Chapter 336 Do You Like Benjamin?
"No need," Daphne said calmly.
Lydia didn't get it; she just wanted someone to help her yell at Charles. "Why not?"
"Most people online just want to have fun. Handle your own stuff." Daphne patted Lydia's head. "No need to make a big deal out of it."
Lydia's mind raced. She got the point but still felt emotional.
"I'll make a call." Daphne glanced at Alexander, who was still upset, and whispered to Lydia, "Calm Dad down."
"Okay." Lydia nodded.
After ruffling Lydia's hair, Daphne went upstairs to call Charles.
"Daphne." Charles's tone changed immediately, unlike his cold demeanor in the video.
Daphne pinched her nose, looking conflicted. "Why did you post that video?"
"I hate seeing people insult you," Charles said seriously. "I want everyone to know you're great and that I messed up."
Admitting mistakes was what good kids do, as Daphne always said.
"Stop posting random stuff online." Daphne reminded him, considering his memory loss. "You're a Lancelot Group rep. Everything you do gets magnified. Got it?"
Charles replied obediently, "I'll listen to you."
Charles didn't let the conversation end. "Daphne, does Grandpa really like playing chess?"
"Yes." Daphne nodded. "Why?"
"I'm not good at it. I'm afraid I'll mess up."
"It's okay. Just tell Uncle Hayden, and he'll help you out."
"He suggested I use a phone app to cheat."
Marcus would definitely notice if he cheated too often.
"Just chat with Grandpa Marcus today or do something else." Daphne didn't want to upset Marcus. "Tomorrow, go to Mark's place and get some gear. He'll teach you."
"Okay." Charles agreed quickly.
"I have other things to do, so I'll hang up now." Daphne didn't plan to talk long. "Behave at home."
Charles nodded. "Mm-hmm!"
Daphne gave a faint "mm" and hung up.
Charles's obedient face turned cold after the beep, his smile fading, showing his unhappiness.
"You've mastered changing your expression," Hayden said casually. "What, Daphne didn't want to talk to you?"
"None of your business." Charles liked Hayden less and less.
Hayden showed him the phone screen with the recording, holding Charles in check. "Do you still need me to manage you now?"
Charles wondered if Hayden was his nemesis! From the first call, they had been at odds.
"Hayden, does your wife know how despicable you are?" Charles took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"You change your face so quickly," Hayden replied calmly. "Does Daphne know?"
Charles's face darkened. "What do you want?"
"A father just wants to chat with his son. Why act like I want to make you dead?" Hayden said calmly, sitting next to him.
Charles resisted. The last place he wanted to be was near Hayden.
"What do you want to talk about?" Charles asked.
"Your mom wants to chat. She asked me to call you over," Hayden said. He had already dealt with the online video. "You should know what to say and what not to say."
Charles was about to retort when Hayden added, "If you say something wrong on purpose, not only I but even Daphne won't forgive you. She has a good relationship with your mom."
Every time, Hayden used Daphne to corner him. He better not let him catch any dirt on him.
Reluctantly, Charles went with Hayden.
With Charles's video posted, the online discussion gradually died down, showing everyone the incident was fake.
In the following days, other news overshadowed it. Although some people still chatted about it, Charles was no longer in the headlines.
Only one day left until Christmas.
As promised to Benjamin, Daphne dressed up early in the morning. When Alexander saw her, he paused. "Daphne, where are you going?"
"Pretending to be Benjamin's girlfriend to meet his parents," Daphne explained. She had mentioned this to Alexander before.
Should he tell Daphne that when a man asks someone to pretend to be his girlfriend, he probably really likes her?
"What's wrong?" Daphne noticed his prolonged silence and complex expression.
"Do you like Benjamin?" Alexander probed. "In a romantic way."
Daphne thought carefully. She trusted and admired Benjamin. But romantically, not really.
The only time she felt differently about Benjamin was at the masked ball, where his appearance and demeanor amazed her.
Although it felt a bit strange, it hadn't reached the level of love.
"No," she answered. "He's a very good friend of ours."
Alexander hesitated. In that case, wasn't Benjamin's effort in vain?
"If there's nothing else, I'll head out." Daphne applied light makeup. Even if it was a pretense, she had to look presentable. "Benjamin is already here. I'll wait for him outside."
"Okay." Alexander didn't interfere further.
Ten minutes later, Benjamin arrived in his SUV.
Seeing Daphne in a mid-length white coat, he got out and put his scarf on her, then held her hand. "Come on, get in the car."
"Benjamin, this..." Daphne tried to return the scarf to him.
"Keep it on." Benjamin noticed her ears were red from the cold. After closing the car door, he got in on the driver's side. "I'm not cold."
The car drove forward. On the way, Daphne took the scarf off her neck.
Although it was warm, she usually dressed simply. She'd return it to Benjamin when they got out.
Benjamin, wearing a black coat, saw her actions out of the corner of his eye and smiled helplessly.
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