Chapter 471

Melissa’s knees buckled, and she crumpled to the floor, stunned and terrified. Her
mind spun with questions she couldn’t answer. Why would Anthony ever fall for a girl like that? What did Charlotte have that she didn’t? Wasn’t she better than a wild girl from nowhere? Did the Blair family even know about Charlotte’s history with mental illness?
While Melissa was caught up in her thoughts, her phone started buzzing from inside her bag. She pulled it out and saw a message from an unknown sender. The subject line read “Charlotte,” and that alone made her heart race. Without a second thought, she tapped it open.
Inside were videos, photos, and even a psychiatric evaluation. Melissa clicked on a video, and suddenly her dead, hopeless eyes lit up. Her pupils went wide in shock. Was that really Charlotte, tangled up with some guy? That face was impossible to mistake, gorgeous and striking. If it wasn’t her, who else could it be? The girl in the video looked really young-this had to be from years ago.
Melissa quickly flipped through the other files, her smile growing with every click. Sometimes things really worked out in the strangest ways. With this kind of dirt, who cared about a little mental illness? There was no way the Blair family would accept a woman with a past like this. Not a chance.
Late at night, Charlotte finished her shower and stepped out, towel pressed to her wet hair. She spotted Anthony by the floor-to-ceiling windows, tall and relaxed in a matching bathrobe, his phone still in hand. The soft yellow light bathed him in a golden glow, making him look even more magnetic against the quiet night.
Charlotte, wrapped in her cozy robe, wandered over and flopped onto the sofa. The noise caught Anthony’s attention. He turned, caught sight of her lounging there, and couldn’t help but smile. Still on the phone, he said, “We’ll talk tomorrow,” and ended the call. Then he grabbed the hair dryer and started drying her hair.
“I have to leave Cabinda for a day tomorrow,” he told her, his voice gentle as the warm air swirled around her head.
“Hm?” Charlotte opened her eyes, looking up at him.
“Just for one day,” Anthony promised, slowly running his fingers through her hair.
“My flight is at five in the morning. I’ll be back the next day.”
There was a shipment at the port that got stopped, and it probably had something to do with the N Organization. He had to take care of it.
“Okay,” Charlotte replied quietly, unconsciously leaning even closer to him.
Anthony just smiled, then pulled her into bed and held her close. “Wait for me, Lottie. I’ll be back soon.”
“I will,” Charlotte whispered.
Suddenly, she wasn’t sleepy at all. One day. Twenty-four hours. One thousand four hundred forty
minutes. Even more seconds than
she could count.
When she woke up the next
morning, Anthony was already gone. Charlotte sat in bed for a while, feeling empty, before dragging herself to wash up Breakfast tasted like nothing. She grabbed her backpack and was about to leave when her phone buzzed.
[Family Group Chat]
Adonis: Charlotte, just got news. Jesse left Cabinda at six this morning.
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed, and her face turned cold as ice. Before she could type a
reply, her phone chimed again. This time, it was Shirley.
[Charlotte, don’t come to school yet.]
Then Andrew messaged her too.
[Charlotte, someone faked a video of you and put it online. I’m talking Anthony now Fo safety, dont… go tocampus. And don’t look at that stuff.].
зим
A video? Charlotte stared at her phone for a few seconds, her face paling as she opened the school forum. At the very top was a blazing headline.
[Top Student’s Shocking Secret From Five Years Ago