Ch. 1411..1420
Chapter 1411
"Secondly—"
Before Charlotte could continue, Zachary grabbed her hand anxiously. Summoning whatever strength he could, he asked, “Why... didn’t you say anything... back then?”
“I was equally confused and assumed it did happen.” With an embarrassed look on her face, she explained, “Deep down, I felt that nothing happened between us. However, all the evidence seemed to indicate that it was. Before I got a grasp of the situation, I didn't dare to tell you anything.” “R-Really?” Zachary could not rein back his emotions.
"If you don't believe me, you can investigate it yourself.” Charlotte did not explain further. “When we returned to the Laurent family’s castle, Diana pulled the same trick again, but I caught her. By installing a pinhole camera, I captured everything as evidence and used it to coerce Sir Robert and his wife to call off the wedding. Devastated by the incident, Louis fell into depression. Even now, I can feel that he's mentally deranged...”
At that point, she could not help but sigh. “To be honest, I, too, am responsible for it. But the problem mainly lies with his parents and Diana.”
Zachary finally believed her. Previously, he found it odd as to why Robert and Sherlyn would let her go and why their relationship ended on such bad terms. As it did not make sense, he was convinced there must be an inside story.
Finally, the truth was revealed.
“The first matter has been cleared up.” Rubbing her tired eyes, Charlotte continued, “The second thing I want to say is that I will not have anything to do with Louis going forward. Hence, I hope you will stop being angry over the matter.”
“Really?” Zachary asked again.
Knitting her eyebrows, she shot him a look of displeasure. “Do you not believe me?"
“I just hope that... you will... keep your—"
“I will. Don't worry,” Charlotte interjected. Sighing, she continued, “Besides, Louis is close to turning into a lunatic. The best solution is to stay away from him and let him undergo treatment.”
“You still... care about him.” That was what bothered Zachary the most.
"Why are you still fixating on that?” She was peeved. “I'm only concerned about him as a friend, nothing more.”
Zachary put up his hand to indicate that he did not want to discuss it further.
Since Charlotte had cleared the air and declared that she would keep her distance from Louis, there was no need for him to dwell on the topic any further.
After all, the darkest days were already over.
Zachary felt reinvigorated.
However, he still felt as if he was forgiving her too easily, so he continued to feign a frosty and dissatisfied expression.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Charlotte scrutinized his condition.
“No.” Closing his eyes, the man responded distantly.
"Go back to sleep then.” Utterly drained of energy, she let out a yawn, curled underneath the quilt, and carefully maintained her distance from Zachary.
When Zachary tried to squirm toward her, Charlotte thought she had accidentally touched him and turned around instead. She was so far away that the quilt barely covered her.
Zachary was speechless. She really is dense!
That night, both of them fell asleep in the face of repeated disruptions.
At nine in the morning, Charlotte was awoken by some muffled sounds. Opening her eyes groggily, she noticed that Raina and the nurses had arrived. They were preparing to give Zachary an examination.
However, the man gestured for them to leave so that they would not disturb her rest.
Nonetheless, Charlotte was already awake. She quickly got out of bed. “I'm sorry! I was too tired and overslept.”
“It's all right, Ms. Lindberg. Why don't you go wash up while I give Mr. Nacht a checkup?” Raina replied awkwardly.
“Sure.” Charlotte hurried out at once.
Staring at her silhouette, Zachary could not help but feel dejected.
Chapter 1412 Another Quilt
“The bathroom is filled with your medication and medical supplies, so Ms. Lindberg has to use the guest room to wash up,” Raina explained when she saw through Zachary's thoughts. “I'll have someone tidy it up later so that she can shower in here.”
Zachary nodded in approval.
“Do you want to add a small bed by the side?” one of the nurses asked. “That way, Ms. Lindberg can sleep on it when she accompanies you at night. She won't disturb your rest, and neither will she come into contact with your wounds.”
“That's right.” Another nurse voiced her approval. “Mr. Nacht, considering your current condition, you have to be careful not to touch your wounds. Otherwise—"
“Cut the crap,” Zachary interrupted as he glared coldly at them.
The two nurses paled with fright and lowered their heads, no longer daring to utter another word. “The examination is completed. Why don't the two of you pack up the items in the bathroom?” Being thoughtful, Raina got them out of the fix.
