Chapter 2181

Silence—vast and faintly humming—stretched across the line until all Charlotte could hear was the blood pounding in her ears.

Her heart climbed into her throat, each beat crashing like thunder.

She perched on the edge of the bed, moonlight striping her knees. Oh no… What if Sven doesn’t want this baby? What am I supposed to do then?

After what felt like an eternity, Sven’s voice finally rumbled through the speaker. “Why so sudden?” he asked. The low timbre carried surprise and awe—but not rejection.

Charlotte’s pulse stumbled. The question, light yet ambiguous, dropped into her chest like a stone through thin ice.

But Sven kept going, his tone firming as if he’d found solid ground beneath his feet. “I’m nowhere near prepared. We’re not even married yet… Looks like the wedding schedule needs to move up—fast.”

Her emotions lurched wildly, plunging one second and soaring the next.

Disbelief shimmered in her eyes, fragile and bright, as though hope itself were afraid of being seen too clearly.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice no more than a trembling thread.

“Let’s get married—soon,” Sven replied. “Once your belly starts to show, a gown will be awkward, and people will talk. I don’t want you carrying that kind of stress.”

He remembered her quiet complaints about her relatives—their strict rules, their old-fashioned views—and wrapped his resolve around that memory like armor.

Hearing him plan a future instead of an escape made Charlotte’s eyes burn.

The tears gathering on her lashes weren’t born of fear or grief, but of a fierce, overwhelming joy.

“I thought you didn’t want children so soon,” she whispered, anxiety fraying her words. “You said a baby might become our weakness.”

On the other end of the line, Sven listened, his shoulders squaring as though she could see the determination settling into place.

“I know I said that once,” he said steadily. “But the child is already on the way. That means we welcome him or her with everything we have. I refuse to let fear turn me into a man who abandons the woman and child he loves with every fiber of his being. What kind of man would that make me?”

Charlotte pressed the back of her hand to her trembling lips, a half-sob breaking free—equal parts relief and happiness.

“H-How silly of me,” she hiccupped softly. “If I’d known you’d react like this, I would’ve told you sooner.”

For days, she’d lived under the weight of dread, every hour stretched tight as wire. Now, it snapped and vanished.

“Are you crying?” Sven asked, concern sharp in his voice. “Are you feeling sick?”

In that moment, he would have crossed oceans and walls just to steady her.

“No. I’m okay,” Charlotte managed, her throat tight. “Just overwhelmed. Really—I’m fine.”

Only then did Sven relax.

“It’s just a shame I didn’t get the chance to propose properly,” he said with a rueful laugh. “Things moved fast. But trust me—I’ll still give you a beautiful, grand wedding.”

“I don’t need that,” she said immediately. “We can keep it simple. Just family and friends—that’s enough.”

Sven refused, convinced that simplicity wouldn’t do her justice.

They drifted into details—venues, flowers, rings—until minutes melted into the early hours of morning.

When sleep finally tugged at her, Charlotte lingered over the goodbye before setting the phone down.

Too wired to rest, she texted Cecilia, spilling everything in a rush of exclamation marks.

Across town, Cecilia was already asleep.

The phone vibrated against the nightstand. She stirred instinctively, but Nathaniel’s long arm intercepted, gently lifting the device away.

“Sleep,” he murmured, turning it face down. “It’s late. No more screens.”

Too drowsy to argue, she let it go, certain it could wait.

When dawn spilled gold across the sheets, Cecilia finally checked her phone.

Reading that Charlotte and Sven were engaged made her smile bloom—pure and unguarded.

She had barely started typing a reply when Charlotte appeared in person.

Charlotte looked exhausted, but an unmistakable glow clung to her. “Boss, did you read my message from last night?” she blurted, eyes sparkling.

“I did,” Cecilia said, pulling her into a quick embrace. “Congratulations.”

Charlotte wrapped both arms around her and sniffled. “Thank you, Boss. I’d still be drowning in doubts if it weren’t for you.”

Cecilia patted her shoulder, half-amused, half-exasperated.

“All right, enough,” she said lightly. “You’re acting like a five-year-old.”