Chapter 398 I Don't Do Sleepovers
Charlotte was like, "Yeah, sure, I'll help you out," but deep down, she really didn't want to deal with Tina. After a few quick words, she basically shooed her away.
Tina left, totally pissed off.
Sitting in her car, she was stewing. Even if she snagged a spot in the Carter family, she still felt that something was missing. A kid! But she couldn't have kids anymore, especially not Landon's. So, having a kid with her own blood was a big deal.
Tina zoned out for a bit, thinking about the daughter she ditched years ago. Yep, she needed to get her back.
She sped off in her red sports car.
Up on the second floor, Charlotte was by the window in the flower room, just watching. Her face was like a blank slate.
She didn't hate Tina; she was just grossed out by her. She could play Tina like a fiddle, just like Tina had done to her before. This time, Charlotte was the one setting the trap, and Tina was just a pawn.
Tina rolled up to an orphanage. The director, Wendy White, met her. In Wendy's tiny, plain office, she poured Tina a glass of water and sat down, looking kinda stressed. "Miss Anderson, here to see the kid today?"
Tina was on edge. "I wanna take her away!"
Wendy didn't say a word.
Tina, not picking up on the vibe, kept going, "I messed up. I wanna give her the life she deserves. I'll treat her like a princess! Wendy, hand her over, and I'll donate $500,000 to the orphanage. That should cover the kids for two years."
Wendy's lips quivered a bit.
Tina's heart dropped. "Where's my kid?"
"Someone adopted her."
"Who? Get her back now. She's my kid; you can't just give her away!"
Wendy finally chilled out. She adjusted her thick glasses and spoke slowly, "When you dumped her here, we shouldn't have taken her, but you insisted! We signed an agreement that if a good couple wanted to adopt, she could go to a new family."
Wendy pulled out the agreement.
Tina stared at it. Yeah, she had signed it. But who cared? The kid was hers; no one else had the right to her. Tina ripped up the agreement. She sneered, "I'll give you two million bucks; give me my kid!"
Wendy watched her lose it in silence. When the agreement was in shreds, she said softly, "We can't get her back. The couple's from abroad. They took her overseas six months ago. They're archaeologists. Who knows where they are now?"
Tina slumped in despair. When she looked up, her eyes were bloodshot, and she said with trembling lips, "I'll sue you!"
Wendy looked sorry. After Tina left, she made a call. When it connected, Wendy's tone was gentle. "Mrs. Hawkins, I did what you asked! Yeah, someone like her shouldn't raise a kid. And thanks for the $5 million donation and the new house for the kids."
On the other end, Charlotte smiled a bit. She said, "Don't worry about the lawsuit. Just take good care of the kids." She hung up.
Charlotte was still by the window. Dana brought her a cup of hot milk and whispered, "Frederick called and said you should drink the milk and get some rest."
Charlotte smiled faintly. "Frederick treats me like a kid."
She'd always been independent and knew how to take care of herself.
No matter how swamped Frederick got, he always found time to call home seven or eight times a day, just to check in. It might seem like overkill, but Charlotte thought it was sweet.
Meanwhile, Tina was throwing money around trying to find the kid, but no luck. She was super bummed out.
That night, she showed up at Landon's apartment. When he opened the door, his hair was still wet, and he was in a bathrobe, fresh out of the shower. The place reeked of some woman's perfume.
Sure enough, a tall girl strutted out of the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, and hugged Landon from behind. She shot Tina a dirty look. "Landon, who's this old lady?"
Tina's face darkened. She was in her early thirties, not old!
Landon just patted the girl's butt and said, "Go home! I'll call you next time!" The girl smiled, got dressed, grabbed her bag, and gave Landon a kiss before leaving.
Even if Tina was pretty chill, this was too much. She stormed into the apartment and snapped, "Landon, can't you go a day without a woman?"
Landon barely looked at her. He plopped down on the sofa, legs spread, lit a cigarette, and said, "Yeah, I can't. What do you want from me? I'm just a player, not inheriting any family business. If you wanna leave, the door's right there."
