Chapter 876 Charles' Indifference
Stella spotted Charles chilling on the couch and bolted over, throwing her arms around him. "Charles, dude, you're back! I've missed you like crazy."
Randy just stood there, face turning beet red.
He awkwardly tried to scoot away, but Stella clung to his arm, even nuzzling her face against it.
Randy stayed mute.
Stella looked up, grinning, and noticed Charles blushing. Her eyes went wide with surprise.
"Charles, no way! You're blushing! I can't believe it!" Stella squealed.
She waved over to Hannah, "Hannah, get over here! Charles is blushing. Does he do this with you too?"
Hannah, just as shocked, slowly walked over.
When she first came in, she only saw his profile. Now, seeing him head-on, she knew something was off and yanked Stella away from Randy.
"Stella, that's not Charles," Hannah argued.
Stella stumbled a bit, waving her hand dismissively. "No way! How could I mix them up? If he's not Charles, then who is he?"
As soon as she said that, something clicked. Her smile froze, and she blinked, giving Randy a once-over.
The more she looked, the more she realized he wasn't quite Charles.
Randy squirmed under her stare, not knowing what to do with his hands.
After a bit, Stella confidently said, "You're Randy, right?"
The last time she saw Randy, she was just a kid, and her memory was fuzzy.
She knew Charles and Randy were dead ringers for each other, but she'd never seen them together.
Patricia often brought Charles, Fannie, Maria, and Declan over, so she knew them well and had plenty to chat about since they were the same age.
But not Randy.
After meeting him once ages ago, they had zero interaction.
So Stella hadn't seen Randy in forever and barely remembered him.
Randy stood up, straightened his clothes, and offered his hand to Stella, introducing himself seriously, "Hey! I'm Randy."
Stella was all enthusiasm.
Even though she barely remembered him, she quickly got comfy.
She grabbed Randy's hand and stared at him openly, "Randy, you and Charles are like twins! It's wild."
Randy, naturally shy, blushed even more under her bold gaze.
Carol, exasperated, pulled Stella behind her. "Stella, what are you doing? You're embarrassing Randy."
Stella shrugged it off and linked arms with Randy, "What's the big deal? Randy doesn't mind! Right, Randy?"
Seeing Stella's bright smile, Randy's worries melted away.
Randy replied, "It's cool! I think Stella's awesome like this! I really dig it."
Stella playfully pouted at Carol, "See? He doesn't mind! And I only act like this at home, not out in public!"
Carol shook her head, "We've spoiled her!"
Randy glanced at Stella and said sincerely, "Not at all! I think she's super cute!"
At least with Stella, he felt relaxed and at ease, no worries at all.
Stella grinned at Carol and dragged Randy over to Hannah. "Randy, meet my bestie, Hannah."
Randy followed her gesture.
The second he laid eyes on Hannah, his jaw practically hit the floor.
He almost blurted it out.
Hannah looked so much like Violet!
Randy, still in shock, asked, "Your name's Hannah?"
Hannah gave a small nod and smiled, "Yep! I'm Hannah White, Stella's good friend!"
Randy instinctively glanced upstairs, "Are you Charles's secretary?"
He thought he remembered Patricia mentioning it.
But he had no idea she looked so much like Violet.
Hannah nodded, "Yeah, I'm Mr. Watson's new secretary!"
"Nice to meet you!" Hannah smiled and nodded.
Stella pulled Randy back to the couch, linking arms with him, and asked excitedly, "Randy, aren't you super busy? How'd you find time to visit my folks? And where's Charles? Why haven't I seen him?"
Hannah's eyes scanned the room too.
Yeah! She'd been here a while and hadn't seen Charles.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, footsteps echoed from upstairs, and soon Maximilian and Charles came down.
They seemed deep in a company convo, looking all serious.
Hannah's eyes locked onto Charles, and even when he walked up to her, she couldn't look away.
Stella, surprised, looked at Charles and Randy, pulling them together.
Except for their clothes and hairstyles, they were like copy-paste. Same looks, same height.
Stella couldn't help but marvel, "Genes are wild. You two would totally turn heads walking out together."
Charles, used to it, just gave her a look before plopping down on the couch.
Hannah glanced at him shyly, feeling both thrilled and super nervous, even more than when she broke up with Austin.
Hannah gripped her pants tightly, trying to calm down, and pretended to be cool as she spoke, "Mr. Watson, you're back."
Charles nodded slightly, "Been here long?"
Hannah immediately smiled, "Nah, we just got here too!"
Charles asked, "How's the company doing? Everything smooth? Any issues?"
Hannah kept her polite smile, "With Wyatt handling things, everything's great!"
Charles nodded and said sincerely, "Thanks for your hard work."
"It's my job!" Hannah replied awkwardly.
She had so much to say, but with the current vibe and Charles's cold attitude, she couldn't get a word out.
Stella noticed the awkwardness and tried to lighten the mood, "Is the food ready? I'm starving."
Maximilian gently tapped her forehead, "All you think about is food! It's been ready, just waiting for you all!"
Everyone moved to the dining room.
Maximilian took the head of the table.
Carol sat to his left.
Stella sat to his right.
Hannah sat next to Stella.
Charles and Randy naturally sat next to Carol.
Hannah's body stiffened, and her smile started to fade.
Throughout the meal, Charles and Hannah didn't interact. He either talked business with Maximilian or chatted with Randy.
He didn't even glance at Hannah.
Hannah gripped her utensils tightly, her knuckles turning white.
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