Ch. 1391..1400
Chapter 1391
Chapter 1391
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1391
Nancy hemmed and hawed before asking, “I heard that Sir Louis has been tracking Ms. Lindberg, so I'm just wondering if she’s safe.”
Zachary's gaze instantly darkened.
He, too, had had his suspicions from early on. Danrique had taken all the necessary precautions to ensure that Charlotte wouldn't pose a threat to those in Erihal. And given that Charlotte never had many enemies to begin with, who else would want to go after her?
As it turned out, that person was none other than Louis.
“I think he went crazy and hired a few men to track down Ms. Lindberg’s whereabouts. I don’t know what he’s up to, though...”
After a pause, Nancy added, “Sir Robert has been trying to collaborate with me, so I've had people monitoring their family activities to make sure they're above-board. That's how I came to know so much about the Laurent family.”
“I understand,” Zachary answered with a somber nod. “Thank you for informing me.”
“If anything should happen to Ms. Lindberg, you know who and what to investigate first,” Nancy whispered. “I know this has nothing to do with me, but I also know how much you care about her. I'm sorry if I've overstepped the line.”
“No, not at all. Thank you,” Zachary said sincerely.
“All right then, I shan“t disturb you any longer. Rest well, and I hope to see you at my banquet in a few days!”
Zachary nodded politely and ordered Raina to see Nancy out.
As luck would have it, Nancy bumped into Spencer downstairs and briefly chatted with him. Despite the brief meeting, she had certainly made an impression on Spencer, who sighed when she left. “Ms. Gold is such an exemplary woman. Not only is she from a prominent family, but she also carries herself with poise and sophistication. She and Mr. Zachary would be the perfect match.” “That's true, but Mr. Nacht only has eyes for Ms. Lindberg,” Raina replied softly. “Mr. Spencer, when have you started to worry about such matters like Mr. Henry?”
“I'm only thinking,” Spencer answered with yet another sigh. “I do remember Mr. Henry saying that we should never interfere with affairs of the heart.”
“Exactly. We should let Mr. Nacht decide for himself.”
Spencer nodded his head, but his mind continued to race. “I'm only just beginning to understand what Mr. Henry must have felt. Now that I'm looking at it from a different perspective, it's hard not to be anxious and worried...”
Raina’s lips curled into a smile as she patted Spencer's shoulders. “Of course, that's perfectly understandable. Well, I'm going up to accompany Mr. Nacht. Enjoy your reading.”
When Raina returned to the study room, she found Zachary sitting on the sofa and staring blankly at his phone.
“Mr. Nacht, do you want to take a stroll in the garden?” Raina gently asked while she handed him a glass of water.
However, Zachary said nothing, his eyes still trained on his phone.
Raina decided not to disturb him and merely stood quietly at the side. She knew, better than anyone else, that Zachary was waiting for Ben's call.
Meanwhile, Ben was storming a villa in a small town with a group of men.
After several days of investigation, he learned that Charlotte and Lupine were taken away by a group of foreigners and imprisoned in the villa.
Having ordered Cain and Kyle to surround the villa, Ben was ready to charge in with the other men when a video call from Zachary came in.
Thankfully, his phone was already on mute as Ben hastily answered it. “Mr. Nacht—"
“Livestream it. I want to see what's going on,” Zachary demanded.
Even though the request had stunned him, Ben quickly nodded. “Understood!”
With that, Ben held onto his phone and crept stealthily into the villa. To his surprise, the place was quiet, and the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.
Ben then carefully pushed the kitchen window open and looked in, only to see Charlotte cooking in a sexy strap dress.
The next second, a topless Louis walked in with just a towel around his waist. He hugged Charlotte from behind and kissed her neck passionately. “Thank you for making dinner, my dear wife. I love you so much...”
With Ben's phone capturing every scene, Zachary, unfortunately, saw and heard them all too clearly.
Chapter 1392
Chapter 1392
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1392
Ben was shellshocked as he struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Only when he finally snapped out of his daze did Ben then end the video call, afraid that the scene might upset Zachary.
Unbeknownst to him, Zachary had already erupted in anger.
He flung his phone toward the wall, causing it to shatter upon impact.
“Mr. Nacht, please calm down. It could just be a misunderstanding...” Raina advised. “I'm sure Ms. Lindberg isn't like that.”
“She's exactly like that!” Zachary yelled. “Back when I was on the verge of death, I continued to search for her. Yet all she could think of was to sleep with Louis! Now that I got injured from saving her, she even used the excuse of paying her respects to Dr. Felch to rendezvous with him! How dare she! She...”
