Chapter 8

Three days before Charlotte was due to leave, Hazel hosted a lavish exhibition of her work and invited Charlotte, Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur.

Charlotte had no desire to go. She'd be leaving soon, and the last thing she wanted was more trouble.

But the three men gave her no choice. They practically ordered her to attend.

"Charlotte, don't ruin this for everyone. Hazel's not even holding what you did against you, and you're acting like you're too good to show up?

"Either come on your own, or we'll have the guards drag you there kicking and screaming. Your choice!"

Charlotte had no choice but to go. Still, she'd suspected the invitation was a trap, so she'd hidden a tiny camera in her necklace ahead of time.

The moment they arrived at the exhibition, all three men headed straight for Hazel.

"Hazel, aren't you cold in that outfit? You'll get sick."

"Your designs look incredible. Did you like the flowers we sent?"

"If you need anything, just say the word, okay? Don't hesitate to ask."

Charlotte stood behind them, watching as they fussed over Hazel. Without a word, she pulled out her phone and booked a flight for three days later.

"What are you doing?"

Arthur suddenly appeared beside her, making her jump slightly. She calmly closed the flight booking page and slipped her phone out of sight before looking up at him.

"Nothing."

Arthur frowned. Something seemed off, but he was too caught up with Hazel to question her further.

Sure enough, Hazel approached Charlotte halfway through the exhibition.

She'd sent Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur off somewhere. With them out of the way, she dropped the friendly act and got straight to the point.

"I guess you mean more to them than I thought. You slapped me, and all they did was lock you up for one night."

Charlotte looked up at her. "So you knew all along that they were in love with you."

Hazel smiled casually. "Of course. They weren't exactly subtle about it. How could I not?"

Charlotte held her gaze. "Then why did you leave the country with another man back then? I can tell you had feelings for them, too."

Hazel neither confirmed nor denied it.

"All three of them have so much going for them. If you were in my shoes, could you really choose just one? Choosing one would mean giving up the other two. Why should I settle for one when I could have all three?

"I just never expected you to come along. Do you have any idea how much they loved me? They would've done anything for me. If I'd asked for the moon, they would've given it to me.

"But while I was overseas, things changed. They started treating you the way they used to treat me."

Hazel smirked. "That's why I came back, Charlotte. You don't stand a chance against me."

Charlotte shook her head. She'd never wanted to compete with Hazel in the first place.

"Just give me three more days. Then I'll step aside."

Hazel frowned. "What do you mean? Why three days?"

Charlotte didn't bother explaining. She was about to leave when Hazel suddenly grabbed her.

"Who do you think you are, trying to take what's mine? I'll show you what happens when you try to take something from me!"

With that, Hazel started smashing the artwork she'd prepared for the exhibition, destroying one piece after another in a frenzy.

The commotion soon drew in visitors from outside, along with Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur. They took one look at the wreckage, then glanced between Hazel and Charlotte.

Hazel's expression changed instantly. Her eyes reddened as she hurried over to the three men.

"Dylan, Zeke, Arthur, Ms. Lair smashed my work. I know all three of you are married, and I shouldn't have gotten so close to you. That was wrong of me.

"But no matter how upset she is, she had no right to destroy my work! I worked so hard on those pieces! If she really can't stand having me around, I'll stay away from all of you."

The moment Hazel said she'd stay away from them, all three men panicked.

Dylan stormed over and grabbed Charlotte by the throat. "Charlotte, did you not hear a word we said to you?"

Charlotte's face turned bright red as she struggled to breathe. Summoning every last bit of strength, she finally managed to break free.

She gasped for air before holding up the necklace around her neck.

"I didn't do it. Hazel smashed everything herself and tried to blame me. There's a hidden camera in my necklace. It recorded everything!"