Chapter 350
It was late. Charlotte stepped out of the Flux Digital building, her head lowered. She stood by the curb, trying to figure out how she was going to get home. Suddenly, headlights flashed in the distance, cutting through the darkness and making her squint.
She looked up. The moment she recognized that familiar sports car, her whole posture softened. All the tension she carried seemed to slip off her shoulders.
A few seconds later, Anthony got out of the car. He wore a black trench coat that made him look even taller and more imposing. Paired with his strikingly handsome face, he almost seemed otherworldly, like some kind of dark prince come to life. He looked incredible.
Charlotte stayed where she was, not moving an inch. Anthony crossed the distance to her quickly, his long strides eating up the space between them. He didn’t say a word as he slipped off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling it snug.
She instinctively leaned into him, letting herself relax in his arms. His expression was stormy, so she reached out, wrapped her arms around his waist, and looked up at him, trying to lighten the mood.
“Anthony, did Kenneth call you?”
“Yeah.” He kept one hand on her waist, using his other to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She could tell he was annoyed, but he didn’t blame her for any of it.
“It’s late. He’s just worried about you getting home by yourself.”
“Oh.” Charlotte’s voice was soft. She tucked her hand into his, letting his warmth soak into her fingers. She peered up at him with a small, teasing smile. “My feet hurt.”
Anthony glanced at her shoes, his face impossible to read for a second, before the corner of his mouth twitched into a faint smile. “You’re such a softie.” There were things he wanted to talk about, but it could all wait until they got home.
Without another word, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her toward the
car.
Meanwhile, Emily had just finished up at work. She yawned, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she walked out to the street. When she looked up, she caught sight of Charlotte wrapped up in a man’s arms. They looked close, almost too close.
Emily stopped in her tracks, eyes going wide. She hurriedly dug her glasses out of her bag and perched them on her nose, then pulled out her phone. She opened the camera and snapped a few quick photos of their backs.
The pictures weren’t great. It was dark, and all she caught were two silhouettes. Even so, the car parked nearby stood out. She couldn’t see the model or the license plate, but it looked a lot like Anthony’s Bugatti Veyron. That wasn’t the kind of car just anyone drove.
Emily watched as the sports car pulled away, disappearing into the night. Her brows knitted together confusion. Wasn’t that girl supposedly seeing Kenneth? Why was she wrapped up with someone else? Was she juggling two guys at once?
She opened Kenneth’s chat and sent him a random emoji, her fingers hovering over the photos. Should she send them? If Kenneth was being played, he deserved to know, a while. But what if she was wrong? What if
even if it would hurt to net
there was nothing going on? That
wouldn’t be fair to Charlotte.
While she was still debating, her phone buzzed. Kenneth had already replied.
[Bro, what’s up?]
The nickname made Emily’s whole mood turn cold. Any last bit of sympathy she had for him disappeared.
She closed the chat, still feeling unsettled. After a few moments, she couldn’t let it go. She called her assistant.
“Did the girl who auditioned for the voice-over job today leave any info?”
She figured if she looked into it quietly, no one would be hurt. If Charlotte and Kenneth were really together, she’d back off. If Kenneth was getting played, she’d give him a heads up.
“No, I heard she was only here for a minute and left,” her assistant said. “Oh, and Emily, Timbre came by too, but because of the confidentiality agreement, the company can’t share any of her details.”
Emily nodded, still deep in thought, the night feeling a little heavier than before.