Chapter 50

Charlotte’s heart did a double skip, a rush of excitement spreading from her chest to every corner of her body. She wasn’t resisting the feeling. If anything, she wanted to reach out and touch him again.
“I’m heading inside now.”
She grabbed her dessert, tilting her head down just enough to hide the bit of blush blooming behind her ears.
She hadn’t gone far when Anthony called out to her.
“Lottie.”
Charlotte turned, meeting his gaze. He stood there, casual and relaxed, his dark eyes locking onto hers. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Then Anthony spoke, his voice deep and rough, but soft in a way that made her heart thump even harder.
“I’m actually pretty normal, you know.”
Charlotte pressed her lips together, her big eyes shining clear as glass. The sunlight caught her face, making her look almost ethereal. She looked so sweet and well- behaved, the kind of girl you’d want to keep safe and close.
If he wasn’t worried about scaring her away…
Anthony couldn’t help but smile, a little helpless and a lot fond. “Go on, get to class, kid.”
A tiny smile flickered on Charlotte’s lips. She turned and walked back toward the school.
Once she was around the corner, she pulled out her phone and called Coulomb. “For Anthony’s lunch today, give him a twenty percent discount.”
Meanwhile, Andrew and Parrish had just left the cafeteria. As they walked out, they spotted a flashy sports car parked nearby.
Parrish rubbed his eyes, then nudged Andrew. “Isn’t that your cousin’s car?”
Andrew and Anthony were cousins. Andrew looked over, recognizing it right away. He hadn’t gotten into any trouble lately, so what was Anthony doing here?
“Andrew, I’m gone. Good luck, man.” Parrish patted Andrew’s shoulder and hurried off.
Nobody wanted to mess with Anthony.
“Coward,” Andrew muttered, still debating whether he should run when suddenly, he found himself staring straight into a pair of sharp, With
cold eyes is heardroppar.
no choice, he walked over and greeted respectfully, “Anthony.”
Anthony stood by the car, hands in his pockets, looking down at Andrew, who was quite a bit shorter. “Grandma wants to see you. Go home early after school.”
That was it? Andrew had braced himself for a lecture or worse. Turned out he was just the messenger.
Anthony didn’t say anything else, just got in the car. He buckled up, started the engine, and was about to leave when his phone buzzed. Lottie was calling.
The moment he saw her name on the screen, his expression softened. His voice turned husky, carrying a hint of warmth. “Charlotte?”
“You still have something of mine, she said, calm as ever. “Weren’t you supposed to give it back to me
today? We had lunch, but you didn’t return it.”
Anthony looked back and saw the bag on his backseat with a black baseball cap
inside. He had picked it up outside the bar that night.
He rested his wrist on the open window, a smile tugging at his lips. “Guess ‘m getting old. My memory’s not great these days. I forgot to give it to you Next time, okay? l’ikbring it with me then.”
“Next time?” Charlotte pursed her lips, her lashes fluttering. “You better take something for your memory before you come.”
Anthony let out a low laugh, full of affection. “Alright. Whatever you say.”
Charlotte hung up, trying to slow her racing heartbeat. She glanced down at the cake in her arms, suddenly feeling a lot lighter.
…
From the school gate to her classroom, Charlotte could feel everyone staring. The
whole “illegitimate daughter” rumor had already made its way around.
A small, cold smile played on her lips. She wasn’t going to waste time on that nonsense right now. She walked on, unfazed.
Back in the classroom, she hooked a chair with her foot, sat down, and reached into her bag. Her hand brushed against something long, cold, slippery… and moving.