"Yes, Dr. Langhan.” The nurses headed to the bathroom as instructed.
After taking Zachary's temperature, Raina remarked softly, “They're not wrong, you know. Considering your wounds, it would be terrible if she touched them. Why don’t we bring in another quilt instead of a small bed?”
“You're such a busybo—"
“That's a wonderful idea!”
Just as Zachary was about to admonish Raina, Charlotte returned from freshening up.
While putting on facial moisturizer on her milk-like skin, she commented, “I was just thinking about sleeping on the sofa tonight, but it's just too hard and uncomfortable. Actually, a small bed is also a good idea. Considering how big the room is, there should be no problem accommodating it at all.” Raina observed Zachary's expression and noticed he was visibly upset. However, Charlotte was oblivious to it still. In fact, she was estimating the measurements with her hands while talking to herself.
“This spot should fit a queen-size bed. However, it will definitely look strange. I bet a perfectionist like him would be unsettled by it. Oh well, forget it. I think I'll just sleep on the sofa. Please add a mattress on top of it. Also, please get me a thicker blanket. I'm afraid of the cold.”
“Ms. Lindberg..." Raina quickly called out when she saw Zachary's expression turning darker. “The sofa is too far away. It would be hard for you to notice if Mr. Nacht has any discomfort. Why don't you sleep on the bed? I'll get you another quilt instead.”
After contemplating over it, Charlotte agreed, “That makes sense.” If not for her being particularly attentive the previous night, she would not have noticed Zachary constantly stirring throughout the night.
Upon seeing how frosty Zachary looked, she thought he disdained him. Hence, she quickly reassured, “Don’t worry. I'll behave and definitely not touch you.”
Rolling his eyes, Zachary no longer had the energy to scold her, nor did he feel like talking to her anymore.
"All right. That's settled then.” Seeing that his mood had lightened, Raina added, “Ms. Lindberg, I have ordered the bathroom to be tidied up. From today onward, you can shower there instead of the guest room.”
“Really? That's great!” Charlotte was looking at her phone. “I'll get someone to bring me a change of clothes. I felt too embarrassed to go downstairs in my nightgown.”
“I have already ordered someone to prepare them,” Raina quickly replied. “Your clothes and toiletries are ready.”
“I'm still more used to using mine.”
Charlotte gave Morgan a call to bring her things.
Over the phone, Morgan reported, “Ms. Lindberg, I have been contacting Mr. Lindberg's subordinates. However, only Gordon has replied. He said he had gotten in touch with you. As for the rest, I didn't hear anything from them.”
“I understand. Go and prepare my clothes first.”
As she spoke, Charlotte checked her messages. Gordon had sent her one, telling her that he had reached out to Sean and had him help search for Francesco. Hence, Sean was on the case.
Chapter 1413 In His Hands
Charlotte was delighted by the progress.
Since he managed to reach Sean, Danrique would soon find out about this. If his situation permits, he should be getting in touch with me soon. When that happens, I will plead with him to find Francesco.
"Why are... you smiling?” Zachary snapped suddenly.
"Huh?" Regaining her senses, Charlotte deleted the message and responded, “It's nothing. You should get some rest while I go have breakfast.”
With that, she left the room.
The man was still upset. Even though they had cleared up the misunderstanding about Louis, he still felt insecure and restless.
She's behaving as if nothing had happened and doesn't seem to be concerned about me.
“Mr. Nacht!” At that moment, Ben rushed into the room. He was absolutely delighted to see that Zachary was awake. “It's wonderful to see that you've regained consciousness! I was worried sick about you.”
“Ben, stay with Mr. Nacht as I need to give Dr. Wright a call.”
Raina planned to update Helen on Zachary's condition and ask about the medical follow-up.
“All right. Go ahead.” Ben nodded.
After Raina left with the nurses, he approached Zachary excitedly. “Has Ms. Lindberg explained everything to you? It was all an accident. Actually, there was nothing going on between her and Sir Louis—"
“I know.” Zachary cut him off, no longer wanting to talk about it.
"How do you feel?” Ben probed cautiously. “Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
“My body aches all over.”
Zachary sighed. All this while, he was a proud and invincible man. Yet, he was reduced to being a puppet on a bed, to the extent of not being able to move.
