Chapter 10

Charlotte didn’t respond. She took a sip of her lemonade, set the glass on the table, and turned her gaze to Steven. Her eyes were as cool and distant as ever. “I’m tired. I want to rest.”
Steven met her indifferent look and frowned. He couldn’t help but feel she was a completely different person now. The timid girl he remembered was gone. In her place was someone icy, almost intimidating. Maybe those years in the countryside had changed her more than he expected.
“Alright. We’ll talk when you’ve rested.” Steven forced a smile, reaching for her hand. Charlotte slipped it out of reach without missing a beat.
He paused, awkwardness flashing across his face before he pulled his hand back. “Show Charlotte upstairs.”
“Miss Charlotte, this way, please.” The maid appeared at the door, sneaking a quick look at her. There was a hint of awe in her eyes.
Wow. She’d always thought Olivia was gorgeous, but Charlotte was something else. She had a beauty that wasn’t flashy or showy. It was calm, almost untouchable, like a goddess standing on a snowy mountain. Even the mess of the city couldn’t touch her. She was the most beautiful girl the maid had ever seen.
Charlotte didn’t care about the stares. She grabbed her backpack.
As she walked past Olivia, she suddenly stopped. Her eyes, clear and cold, lifted to meet Olivia’s. Her lashes cast delicate shadows on her cheeks.
Olivia shivered, caught off guard by the sudden chill in the air.
“You’re in my way.” Charlotte’s voice was flat, emotionless.
Olivia stepped back without thinking, watching as Charlotte walked past her, expression never changing.
The bright hall lights shone down on Charlotte’s slim figure. Even in plain, simple clothes, nothing could hide how stunning she was, or the quiet confidence that seemed to follow her everywhere.
Charlotte had been beautiful even at thirteen. She was the kind of pretty that made people stop and stare. Five years in the countryside hadn’t dulled her looks at all. If anything, she was even more striking now. And that annoying personality was gone, replaced by something harder to read.
Olivia watched her go, biting her lip, jealousy twisting in her chest.
So what if she’s beautiful? It doesn’t change the truth. She’s still the crazy girl who shamelessly chases after men.
Upstairs, the maid led Charlotte to a door. She opened it, and the smell of dust and mold washed over theme
n’
with shopping bags and luxury boxes piled everywhere it looked more like a storage room than a bedroom.
The room was messy, filled them
This wasn’t her room. This was Olivia’s.
Charlotte stood in the doorway, her cold eyes sweeping over the mess. Old, buried memories started to surface, dark and painful. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, her chest aching. Her face grew even colder.
The maid noticed and spoke carefully. “Miss Charlotte, after you left, Olivia moved into your room.”
“So
Before the maid could finish, Charlotte had already turned away. Her face was unreadable as she headed for her old room.
“Miss Charlotte, that’s Olivia’s—”
The maid rushed after her, trying to stop her, but it was too late.
Charlotte opened the door to her old room, tossed her backpack inside, and went to work. She grabbed everything that wasn’t hers-the makeup on the vanity, the designer clothes and handbags in the closet, ever the trophies scattered around-and threw it all into the hallway like it was nothing.
The maid stood frozen in shock, hand covering her mouth.
Oh no. All of Olivia’s precious things… just tossed out without a second thought.