SWNOVELS Chapter 8
Chapter 8 Their Relationship
Charlotte felt lost after leaving Zachary’s car. The blazing midday sun bore down on her, intensifying the heat in her head. Echoes of Zachary’s unnerving gaze and threatening words about exposing Gordon’s secrets lingered, making her fidget.
Abruptly, a sleek Pagani pulled up before her, compelling her to take an involuntary step backward. The car door swung open and out stepped Annie, cloaked in a scarlet fishtail dress and hiding behind oversized sunglasses. “Can we talk, Charlotte?” Annie asked, slipping off her sunglasses.
Caught off guard, Charlotte clenched her fists but held her ground.
“I don’t have anything to discuss with you,” she declared, spinning on her heels in an attempt to retreat. But Annie’s harsh words echoed after her. “Did you deliberately show up yesterday?”
Yesterday had been a monumental day for Annie. Zachary had invested a massive amount of resources to give her the spotlight at the expo. It was a golden opportunity to display her work to the world. But Charlotte’s design, “Destiny,” had stolen the limelight, outshining her efforts.
The entire city buzzed about the showdown between Annie and Charlotte, with the scales tipping in Charlotte’s favor. A bitter resentment festered within Annie, who firmly believed Charlotte had maliciously upstaged her.
Turning to face Annie, Charlotte’s eyes were an icy blend of cold defiance and superior arrogance. “Didn’t you deliberately steal my designs in the past?” she hit back.
At her sharp words, Annie paled noticeably, her guilt as transparent as glass to Charlotte. As she spun to leave, she threw one last harsh comment over her shoulder, “If you had any real talent, my work wouldn’t stand a chance of ruining your exhibition, would it?”
As she made to leave, Annie spoke up bitterly, “You shouldn’t have come back.” Charlotte’s expression remained nonchalant, a sarcastic smile curving her lips in response.
Just then, Gordon’s car pulled up, and, as she prepared to climb in, Charlotte directed one last smirk at Annie, “I’ll recover my work, but as for Zachary…” she paused, her gaze flicking to Gordon before returning to Annie. “Since you’re so smitten with the man I ditched, I’ll generously let you have him.”
With that, she stepped into the car, leaving Annie standing alone; fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. But physical pain was the least of her worries right now—the raw humiliation Charlotte had inflicted on her was all she felt, heating her blood with a bubbling anger and spite.
*****
Once they were on their way, Gordon offered Charlotte a bottle of water. “Did Zachary come to you before Annie?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say to you?”
“What do you think? He wants me to divorce you!”
Gordon was taken aback. His mind filled with vivid images of what Charlotte had said to hurt Zachary last night. He couldn’t help but worry about the possible consequences. ‘Given the media swarm yesterday at the expo and the complicated dynamics here in Liene City, if she pulls a stunt like that again, someone might use it against us.’
Gordon said, “Aren’t you worried that people will find out about the true nature of our relationship?”
His subdued reply caused Charlotte to tense. She regarded him seriously.
Gordon softly ran his fingers through her hair to comfort her. “Charlotte, you often act before thinking when you meet him.”
Her eyes clouded. “Well, if you were in my shoes three years ago, you’d understand why I acted the way I did last night.”
Charlotte had weathered storms over the past three years. But the most gut-wrenching of them all was Zachary’s cold-hearted order to abort their child when she was nine months pregnant. Each memory had the power to stir a whirlwind of emotions in her.
Watching the emotional shifts on Charlotte’s face, Gordon’s expression hardened. He was well aware of the agony she had suffered three years ago, which was why he had never wanted her to return to Liene City.
Seeing her distressed, Gordon reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything, Charlotte. I’m here with you.”