Chapter 45: Anna Avoids Charles

Anna mulled it over for a bit. Then she turned to Aurora, "Hey, Aurora, you know Charles better than me. Has he ever been serious about anyone, or is it all just rumors?"

Aurora looked shocked, "Anna, come on, how can a playboy have a real heart?"

She gave a heartfelt warning, "Anya, if you and Charles are just messing around, you better guard your heart."

Right after saying that, Aurora realized Anya could never actually fall for Charles.

Seeing Anna's face, a wild thought hit Aurora. She blurted out, "Anna, could it be that Charles has a thing for you?"

Anna's eye twitched. But she quickly shot it down. "Nah, probably not. I've only known him for like, two weeks."

She rubbed her temples and added, "But Charles has been popping up way too much lately. To avoid drama when I leave, I should probably keep my distance."

Dealing with one Michael was already a nightmare. If she got tangled up with Charles too, she might never leave Crystal City.

Aurora nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good call. If Charles catches feelings, it could get messy when you split."

Anna was stressing about how to dodge Charles when Radiant Life Hospital handed her a golden ticket.

A day ago, a landslide hit the outskirts of a nearby city, causing a ton of injuries. Lots of rescue teams were already on it, but they needed more help. This morning, Radiant Life Hospital urgently called for more medical staff to assist.

When Anna heard the news, she had just arrived at the hospital and jumped at the chance to volunteer.

Meanwhile, Charles had just rolled into Apex Holdings Group when Alice called him back.

At the family house, Alice was in the kitchen prepping lunch. Seeing Charles, she asked, "How long is Anya's lunch break?"

"Two and a half hours." Charles stood at the door, eyeing Alice as she handled a mountain of seafood. "What's up?"

"Bring Anya over for lunch. I'm cooking for you two." She said.

Charles glanced at Cedric, who was chilling with a tablet in the living room, and smirked, "Dad's in for a feast today."

Alice tossed the shrimp in a bowl and asked, "You not planning on having kids?"

Charles raised an innocent eyebrow, "I've only been hitched for two weeks. What's the rush?"

Then he slowly added, "If you really want a grandkid so bad, I can adopt one from an orphanage for you."

Alice slammed the counter in anger, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Charles looked up lazily and said, "Mom, just a heads-up, it's cool to say this to me, but don't bring it up with my wife. It's a bit early to be talking about kids, don't you think?"

She only had one daughter-in-law and naturally wouldn't pressure Anya to have kids. Even without Charles's reminder, Alice wouldn't push Anna either.

Alice glanced at Charles standing in the kitchen doorway, her anger fading, and asked bluntly, "Does Anya not like you?"

Did he really need Alice to tell him that Anna wasn't into him? He already knew.

Charles turned away, ignoring Alice's question, and called Anna.

At the hospital.

Anna was packing her stuff when she got Charles's call, her fingers pausing for a second.

She hit the answer button, and Charles's lazy voice came through, "Hey babe, I'll pick you up for lunch. Mom's cooking for us at the family house."

There was a two-second pause before Anna replied, "Charles, I have to head to the neighboring city for support today. I can't make it. Please let Mom know."

"So suddenly, when are you leaving?" Charles asked.

"At eleven," Anna said.

Charles checked his phone. It was 9:30, so an hour and a half left.

He asked, "Are you coming back to pack clothes?"

"No, I've got spare clothes in the lounge," Anna said.

After that, there was just light breathing on the line. Just as Anna was about to hang up, Charles asked, "Anya, how many days will you be gone?"

Anna pressed her lips, "Not sure yet."

After hanging up, the smile on Charles's face vanished completely. It seemed like she had been deliberately distancing herself from him since yesterday.

Alice naturally overheard the phone conversation. Seeing Charles just standing there, Alice got even more annoyed and said disdainfully, "You're married and still can't keep your wife. You're useless."

He put away his phone and looked at Alice helplessly. "Mom, you can say that behind my back. No need to say it to my face."

Alice shot back, "If I don't say it to your face, how will you know how much I despise you?"

Charles glanced at the half-prepped ingredients in the kitchen and said to Alice, "Mom, just go cook."

Alice took off her apron and tossed it aside. "Cook for what? My daughter-in-law isn't coming. You and your dad can eat whatever. No need for a seafood feast."

Cedric couldn't even focus on his tablet anymore. He quickly got up and came to the kitchen door. He angrily said to Charles, "Go get our daughter-in-law back! Your mom rarely cooks, and now you've ruined it!"

Seeing the identical looks of disdain on Cedric and Alice's faces, Charles genuinely complained, "If it weren't for the paternity test, I'd think my wife was your biological daughter."

Hearing this, Alice retorted, "If Anya were my precious daughter, I'd encourage her to divorce you every day."

Charles couldn't stay in this house any longer, turning around and heading for the exit.

Seeing him walk out without looking back, Cedric asked, "Where are you going?"

Charles answered over his shoulder, "To get your daughter-in-law back."