Chapter 15 He Saw It at First Glance
- Charlotte had moved into the company's dormitory, which was right across from NeoEast's office building. Since it was in such proximity, she could remove office-to-work transportation and rental from her monthly budget.
- She, Lucia, and two girls from the Customer Service Department were assigned to the same dormitory. The unit wasn't big, and worse, the rooms facing the sun were already taken by the two other girls since Lucia and Charlotte had moved in late. Lucia wanted to argue with them, but Charlotte thought otherwise and said, "Just let them have it. It's not like the rooms are assigned, anyway."
- Only then did Lucia leave it alone.
- Later on, Charlotte even let Lucia take the bigger, shady room while she took the smallest one. The room had no windows, which meant it had poor ventilation. Though it was summer, the room was stuffy and humid.
- She had only been living in the room for a few days when she already thought this dark, windowless room was unpleasant. Since the company dorm was an apartment building, it naturally consisted of many units. The unit she was staying in was already one of the poorly located ones, and she was even staying in the worst room; she would have to air dry her washed clothes in the bathroom first before bringing them to her room to deodorize.
- However, this apartment building was located on the financial street; every inch was worth a fortune, and the house prices of Wimbourn were one of the highest in the country. A month's rental could cost as much as a fresh graduate's monthly salary, so staff housing became a scarce resource. An employee of NeoEast would have to apply as soon as they became an official staff member to get a room, and anyone who submitted late wouldn't even stand a chance. Charlotte knew all that, so she wasn't picky.
- On Friday, Charlotte's period came, and she thought she finally wouldn't have to worry about whether she and Darius would be 'doing it' while they stayed over at Sebastian's.
- That night, she got a text from Darius. 'We're going to my grandfather's tomorrow. Be sure to get ready.'
- 'Okay, President. We'll meet around La Luna Cafe at the end of the financial street.'
- She worried that her colleagues would gossip if Darius picked her up at the apartment.
- On Saturday, Charlotte got into Darius' car.
- His car was a different one from the week before; it was a high-end Mercedes-Benz, which looked like the average luxury car and was not as cool as his Maybach.
- Like the week before, the 'couple' sat at the back, barely speaking.
- Suddenly, Darius snuffled and asked, "What's that smell?"
- His voice jolted Charlotte back to reality, and she gave a whiff of the air. However, she couldn't smell anything.
- With a slight frown, Darius sized Charlotte up. "What's the smell on your clothes?"
- Since Charlotte had gotten used to the smell of her clothes, she couldn't tell what Darius was smelling, only embarrassed that he smelled something unpleasant from her.
- She was a girl, after all.
- After some thought, she asked, "Is it a musty smell?"
- "Something like that."
- "Oh, it probably has to do with the room I'm staying in. My clothes take forever to dry, so they must've caught this smell over time." She instinctively blamed it on external factors. After all, it would be mortifying if Darius thought it was her body odor.
- With that, Darius sized her up subtly and looked out the window again, saying nothing.
- Sebastian was elated to see the two again, and between Sebastian and Charlotte, there was this genuine affection of a grandparent and a grandchild.
- Charlotte looked more like Sebastian's grandchild than Darius was his, and it was probably because Darius was precocious. He would never go to his grandfather when he was faced with any trouble, only ever bearing them himself. Meanwhile, Sebastian couldn't do anything even if he wanted to help. Thus, Sebastian didn't treat Darius as his grandchild but more like a peer.
- However, Charlotte was the complete opposite. She would ask Sebastian everything, and they would also chat about anything. For instance, she would ask about the differences in the curriculum between the University of Myrefall and the University of Wimbourn, which she'd be graduating from; she'd also ask if he had encountered anything interesting when he was teaching, or what kind of problematic students he had to face. Sebastian had never talked about this with Darius, but he was beaming and rambling on about it all in front of Charlotte.
- Meanwhile, Darius would be reading silently aside, hearing a series of laughter every now and then like he was the fifth tire in the car.
- Sebastian would even half-jokingly remind Charlotte, "Lottie, are you not thinking about having kids? I'd really like to see what a little Lottie would look like."
- It was as if Charlotte was his granddaughter, the real Leynthall.
- Sebastian's address to her had moved from 'Charlotte' to 'Lottie'.
- When Sebastian called her 'Lottie' for the first time, her heart warmed instantly, and her eyes turned red-rimmed as well. She thought she was hearing her parents and Zack, her loved ones, calling out to her.
- However, only her mother was left, and she was barely alive. Who knew if she'd be able to hear her mother call her 'Lottie' ever again?
- Now, the only person who would call her 'Lottie' was Darius' grandfather.
- Charlotte's hands froze as she held her cutlery, and she felt bad for Sebastian. After all, she believed this wish would never be fulfilled. She might have agreed to marry Darius, but she had no intentions of having a child, for it would only tie her down.
- "Grandpa, as an intellectual, you've always talked about self-development. When have you ever cared so much about a child?" Darius saved her from having to answer Sebastian's question.
- "Well, I…" Sebastian sighed, his gaze dimmed. The past was the past, and it was no longer the same as now.
- When he saw his grandfather like this, Darius said no more, for he was certain Sebastian's wish for a great-grandchild would never be fulfilled.
- Charlotte wasn't faring too well either as memories of her father's last days popped into her head. Then, when she looked at Sebastian again, she felt even sadder.
- When they retired to their bedroom, Charlotte had deliberately put a box of tissues by the bedside table.
- Darius saw it at first glance, and he understood it well.