Chapter 353

“Yes, Anthony.” Hans nodded right away. “I’ll leave our best guys here. Charlotte will be totally safe.”
With Charlotte’s arrangements settled, Anthony finally let himself relax a little. He breathed out a slow puff of smoke, his voice still cold. “Now tell me what’s happening at Apex.”
Class C
Charlotte stepped into the classroom, right into a buzz of excited voices. Everyone seemed in a good mood, grinning and chatting.
“Charlotte, you’re here!” called a student from the front row, smiling.
The rest of the class turned toward her, all warm smiles and eager faces.
“Yeah.” Charlotte glanced around, her face unreadable as she walked to her seat.
She’d barely set her bag down before Andrew showed up, ready to help. He grabbed her backpack for her.
“Charlotte, you and Shirley are basically our class heroes now,” he said.
Charlotte pulled out her chair, sat down, then reached for Andrew’s notebook and tore out a sheet.
“Just say what you mean,” she said, already scribbling ‘Leave Request’ across the top of the page.
“With the country’s top student and another from the top ten in our class, the rest of the school is jealous. Everyone’s trying to transfer here,” Andrew said, practically beaming. “Plus, every teacher in our class got a fifty-thousand dollar bonus.”
“Really?” Charlotte arched an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth lifting in a faint smile. “That’s pretty great.”
Shirley caught a glimpse of what Charlotte was writing and her eyes went wide. “Charlotte, are you taking time off?”
Charlotte just nodded and wrote a few words on the note.
Requesting one week off for health reasons.
Andrew, Parrish, and Shirley peeked at the note, then exchanged looks. They all tried not to laugh.
That excuse was… seriously blunt.
“But Charlotte, you need a guardian’s signature,” Parrish reminded her gently.
She and the Main Family weren’t speaking, so that was out. Anthony could sign, but that would blow their cover.
Charlotte didn’t answer. She
propped her chin in her left hand et
twirling ca
pen in her right
like she
had all the time in the world.
.net>
If she wasn’t worried about getting Eleanor in trouble, she would’ve just left already.
This whole thing was a headache.
After a short silence, Charlotte turned, her cool gaze settling on Andrew.
“What?” Andrew shrank back under her stare, looking nervous. “Did I do something?”
“You do it.” Charlotte tossed him the pen and nodded at him. “Sign Steven’s name.”
The three of them froze, stunned.
“Me?” Andrew was both nervous and a little excited. Signing as Steven basically made him Charlotte’s dad for a day.
“Quit overthinking it.” Charlotte nudged him with her foot.
“Alright, alright.” Andrew quickly signed the name, then handed the note to her witta, both hands But just the note won’t work The
school’s gonna call your family to check.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“I’m out.”
Charlotte zipped up her bag, picked up the leave request, and headed straight to the teacher’s office.
Office
Eleanor glanced at the leave note, then at Charlotte, who looked perfectly healthy. She frowned just a little.
She didn’t look sick at all. Taking a week off now would really mess with her studies.
“You can have the time off, but I’ll need
Scalp her phone andel?d
I your guardian,” Eleamet
Steven’s number, Conten