Chapter 28 Starting Over

No matter what witchcraft I tried, it seemed useless to manipulate him.

Charlie had never treated me kindly.

After going through torment in my previous life, I finally accepted the fact that I was not the one he truly loved.

But Jason was different. He had not been reborn and couldn't possibly understand or accept Lauren's impulsive breakup.

He kept drinking, trying to drown himself in alcohol.

I sat by his side, sympathetically watching him. I wanted to advise him from a god's perspective to agree to the breakup, so as to avoid Charlie's retaliation and a worse fate. But I also felt a bit annoyed.

How did Charlie manage to break them up so quickly?

"Mrs. Harrison, I really love her. I know my family situation is not good, and I'm not worthy of her, but I will try my best..." Jason, a little drunk, began to babble.

I nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"Many people pursued her, but she chose me. I'm really happy. I swear I won't let her regret it. But why did she have a change of heart in the end? What should I do? My heart is in so much pain..." Jason said, his eyes reddened.

It was too pitiful. I quickly pressed Jason's hand, trying to stop him from pouring more alcohol.

"Don't be too sad. What if she hasn't changed her mind? Think about it, that text message can only indicate that someone is pursuing her, but hasn't caught up yet. Otherwise, why would they beg her for a chance?"

Jason shook his head, desolately smiling. "This time it's different. In the past, she would be honest with me and not let me worry too much."

"There must be some reason behind this. She can't tell you, but how about I invite her out for a meal and talk to her?" I consoled Jason.

"Mrs. Harrison, thank you!" Jason squeezed out a smile.

"No need to thank me. We're all friends!" I patted his shoulder.

After a while, Jason became completely unconscious from drinking. I tried to support him as we left. I almost stumbled on the way.

Luckily, Song Garden had a room service for guests. I called a staff member and had them help me bring Jason to the prepared room upstairs. After settling him down, I prepared to leave but heard his phone ringing.

It was Lauren calling, so I had no choice but to answer.

"Jason, where are you?" Lauren sounded a bit anxious.

"Lauren, it's me. Jason is now at Song Garden. You can come find him," I replied.

"Mrs. Harrison? How come..." Lauren sounded confused.

I told her the whole story of meeting Jason. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, "It's all my fault. I have already blocked that man's contact. Tomorrow, I'll change to a new number!"

Silly child, even changing to a new identity wouldn't help, let alone a new number. Charlie has many ways to find you.

I cautiously asked, "Lauren, who is that man? What's his name?"

Lauren hesitated for a moment. "Mrs. Harrison, wait for me to arrive before I say anything."

I wasn't in a hurry and patiently waited for Lauren to come. In the meantime, I sent a message to Charlie, reminding him that my father's birthday was in two days. As usual, he would accompany me back home.

Soon, Lauren rushed over and saw Jason heavily intoxicated. She felt really sorry for him.

With my comforting words, she managed to calm down reluctantly and then said, "Mrs. Harrison, I cannot tell you who that man is. All I can say is that he is a married man. I don't want to get involved with him."

Lauren's eyes were slightly swollen. She must have cried a lot in the past few days.

I asked, "How do you know he's married? Did you check?"

In my previous life, I always used to wonder whether Lauren knew who Charlie's wife was, what her name was, and what she looked like. After all, it wouldn't be that difficult to check.

But Charlie and I rarely took photos together, and I kept a very low profile, rarely appearing publicly. There were only a few real or fake photos of me online.

Lauren wiped away her tears and shook her head. "No, I can't be with him. Why would I check? And besides..."

"And besides what?" I became a little anxious.

"I dare not check. Even though I haven't promised him anything, being pursued by a married man makes me feel disgusted. I know he has a wife. Once I find out who his wife is, I will feel even more guilty. I'll not be able to face it." Lauren said, tears streaming down her face as she spoke.

This reason truly caught me by surprise. She doesn't dare to face it simply because she feels ashamed?

In my previous life, did she also choose to deceive herself for the same reason?

I remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Alright, no matter what choices you make in the future, don't have any regrets."

After saying that, I left. With Lauren taking care of Jason here, it was enough.

When I got home, I was surprised to see Charlie had returned. Elizabeth was pouring him a glass of water.

"Elizabeth, why are you home so early?" I asked while changing my shoes. "You could have counted the half-day off until tomorrow morning."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Madam, it wasn't necessary. I've already taken care of everything at home."

No wonder Lauren called Jason on her own initiative, but I assume Elizabeth played a role in it.

After pouring me a glass of water as well, Elizabeth left the room. It was just Charlie and me sitting face to face in the living room, both drinking water without saying a word for a long time.

"Remember to prepare a gift for my father. It's his birthday after a couple of days," I reminded him.

"My mother said you gave her a pair of bracelets?" Charlie asked in return.

"Yes, doesn't she like collecting those? I happened to have a pair of bracelets that I rarely wear, so I gave them to her," I replied casually.

Charlie's gaze remained locked on my face, seemingly probing for something.

What? He raised his leg, stretched his body, and leaned comfortably on the sofa. His broad arms casually rested on both sides of the sofa as he asked, "What do you want to do? Please my mother?"

I locked eyes with him.

Giving my mother-in-law a bracelet was to win her favor and make her more critical of Lauren in the future. Helping Jason repeatedly was to find psychological balance. Trying to get closer to Dylan was to provoke Charlie.

These were all calculations in my mind. Success or failure didn't matter because I never intended to turn the tables.

"Is it abnormal to please my mother-in-law?" I asked with a clear conscience. "Charlie, you don't have to suspect any tricks from me. You just need to know that if you want a divorce now, I can sign it immediately."

"3% of the shares for you?" Charlie's gaze turned cold.

"Do you still think it's not worth it?" I asked meaningfully.

Charlie squinted his eyes, and I couldn't understand what he felt. After a moment of silence, his response was as usual, "Don't dream."

Did he consider it for a while and realize that Lauren wasn't worth that price? He chased after her for half a month and almost broke up the couple, but he still hadn't made his intentions clear.

"What if I leave with nothing?" I gazed at Charlie, my voice soft.