Tina was fuming! She'd bent over backward to please Charlotte and humbled herself before Lily. She even went to the orphanage to get the kid. All the hassle was for him!
She wanted to blow up, but that wouldn't work on Landon. He only cared about having fun with women and couldn't be controlled by them. So she swallowed her anger. "How long are you gonna keep messing around?"
Landon grabbed her arm and gently pulled her onto his lap. His lit cigarette hovered dangerously close to her cheek.
Tina got unusually excited. She'd been with many men, but none got her going like Landon. She felt they were a perfect match.
Tina was a woman with needs, and she quickly got proactive. Clothes started flying off. She hugged the young, handsome man, kissing him passionately. In the heat of the moment, she caressed his chiseled features and whispered, "Landon, you're amazing!"
Landon looked at the woman in his arms, a barely noticeable cold smile in his eyes. But the sexual encounters continued.
Afterward, Tina gently stroked his face. She whispered, "Landon, I get it. You're young and wanna have fun."
Landon lit another cigarette, exhaled smoke, and sneered. "You don't wanna marry me, do you?"
"Why not?" Tina looked up. "Let's get married! I'll give you all the freedom you want."
Landon pushed her away, tightened his bathrobe, and restrained his desire. "What if I say I want a marriage based on loyalty?"
Just like Frederick and Charlotte! No matter how much temptation came their way, they never gave in. They had high expectations for themselves and each other. They weren't just coasting.
Tina didn't get any of this. She thought someone like Landon wanted freedom in marriage. So she just nodded along, not taking him seriously.
She brought up another matter. Landon glanced at her and said, "This time, the stakes are high. Lots of people are betting on Brian. The club's planning to put me in the top spot."
In other words, betting on him was a sure win.
Tina was still on the fence. "Is it reliable?"
Landon blew out a puff of smoke and smirked. "If you're scared of losing money, don't play. Easiest way to stay safe."
Tina felt a bit embarrassed.
Landon nudged her with his foot. "Time to go! I don't do sleepovers."
Tina thought he was heartless. But she knew, given their current situation, she wasn't in a position to stay the night. But whatever, once she got Matthew's approval, she'd have no problem getting into the Carter family.
Tina left.
Landon took another shower to wash off the scent of the woman. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping his drink. Over the years, he'd played women like a fiddle. Tina might be a player too, but she was no match for him. In the game of love, whoever took it seriously lost—whether it was emotions or the body.
The next evening, Tina waited in her car outside the Hughes family mansion for half an hour before Charlotte showed up. A black car pulled up, and a bodyguard opened the door. Charlotte stepped out gracefully, rocking a low-key black feather couture dress and a full set of jewelry, looking super elegant. Her posture was so good you couldn't even tell she was pregnant.
Feeling a bit competitive, Tina suddenly thought her million-dollar jewelry seemed kinda lame. Though she felt uneasy, she still complimented, "Charlotte, you look stunning tonight."
Charlotte glanced at her, knowing exactly what Tina was thinking, and just smiled lightly. "It's for Celine's sake!" With that, she went inside with Jenna.
Charlotte was tight with the Hughes family, so she didn't need an invite to get in. Tina followed behind. The moment she stepped inside, she felt what it meant to be in a top-tier family. Charlotte could do whatever she wanted because of her status!
Inside, it was buzzing. The ladies saw Tina trailing Charlotte and knew Tina had latched onto her. Charlotte moved gracefully among them. Someone greeted Laura, and Charlotte chatted with them for a bit.
After a bit of socializing, Charlotte noticed two men ahead and turned to Tina, saying, "That's Matthew from Bostan."
Tina saw him too but didn't expect Landon to be at the party as well. Tonight, he was dressed to the nines, his usual carefree attitude toned down, exuding an elite vibe that made Tina's heart race. She knew she was right about him.