"You should feel much better in two more days,” Ben comforted. “Dr. Wright said you should be able to start walking after three days of bed rest.”
“Mmh,” Zachary grunted as he closed his eyes.
“Furthermore, Bruce told me that he has found a lead on Francesco. I'm sure we will be able to locate him soon.”
Ben cooked up a lie as he dared not let Zachary know that it was Charlotte who had seen some progress at her end
“Even if... we find him, he may not... be willing to come to... H City.”
It took Zachary a lot of effort to complete that sentence. Although he was physically weak, his mind was still sharp.
"We will definitely find a way,” Ben reassured him. “At least we are seeing some progress. You have to have faith and overcome your sickness. Both the children and Ms. Lindberg need you.”
“Stop being melodramatic!”
Zachary shot him a glare as he did not want to hear such cringe-worthy words. In truth, he, too, was desperate to find Francesco and receive treatment. However, the repeated disappointments had caused him to lose hope.
Furthermore, he knew his own condition well. Given how severe it was, Francesco might not be able to cure him even if he was invited over to the residence.
"Fine, fine. Let's not talk about this anymore.” Knowing what a proud man Zachary was, Ben was aware that he did not like hearing such talk. Hence, he diverted the conversation. “There are a few things I would like to report.”
"Go on.” Zachary's spirits were only lifted with the mention of official business.
“First, the shareholders of the Gymnasium Project have arrived at Ashenville Garden two days ago. Since you were unconscious at that time, they didn’t dare to bother you. When they found out I had returned today, they asked me about the situation.
"Secondly, Sir Louis engaged people to kidnap Ms. Lindberg. They had threatened to hurt Lupine and the others to force her into submission. When Ms. Lindberg tried to flee by holding Sir Louis hostage, one of his men fired a shot at her.
"At the crucial moment, Lupine shielded Ms. Lindberg and took the bullet on her behalf. Although her life is no longer in danger, I still felt outraged, so I captured Louis and all of his subordinates and brought them back to H City. Their fate is in your hands.”
“Well done!” Zachary's expression darkened. “She didn't... tell me... these details.”
Chapter 1414 Anything For You
Ben whispered, “Ms. Lindberg was against the idea of taking things to the point of no return and thought it was enough to take out the one assaulting Lupine. However, I'm not going to forgive the mastermind from the Laurent family.”
After much consideration, he thought of sharing the rest with Zachary. “Sir Louis might have sent the hitmen, but Sir Robert was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. This might be one of his attempts to get his revenge against you. After all, you forced him to return the initial invested capital. They must've not learned from their lessons.”
"A-Announce the termination of collaboration between Nacht Group and the Laurent family!” Zachary instructed with his fists clenched.
“All right.” Ben nodded in return.
Shortly after he delivered his instructions, Zachary announced with his brows furrowed, “A-As for Louis, keep him imprisoned for another fortnight!”
"Yes!"
“Get going at once!”
“All right, I think Ms. Lindberg is going to—"
Halfway through Ben's speech, Hanna marched into the room with Charlotte and a cart. “Mr. Zachary, you're finally awake. Ms. Lindberg has made you something to eat.”
“It's something you need as of now,” Charlotte assured the injured man with a satisfied beam. “Ms. Lindberg, I'll excuse myself since Mr. Nacht is in great hands.” Ben brought himself out of the room shortly after he wrapped up his conversation with them.
Similarly, Hanna made an excuse to leave the room.
Zachary was at a loss for words when Charlotte showed him the serving of oatmeal with some fruits she made him.
“I-Is that it?” he asked with a frown and thought it was an attempt of hers to get him back.
Is she seriously serving me a freaking bowl of oatmeal after I've been unconscious for three days? Isn't she aware I'm in desperate need of something nutritious, especially proteins?
“The doctor warned us not to serve you any solid food for the time being. Isn't this the best amongst your least preferred liquid foods?”
"C-Can't you make me a soup or something else?” Zachary's disappointment was written all over his face.
"You're not really supposed to consume anything greasy after being unconscious for such a long time.” Charlotte took a seat next to him and urged, “Be good and finish this, okay?"
He gave in eventually and was being treated like a child who couldn't care for himself.
Charlotte made sure the food was at optimum temperature before feeding him. On top of that, there was a napkin around his neck to stop him from making a mess.
