Chapter 483

Jackson didn’t say a word, but you could see the tension in his shoulders finally start to slip away.
Charlotte’s lifeline had arrived.
Upstairs, Anthony moved as quietly as he could to the bedroom door, easing it open with careful hands.
There she was, curled up on the bed, small and vulnerable. She had taken her sleep meds and waking up too soon would only make things worse.
He watched her for a moment, his lips pressed tight, then quietly pulled the door shut.
Anthony just stood there, rubbing at his brow, feeling the weight of it all. After a few silent seconds, he turned and headed for the study next door.
He opened his email and forced himself to go through the same files and videos he hadn’t finished earlier.
When the hospital footage started, his breathing went rough.
On screen, Charlotte had just been brought in, huddled in a corner, arms wrapped around her knees. Her face was streaked with tears, and her whole body looked so small, so lost.
“I’m not crazy. I’m not sick,” she kept saying. “Jesse is the bad guy. He hurt me.”
No one listened. They just ignored her. Then this harsh-looking middle-aged woman stepped over, scissors in hand, and sneered, “Crazy people always say they’re fine.” “Anyone who ends up here isn’t normal,” the woman said, signaling for someone to grab Charlotte and hold her down. She eyed Charlotte’s hair and added, “Such pretty black hair. Without it, you won’t be able to seduce men, will you?”
“No, please, don’t cut my hair
“Mom, Mom, help me
Someone was filming the whole thing. Nobody cared that Charlotte was getting hurt trying to fight them off.
The entire video was just Charlotte’s desperate cries for help.
As he listened, Anthony’s fingers dug into his palm. His eyes, usually dark and calm, burned with something ferocious.
“Open your mouth. Take the medicine.”
Once her hair was gone, a doctor forced her to take some kind of sedative. She struggled, then slowly went limp as the drugs took over.
There was another video, one they’d pulled from Jesse’s computer. It showed exactly how he’d bullied her all those years ago.
Half an hour later, the screen went black.
Anthony shot up from his chair and swept everything off the desk with a violent swipe. Papers, pens, and his coffee mug crashed to the floor.
He braced himself against the desk, struggling to catch his breath. His eyes were bloodshot, his whole face twisted with rage.
“Don’t let a single one get away,” he barked into his phone, each word clipped and sharp. You hear me Every single person involved with what happened – find them all.”
Everyone who’d hurt Charlotte…
This time, they’d pay for it. Tenfold.
…
Charlotte had set a mental timer when she took her sleeping pill — just four hours.
Right on cue, her eyes blinked open.
She glanced around the room. No Anthony. A small pang of disappointment hit her.
But then she noticed a message from Adonis, sent half an hour ago: “Anthony’s in the study.” Just like that, her mood brightened.
He was back. Why hadn’t he come to bed with her?
Charlotte frowned a little as she slid out from under the covers. Her hair fell loose over her shoulders as she wandered lazily into the hallway and toward the nearby room.
The study door was open.
She stopped in the doorway and spotted Anthony at his desk, the smell of alcohol
and cigarettes heavy in the air.
When he heard her, Anthony slowly
turned around. He looked worn out,
but when his eyes landed on Charlotte standing there in the soft glow, looking beautiful and reaf -his heart gave a painful twist.
He hesitated for a moment, eyes still red, voice rough. “You’re awake?” he
managed. “Come here. I need to hold you.”