Chapter 13

Charlotte smiled softly, picked up another piece of potato, and kept eating like nothing in the world could bother her.
“At least you’ll be able to get a community college diploma,” Elizabeth said gently. “If you ever get stuck, just ask Olivia. She was in the top five in the whole province on the last mock exam.”
Olivia perked up, proud as ever. “I’ll put together some easy practice questions for you. As long as you actually do them, hitting the minimum score should be a breeze.”
“With you around, I’m not worried,” Steven said, nodding with approval. “You’ve always been so sensible. Make sure to look after Charlotte.”
“I will,” Olivia promised, her eyes bright. She lifted her chin, glancing at Charlotte, waiting for some sign of jealousy.
But Charlotte just calmly sipped her soup, totally unbothered, barely even looking at them.
Steven’s patience wore thin. He frowned, voice tight with frustration. “Charlotte, we’re talking to you.”
Charlotte set her chopsticks down, dabbed her lips with a napkin, and finally looked up, eyes clear and cool. “Oh? Were you saying something?”
Steven stiffened, his anger barely contained. “You—”
“Charlotte, Dad’s talking about your school stuff,” Olivia chimed in, resting her chin on her hand and putting on an innocent look. “Pathfinder Academy isn’t the best, but with your grades, you might not even get in. Don’t be so picky.”
“You done?” Charlotte stood up, dusting off her hands. “If you are, I’m leaving.”
“You-” Steven was livid, feeling completely invisible.
Charlotte took a few steps, then paused and looked back, as if she might say something apologetic. Instead, she said, “The food’s too salty. Try less salt next time.”
Steven was left speechless.
Watching Charlotte walk away, Elizabeth spoke quietly. “Do you think… she’s still mad about what happened back then?”
Steven’s face went pale.
“But it was Charlotte’s own fault,” Olivia said. “She snuck into that guy’s room, tried to seduce him, and when she got caught, she almost—”
“Olivia.” Elizabeth finally cut her off, pretending to scold her, but only after Olivia finished her sentence.
“That girl is hopeless. Five years and she hasn’t changed at all!” Steven’s face was tight with anger and disappointment.
With the Main family’s reputation,
Charlotte would have to marry well
someday, What powerful family
vel
would want someone with no
college degree and a bad
was
reputation? One daughter wa headed for a top university, the other barely scraping by with a high school diploma. He couldn’t stand the embarrassment. There was no way he’d let his name be ruined because of Charlotte.
She was going to school, whether she wanted to or not.
Night faded in, city lights flickering on one by one. The Main family estate sat in the
shadows, security guards pacing back and forth below.
Charlotte changed into black
clothes, tied her hair back, and
pulled on a mask until most of hers. face was hidden. She took out a rope with a grappling hook, flicked her finger, and watched it catch perfectly on a tree branch outside.
She slung a bag over her shoulder, stepped onto the window ledge on the third floor and zipped down the rope, clearing the wall and landing lightly on the other side..net
Half an hour later, she arrived at Cabinda’s swankiest club. The place was all
marble and gold, packed with the city’s wealthiest people.
Charlotte handed over her ID, showing she was eighteen. Still, the guard stopped her at the entrance.
The security guy looked her up and down, obviously suspicious. “This isn’t a bubble tea shop, kid. You’ll need more than an ID to get in here.”