“I-I'm not a freaking baby!" Zachary was rendered speechless at her actions.
“It's just a habit of mine as a mother of three. I mean, I've been feeding our children in a similar manner throughout the years. Speaking of which, it's almost their birthday.”
“I-In another two months, they're going to be seven years old.”
Zachary couldn't help but wonder if he would still be around on his children’s birthday.
“Time sure flies, huh?” As she continued feeding the man, she urged, “You need to take good care of yourself and return to Happy Avenue with me once you're feeling better. Mrs. Berry's belongings are already there. I wish to drop by and sort everything out, but I'm constantly occupied with different things.”
“Mmm!” He couldn't stop staring at the woman in front of him after the ups and downs he had gone through all this while
“I know you're not really a fan of oatmeal, but just bear with me for the time being. I'll make you some vegetable beef soup a few days later,” Charlotte promised him.
“No! I want more!” Zachary recalled the few dishes she used to make him. Although those were the only dishes she could make, he had been craving for those.
“You know what? I'll make you whatever you want once you're fully recovered!” Charlotte assured the man with a satisfied beam.
Chapter 1415 A Showdown
Zachary felt nothing but bliss at that moment. Like the average married couple, Charlotte was taking care of Zachary meticulously. As they reminisced about their good times together, it made them anticipate the better days ahead.
Zachary felt peaceful and hoped that they could remain this happy forever. It was then Charlotte asked while staring at him in the eyes, “Zachary, will you marry me again?”
"H-Huh?" Zachary thought that the question was part of his imagination.
“Forget about it.” Charlotte rolled her eyes and thought it was about time to leave since she was done feeding him
The moment she got up from her seat, Zachary grasped her hand and asked, “W-What did you say?"
"Will—"
When she was about to repeat herself, a maid knocked on the door and announced, “Mr. Nacht, Ms. Gold is here to visit you.”
Charlotte's expression darkened the moment she heard the maid. She turned around to look at Zachary.
Looking in the direction of the entrance, Zachary was about to say something when Charlotte announced ahead of him, “Let her in!"
"Yes!" Seeing as Zachary was silent, the maid then returned to the foyer.
After the maid left, Zachary repeated his question, “What did you say?”
Unwilling to carry on with the conversation, Charlotte replied in a callous tone, “It's nothing. I'll excuse myself since you have a guest.”
He thought of stopping her, but she had made it to the entrance of the room.
Coincidentally, the maid had returned with Nancy. The duo exchanged glances when they encountered one another at the entrance.
Nancy made a face as soon as she caught a glimpse of Charlotte and the cart next to her. In spite of her effort to keep her thoughts to herself, her repugnance was written all over her face.
The maid greeted Charlotte before showing Nancy the way to Zachary's room.
Irritated, Charlotte changed her mind and thought of joining them in the room. Shortly after she handed the cart to the maid outside of the room, she returned to join the duo in the room.
“Mr. Nacht, I'm glad you're finally awake. How are you feeling? Are you still having a fever?” Nancy expressed her concerns over his condition.
Zachary inched away from her when she tried placing her hand on his forehead.
At that time, Charlotte remarked sarcastically, “Thank you so much for your concerns over the father of my children, Ms. Gold. The doctor you sent to check on him has been of great help.”
Nancy turned around and asked with her brows arched, “Ms. Lindberg? Didn't you leave already?” "What do you mean? Where else am I supposed to go when my children stay here? Please get a glass of water for our guest,” Charlotte instructed the maid as if she was a household member seconds after she answered Nancy's query.
“Yes, Ms. Lindberg.”
When the maid was about to leave, Nancy remarked, “Why don't you stop causing the servants trouble when you're also just another guest of the family?”
Nancy's remark was meant to warn Charlotte to stay away from Zachary since she was no longer affiliated with the Nacht family.
Smirking, Charlotte answered, “I'm afraid I can't because my children are household members of the family. Hence, it's not too much to consider myself a member of the family.”
"Ha! I'm afraid you're going to have to leave us alone because there's something I wish to discuss with Mr. Nacht in private.”
“Am I supposed to leave?” Charlotte ignored Nancy and looked at Zachary to ascertain if he agreed to the latter.