The more emotionally charged Zachary was, the more his head started hurting again. This time, it felt as if a hammer was splitting his head open.
Zachary held his head, gritting his teeth as his face slowly contorted into a grimace of pain
“Mr. Nacht! Calm down! If you get overly agitated, you'll suffer a relapse! You have to try to calm yourself down...”
As much as Zachary wanted to control his emotions, he was far too distraught to do so. The veins on his forehead and hands popped, and before long, his nose and the wound behind his ear started bleeding too.
Raina was so scared that she immediately called Helen. When the call failed to get through, she rang Nancy up instead. “Ms. Gold, Mr. Nacht is suffering a relapse! Can you please bring Dr. Wright here?”
"How did that happen? I only just left—"
“I don't have time to explain! Hurry!"
"Okay, okay, I'll get someone to send Helen over.”
Then, Nancy called her subordinates and told them to send Helen to Southridge right away.
After which, she turned to her subordinate at the wheel and ordered him to turn the car around.
“I shouldn't have told him all that,” Nancy mumbled guiltily. “I didn't think it'd affect him that much...”
“It's not your fault. All you did was provide the information. You haven't done anything wrong,” the subordinate reassured. “Who knows what sordid affair Charlotte and Sir Louis have gotten up to? That must be what angered Mr. Nacht.”
“In any case, I shouldn't have rushed it...” Nancy groaned. “I may have dirt on Charlotte and can easily get rid of her, but doing so will only hurt Mr. Nacht! If anything happens to him, I'll never be able to live with myself...”
"With Dr. Wright around, he'll be fine.”
“Drive faster!”
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, Southridge was once again in complete disarray. When Spencer heard that Zachary had suffered a relapse, his anxiety level got to an all-time high.
Just then, Nancy arrived and allayed Spencer's fears with the assurance that Helen was on her way. Immediately after, she rushed to help Raina take care of Zachary.
Even under such chaotic circumstances, she was calm and in control, truly the perfect woman to run the house.
Back at the villa, Ben was about to barge in when he heard an annoyed Charlotte speaking to Louis. "We've put on this act for three days, haven't you had enough?”
"How is this an act?” Louis whimpered. “You're my wife, and I'm your husband. You've taken care of me and showered me with love for three days. Is nothing real?”
"Wake up, Louis!” Charlotte hollered. “If you hadn't captured Lupine and the others and threatened me with their lives, I'd rather die than to put on this husband and wife act with you!”
“Charlotte, why are you treating me like this? You know how much I love you, don't you? Why must you continue to hate me so?
“Because you've changed! You used to be innocent and kind. What happened?” Charlotte asked, feeling both mentally and emotionally exhausted. “I know I was in the wrong. I shouldn't have agreed to your proposal, nor should I have toyed with your feelings. But it's time to let that go. We can't continue to make mistakes..."
Chapter 1393
Chapter 1393
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1393
Louis, unfortunately, was adamant. “I don't see anything wrong with this. If it weren't for Zachary, we'd be happy together.”
Charlotte was both speechless and exasperated. She knew that no matter what she said, Louis would never listen.
She had spent three days running herself ragged, trying to talk some sense into Louis but to no avail. He was just way too stubborn.
“Charlotte, you have to believe me. I'm the only one whose feelings for you will never change.” Louis cupped Charlotte's face and gazed longingly at her as he continued, “Look at Zachary. How many women does he have around him? There were the Blackwoods' sisters in the past, and now there's a Nancy Gold. I, on the other hand, have only had eyes for you all this time.”
“Didn“t you have Diana too?” Charlotte retorted coldly.
“That's different. I've never liked her!” Louis exclaimed, clearly triggered by the mention of Diana. “I took her for you... In any case, I'll never let such a shameful incident happen again. Trust me, Charlotte, I've never betrayed you. You're the only one I love—"
“Enough, Louis!” Charlotte interrupted. “None of that is important. I've always treated you like a good friend, even till now. Do you really want to destroy the last ounce of friendship we have between us?”
Louis stared back with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“Tell your men to release Lupine and the rest. I still have a lot to do, and I don't want to carry on this charade anymore.”
Charlotte had agreed to this act, not only because Louis had threatened her with Lupine and the others, but also because she felt guilty toward him and wanted to make it up to him
Now that the three days were up, it was time for her to call it quits.
