Chapter 624

Charlotte didn’t say a word. She just watched Donald, calm and steady, her eyes tracing the lines of his face. There was something rugged and worn about him, but his features were sharp, almost striking. Now that she looked closer, he really did resemble Roger and Kenneth. Funny how that worked out.
“Let go of the chair, you’ll hurt yourself,” Anthony said, his voice gentle but firm.
The chill around Charlotte had faded a little. Taking that as a good sign, Anthony reached over and took the chair from her hands, setting it aside. Then he took her hand, turning it over in his palm, checking for any sign of injury. He looked tense until he was sure she was okay. Only then did he soften, his words low and warm. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
Honestly, it wasn’t just Donald who was rattled. Anthony felt pretty uneasy himself. This was the first time he’d met Donald face to face. Not only had they ended up in a fight, but now his relationship with Lottie was right out in the open. If Donald went home and told everyone, things could get messy fast.
Anthony did want Charlotte to make things official between them someday, but definitely not like this. Not before she was ready.
“Yeah, a misunderstanding,” Donald echoed, staring at their joined hands. His gaze slid over Anthony, dark and unreadable. Still, for the sake of Anthony speaking up for him, Donald managed to swallow his irritation. “Come on, let’s sit down and talk.”
A few minutes later, the command office was a disaster zone, and the air was thick with tension.
Cotton walked in with a tray of tea, sneaking glances at the three of them on the couch. He set a fruit platter and a glass of water down in front of Charlotte, plastering on a big, friendly smile.
“Charlotte, you must be tired after all that. Here, have something to eat, get your strength back.”
There was a hint of nervousness in his voice, trying to smooth things over.
“No, thanks,” Charlotte replied quietly, her face unreadable as she sat next to Anthony.
You could practically feel the anger radiating off her, so strong that even Anthony and Donald couldn’t calm her down. The way she shut Cotton down with just one chilly sentence made his heart skip a beat.
Donald’s sister. The princess of the Gates family. Back during training, Cotton had given her a hard time on purpose. Now he was starting to worry-maybe she’d never forgive him.
“Just leave it here,” Anthony said,
trying to break the tension. He
leaned forward picked up an orange,
iet care
and peeled, with be popped a slice into his own mouth, then held another piece up for Charlotte, his voice soft and coaxing. “It’s sweet, just the way you like.”
Charlotte glanced at him, then opened her mouth and let him feed her.
Anthony smiled, feeding her another piece, as if this was just something they did every day. The whole thing felt so natural, like they’d done it a million times before.
A million times? Donald, sitting bolt upright on the other couch, looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. He took in the scene awkward a
and little lost. If he remembered right, Anthony and Kenneth were good friends. Anthony was even older than Kenneth, probably pushing thirty by now. And Lottie was only nineteen.
Sure, Anthony was rich, powerful, and not bad looking, but the age gap was obvious. How did the two of them even end up together? Was this Kenneth’s fault somehow?
Just thinking about it made Donald scowl, blaming Kenneth for everything.
He glanced at the pair across from him, so at ease with each other, and tried a few times to say something The words just wouldn’t come. He remembered how coldly he’d spoken to Lottie earlier, and how he’d. even raised his hand to her. Now he wished he could go back and slap some sense into himself.
If only he’d known she was his sister, he never would have acted that way.
Lost in regret, Donald’s phone buzzed with a message from the family group chat. Grandpa: [Lottie’s not easy to get close to. She needs time. Be patient with her.]
Donald looked at Charlotte, sitting quietly by Anthony’s side like a contented kitten, and frowned.