Meanwhile, Zachary, who had remained silent throughout the conversation, thought Charlotte seemed to have changed her mind. She wouldn't pick on Nancy unless she had a thing for him. What made her change so fast? Not only did she disclose the matters between Louis and her, but she is also confronting Nancy now. Has she found out about my actual condition?
Colors drained from Zachary's face when he considered the possibilities of Charlotte's drastic change of attitude.
Chapter 1416 Unexpected Turns
"See?"
Nancy shrugged her shoulders mockingly in an attempt to make fun of Charlotte because Zachary had remained silent.
"Zachary—"
The man stopped her from finishing her sentence and requested, “Can you leave us alone for a few minutes?”
"Y-You—" Charlotte's eyes widened in disbelief when she heard him asking her to leave them alone. Meanwhile, Nancy was all smiles. She thought she had the upper hand in the run for Zachary's affection.
Nancy felt a sense of achievement when Charlotte stomped her way out of the room after glaring at Zachary in the eyes.
She turned around and carried herself in an aggrieved manner in front of the man. “I'm afraid Ms. Lindberg might have misunderstood me.”
He looked at her in the eyes and assured her, “It doesn't really matter since you were the one who had rushed to my rescue. You have my thanks.”
The woman returned the favor with an intimate gaze. “It's nothing worth mentioning at all since I consider you a close friend of mine. Speaking of which, I've asked my father to delay the banquet for another week.”
“Why?”
“I'm afraid you can't make it since you're still not feeling well. It's not much of a big deal to delay it for another week.”
“Are you merely here to share the news with me today?”
"Actually, I wish to stay here to look after you, but I'm afraid Ms. Lindberg would be against the idea,” Nancy replied with her lips pursed.
"What do you mean? Did anything happen when I was unconscious?” the intrigued Zachary asked. "She quarreled with Mr. Spencer the moment she came home last night. She warned me to keep my mouth shut when I tried reminding her to be mindful of her volume. Therefore, I had to leave..." Zachary asked with a frown, “Why did she pick on Mr. Spencer?”
“I'm not sure as well. I mean, Mr. Spencer is such a friendly man. Most of us look up to him, but Ms. Lindberg seems to—"
Nancy's voice trailed off as she seemed hesitant to continue her speech.
After a brief pause, she said, “Forget about it. Let's talk about something else. Sir Robert has been calling me to which I ignored. I wonder if he has something to tell me.”
"You would better stay away from him,” Zachary warned her.
“I'll keep that in mind. I'm glad Ms. Lindberg is fine. I was really worried when someone told me she went missing for three days after Sir Louis sent someone to go after her—"
Zachary interrupted her and asked, “What exactly do you wish to tell me?”
Startled by the man’s question, it took her a few seconds to regain her composure. “I-It's nothing! I'm just wondering if Sir Robert was trying to get in touch with me about Sir Louis!"
"Have I not made myself clear? If you don't stop poking your nose into others’ affairs, you need to bear the consequences of your ignorance,” Zachary repeated himself in a callous tone.
After a few seconds, he remarked, “I consider you a friend of mine because of your straightforward personality. However, the way you speak is really getting on my nerves nowadays.”
It was finally Nancy's turn to feel anxious. She tried explaining herself, “Mr. Nacht, there must be a misunderstanding. I'm just—"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Hello, Ms. Gold,” Ben greeted Nancy when he returned to the room with an agreement for Zachary. He knew something was wrong since she merely responded with a nod. Thus, he said, “I'll excuse myself since I have something else to tend to.”
Zachary stopped Ben from leaving and asked, “Wait, since you're here, why don't you tell me if Mr. Spencer has picked on Charlotte last night?”
His question took Nancy by surprise as she thought he would hold Charlotte accountable for disrespecting Spencer.
To her surprise, he took Charlotte's side and deemed Spencer the one at fault instead.
Chapter 1417 She Is The One
Ben glanced at Nancy awkwardly before he answered with a sheepish grin, “It was just a misunderstanding. They have sorted things out already. I'll share the details with you in a while.” “What's the matter? Why can't you tell me now?”
Left with no choice, Ben whispered, “Mr. Spencer thought Ms. Lindberg was the one accountable for your injuries since you had put your life at stake to save her when you were in the middle of recovery.”
