Chapter 23 The Resolve for a Date

This was an old community in the outskirts of New York, with residential buildings constructed decades ago, next to a large abandoned chemical plant.

Isaac used to work at the chemical plant and got a unit here.

Ten years ago, the plant closed down and was acquired by the Bennett Group, but it has remained idle without any concrete plans. Once there are plans, all the nearby buildings will have to be demolished.

Capitalists always find ways to make profits. Charlie, a natural opportunist, is especially good at calculating. The compensation for relocation that he provided completely falls below the standard line, not even giving an extra penny.

But no one could have expected that he would transform into a philanthropist for the sake of Lauren.

Isaac, as a representative, had expected constant clashes during the discussion with Charlie. However, to his surprise, Charlie was very polite to him and adjusted the compensation standards. Every household received compensation well above the standard.

This move both angered and moved Lauren. She was angry because this whole situation was engineered by Charlie, but she was moved by how much he was willing to sacrifice for her.

I sat in the car, looking up at the lights in the community, my mind filled with thoughts.

In my previous life, when I discovered that Charlie had changed the compensation plan, I had my dad look into it to learn some inside information. However, at that time, I didn't know that Charlie did it for a woman.

Calculating the time, Charlie had just been pursuing Lauren for six months. He went crazy in such a short period of time.

Since I didn't know the specific building and apartment number of Lauren's place, I slowly drove around this small community. It had no walls or security, making it convenient for me to wander around.

Just as I finished a lap, I saw a familiar Bugatti.

Charlie, dressed in all black, leaned against the front of the car. His slender legs casually rested against the body of the car, his head slightly lowered as he smoked.

Luxury car, handsome man, the darkness, and smoke - it felt like a scene from a movie. I imagined myself as Lauren, contemplating. This self-assured man was crazily pursuing me, spending money for me like a knight, willing to conquer anything for me, with only me in his eyes. Besides being beautiful, I didn't have any other remarkable qualities.

Suddenly, I realized that even I wouldn't be able to resist!

Lauren is just innocent, not stupid.

Following Charlie's gaze, I locked onto the window of Lauren's house. Among the buildings, only the first floor had lights on, and there was one light on the fifth floor.

I dialed Charlie's phone.

"What do you want?" Charlie's voice was as indifferent as usual.

"Nothing special, just wanted to see if you would answer my call." I looked through the car window at the man not far away.

As expected, he hung up the call.

I was a little surprised. Under the affectionate gaze of other women downstairs, with his mind occupied by thoughts of how to pursue them, he still had the energy to answer the call from his resentful wife?

After sighing, I drove away.

When I arrived home, the housemaids had just finished cleaning up, and Elizabeth, the last one, seemed to be waiting for me intentionally.

"Madam!" Elizabeth nervously spoke when she saw me.

I carried a pile of food and placed it on the table, gently asking, "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

Elizabeth looked at me anxiously, her face already wrinkled, and said with difficulty, "Today when I was cleaning your bedroom, I accidentally broke a bottle of your skincare product. Please tell me how much it costs, and I will compensate you."

"Which bottle?" I asked.

She quickly took out a package from her pocket, and when she opened it, there were shattered pieces of a bottle. It was a limited edition toner by Jenny Brown, priced at over nine thousand dollars.

Elizabeth's monthly salary was not enough to buy a new bottle.

Looking at her humble appearance, I felt an indescribable feeling inside me. This common woman would become Charlie's mother-in-law in the future. She currently worked tirelessly to earn a few thousand dollars a month, but in the future, she would become an influential figure, all because she gave birth to a beautiful daughter.

Meanwhile, my family had three generations in politics, and the Bennett family had three generations in business. The current wealth and status were accumulated by one generation after another.

"Let it go, I've already used more than half of that bottle anyway. Just be more careful next time." I felt an inexplicable exhaustion and remembered the image of Charlie silently gazing at Lauren's window, giving me a sense of the world's unreality.

Elizabeth expressed gratitude and guilt while repeatedly thanking me. I got up and went upstairs without saying a word to rest.

After taking a shower, I laid in bed with a face mask on, playing with my phone. The bedroom door opened with a sound, and Charlie came back.

"Your parents have already left, no need to keep pretending." I watched Charlie approach and warned in a muffled voice.

"I know." Charlie took out his pajamas from the closet and left without turning back.

I was truly being overimaginative. After sighing softly, I took off the face mask and prepared to rest.

Yolanda's phone call startled me awake. I answered the call in a daze, "Yolanda, what's up?"

"Didn't I tell you about a commercial performance that needs a cellist? Are you going or not?" Yolanda asked loudly.

I suddenly remembered this matter, and my drowsiness instantly vanished. "I'll go!"

Even if there's no payment, it doesn't matter. My aim is not to make money but to enrich myself and embark on my once-dreamed path.

Yolanda cheerfully said, "Alright then, I'll send you the time and address later. Be there on time!"

"Okay," I agreed instantly.

After hanging up the phone, I quickly received the information Yolanda sent. The location was the concert hall of my alma mater, New York University, and the time was three days later.

It would be the first day of school, and this commercial performance was actually a task given by the music department of New York University, open only to graduates of the New York University music program.

It was planned to welcome the incoming freshmen of the music department and allow them to appreciate the charm of music under the influence of their senior music colleagues, thereby embarking on their first lesson in university.

Since graduation, I haven't returned to New York University. I haven't done anything like revisiting the old place or making donations. I've just been revolving around Charlie all day.

This can be considered a new beginning, right? I'm actually quite looking forward to it.

In order to not embarrass my alma mater, I started a three-day intensive practice. Since Charlie was out all night anyway, I started practicing from morning till evening.

I immersed myself in the sound of the cello, and these three days felt very fulfilling. In various pieces, I kept recalling the various experiences of the past life, and it felt like the cello sound had a different flavor to it.

At night, after taking a comfortable shower, I dialed Jason's number.

"Mrs. Harrison!" There was some noise on Jason's side, like he was in a bar.

"Jason, where are you?" I said with a caring tone, like a sister. "School starts tomorrow, why are you at a bar?"

Jason's voice was drowned out by the noisy music, and it was unclear. "Mrs. Harrison, I'm at work right now. I can't talk, I can't hear you clearly!"

I immediately hung up and decided to send a message instead.

Me: Isn't the tuition fee enough? Wasn't there a medical bill a few days ago that you didn't use?

Jason's reply came just in time: My dad didn't have enough for the medical bill, so I transferred the money to him.

Without any further ado, I transferred twenty thousand dollars to him.

I have the determination to pursue a boy, and besides, I have someone as talented as Charlie who has personally demonstrated it to me.