Chapter 18: Confrontation

Alexander's POV:

I stared at Victoria across the dining table, making no attempt to hide my contempt. Her arrogant attitude was insufferable.

"How interesting," I said, each syllable dripping with sarcasm. "You seem to have forgotten that Charlotte is my wife. Have you given her the respect she deserves?"

Victoria opened her mouth to object, but I didn't give her the satisfaction. I stood from my seat, brushing off non-existent dust from my suit pants.

"Victoria, I believe my in-laws deserve an apology from you."

I allowed a cold smirk to play across my lips, savoring the shocked expression on her face. Without waiting for her response, I strode out of the dining room.

Upstairs, I went directly to look for Charlotte. She wasn't in our room. Spotting a female housekeeper in the hallway, I stopped her.

"Where is Charlotte?"

The woman's eyes widened slightly. "Sir, she ran out crying a little while ago. We don't know where she went."

I walked outside, scanning the area, but couldn't see any sign of her. I decided to stop looking for her. She would return when she calmed down.

Back inside, I took out my phone and called my assistant.

"I need you to purchase a property," I said, getting straight to the point.

A brief silence followed on the other end. "Sir, don't you already have the estate in Marin County?"

"Do I need to explain my reasons for wanting to buy a house?" I snapped, anger instantly flaring.

"No, of course not, sir," my assistant quickly backtracked, then immediately followed up with: "What specifications do you need? How many bedrooms? House or apartment? Investment or personal use? Any location preferences? Budget cap?"

I gripped the phone tightly. "Were you in real estate before?"

"No, no, I swear! It's just my first time helping you buy property, and I want to make sure I do it right."

I exhaled slowly. "A villa. For personal use. Suburban area. Unlimited budget."

After ending the call, I went back upstairs.

Though I shouldn't be concerned about Charlotte, I kept imagining scenarios of her facing hostility in this home. My work efficiency had noticeably declined. The solution was clear: we needed to move out immediately.

The Marin County estate held special significance for me, and I couldn't accept letting a woman I barely knew live there. I had no choice but to buy a temporary residence.

By nine in the evening, Charlotte still hadn't returned. I tried calling her, only to hear her phone ringing between the sofa cushions. My concern intensified—she had left without her phone.

Frowning, I went to the security room. The surveillance footage showed Charlotte breaking free from a staff member who tried to stop her, then leaving the estate. That had been four hours ago.

Sitting in the security room, my index finger pressed against my lips as I considered where she might have gone. "With her personality, if she's upset, she wouldn't go to her parents," I mused to myself. "So, where did she go?"

As each minute passed, my anxiety grew stronger. A young woman alone in the city at night... countless potential dangers flashed through my mind.

Near midnight, my patience was exhausted. I called my security team, ordering them to search the streets of San Francisco for Charlotte. Then, I contacted one of my oldest friends, Jake Bennett.

His groggy voice answered after the fourth ring. "What? Who's Charlotte? You're married? Your wife is missing? Charlotte is missing? God, I may have spent the night at bars, but I think I'd remember my best friend getting married!"

"Yes, I got married. To Charlotte Cole. And now she's missing," I replied curtly.

"...Wait. I might be hallucinating from too much whiskey."

"You have three seconds to sober up. I need your help finding her."

I heard a thud and a groan as Jake apparently fell out of bed. He finally realized this wasn't a drunken misunderstanding—I had indeed gotten married without telling any of my friends.

Three minutes later, my phone was flooded with calls from friends overseas.

"Alexander, Jake says your wife ran away?" Elliot Pierce's voice was incredulous.

I struggled to contain my fury.

Another voice cut in: "Dude, how did this happen? You're not lacking in charm. How could your wife run off right after the wedding?"

I took a deep breath. "If I didn't need Jake's help right now, I'd make him shut up permanently."

"He's angry," I heard Elliot tell someone else. Then to me: "Alexander, I'm booking a flight to San Francisco right now."

Elliot, Daniel Grant, and Marcus Liu all insisted on coming to "support me through this dark time." I knew their real motivation was curiosity about what kind of woman would dare cause trouble for Alexander Kingsley.

The search for Charlotte continued throughout the night. Even my father was alarmed, sitting on the sofa with a grim expression, his knuckles white from clenching. I remained awake all night, waiting for her return.

By noon the next day, as I maintained a silent vigil in the living room, I sensed movement at the entrance. Opening my eyes, I saw Charlotte hesitating in the doorway, the bright sunlight outlining her petite figure. I noticed her nervousness, the way she gave herself a mental pep talk before stepping inside.

Seeing Charlotte appear, my father exploded immediately. "Out all night without a word! Who do you think you are? Are you deliberately defying me?"

His fury clearly frightened Charlotte.

"Father, I went to a friend's house," she explained, her voice softer than usual. "Then I realized I'd forgotten my phone, so I couldn't call."

"Don't call me Father," my father growled.

Charlotte pressed her lips together, falling silent. I could see my father wrestling with his anger.

"Charlotte Cole, do you acknowledge your mistake?" he asked, his gaze sharp as a knife.

Victoria remained silent, clearly staying out of the line of fire, but eagerly watching to see if Charlotte would apologize for yesterday's incident.

I was also curious whether she would challenge authority again.

"I don't think I made a mistake," Charlotte answered, stubborn as ever. Her obstinacy reminded me of a bull refusing to yield.

Her response predictably ignited my father's carefully controlled rage.

"Then you will go to the reflection room to think alone until you recognize your error," he declared, summoning Morris. "Take her to reflect on her behavior."

Morris tried to intervene. "Sir, Charlotte is still young, and she's just joined the family. Perhaps we shouldn't frighten her like this."

"Are you challenging me too?" my father glared fiercely at Morris.

The butler fell silent and led Charlotte away.

After Charlotte was taken away, I stood up and brushed off my pants.

"I've shown both of you enough respect. Now that she's gone, let me be clear: Charlotte is my wife. Respecting her means respecting me. If either of you finds her presence so offensive, I will take her and leave."

Victoria wisely avoided direct confrontation, attempting to appeal to reason. "Alexander, you witnessed everything. You know who's right and who's wrong."

I looked at her coldly. "Even if she were right, did you apologize? Even if she were wrong, do you think I would criticize my own wife to please you?"