After a brief pause, Ben took a peek at Nancy before adding, “That was the reason why he picked on her when she came home. However, as soon as Robbie and the rest returned home, the problems were resolved.”
Glaring at Ben in the eyes, Zachary asked, “What were you doing at that time?”
“I was on the way to the hospital with Lupine because she was in a critical condition. She needed someone to keep her—"
Zachary stopped the stuttering Ben from sharing the rest with him and instructed, “That's enough. Get out of my sight at once.”
"Y-Yes!” Afraid of getting on Zachary's nerves, Ben rushed out of the room.
Things had gotten increasingly awkward for the duo in the room because Zachary had just exposed Nancy's little tricks in front of her.
She regretted getting full of herself and trying something as rash as such. Instead of driving them apart, she was the one who had offended the man
Zachary looked at Nancy in the eyes and deadpanned his reply, “I'll send you an expensive gift during the banquet. Thank you so much for your time and effort. I appreciate you sending Dr. Wright to check on me all this while.”
“Mr. Nacht, I—"
Once again, the man stopped her and remarked, “Ms. Gold, I'm aware of your feelings for me, but it isn't mutual. I consider you a friend of mine and nothing else. Therefore, you need to stop wasting your time on me.”
“No, Mr. Nacht! You have to listen to me!”
“It's almost time for my nap,” Zachary made something up because he had no intention to carry on with the conversation.
Nancy was unwilling to give up just yet. She tried her best to remain calm and asked with her eyes brimming, “Can you please answer my last question?”
"What is it?” Zachary opened his eyes and asked.
“Did you turn me down because of Charlotte? Are you going to fall for me if she’s not around?” Nancy could barely suppress the urge to cry.
“Isn't that more than a question? I have no intention of entertaining your what-ifs, but Charlotte is the one and only woman I hold dear in mind. She was the one who taught me the proper way to love—I'll never fall for anyone other than her.”
Torrents of grief streamed down Nancy's cheeks when the man made himself clear things would never work out between them.
Unwilling to embarrass herself in front of others, she turned around and rushed out of the mansion at top speed.
Staring at the woman's departing figure, Zachary let out a long sigh of relief and thought he needed a break from something like this.
Charlotte barged into the room and asked the moment he closed his eyes for his nap, “Why did Nancy rush out of the mansion crying? What have you done?”
As exhausted as Zachary might be, he turned around and looked at her in the eyes with a deadpan look, indicating he was speechless.
"Wait, what could you have possibly done when you're in such a bad shape? Have you told her anything?” Charlotte finally returned to her senses and thought it was very silly of her to ask something as absurd as such.
Irked by the questions she had for him, Zachary glared at her in the eyes and thought of ignoring her and her foolish questions.
Chapter 1418 A Heartless Woman
Charlotte leaned over and repeated her questions, “Are you deaf? Can you hurry up and tell me the things you've told her?”
“It's time for my nap,” Zachary announced with a frown.
Unable to keep her curiosity in check, she asked, “Hmm... Did she confess her feelings for you only to have you turn her down?”
Zachary remained silent with his eyes shut tight because it was really time for him to take a nap. "How is that possible? Didn't you take her side and chase me out of the room?”
The jealous Charlotte continued making fun of him, “Did you guys quarrel because of me?”
"Are you done yet?” Zachary couldn't take it anymore.
“All right, I'll leave you to take your nap! I can finally take a break from everything since no one is around to keep me occupied.”
Charlotte tucked herself in next to him and inched away from him a few seconds after she joined him in bed.
He ran his legs across her legs and asked, “What was your question just now before Nancy came in?"
"What do you mean? Did I say anything?” It had been four days since she had a proper sleep. Thus, Charlotte was feeling groggy at that moment as she hugged the pillow.
"You asked me something after my meal! What was it? Hurry up and tell me!” Zachary wanted to hear it once more to confirm his guess.
“Are you sure? I don't recall anything like that.”
"Y-You—" Zachary gritted his teeth since he couldn't move around. Otherwise, he would definitely teach her a lesson.
“All right. Let's get some sleep, shall we? According to the doctor, adequate sleep is vital for your recovery,” Charlotte persuaded the man as if he was a little boy.
“Charlotte, you—" He stopped once she started snoring in front of him when she was still wide awake a few seconds ago.