“Charade? This is the furthest thing from a charade! Everything that I've done and said, I meant them from the bottom of my heart.”
Charlotte sighed in resignation. “Okay, that's enough. Louis, are you going to let them go or not?” “I can let them go, but not you,” Louis said as he gripped Charlotte's shoulders. “Please, Charlotte, give me one more chance. I promise to love you and only you. You have to trust me—"
Before Louis could continue with his plea, Charlotte had shoved him away and held a knife against his neck. Knowing the assassins were outside, she yelled, “Let them go now!”
Louis froze in his tracks, still in utter disbelief that Charlotte would pull a knife on him.
No matter how she had treated him in the past, he never could bring himself to hurt her. Even when she had insisted on leaving, he had to threaten his parents with his life before they agreed to let her go.
Why is she doing this to me now?
When the assassins saw the scene in front of them, they hurriedly trained their guns on Charlotte and shouted in Ustranasion, “Damn it! Put the knife down!”
“Sir Louis, I've told you before that this woman is no pushover,” one of the assassins scoffed as he glared at Charlotte. “See what happens when you let your guard down?”
“Shut up!” Louis screamed.
“Let them go now!” Charlotte repeated, her anxiety growing with every second. Zachary's injured and waiting for me at home. Hayley and Sam are probably worried sick about me too. And my kids... Oh, how I've missed them!
“Charlotte, do you truly hate me that much?”
Louis stared at her sadly, and instead of ducking, he moved in even closer. “Go ahead then. As long as it's you doing the deed, I can die without regrets!”
Charlotte was about to reply when Louis took another step forward, causing the knife to cut his neck.
As blood slowly oozed out of the wound, Charlotte could only stare back in astonishment.
Several assassins quickly pulled their triggers and shouted, “Stop right there!”
“Put your guns down,” Louis ordered.
“Sir Louis..."
“I told you to put your guns down! I'll kill anyone who hurts her!” Louis ordered in exasperation.
Chapter 1394
Chapter 1394
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1394
The assassins dared not provoke Louis or put their guns down, afraid that Charlotte would harm him.
After all, if anything happened to Louis, their mission would not be considered accomplished. “Louis, I don't want to hurt you.” Seeing the man hurt, Charlotte did not have the heart to continue. “If you don't want me to hate you, then let them go.
“All right.” Louis ordered the assassins, “Let them go.”
Two assassins soon brought Lupine and the other two female bodyguards of the Lindberg family over.
However, instead of freeing them, the assassins threatened Charlotte with their lives. “Put your knife down, or else I'll kill them all.”
“Ms. Lindberg, leave us and go!” Lupine shouted anxiously.
“You think I don't know the truth about your employer?” Charlotte placed her knife against Louis’ neck as she roared, “Louis seems to be your employer on the surface, but in actuality, you work for Sir Robert. If something happens to Louis, do you think he will let you off?”
"You..." The assassins panicked at Charlotte's accurate assessment.
"You all..." Louis was baffled. He thought he was their employer for the whole time since he engaged them to work for him. Unexpectedly, it turned out that his father had arranged everything without him knowing.
“Let them go,” Charlotte chillingly ordered again.
This time around, the assassins had no choice but to let the trio go. In their eyes, Louis’ life carried a heavier weight than Lupine and the other two bodyguards.
They could still recapture the trio after releasing them. However, if Louis was harmed, the repercussions they would face were unthinkable.
“Ms. Lindberg!”
Lupine and the two bodyguards dashed for Charlotte once they were free. Lupine even removed her suit jacket and covered Charlotte with it.
Detaining Louis, Charlotte moved toward the exit while Lupine and the bodyguards cautiously watched every movement the assassins made.
Outside the window, Ben and the others were still lying in wait for the opportunity to ambush.
“Let him go now.”
The assassins pointed their guns at Charlotte as they slowly and carefully followed her, fearing she would hurt Louis.
They were in a stalemate until they reached the courtyard, where two assassins rounded to the back to sneak up on Charlotte.
At that moment, Ben struck. He swiftly held down the two assassins then fought the others.
Lupine could not contain her joy when she saw him.
Seizing the opportunity, Charlotte pushed Louis away and planned to leave Lupine and the bodyguards. However, he held her arm tightly. “Charlotte, don't go,” he pleaded.
“Let me go!” Charlotte struggled to extricate herself from his grip.
“No! Don't leave me,” Louis sobbed while shaking his head. “I can do everything for you. I can even die for you.”
