Chapter 858: Hannah Misses Charles
Hannah was zoning out at her desk, lost in her thoughts.
It’s a thirteen-hour haul from Country D to Sunset Bay. If Charles took off in the morning, he’d be rolling into Sunset Bay by 10 p.m., no doubt.
She clutched her phone, hesitating like forever.
Should she shoot Charles a message? Even if she didn’t grill him on why he suddenly bounced back to Sunset Bay, she could at least check in on his health.
Yeah, even if it’s just a worker showing some love to the boss, it’d be a nice move. After a bit of chit-chat, she could sneak in a question about why he went back and when he’s coming back. Maybe there’s some big deal at home he had to handle!
After hyping herself up for what felt like ages, Hannah finally got the guts to open Facebook. She kept tweaking her message, and after making sure it was just right, she read it over a bunch of times before hitting send.
Hannah: [Mr. Watson, Wyatt told me you went back to Sunset Bay! How are you feeling? Don’t forget to take your meds when you get there. If you’re feeling worse, you gotta hit up the hospital.]
Knowing Charles wouldn’t see it right away and wouldn’t reply, Hannah shoved her phone back in her pocket.
Sunset Bay.
After getting off the plane, Charles didn’t flip his phone on right away.
Nah, to be real, he didn’t wanna turn it on. Call it dodging or just being chicken, but right now, he didn’t wanna see anything about Hannah. He needed some chill time to get his head straight.
Charles stood there for a sec, then flagged down a cab and headed straight to Sunshine Manor.
Sunshine Manor had been revamped three times in the last twenty years. It just got another full makeover recently, with everything inside being the latest, priciest, and top-notch.
It was dinner time. Charles, Martin, Fannie, Randy, Maria, and Declan were all home. Fannie was chilling next to her hubby, Elijah Clark, the big shot actor. Randy was next to his fiancée, Andrea Nelson. Everyone was munching away. When they saw someone walk in, they thought they were tripping and rubbed their eyes hard.
Charles raised an eyebrow coolly, “Surprised?”
Everyone then realized they weren’t seeing things; Charles was really back. Fannie squealed with excitement, dropped her fork, and ran to Charles, hugging his neck and spinning around.
Fannie asked, “Charles Watson, why are you back? Why didn’t you give us a heads-up! I missed you so much.” When she got hyped, she’d call Charles by his full name. She rushed over so fast that Charles stumbled back a couple of steps and almost ate it.
Charles replied, “Fannie, you’re twenty-seven already! When are you gonna grow up? You’re still acting like a kid.”
Fannie didn’t care; she was just super happy, “What’s wrong with being twenty-seven? Twenty-seven is still young.”
Charles rolled his eyes at her. Even though he said that, he was genuinely happy and reached out to mess up her hair.
Although Maria was younger than Fannie, their personalities were the same when they were kids. But as they got older, Maria became more mature and steady. Maybe it was because of her job. Jewelry design and carving need more patience and attention to detail than most gigs. So Maria’s vibe gradually became more chill.
Except for Martin, who was still sitting at the head of the table, everyone else came over.
Patricia kept peeking behind Charles, "Why are you solo? Where’s your girl? I asked Stella, and she said your girl’s name is Hannah, her bunkmate! You two hooked up thanks to her."
Even though Patricia was pushing fifty, she kept herself looking sharp, still rocking that elegance and charm.
Charles didn’t see Patricia bringing up Hannah coming, and his eyebrows twitched a bit. He didn’t wanna dive into anything Hannah-related, so he switched gears, "Why’s everyone home today?"
Usually, the five of them, except him who was chilling in Country D, were always jet-setting around. They’d crash at home for a bit, but having everyone together was rare. It was the first time in years they were all under one roof.
Fannie piped up, "It’s all because of you!"
Charles raised an eyebrow, "Me? What’s that got to do with me?"
Fannie explained, "Mom told us you’ve got a girlfriend! We got so hyped that we all rushed back, planning to fly to Country D tomorrow to meet her."
Charles was a bit thrown.
Fannie was still buzzing, "Charles, spill the tea, how’s it going with your girl? Where is she? Why didn’t she come back with you? Did you come back to prep for the wedding? Are you hitched? When are you having kids?"
She fired off a bunch of questions.
The more she asked, the more Charles’ brows knitted together.
Patricia jumped in, "Yeah, where is she? Why didn’t she come back with you?"
Charles sighed, "She’s not my girlfriend; she’s just my secretary! She was interning at my company during her break. I was sick yesterday, and as my secretary, it was normal for her to take me to the hospital. It wasn’t because she’s my girlfriend."
Fannie let out a disappointed, "She’s not your girlfriend!"
Charles stressed, "Right, she’s not my girlfriend! Stella just thinks we’d be a good match and wants us to be together! She already has a fiancé! You all know her fiancé."
Fannie’s eyes went wide, "We know him?"
Charles said, "It’s Austin! She’s Austin’s fiancée, so stop saying she’s my girlfriend! It’d be bad if Austin got the wrong idea."
Hearing that Hannah was Austin’s fiancée, Patricia’s hopes were dashed again.
Patricia said, "Look, even Austin’s got a fiancée, and you’re still flying solo. What’s your plan? You really gonna stay single forever?"
Charles shot her a look, "Maria and Declan are still single too!"
Maria and Declan were caught off guard.
Patricia snapped, "They’re only twenty-two. How old are you? Can you compare yourself to them?"
Charles had come back to clear his head, but he didn’t expect them to keep harping on about Hannah, which was getting on his nerves. He pushed past them and headed upstairs.
Patricia chased after him, "Where are you going? Aren’t you gonna eat?"
Charles said, "I ate on the plane! I’m beat and need to crash!"
Patricia was a bit thrown. Everyone was a bit puzzled.
Back in his room, to avoid any more interruptions, Charles locked the door from the inside.
Since the house had just been redone, his bed had a brand-new comforter. After a shower, Charles lay down to rest.
He lay down, but his mind was racing, filled with chaotic thoughts. He couldn’t sleep.
Since Charles left, Hannah had been all over the place, constantly checking her phone. Seeing no new messages, she’d put it back in her pocket, bummed out.
She didn’t know what was up with her.
All day, she was thinking about Charles.
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