Charlotte had fallen into a deep slumber when he thought of bringing up something else.
How is that possible? Has she seriously fallen asleep when we're in the middle of a conversation? She's such a heartless woman!
Zachary was at a loss for words, but he was glad the goofy woman he was head over heels in love with had finally returned to him. At the very least, she would never leave him again.
He inched over and nestled against her. Similarly, when she caught a whiff of the man’s familiar scent, she returned the favor and wrapped her arms around him.
He kissed her on the forehead and fell asleep with her in his arms. It had been a long while since they last spent some carefree days together.
Although there was nothing special about it, Zachary thought those little things in life were the ones he sought after the most.
In the afternoon, Charlotte roused from her sleep when she heard the alarm going off. Afraid of startling Zachary, she tried to stop the alarm, but she was too late.
The man next to her had also roused from his sleep due to her motion and the alarm.
“I'm so sorry for getting in your sleep, but I need to return to Northridge and make the little ones something to eat. I'm in quite a hurry because they're about to return home from school.” Zachary asked, “Why don’t you bring them here?”
"Apart from Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, the three little girls are around as well. It's has been quite some time since we last spent some quality time together.”
Charlotte ran her fingers through her unkempt hair and walked in the direction of the bathroom. Unwilling to be apart from her, he suggested, “Just bring them here.”
"Hmm?" Charlotte couldn't hear him since she was brushing her teeth.
Zachary remained silent until she was done and returned to join him in the room again.
Once she got herself changed into another set of clothes, she asked, “What did you say?”
"Why don’t you bring them here?” Zachary resisted the urge to go berserk and repeated himself.
Chapter 1419 Tell Me
"Are you sure it's fine when we're talking about the children of your arch-enemy?”
Instead of answering her query, Zachary looked at her in the eyes with a deadpan look.
"You know what? They're really huge fans of yours, and they insist on having me sharing your tales with them every day.”
He remarked in a serious tone, “Just bring them here and share the tales of the almighty man with them whenever they want. It's not necessary for you to travel here and there and tire yourself out.” "What do you mean? Are we officially patching things up?” Charlotte made of fun him because it was such a rare opportunity.
“Can you stop asking the obvious?”
The series of questions she directed at him turned out to be her effort to trick him into begging her to return to him.
She's such a nasty foe! I guess there's nothing I can do since I'm head over heels in love with her, huh?
“Maybe I've accidentally gotten full of myself again, huh?” Charlotte carried on with an aggrieved look. “I'll send Ben to keep you company when I'm away with the children at Northridge.”
"What? I don’t need him to keep me company. You need to return once you're done—"
“I'm afraid that's impossible because I've promised to tuck them in and read them bedtime stories.” Shortly after Charlotte put on her coat and her pair of shoes, she brought herself out of his room. “If you're bored, get them to play you a movie.”
“Char—"
He couldn't even stop her because she had left the room.
Shortly after her departure, Ben walked into the room and announced, “Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg has returned to Northridge. She says I'm supposed to keep you—"
He couldn't even finish his speech because of Zachary's glare the moment he joined him in the room.
Ben felt a shiver running down his spine. He asked, “W-What's wrong?”
"Get out of my sight!” Zachary yelled.
Ben was afraid to leave Zachary alone, but he knew he wasn't supposed to get on the man’s nerves as well.
“I have to stay here to look after you since Raina is away to look for Dr. Wright. I'll keep my mouth shut unless I have your consent to speak,” he assured the frustrated man on the bed.
Zachary let out a long sigh and tried moving around, but he ended up growling in pain due to the racking sensation he felt.
Ben rushed over and urged, “You need to stay still for another two days; two days is all it takes!” Two days in bed was a luxury Zachary couldn't afford because he was in a race against time. Meanwhile, Charlotte rushed into the kitchen to get the ingredients she needed for dinner ready shortly after she returned to Northridge.
Although she was merely capable of preparing a few simple dishes, the little ones couldn't be bothered at all.
Hanna had tagged along to prepare the children’s favorite hot cross bunnies and mac and cheese. On top of that, she made Mrs. Berry's signature dishes for everyone as well.
In the evening, the little ones rushed out of the car the moment they reached home.
As soon as they caught a whiff of the pleasant scent coming from the kitchen, they knew Charlotte was home to honor her promise with them.