“I said let go!” Unperturbed, Charlotte pulled his hand away from her, hoping to release herself. “Charlotte...”
Yet, Louis still would not let go. Suddenly, an assassin opened fire on Charlotte.
“Ms. Lindberg!” Lupine rushed to place herself in front of Charlotte, shielding the latter from harm. A loud bang exploded in everyone's ears, and blood splattered.
Shell-shocked, Charlotte could only watch as Lupine fell to the ground limply with a gunshot wound in her chest.
“Lupine!” Charlotte urgently bent down and took Lupine into her arms. She shouted emotionally, “Lupine, hang on..."
Louis was stunned for a second before turning to yell at the assassin furiously, “Why did you do that! Didn't I forbid you from shooting her?”
“She wanted to kill you,” the assassin retorted matter-of-factly.
"You..."
“Go to blazes!”
Charlotte picked up the gun on the ground and fired a couple of shots at the assassin.
With that, the assassin dropped dead to the ground.
“Charlotte, listen to me—"
Louis wanted to explain, but Charlotte cut his explanation off by pointing the gun at him. “Louis, do you want me to die?” she screamed hysterically.
“No! Charlotte, I don't!” Louis shook his head furiously. “I rather die than be separated from you.” “Then why don't you die?” She placed her finger on the trigger but could not bring herself to pull it. In the end, she smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Never mind. I was the one who caused you to end up like this. I shall recompense you with my life.”
Charlotte then turned the gun toward herself.
“Charlotte, don't!"
Chapter 1395
Chapter 1395
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1395
Louis tried to stop Charlotte frantically, but she had pulled the trigger without hesitation.
At that crucial moment, a dart flew over and hit the gun in Charlotte's hand.
Struck by it, the gun clattered to the ground and diverted the trajectory of the bullet.
The shock from Charlotte's action had Louis down on his knees. His entire body went limp, and he was sweating buckets.
His heart felt as though it was smashed into smithereens by that silent gunshot.
“Ms. Lindberg!”
Ben rushed over and carried Charlotte and the unconscious Lupine away.
Louis did not stop them anymore, merely staring at Charlotte's figure in despair until she was gone from his sight.
He finally realized he would never win her heart over no matter what he did, as she would rather die than be with him.
Everything he had done only incited her disgust and hatred.
“Lupine! Lupine!”
After carrying Lupine into the car, Ben glanced at her gunshot wound and became anxiety-ridden. “It was all my fault. I couldn't protect you.”
“Hurry to the hospital! Quick!” Charlotte urged urgently.
“Understood.”
The crimson sunset at that moment reflected Charlotte's despair.
She hated herself for not being decisive and ruthless. If she did not drag her heels, she would not have been entangled with things that were inherently wrong time and again
She even involved those around her.
First, it was Morgan, then it was Lupine.
If anything happened to Lupine, she would never forgive herself.
When the car came to a halt at the hospital, Ben dashed into the building with Lupine in his arms. "Somebody help!” he yelled desperately.
Ben had been by Zachary's side for over a decade. Throughout the years, he learned to be level- headed. Other than matters related to Zachary, he had never lost control of his emotions.
For the past few months, he had maintained a passive attitude toward Lupine as though he was unmoved by the feelings he had for her.
In the eyes of others, he seemed to be disinterested in the relationship.
Yet, he could no longer mask his feelings at that moment. His anxiety, heartache, and panic betrayed his concern for Lupine.
Charlotte trailed behind the doctor closely and repeatedly exhorted, “You must save her no matter what. Nothing can happen to her.”
"We'll do our very best.”
The hospital was humming as the medical staff flurried into the operation room. Charlotte paced outside, anxiously waiting for the operation to end.
Ben gave Zachary a call, but no one picked up. Mr. Nacht is probably angry.
However, he did not think much of it at that time because Lupine’s life was in danger. Therefore, he pocketed his phone and sat outside of the operation room.
Unbeknownst to him, there was a flurry of activity at Southridge too.
With the fastest speed, Nancy quickly had someone bring Helen over.
Once Helen had a complete understanding of the entire situation, she rebuked, “I said that he needed rest and that he shouldn't be agitated, nor should he move around! It has only been a few days since his treatment.”
“Dr. Wright, please calm down and check on Mr. Nacht,” Nancy urged nervously.
“I wouldn't have given a damn about him if it wasn't for the pay. Even God can't save such an uncooperative patient.”
Helen entered Zachary's room with quick steps and began examining and treating him.
