it.
He quietly walked out of the suffocating room, the image of the young man's death still lingering in his mind.
He stood in the wind and snow, smoking half a pack of cigarettes.
But it couldn't erase the scent of death from his nose.
It wasn't until he got home, with the warm lights of the villa, that he felt a bit better.
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