Chapter 19 Easy Access
- Charlotte finally got the whole picture. The 'Eli Chester' who contacted her when she was at Sebastian's was no coincidence and even less so a cyber crook, but the 'well-born' her brother had mentioned in the hospital.
- However, Eli was polite and also talented, which was the type Charlotte idolized.
- Then again, the so-called 'setup' was probably just Aiden's wishful thinking.
- "It'll be easier for me to ask you about Economic Law now." Charlotte smiled.
- "Yeah. I'll send you a few questions to work on in a few days. Economic Law is the easiest unit; you can easily pass after you've got the fundamentals down. Everything will be smooth-sailing after you get the license if you put a little more effort into the next unit," said Eli while giving her WhatsApp ID, 'Flower Bunny', an alias.
- "Charlotte, we still haven't celebrated your promotion! I heard the attrition rate at NeoEast International is super high. You sure are something." Aiden praised Charlotte as soon as he could, deliberately wanting Eli to have a good impression of her so that he could 'sell her off' at a good price.
- "Yeah." Charlotte looked out the window after answering him, not wanting to talk to him.
- Eli didn't make any comments either, leaving Aiden swimming in awkwardness.
- Aiden pulled over in front of the staff dormitory, and after Charlotte got out of the car, she kept her eyes on her phone while walking back to her dorm. Meanwhile, everyone else stayed away from Charlotte when they saw her, probably because they thought she was Darius' woman. She might not be the future Mrs. Leynthall, but for now, no one dared mess with her.
- Before Charlotte could enter her bedroom, Darius' message came. 'We're going to my grandfather's tomorrow at 10.00AM. I'll pick you up at the dorm.'
- Charlotte's heart skipped a beat, for she didn't expect to be able to see Darius again so soon.
- With that, she locked her phone and began packing up.
- "Charlotte, are you seeing President Leynthall?" whispered Lucia as she suddenly leaned close to Charlotte, gossiping with hinting gazes.
- "N-No." Charlotte hesitated, but she answered honestly in the end since Lucia was her best friend. "We've just… slept together."
- "D*mn…" Lucia gasped. "You strike hard, taking him down in one move. I didn't know you had it in you!"
- "As if. It was an accident." Them sleeping together was an accident to Charlotte too, though Darius thought she had a purpose.
- "So, what's going on between you two then?"
- "Just… this. By the way, I won't be back tomorrow night. I'm heading somewhere."
- "Where are you going? Are you going to spend the night with the president?"
- "Um… No… I have something going on…"
- "Tsk, and you say that you're not dating!"
- "I'm really not, though." Charlotte gave it some thought. Though she would sometimes miss Darius when she hadn't seen him for a while, there was a reason behind this feeling. This time, for instance, he had saved her from being the target of criticism. However, she still didn't think they were dating, for couples had endless things to talk about. Sadly, it wasn't the case for them since they had nothing to talk about when they were together.
- "Sure, whatever you say. No need to be shy about it. I know the company doesn't allow workplace romances. Don't worry, for my lips are sealed. Just promote me to PR director when you become Mrs. Leynthall." Lucia wasn't aiming for the stars, but Charlotte didn't know what to say to that.
- The following day, Charlotte got into Darius' car with her luggage.
- His car was parked in front of the staff dormitory. Anyone who passed by saw it, and Charlotte wouldn't be able to keep the secret under a cloche even if she wanted to.
- After Charlotte got in, Darius only spared her a glance, and the car went back on the road.
- "President, why did you park the car in front of the apartment? Now the whole company knows," Charlotte said. She vividly remembered the contract stating that their relationship had to be kept a secret.
- "Don't they already know?" Darius retorted. "Instead of letting them assume so unpleasantly, why not let them know sooner? It's good like this anyway, and we won't have to snoop around anymore. If your boyfriend finds out, I'll compensate."
- She grabbed her placket, hating that he would take every topic to money. However, he seemed to be enjoying it.
- "What if he doesn't want your compensation?" Charlotte was upset, so her voice was laced with anger.
- "Are you saying that he doesn't want money?" Darius sneered.
- Charlotte lowered her head at that, saying no more, for she was in no place to retort. She had married Darius because of money, so her boyfriend surely wouldn't be any better when she was like this, only having money in their minds.
- She had nothing to say about the way he humiliated her. Also, it turned out he long knew about the post, and he had deliberately showed up in that Mercedes-Benz that Monday. One car was all it took to shut everyone up.
- Darius Leynthall sure was ruthless.
- "Ask Sibbell for leave. We'll be coming back on Monday," Darius ordered when he noticed that Charlotte hadn't said anything.
- "Leave?" Charlotte's scalp would tingle whenever she heard the word 'leave' nowadays, for she'd be reminded of Bennett's strange gaze.
- "That's right. Why? Is it difficult for you?" Darius turned his head to Charlotte, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "If it is, I'll do it for you."
- "No, no, it's fine, President." Charlotte instantly pulled her phone out and texted Bennett upon hearing Darius' mocking tone.
- 'Director Sibbell, I have some personal matters to attend to tomorrow. Can I please take one day off?' Charlotte asked nervously. After all, Bennett already looked grim whenever she applied for leaves. Monday was the busiest day of the week, yet she had asked for a full day's leave. It looked suspiciously like she was avoiding her responsibilities.
- "Sure, no problem. I'll assign your work to someone else. If there's anything, you can come straight to me when you're back.'
- The way he replied was so different from how he would in the past that it nearly gave Charlotte goosebumps. Undoubtedly, Bennett had heard about her relationship with Darius.
- Like any other visit to Sebastian's, Charlotte made the older man happy. His complexion was so rosy that he didn't look like someone with lung cancer. Very quickly, night fell, and Charlotte went to take a shower.
- Darius was sitting on his side of the bed and reading a book when her phone sounded next to him. However, he didn't care.
- The next second, her phone pinged non-stop.
- Frustrated, he tilted his head and checked her phone to find Eli had sent fifteen messages, which led him to furrow his brows slightly.
- Coincidentally, Charlotte came out of the bathroom while drying her hair with a towel.
- "Did you meet your boyfriend yesterday?" he asked.
- "Boyfriend? No." If she had known she would marry Darius and that the contract would last for so long, she wouldn't have lied about having a boyfriend. It was not an easy one to patch up, after all.
- She wondered if she should just tell him the truth, but just as she got into bed, Darius pressed her down.