Chapter 711

After lunch, Anthony drove everyone to the airport himself. Solenia was crawling with all sorts of shady people, so arriving on a private jet would only draw too much attention. To keep things simple, they chose a regular commercial flight.
Charlotte kept her outfit plain, but her shirt collar was buttoned up tight, hiding her neck. When the sports car stopped at the airport entrance, Jackson and Adonis took the hint and went ahead to check in their luggage. Hans slipped out of the driver’s seat, leaving Anthony and Charlotte alone in the car.
“If anything happens, promise me you’ll tell me,” Anthony said. He draped her windbreaker over her shoulders and started fastening the buttons for her, his tone gentle. “I packed your sleeping pills too. If you really can’t sleep, just call me. I’ll come to you.”
He knew by now that no sleeping pill worked as well as just being there with her. Whenever he was around, she always slept soundly.
“Okay,” Charlotte replied, leaning back lazily in her seat. She watched Anthony with a small smile. “Anthony, I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m not scared of anything, you know.”
She’d been on trips like this more times than she could count.
Anthony bent down and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I’m the one who’s scared,” he whispered.
He never wanted her to get hurt, not even a little.
“So, for me, Lottie, you have to be careful out there.”
Charlotte pinched his chin, her expression serious and sweet at the same time. “You better wait for me. Don’t go anywhere.”
Two hours later, the plane lifted off, slicing through the clouds and vanishing from sight. Only then did Anthony finally look away. He leaned back in the car, her gentle scent still hanging in the air.
He lit a cigarette, took a long drag, then let the smoke drift out slowly. Even the nicotine couldn’t help. His chest ached, like someone had carved out a piece of his heart and left him hollow.
Up front, Hans glanced back at him, looking a little stunned. Charlotte was coming back, it wasn’t like she was gone forever. But Anthony looked like he’d just been left behind.
“Anthony, where to now?”
“We’re going to the N Organization’s lab,” Anthony said, stubbing out his cigarette.
Lottie had asked him to keep an eye on the B20 research. And then there was her genetic issue…
Thinking about it made his eyes turn cold.
At the research institute, the staff already knew Anthony was coming, but it still caught them off guard when he actually walked in. Anthony was the head of X Organization, after all The two sides had always been rivals. It was strange enough to see him there, but even stranger now that he was Charlotte’s boyfriend.
“Good evening, Anthony,” Dr. David greeted him as he approached.
Anthony nodded, taking in the busy, organized lab. He didn’t waste time on small talk. Organization will be monitoring the B20 research too. Go ahead and keep recording the data.”
“Yes, Charlotte told us,” Dr. David replied.
“And Lottie’s latest genetic test results came out today, right?”
“Yes.” Mentioning this, Dr. David’s face grew serious. “Come with me, please.”
Anthony slipped on a lab coat and a
mask, then followed Dr. David into a
back room inside, the air was thick with the sharp scent of chemicals
the
and the place was filled with latest lab equipment from around the world.
“Here’s Charlotte’s genetic test report,” Dr. David said, handing him the file with respect. “It came out just half an hour ago.”
Anthony took the report and started to read. As his eyes moved down the page, his brows drew together in a worried frown.