LOGINCharlotte tensed.She could accept the fact that her baby might grow up without a father. That didn’t mean she was comfortable discussing something so personal with someone else.Zac seemed to read her expression.“You don’t need to be nervous. There’s just someone I want you to see.”Charlotte stayed where she was, though her shoulders remained stiff.The timestamp showed a little after nine that night. The hotel hallway was almost empty.A few minutes later, a familiar figure appeared on-screen and walked into Room 1811, directly across from Charlotte’s room.She frowned.What was Charles doing there that night?But Zac clearly hadn’t shown her the footage just for that.The video kept playing.A few minutes later, another person appeared, bundled up and clearly trying to hide their identity.The figure went into Room 1811 too.Charlotte froze.Even with the disguise, she recognized her instantly.She had known Xena for more than twenty years. There was no way she coul
Adam said, “I adopted Charlotte so she could eventually marry into the right family and help our business. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you. You were the ones who pushed Bruce and Charlotte together in the first place.”“We didn’t exactly have a choice,” Susan shot back, though she sounded far less certain.If what had happened to Xena back then hadn’t happened, Susan never would have come up with that plan in the first place.“Mom, you have to help me think of something.”At dinner, Xena had nearly blurted out the truth about Charlotte’s baby not being Bruce’s.But after Bruce stopped her, she thought it over and realized it was probably a good thing she hadn’t said anything.If the Ford family started questioning the baby’s paternity, there was no telling how long it would be before they started looking into Kiki too.So for her own sake, Xena couldn’t let the truth about Charlotte’s pregnancy come out.Susan frowned.“She’s almost eight months along. Even if something happene
“Charlotte, seriously? Whatever’s going on between you and Bruce is between the two of you. Why are you dragging Lydia into it?”Susan was furious.Of all the times Charlotte could have brought this up, she had to do it now. She might as well have reached straight into Xena’s purse and taken the money herself.Charlotte gently pulled her hand from Lydia’s.“You’re right. This is all my fault. I’m the one making things difficult for everyone.”She lowered her eyes to her belly.“As for the baby, I guess I’ll just have to see what happens.”“Don’t say things like that!”Lydia knew Bruce well enough to guess exactly where the card was.She turned to Xena, her expression cooling.“We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”At that point, Xena had no choice.Holding back her anger, she opened her purse and reluctantly pulled out Bruce’s card.A housekeeper took it from her and handed it to Charlotte.Charlotte looked
Charlotte gave Chloe a small smile.But when she turned back to the table, the warmth vanished from her eyes.“What exactly is going on here?”No one expected her to speak up so suddenly, especially in such a cold tone.The table went silent.Charlotte looked around before fixing her gaze on Bruce and Xena.“Bruce, we’re still married, and you bring your mistress here in front of me like this? What exactly do you think I am?”Lydia immediately turned on Charlotte’s parents.“So you came all the way over here talking about divorce, but you never even got your own daughter to agree to it? You thought you could just swap one daughter for the other and we’d go along with it?”“Lydia, please don’t be upset,” Susan said quickly. “Charlotte’s just having trouble accepting it. I’ll talk some sense into her.”Lydia’s voice sharpened.“Talk some sense into her? She’s carrying my son’s child. You expect me to let my own grandchild be raised somewhere else just so Bruce can take in the
“Mr. and Mrs. Ford, I’m sorry we’re late.”Bruce and Xena walked in together, both carrying several shopping bags and gift boxes.Someone must have tipped them off, or they wouldn’t have shown up at this hour.Bruce set the gifts down. His gaze briefly passed over Charlotte before settling on his parents.“Mom, Dad, R&D has been tied up with a new product launch, so Xena had to work late. She picked these out for you ahead of time.”Charles’s stern expression immediately softened.“Xena, you made it. Come on, sit down. We were just about to eat.”Charlotte noticed the difference immediately.When she had arrived, Charles hadn’t said a word to her. He had barely even looked her way.But the moment Xena walked through the door, he was suddenly all smiles.That was strange.Charles had spent years in management and had always been a stern, reserved man. Even the first time Charlotte came to meet Bruce’s family, he had barely acknowledged her. She could count on one hand how man
“Charlotte, be careful tonight. I don’t know why, but something about your parents is making me nervous. It feels like they’re up to something.”“Okay. I’ll be careful.”Charlotte knew that if even Chloe, who was still young and sheltered, could tell something was off, then there had to be something to it.Chloe had just graduated from college that year. Maybe because she didn’t spend much time at home, she hadn’t picked up the same sharp, difficult streak as the rest of the Ford family. Instead, she was sweet, lively, and refreshingly genuine.Charlotte still remembered the first time she had come to the Ford estate.Bruce’s parents had barely looked at her.Chloe, on the other hand, had shyly slipped a beautifully wrapped sculpture into her hands.“I didn’t know what you liked, so I brought you this. I made it at school, and it won an award. I hope you don’t think it’s weird.”The sculpture had even been tied with a ribbon.Charlotte still kept it on the nightstand beside







