Chapter 183 Charlotte Doubts Fannie's Identity
Charles's delicate brows were tightly furrowed. He felt that there was something odd about Charlotte's remarks. Fannie, on the other hand, was a simple soul, and didn’t overthink everything, as she spoke up.
"What do you mean by that? My mommy hasn't done anything wrong, so why does she need to be forgiven? You didn't see anything yourself, how can you say that my mommy did something wrong?"
Fannie’s words illuminated Charlotte’s meaning for Martin. He shot Charlotte a reproachful glance. Turning to see who spoke, Charlotte was taken aback, when she saw Fannie.
While she looked at Fannie, Charlotte felt like the resemblance, to herself as a child, was too striking. She pondered, to herself, could she also be Martin's daughter? Thoughts raced through her mind.
Her mouth opened, and she asked out loud, "Martin, who is this? Is she your daughter too?"
Her question nearly led to a tense drop in temperature in the room. Fannie's birth had always been a thorn in Martin's side; he looked extremely displeased.
Pouting, Fannie said, "I am not his daughter; my daddy is way better than him."
Charlotte stared in disbelief, her eyes darting from Patricia to Fannie, then to Martin, suspicion forming in her mind. If she wasn't his daughter, then why does she look so much like her? Could it be just a coincidence?
No! She couldn't believe such a coincidence was possible. Could it be that there is an unknown secret?
Seeing her silent, Fannie angrily pushed her and said, "You are a wicked woman, you slandered my mom. You’re not welcome here, get out of here now."
Charlotte immediately regained her composure, neither feeling guilty nor panicked, and batted her innocent big eyes, "That's not what I meant, how did you take it that way?"
Patricia was relentless, pressing her for answers, "Then tell me, what do you mean by ‘he will forgive me no matter what I do?’ What have I done? And why would I need his forgiveness? Unknown to others, they might even think I have some sort of relationship with him or that I've done something shameful!"
Charlotte was so upset that she began to cry, "Patricia, I really didn't mean it that way, you've misunderstood me!"
Seeing her crying, Martin couldn't bear it, and spoke up for her, "Charlotte is naive, she speaks without thinking, don't overthink it."
Patricia felt uneasy seeing her cry. Seeing Martin defending her, made it seem more ridiculous to her.
"Patricia, I..." Charlotte, with tears streaming down her face, wanted to say more.
Patricia felt so uncomfortable looking at her, that she really wasn’t bothered about speaking to Martin. "I'm tired, I need to rest. Please go ahead without me!"
Martin, not having received an answer, refused to leave, "You haven't answered my question yet!"
Patricia urged him impatiently, "Alright, go now, we can talk about this later."
Her attitude made Martin anxious. Seeing Patricia's expression, Charles knew something was up and pushed Martin toward the door, "Dad, please leave now, we can talk about it another day."
In the past, Martin would not have left so easily, insisting on getting an answer. But having grown and matured, he was able to temporarily suppress the countless questions in his heart.
"Just remember, we agreed to spend Christmas Eve together with the children the day after tomorrow."
Upon hearing his words, Charlotte's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, a vague glimmer flitting across the depths of her gaze.
"I know!" said Patricia, her voice laced with a hint of impatience. Martin pursed his lips and left with Charlotte.
As soon as they were gone, Patricia turned to Charles, "Help me with something, I..."
Before she finished, Charles already understood her intent, responding with an 'OK' gesture, "I get it, I'll check on Charlotte right away."
Patricia soothingly rubbed his little head, feeling reassured. Even though she knew Martin wouldn't mistakenly identify his sister, she couldn't shake her feelings that something wasn’t quite right.
Charles quickly found his laptop and started to search for information on Charlotte. In no time, her details were fully displayed on the computer screen. This time, it was completely opposite to Hunter. Charlotte's information was very comprehensive.
From her birth to her current return to Ivara City to meet her family, everything was recorded clearly, even when she got sick, when she visited the hospital, and when she was admitted. Everything was meticulously detailed.
Charles let out a long sigh, somewhat helplessly stating, "From this it seems there is nothing suspicious; she really is my detestable father's own sister."
Fannie pursed her lips: "As expected, there are no good people in the Langley family; the jerk of a father is a villain, and his sister is a scheming woman."
Suddenly, both Patricia and Charles, found themselves agreeing with Fannie, unable to contradict her. After discussing Charlotte, Charles brought up Hunter again.
Crossing his arms and glaring at Patricia, he demanded, "Now you can tell me, why haven't you clarified things with Hunter yet? I've told you, he..."
Patricia knew what he was about to say, resignedly responding, "You've misunderstood him. The reason you can't find his information is because it was erased by his stepmother, who is also the Princess of the Country M, Davis Sadie."
"Hmm?" Charles looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue. Patricia explained the whole story to Charles in great detail. After listening, Charles was speechless for a long time.
Fannie's eyes reddened with sympathy, "Poor Hunter, that woman is so cruel, to bully a child without a mother like that."
Patricia sighed, lowering her head, "So, with all the hardships he's faced, how can I bring myself to tell him?"
Charles's emotions were complex, indescribable. "Are you sure those wounds are real?"
Patricia nodded. "I'm a doctor; I would not mistake them. Those are old wounds from childhood, and they've been there for a long time. Not only that, the color and depth of each wound vary. They must have been inflicted over different periods of time."
Hearing this, Charles's suspicions about Hunter decreased significantly, and a sense of sympathy emerged. They might have been fatherless, but their mother had always cherished them, even more than her own her life.
Yet, in the aftermath of losing his mother, having a father was tantamount to being fatherless for Hunter. Living every day in unbearable conditions. It was a tragic situation. And with Davis Sadie's status, she certainly had the power to erase everything.
"Just do as you see fit! But be careful. Don't be fooled and count the cost for someone else."
"I've got it!" Patricia vigorously rubbed his little head. "It's getting late, and you haven't had dinner yet, have you? I'll go make you something to eat—"
...
After Charlotte returned to the Ellenstein Villa District, she immediately locked her room door and took out an old, yellowed photograph from her suitcase. In the picture, a little girl of about five or six years smiles with her round eyes curved into crescent shapes, her mouth open so wide it almost reaches her ears, clearly overjoyed.
The more she looked at it, the more she felt that there was a resemblance. If Fannie were a complete stranger, perhaps she might chalk it up to coincidence. But the thing is, Fannie is Patricia’s daughter.
It was incredibly intriguing, and Charlotte was not someone who would leave any question unanswered. Now that she’s begun to suspect Fannie’s identity, she took the task of getting to the bottom of it, on herself.
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