Chapter 474

“Calm down and let Lottie talk.” Roger’s face was dark as he reached over and gripped Kenneth’s arm. He was keeping it together, but you could hear the weight in his voice. “Lottie, what do you want to say?”
He knew exactly what those videos and photos were meant to do. Someone was out to destroy her, plain and simple. It was cruel, calculated, and unforgivable. Whatever Lottie decided, he’d back her all the way. If it came down to it, he’d do anything for her. Even take out that animal and spend his life behind bars. It didn’t matter.
“Grandpa’s not well. Don’t let him hear about any of this.” Charlotte’s voice was quiet but steady. She meant every word.
“Alright.”
Roger and Kenneth exchanged a look and nodded. The news alone had them both fuming. They couldn’t even imagine how Robert would react if he found out. Lottie was everything to him. If he learned what she’d gone through, who knew how he’d handle it.
“One more thing.” Charlotte lowered her eyes. There was a cold, dangerous glint in them that sent a chill through the room. “Roger, Kenneth. Please stay out of this. I want to handle it myself.”
“You want to handle it yourself?”
Kenneth, who’d just barely managed to calm down, was instantly fired up again. “He’s a monster, Lottie. What are you going to do?”
“And where’s Anthony?” Kenneth was practically spitting with frustration now, swearing under his breath. “It’s already been ten minutes and he hasn’t done anything? No deleted posts, no bans, not even tracking down whoever posted the video or going after that bastard? That’s not like Anthony at all.”
“Anthony Kenneth’s heart sank. A chill crawled up his spine and his voice shook a little. “Lottie, just tell me straight. Does Anthony know what’s going on online? Does he… care?”
Charlotte understood exactly what he meant. A tiny, unreadable smile played on her lips and her eyes grew hard to read. “He’s on a business trip. He’s on a plane right now.”
So that was it. Kenneth felt a wave of relief.
If Anthony ever looked down on Charlotte because of this, Kenneth would be the first to make him regret it.
“Lottie, back then Roger hesitated, struggling with the question that haunted him. Finally, he spoke up, his voice heavy. “Did he really hurt you?”
“No.” Charlotte didn’t even pause. Her tone was firm, but there was a flicker of pain in her eyes.
Thank God she’d brought the fruit knife with her when she went in with the fruit plate. She’d managed to stab Jesse and protect herself.
“Good.” Roger let out a breath, but his voice stayed serious. “This isn’t going to die down. It’s only going to get worse as it spreads. Are you sure you can handle this by yourself? content
After all this time, Roger had learned that Lottie was nothing like the innocent girl she appeared to be She was a top forensic pathologist for a reason. If she insisted on doing this herself, she had her reasons.
“Don’t worry about Grandpa.” Roger pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to comfort her. “Lottie, just remember, no matter what, the Gates family is always behind As for your identity
“We’ll talk about that some other time,” Charlotte cut him off gently. Her voice was
softer now. “Let’s not drag that into this mess.”
A family reunion should be something pure and sacred. It didn’t belong in the middle of a scandal like this.
“Alright. But if you need anything, you have to tell us.”