Without a second thought, they rushed in the direction of the kitchen while yelling, “Mommy!” “Aunt Charlotte!"
Apart from Robbie, who had taken a seat at the dining table with his laptop after washing his hands, the rest of them surrounded Charlotte and greeted her to express their excitement.
"Hello, everyone!”
Charlotte greeted those around her and continued advancing in the direction of the dining table to serve the dishes she made.
Once she had everything served, she got her hands washed and instructed, “Jamie, Ellie, go get your hands washed before the meal.”
“All right, Mommy!”
Charlotte wrapped her arms around the little girls and asked, “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, come over here and let me see if all of you are doing fine.”
Alpha answered Charlotte's queries while counting her fingers, “We had a great time savoring a lot of delicacies, including sweets and desserts, when you weren't around.”
Chapter 1420 Away From Erihal
Beta snuggled against her aunt and shared, “Aunt Charlotte, me too! I think I've gained a little more than a pound after having so many things every day!"
“I'm glad all of you are doing fine!” Charlotte held Beta firmly in her arms and played along with the little girl. “1 think you've put on quite some weight, huh? What about you, Gamma?”
"A-Aunt Charlotte—" Gamma felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes the moment Charlotte directed the question at her.
“What's wrong, Gamma?” Charlotte wrapped her arms around the youngest of the triplets and asked, “Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?"
“I miss Mommy, Aunt Charlotte.” Sniffling, the little girl asked, “When will we get to meet her in person again?”
Seconds after her sisters heard her, they burst into tears in a similar manner.
Unsure of the proper things to share with them, Charlotte held them in her arms in an attempt to console the heartbroken little girls.
To be precise, she wasn't sure of the things to tell them as she wasn’t aware of their parents’ situation either.
It was inevitable for them to go through another emotional breakdown because it had been two months since Charlotte took them away with her from Erihal.
All of a sudden, Ellie joined them in the dining hall and assured her cousins, “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Mommy will definitely try her best to search for your parents, okay?"
“I-l need Mommy! Can I call Mommy?” Gamma begged while sniffling.
Charlotte reached for her phone and asked, “Can you remember her number? I'll try to get in touch with her on your behalf!”
“I'll give it a try.” Shortly after Gamma took Charlotte's phone away from her, she tried reaching her mother, but it was another futile attempt.
The call couldn't even make it through to the intended recipient on the other end. As a result, the little ones continued wailing at the top of their lungs, “M-Mommy has left us!"
Startled by the little girls’ response, Charlotte reassured them, “I'll try my best to look for her, okay? I'm sure we're going to find her in no time!”
Their mother must be an ordinary woman. Otherwise, Danrique would've long gotten married to her.
Maybe he has sent her away because he’s worried about getting her involved since he’s having it tough on his end.
As long as I have her contact number, I think there's a huge possibility I can find her. Well, if I can't, I can always count on Sean and Gordon to fill me in with her details.
“You mean it, Aunt Charlotte?” The little girls stopped weeping when they heard the promising statement coming from Charlotte.
"Of course! I'll definitely honor my promise just like today!” Charlotte kissed them on their cheeks "You're the best, Aunt Charlotte!” Overwhelmed by emotions, they wrapped their arms around their aunt again.
“All right, why don't you guys go ahead and get your hands washed as well? It's almost time for dinner.”
Charlotte asked her daughter to show her nieces the way to get their hands washed with a few maids to keep them company.
Shortly after she regained her composure, she put her apron aside and joined her sons at the dining table.
“Mommy, have a seat!” Jamie rushed over to show his mother the way to her seat.
Once Charlotte took a seat, she noticed Robbie was still occupied with his laptop. Therefore, she asked, “Robbie, what are you up to?”
Her son showed her his laptop and announced, “I'm trying to locate Uncle Dan, but it turns out he's not in Erihal anymore.”
Astonished by the news, Charlotte asked, “What? How did you figure out he’s no longer in Erihal?” “I developed a global positioning system when we were in Erihal. Uncle Dan and those affiliated with him assisted me with a few of my trials. Although his phone wasn't in use anymore, I found out it was last accessed at the airport prior to being disposed of. I ran a series of investigations on the locations of those affiliated with him and found out he was no longer in Erihal.”