Matthew had a lot of business dealings with Brian's dad. Charlotte, being Charles's goddaughter, naturally knew him. Matthew looked at Charlotte warmly. "Charlotte, you're here too! I heard from Sawyer that you're pregnant. Didn't expect you to come to the event. How are you feeling? Sawyer's really concerned about you!"
Charlotte smiled lightly. "I'm doing well!"
Matthew exchanged a few more pleasantries, then turned to Landon. "This is Charles's goddaughter. She's a whiz at business. You could learn a thing or two from her. Don't spend all your time with women; it'll ruin you!"
Landon's gaze deepened. He smiled nonchalantly. "Even if I wanted to learn, Charlotte might not be willing to teach!"
Such provocative words, how could Charlotte not get it? She smiled calmly and turned to introduce Tina to Matthew. "Matthew, this is Tina, my college classmate. She's now in the film industry and doing quite well!"
Tina was relatively unknown. Someone of Matthew's status wouldn't normally bother with her. But he gave Charlotte face and shook hands with Tina.
Charlotte added, "She's Landon's girlfriend now."
Matthew raised an eyebrow, surprised. Tina looked like she was in her early thirties, while Landon was only in his twenties. He didn't like it and gave a faint smile to show his disapproval.
Tina felt a wave of anxiety.
But Charlotte just smiled lightly. "Landon's young and wild. He's had a lot of girlfriends, so Tina's been through a lot!"
Matthew relaxed a bit. One of many girlfriends? That was fine.
Tina was struggling to find a way to prove herself, but luckily, Charlotte was there to help. Charlotte chatted with Matthew, very thoughtfully. "Tina's planning to shoot a commercial film with a racing theme and wants Landon to be the lead. Matthew, I think this market has great potential; I'm even considering investing."
Matthew, having lost his son, valued Landon highly. Landon wasn't keen on business, so it was good for him to settle down temporarily.
Matthew's expression softened, and he patted Charlotte's shoulder. "Charlotte, I'm grateful for everything you've done for Landon."
Charlotte smiled lightly. "It's all thanks to Tina!"
Tina, being praised, smiled appropriately.
Matthew finally looked at her seriously and casually asked, "When do you plan to start shooting? You must ensure safety."
In front of Matthew, Charlotte elevated Tina's status with just a few words. This movie had to be made. If it succeeded, she would have a chance to marry into the Carter family. But Tina was reluctant to spend her own money; the startup capital was at least $300 million. What if it didn't make money?
Tina thought she needed to make money from the racing club. She looked at Matthew and smiled lightly. "We'll start next year!"
"That's great!" Matthew was pleased and praised, "You're quite capable."
Charlotte followed up, "Tina is very capable and genuinely cares for Landon. Matthew, you can't separate them."
Matthew was very shrewd. He didn't think much of Tina, but he wanted her to invest and work hard, so he smiled. "As long as Landon likes her, it's fine! Don't worry, Charlotte. I'm very open-minded."
Charlotte smiled slightly.
Tina, standing beside her, saw everything clearly. She knew that with Charlotte's connection, the Carter family would see her differently. It seemed she needed to adjust her strategy! Charlotte was very valuable and would be useful in many ways; she couldn't afford to offend her!
At the same time, she decided to take a gamble. To make the movie, she had to secure the funds!
Charlotte left the party early. Matthew asked Landon to see her off, which was exactly what he wanted; he had something to ask Charlotte.
Jenna followed closely. When they reached the first floor of the mansion, a black car was already parked there, and the driver stood by the car.
Charlotte guessed that Landon had something to say. She told Jenna, "You get in the car first."
Jenna glanced at Landon, smiled lightly, and got into the car.
Landon stood in the dark, looking at the woman opposite him. She was already wearing a warm coat, covering her beautiful dress but not her strikingly beautiful face. Charlotte was indeed beautiful, but her most attractive feature was her aura. That mature womanly charm was something young girls didn't have. And she was clean.
Landon dismissed his thoughts, took out a cigarette, but then remembered Charlotte was pregnant and crushed it into pieces. He asked irritably, "I did what you said. When will you do your part?"
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