Outside of the room, Spencer paced up and down while interrogating Raina.
Raina dared not say it was because of Charlotte, so she merely explained Zachary got agitated from a call he received.
As for the content of the call, they would have to wait for Zachary's explanation after he woke up. Spencer's expression turned grim as he knew the call was related to Charlotte. Yet, he did not mention it before the outsiders, merely ordering everyone to keep silent and not disrupt Zachary's treatment.
At that moment, he had decided to talk with Charlotte for the sake of Zachary's health. Meanwhile, Charlotte had no idea about Zachary's condition.
She was a bundle of nerves while waiting in the hospital.
At midnight, the doctor finally exited the emergency room. He pulled his mask off and said, “The patient has passed the critical stage. Luckily, the bullet didn't strike her heart, so her life isn't in immediate danger.”
Chapter 1396
Chapter 1396
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1396
“That's great news.”
Charlotte exhaled a sigh of relief. She was glad that Lupine was fine. Otherwise, she would never forgive herself.
After everything that had happened, Lupine and Morgan were like sisters to her. Everyone around her had left one by one, her father, Mrs. Berry, and Danrique. Lupine and Morgan were all she had left.
She did not want to lose anyone else.
“Can I go in and have a look at her?” Ben asked immediately.
“Sure, but you'll have to put on an isolation gown.” The doctor continued, “Also, we have informed the police as her wound was a gunshot wound. The police will be here soon, and I ask for your cooperation.”
Ben was bewildered by the doctor's reminder but quickly recollected himself and nodded. “All right. We'll do that.”
“Thank you.” The doctor sighed. He was worried Ben would cause a scene, so he had not expected him to be so cooperative. It seems like he's not a bad guy.
Charlotte wanted to check on Lupine as well, but she knew the latter needed Ben more than her at that moment, so she stayed outside.
“Ms. Lindberg, have some water.” Cain handed her a glass of water.
“Thanks.” Charlotte asked, “Why are you guys here?”
"After losing contact with you a few days ago, Ben was worried about your safety, so he sent us in to search for you. We couldn't find you, so he rushed over to join the search.”
Cain explained the situation succinctly.
"Who gave you the order? Ben or Zachary?” she asked puzzledly.
“Ben did.” He blurted out, “Mr. Zachary, he—"
Before he could continue, Kyle nudged him to cut him off. Getting the hint, Cain immediately held his tongue.
"What? What happened to Zachary?” Charlotte had a suspicion that something terrible had happened to Zachary, so she hurriedly probed. “Did his condition worsen?”
Cain simply lowered his head in silence.
Kyle and the rest dared not say anything either.
"Give me your phone.”
The assassins discarded Charlotte's and Lupine’s phones, so she could not contact Zachary.
Cain handed his phone to her meekly.
Charlotte reached for the phone and called Zachary immediately. However, no one answered the call even after a long time.
Her stomach was in knots as she redialed the number.
Someone finally picked up the second time, but it was not Zachary’s voice. It belonged to a woman. “Hello?”
Charlotte was stunned for a brief moment before she asked, “Nancy?”
“Charlotte?” Nancy sounded surprised too. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
"Where's Zachary?" Charlotte tried to keep her tone even and her emotions in check as she asked "He's not available at the moment.” Nancy continued casually, “You can leave a message with me, and I'll pass it on to Zachary.”
“It's fine.”
With that, Charlotte hung up the phone. The call had ended, but her emotions were tumultuous like a raging sea.
Zachary has always been careful not to let anyone touch his phone, so why is his phone with Nancy? It's quarter to one in the morning, yet they're still together... Moreover, I called using Cain's phone, so she wouldn't have known I was calling. That proves that Nancy wasn't acting. What is the meaning of all this?
Insecurity and anger coursed through her body.
Thoughts of Zachary and Nancy being intimate with each other flashed through her mind. Even the mere thought of them cuddling together in bed spiked her anger.
“Ms. Lindberg,” Ben called as he came out of the emergency room. “Why don't you catch some rest? I need to assist the police and provide a statement. Also, I've already talked to the doctor. If Lupine’s condition stabilizes tomorrow morning, we can take a private jet back to H City.”
“Right. Thank you.” Charlotte nodded. "You go ahead. I'll stay here with Lupine.”
“Okay.” Ben left in a hurry.
Chapter 1397
Chapter 1397
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1397
Charlotte returned Cain's phone to him, then led Jade and Emma into the ward to take care of Lupine.
