Chapter 104

“Lottie, you’re still a kid. If it hurts, you can cry. If you’re upset, it’s okay to be mad. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine.”
Anthony leaned in, gently blowing on her scraped skin. His voice was soft, almost soothing.
“There we go. Try not to get your left hand wet. I’ll change the bandage for you in the morning.”
He finished with her hand but didn’t move away. Instead, he bent down, close enough for her to see the gentle warmth in his deep, dark eyes.
“Lottie,” he said, his voice low and a little rough, “with me, you never have to hide how you feel. You can be upset, you can act spoiled. I’ll never mind.”
He paused, watching her. “And if someone’s bothering you, you can tell me. I’ll stand up for you, all right?”
Charlotte’s lashes fluttered, her eyes wide and unreadable. Her face was so pretty, but there was something hidden behind her calm expression, something he couldn’t quite figure out.
Had she been abandoned before? Was she so used to being on her own that she didn’t know how to accept kindness?
Maybe.
Otherwise, why would she act like getting hurt meant nothing?
It was heartbreaking, seeing a kid force herself to grow up too fast.
When she didn’t answer, Anthony didn’t push. He just took her hand gently and led her toward the dining room.
“Let’s eat, then you should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s the weekend, you can sleep in.”
“Okay.”
Charlotte nodded, following along beside him, letting him hold her hand without pulling away.
Anthony glanced over at her calm, quiet face. The corners of his mouth lifted into a small, real smile.
After dinner, Charlotte went back to her room.
Anthony stayed in the living room, standing tall by the floor-to-ceiling window. He held a cigarette between his fingers, the glow of it reflecting off his sharp features, casting his face in a dark shadow.
“Anthony.”
Hans came in from outside, bowing his head.
“Any news?”
Hans looked uneasy. “Anthony, I couldn’t find anything.”
Anthony turned his head slowly, letting out a slow breath of smoke. His gaze was sharp, cold, and just a little dangerous.
“What do you mean, nothing?”
Lottie couldn’t have just disappeared. And she didn’t get hurt for no reason.
“We only have footage of Ms. Main leaving
the other cameras, but she’s nowhere to be seen, Hans
No school. I went through all
explained.
It was strange, almost impossible. With so many cameras everywhere, how could she just vanish?
Maybe she was hiding from the cameras on purpose. Or maybe…
But regular people couldn’t just avoid surveillance that easily.
“Check if anyone at school is picking
on her.” Anthony put out his his voice low and tease as
cigarette
if he couldn’t stand the thought of someone hurting her.
“Yes, Anthony.”
Hans bowed again and started to leave, but Anthony called out.
“Wait.”
Hans stopped, looking back. “Yes, Anthony?”
Anthony’s eyes narrowed. “Have you ever seen Lottie before?”
Hans looked confused.
one
“No, Anthony. Ms. Main is beautiful, and honestly, she’s got this unique, cool vibe I’d definitely remember, if I’d met her before.
So he hadn’t. Maybe Anthony was just overthinking things.
Late that night, Anthony came back from the study. He stretched out on his bed, his dark eyes fixed on the open door.
He checked the time. Two in the morning.
Charlotte probably wasn’t coming tonight.
Anthony smiled to himself, pulling back the covers, about to get up to close the door.
Then, out of nowhere, a small figure slipped into the room, climbed into his bed, and curled up right against his chest.