Chapter 296

“Careful.” Charlotte turned off her phone, gave Kenneth a quick look, and said with quiet politeness, “Thank you, Kenneth.”
The way she said his name was so sweet it made Kenneth’s worries disappear. He broke into a wide, genuine smile. “My pleasure.”
They walked through the garden and barely made it into the hall before Robert came hurrying toward them, leaning on his cane, excitement written all over his face. “Lottie, you’re back! Come here, let me see if you’ve gotten any thinner!”
The noise drew Kevin and Samantha from the kitchen. “Lottie, you’re home!” Samantha rushed over, arms open, and wrapped Charlotte in a tight hug. “I missed you so much. I made all your favorite dishes, so you have to eat plenty tonight.” Kenneth found himself pushed out of the way. He made a face but was clearly used to it.
“Thank you, Aunt Samantha,” Charlotte replied, soft and sincere.
Suddenly, she was surrounded, everyone talking at once, asking if she’d eaten, how she was, if she was tired. Their warmth was overwhelming, almost too much to take in.
“Roger went out for an errand, but he’ll be back soon,” Samantha said, gently brushing Charlotte’s cheek. “You must be tired. Let Kenneth take you upstairs so you can rest for a while.”
“Okay.” Charlotte smiled, polite as ever.
Kenneth led her up to the third floor. She expected a plain guest room, but when Kenneth opened the door, she stared in surprise. The room was like something out of a fairy tale, newly decorated in soft pastels, with elegant furniture and delicate touches everywhere. Everything looked expensive and luxurious, clearly picked with care. For the first time in a while, Charlotte really felt what it meant to belong somewhere.
She settled onto the sofa, watching as Kenneth, under strict orders, peeled longans for her. “What does Roger do?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
He almost blurted out that Roger did surgery on the dead, but quickly thought better of it. That would probably freak her out.
Kenneth thought for a second and answered, perfectly serious, “He’s a doctor.”
Well, a forensic pathologist was still a doctor.
“Oh.” Charlotte pressed her lips together, letting the subject drop.
Kenneth grinned and kept talking. “Don’t worry. Roger might not be as tall as me, or as handsome, and he’s definitely not as sweet-talking. But he’ll care about you just as much as I do. He was clearly getting more cheerful with every word Roger was. always so serious, maybe Charlotte would like him better. At least now, Kenneth could walk a little taller in front of Anthony.
Just then, the butler’s voice came from the hall. “Kenneth, Charlotte. Roger’s back. Robert wants you both downstairs.”
Kenneth stood up, handed Charlotte the bowl of peeled longans, and gently patted her head. “If that’s not enough, I’ll peel more for you.”
Charlotte looked down at the big bowl in her lap, lips pressed together, not saying a word.
Kenneth led the way, with Charlotte quietly following. As they reached the landing, voices from the hall floated up to meet them. From where she stood, Charlotte could see the back of a tall man, his presence impossible to ignore. He was talking to someone, and his voice tugged at her memory.
Before she could figure it out, Samantha’s excited voice rang out, “Roger, Charlotte’s here!”
The man froze. He stood up, stiff, and turned around.
Standing just behind Kenneth, Charlotte hugged her bowl of longans to her chest, suddenly feeling exposed.
Roger met her eyes. Those eyes… After spending almost ten hours with her yesterday, he knew them by heart.
Asclepius was Charlotte?
The realization hit Roger hard. His
heart skipped a beat, and the smite
that had been on his face faded away, leaving him looking stunned and cold.
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