Despite the numerous questions she had in her mind, she did not persist with her questioning. After all, Cain and Kyle did not know much, so it was pointless to ask since she would not get an answer.
Moreover, Lupine was still in the emergency room. Her life could still be in danger, so Charlotte was in no mood to be jealous.
It was best to settle the problems she was facing at the moment. As for others, she would deal with it at a later time.
A restless night passed.
When Ben returned in the morning, his face was a mask of fatigue. On the bright side, he had settled everything and gotten the approval from the doctor to bring Lupine back to H City.
To ensure Lupine’s safety on their way back, Ben had hired a few doctors and medical staff to accompany them.
With everything set and ready to go, they took the private jet back to H City at nine-thirty in the morning.
On the plane, Charlotte and Ben stayed by Lupine’s side.
“I'm glad that she’s fine,” said Charlotte as she gently wiped Lupine’s face with a warm towel.
“Ms. Lindberg, I have something important I need to discuss with you,” Ben said softly.
“Shoot.” Charlotte lifted her gaze from Lupine to focus on him.
He pondered briefly then said straightforwardly, “Firstly, I have Sir Louis and his subordinates in my hands. I have arranged for them to be taken back to H City for Mr. Nacht to deal with.”
Charlotte was surprised. The previous day was chaotic, and with Lupine getting shot, she was too restless to think about other things.
She thought Ben was busy cooperating with the police, but instead, he went to catch Louis and the assassins.
As expected of Zachary's right-hand man.
“I figured I should inform you on this.”
Ben's gaze was on Lupine as he spoke.
“Personally, as a man, I had to take revenge on them for daring to threaten you with Lupine and the others’ lives and even shooting Lupine. Professionally, I received orders from Mr. Nacht to rescue you, so I should catch everyone involved and let him deal with them. It's also to avoid any further mishap. However, since Louis was once... your fiancé, out of respect, I had to inform you.”
“Ben, firstly, I'm very gratified to hear you say that.” There was admiration in Charlotte's gaze. “As a man, you shoulder your responsibility well and treat Lupine with much loyalty and affection. I feel at ease to give her hand to you. But there's one thing I need to clarify. Louis was my fiancé indeed, but that was in name only. Besides, with everything that had happened afterward, we had separated—" “Wait a minute,” Ben interrupted in astonishment, “you're saying him being your fiancé was in name only? T-Then that time when you were in the manor in Arkfield, you and him—"
Charlotte did not elaborate. “That was a misunderstanding. I will leave out the distasteful details. All in all, I never had a romantic relationship with him from the start till the end.
“I didn’t have the heart to finish him off because I felt that this tragedy happened because of me. If it wasn't for me agreeing to his proposal for my selfish reasons, he might not have ended up like this.
“But just because I feel sorry for him, it doesn’t mean that he can do whatever he likes. Therefore, I do not have any objections to you catching him and his assassins. However, the mastermind behind the entire incident is Sir Robert.
“It has nothing to do with Louis, so catching him is pointless. If something happens, I fear it will cause trouble to you and Zachary, so I suggest you hand him over to me once we arrive at H City. Let me negotiate with Sir Robert.”
Chapter 1398
Chapter 1398
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1398
“Ms. Lindberg, I'll get right to the point since there's only the both of us here,” Ben said somberly. “Since you've been in the company of Sir Robert for quite some time, you should know he’s an avaricious person. As of now, he won't regard you as an equal because you don't have a strong backing. Not only will you not gain anything from negotiating with him, but you may even infuriate him.”
“That's true.”
Charlotte lowered her head in deep thought. If Zachary didn't come forward during the incident regarding the refund of my investment fund, Sir Robert might've already pocketed that twenty billion. He's an unreasonable man, so it's pointless no matter how I plan to negotiate with him.
“I suggest you let us handle this matter,” Ben advised. “Please be assured. Based on my understanding of Mr. Nacht's character, he won't harm Sir Louis. Especially...”
He felt slightly awkward to speak of it. “Especially if he knows there's nothing between you and Sir Louis. He will be even lenient with him."
“Mm.” Charlotte nodded. “I agree with the arrangement. Anything else you want to add?”
“Two more things...” Ben glanced at Lupine as he said earnestly, “I want to ask you for Lupine’s hand. I will take good care of her. Please believe me.”
“I believe you, but—"
“I know you need her too. I'm not saying now, but in the future, after the matters of the Lindberg family are resolved, and everything has settled down...”
