Chapter 623

Kevin sent a message. [He’s probably at the base. I’m trying to reach him now.
]
Samantha chimed in. [He’s at his base. I even asked the guys there to take extra care of Lottie.
Lottie?]
Donald’s eyebrows drew together as he read that. He remembered chatting with Kenneth during some downtime and finding out Kenneth’s little sister was starting college this year.
Wait. So the sister was doing physical training here, at the White Whale Training Base?
Roger texted next. [Donald, our long-lost sister is literally right in front of you.]
Kenneth added. [Donald, this is your chance to score some points. Our sister is something else.]
Donald couldn’t help but smile a little as he typed. [What’s our sister’s name? Which class is she in? Send me a photo.]
Roger replied. [Charlotte. Traditional Medicine program, Kingswood University. She got the highest entrance exam score in the country this year.]
Kenneth added. [Her nickname’s Lottie. Here’s her photo. photo.jpg]
Donald saw Roger’s message first and that line about being the top scorer in the country made him pause.
The top scorer…
No wonder they said she wasn’t ordinary.
He scrolled down and saw the photo Kenneth sent. He tapped it open. The second he saw the girl’s face, his eyes widened in shock.
That face…
He looked from the photo to Charlotte, then back again, half-worried he was seeing things because of a mild concussion or something. He zoomed in on the photo. Then zoomed in again. And again.
Her eyes, her nose, her lips… every feature matched the girl across from him, the one still stubbornly clinging to her chair.
Suddenly, Donald’s legs felt like jelly. It got hard to breathe as this weird, suffocating embarrassment surged through him, filling every inch of his body.
“Donald, are you okay?” Cotton asked.
He waited until Anthony managed to calm Charlotte down, then shuffled over to Donald’s side. Cotton noticed the look on Donald’s face and frowned, clearly worried. “Should I getthe medic to check you out? you out?
Donald just stared at his phone for a few seconds. Finally, he turned to Cotton and asked quietly, “What’s her name?”
“Who?” Cotton glanced at Charlotte, looking confused. “Number 91. Charlotte?”
“Charlotte Donald’s heart skipped a beat. He glanced over at the girl still glaring
at him, then muttered, “The top scorer in the country… Freshman, Traditional Medicine, Kingswood University?”
“Yeah,” Cotton answered, sounding surprised. “How did you know that?”
A bitter smile tugged at Donald’s lips.
“I
He stood there a moment, collecting himself, then finally worked up the nerve to approach Charlotte His steps were heavy, and the stern, no-nonsense look he usually wore was replaced by an awkward, apologetic smile. “I didn’t hurt you just now, did I?”
“Here. Go ahead, hit me if you want.” Donald stood perfectly still, bracing himself. “Seriously. I won’t fight back.”
Charlotte stared at him like he’d suddenly grown a second head. She actually took two steps back, looking at him with absolute disgust.
“Lottie, it was just a misunderstanding. I’m Donald. I’m your older brother
The way Lottie recoiled made
Donald’s regret sink even deeper. He really wished he’d reached out to the
family first, gotten the full story about her. If he had maybe this reunion wouldn’t have turned into a total train wreck.
Older brother?
At that, Charlotte’s perfectly shaped eyebrows arched just a little.
The whole room seemed to hold its breath.