“I don't have any objections if she’s willing.” Charlotte felt gratified. “I'm happy that you brought this up with me.”
“Thank you.” Ben nodded his head with gratitude. “Lastly...” His voice trailed off as he hesitated to tell her about Zachary's condition.
Will Mr. Nacht chase me out if I tell her? With his character, he might really do so. I don't care about myself, but currently, he needs people he can trust by his side, so I can't leave at such a juncture. "You want to talk to me about Zachary?” Charlotte guessed accurately then lied, “I already know about his condition.”
“Huh? You...” Ben held his tongue before he could spill any information and pretended not to understand her words. “Know about what? I don't understand.”
"Stop acting.” She intended to sound him out. "Hayley told me about it. I knew all of you had warned her and Sam not to tell me the truth. But think about it. Is Hayley closer to you guys or me?” Ben lowered his head, concealing the solemn expression on his face. Her words make sense. After all, Hayley is quite naive and doesn’t have any idea about power or status. She only knows that Ms. Lindberg is the closest person to her. Therefore, the warning and reminder from the Nacht family might be ineffective toward her. She might really have told Ms. Lindberg everything with a bit of coaxing.
“Louis’ men shadowed me when I got off the plane. Hayley coincidentally called me to ask if I had arrived. And when she heard the gunshots at my side, she was terrified. I seized that opportunity to interrogate her about Zachary's condition. Finally, she told me the truth after I put the wind up her.” Observing Ben's expression, she continued to lure him into her trap.
“Ben, I know you're loyal to Zachary, and you don't want to betray him. I understand if you don't tell me the truth, but think about it. What are you going to do if something happens to Zachary? Wouldn't you regret it for the rest of your life?”
ow
“I know you've assigned Bruce to search for Francesco's whereabouts, but you will never find him even if you searched under every rock without my help.”
Charlotte continued, “Give me a definitive answer. What happened to Zachary? As long as you tell me the truth, I'll help you search for Francesco.”
Chapter 1399
Chapter 1399
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1399
“Mr. Nacht, he...” Ben hesitated briefly but came clean in the end. “He doesn't have long to live.” “What did you say?” Charlotte froze and widened her eyes in disbelief.
“This is what happened...”
He then recounted everything to her, starting from three months ago when Zachary realized something was wrong with his eyes and confirmed he was poisoned.
Following that, he explained how Zachary accepted Charlottes conditions and hid himself away for treatment, where he suffered excruciating pain alone.
After two months of treatment, Zachary still did not fully recover despite showing some improvement. When he heard that Charlotte was going to marry Louis, he dropped everything and headed to Arkfield to see her. Unfortunately, he was greeted by a heartbreaking sight.
Everything he did—taking away the children and deliberately creating a misunderstanding to infuriate the Laurent family—was so that she could return home and take over the Nacht family as the lady of the household after his passing.
It took an entire hour for Ben to relate everything that had happened.
He even told her that nothing was going on between Zachary and Nancy. All this while, Zachary had been using Nancy to make Charlotte jealous. Whenever he tried to clear the air with Nancy, something would prevent him from doing so.
This time around, Nancy brought in Helen at the crucial moment to treat Zachary. That was why Ben allowed her to stay at the house for the time being.
Having heard his words, Charlotte was moved to tears. It never crossed her mind that Zachary was suffering alone when she had misunderstood him all this while.
In spite of that, he still selflessly saved her at the crucial moment. Yet, when he was struck down by sickness, she was not by his side and even became a burden to him.
“Ms. Lindberg, I know that I'm disobeying Mr. Nacht by telling you all this now. However, I'm at my wits’ end.”
Lowering his head, Ben explained agonizingly, “Mr. Nacht's condition is extremely serious. If we can't find Francesco, he may be done for.”
By then, Charlotte's hand trembled uncontrollably as feelings of guilt swamped her. She hated herself for not letting go, not forgiving Zachary, and not reconciling with him earlier.
If she had realized her folly earlier, she would have been able to seek Francesco's help sooner, and Zachary's sickness would not have escalated to such a severe extent.
“Ms. Lindberg..."
When Ben saw Charlotte remain silent, he assumed she was still bothered by the past animosity between them.
Hence, he anxiously advised, “I know that the Nacht family had treated you badly. However, whatever bad blood there was is now gone. Mr. Henry, Zara, and the Blackwood sisters are all dead. Who else is left for you to hate? Do you really want to see Mr. Nacht die at such a young age? Or have the children be fatherless?”
"Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Charlotte finally said something. She was so shaken that her voice was trembling. “Given how grave this matter is, why did you wait till now to tell me?”
"I..." Briefly stunned, Ben took a second before he started explaining. “Mr. Nacht ordered me not to do so no matter what. He said that he wanted you to return home out of love and not out of pity.” “That fool!” She gritted her teeth.
"He declared that he rather die a proud man than live in shame.” Thinking about Zachary, Ben was filled with guilt. “I was in a dilemma. The only thing I could do was try my best to locate Francesco, hoping to have the best of both worlds.”
“There's no way you can find him.” Charlotte took a deep breath to recollect herself. “Only I can do it.”
“Really? Can you really do it?” Ben could not suppress his excitement.
“It's not going to be easy, but I will definitely find him for Zachary's sake.” Seized by anxiety, she asked, “How much longer before we arrive in H City?”
"Soon, the plane is preparing for descend.”
Chapter 1400
Chapter 1400
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort chapter 1400
“I'll take care of locating Francesco.” Charlotte checked her watch for the time. “After going back, I'll contact Gordon and Sean at once.”
“That's wonderful! Thank you, Ms. Lindberg.” Ben was extremely grateful. “With your help, Mr. Nacht can finally be cured.”
“No, wait.” Charlotte suddenly thought of something important. “Didn’t you just say that Zachary's condition had stabilized when you left?”
“That's right. He was extremely worried about you and wanted to look for you. However, he decided against it after I got on my knees and pleaded with him.”
“That's not the point,” she interrupted him. “Was his condition really stable then?”
“Relatively so. Dr. Wright said that as long as he didn’t go out, he would be fine for about a month,” he explained earnestly.
“But...” The more Charlotte thought about it, the more suspicious she became. “When I called Zachary last night, it was Nancy who answered.”
“Huh?” Stunned, Ben frantically explained, “That's not right. By the time I left, Nancy was already gone. Unless she came back later? But don't worry, Ms. Lindberg. Given how sick Mr. Nacht is, nothing is going to happen between them—"
“That's not what I'm concerned about.” The woman's expression was grim. “I'm worried that he's suffering a relapse.”
Her words struck fear into Ben. “That's entirely possible. Back then, when I arrived at the villa, he wanted me to start a video call. I did as told and captured you and Sir Louis...”
At there, he raised his hand to slap himself in remorse. “It was all my fault. I shouldn't have started the video call. Why was I so stupid?”
“You're not to blame.” Charlotte uttered coldly, “I think someone must have said something in front of him.”
“Do you mean Ms. Gold?" Ben asked meekly. “That's unlikely. She seems to be quite an honest person.”
"Precisely. Due to her honesty, everyone assumes she will only tell the truth.” A wry smile hovered on her lips. “Because of that, Zachary will believe her words, which makes her a formidable adversary.”
"El.
"However, that's for another day. I should find Francesco as soon as possible.” Charlotte was well aware of her priorities. “Once we disembark from the plane, you should settle Lupine down while I will return to Southridge.”
“Sure.” Ben repeatedly nodded as he could not be happier. However, at the thought of something, he asked in concern, “As for Mr. Nacht, can you...”
Flashing him a faint smile, she assured, “Don’t worry. I know what must be done. I won't put you in a spot.”
“That's good. Thank you.”
Ben heaved a sigh of relief.
Half an hour later, their private jet landed in H City.
Ben had already contacted the medical staff at Kindness Hospital to meet them at the airport. After that, he and a few other subordinates accompanied the unconscious Lupine to the hospital.
At the same time, he arranged for Cain, Kyle, and the others to escort Charlotte back to Southridge. Ben bowed at Charlotte respectfully before the two groups went their separate ways. “Ms. Lindberg, the fate of the Nacht family is in your hands!"
"Don’t worry.” The woman nodded. “I'll leave Lupine with you.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
The road leading back to Southridge was shrouded in rain and mist.
Charlotte switched her SIM card to a new phone and contacted Gordon at once.
However, when Gordon did not reply after a long while, she dropped Sean a message and told them to call her the moment they saw her note.
Cognizant of the fact that they might be tied down in Erihal, she reckoned they might not be able to check their phone in time. Nevertheless, once they saw her message, they would get in touch with her at once.
All she could do was wait patiently.
Soon, the car drove into Southridge. When Charlotte alighted, she saw a few unfamiliar bodyguards stationed outside. That was when she realized they were not the Nacht family’s men but the Gold family’s instead.