Chapter 238: Scared Away

Chapter 238: Scared Away

Jerald suddenly realized something.

Alaric and Charlotte — they never broke up?

So everything he'd assumed before was completely wrong?

He looked at Miranda in Alaric's arms, then at George standing nearby with a dark expression, then at Charlotte sitting behind her desk, her face unreadable.

He suddenly felt like he didn't belong here.

Not even a little bit.

Jerald took a deep breath, and a smile spread across his face — one that looked worse than crying.

"Never mind."

"Just a misunderstanding."

He gave an awkward laugh and stepped back twice.

"Charlotte, I just remembered I have something to take care of. I won't keep you."

"Let's talk about the partnership another time."

With that, he turned and headed for the door.

His steps were quick, like something was chasing him.

At the door, he seemed to remember something. He stopped and looked back.

Alaric was holding Miranda, talking to her softly.

George stood to the side, his face dark as a storm cloud.

Charlotte sat behind her desk and shook her head with a tired look.

Jerald sighed.

Fine.

If they were still together and already had a kid, then he really had no shot.

Better to give up now.

Jerald lowered his head, walked quickly out of the office, and gently pulled the door shut behind him.

The room went quiet.

George stood there, his face tight with anger.

He'd told Jerald he was Charlotte's husband, and Jerald hadn't believed him at all.

So how come the moment Alaric showed up, Jerald just ran off?

George was furious, but since he was in Charlotte's office, he couldn't let it show.

He had to keep it in.

Alaric carried Miranda over to Charlotte's desk.

"Charlotte, I came to update you on the studio situation."

"All the partnerships have been restored, and the losses have been recovered."

Charlotte nodded. "Good."

"Thank you, Alaric."

"Don't mention it." Alaric smiled and set Miranda down on the floor. "It was the right thing to do."

Miranda ran over to Charlotte and hugged her leg.

"Mommy."

Charlotte leaned down and picked her up, settling her on her lap.

"Was Miranda a good girl today?"

"Yes!" Miranda nodded hard. "My teacher praised me today!"

"Really? Miranda's amazing." Charlotte smiled and kissed her daughter's little cheek.

The two of them shared a warm moment, completely ignoring the two men standing nearby.

George watched Alaric, his eyes full of suspicion.

Alaric glanced back at him, a faint smile on his lips.

Their eyes met, and the tension between them was impossible to miss.

After a long moment, George spoke first, his tone unfriendly.

"What have you been up to lately, Mr. Kingsley?"

Alaric looked away calmly. "Nothing much."

"Just cleaning up the mess from before."

George's expression shifted slightly.

"I didn't do that." George said in a low voice.

He didn't feel like he owed Alaric an explanation, but he didn't want Alaric saying things to Charlotte that would make him look bad.

Alaric glanced at him and gave a small nod.

"I know."

"Charlotte already told me."

He continued, "But the mess still needs to be cleaned up."

"After all, it happened because of you."

George's face went cold.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Alaric said flatly. "Just stating the facts."

"You—"

"Enough."

Charlotte's voice cut through the room.

She looked up at the two men, a slight frown on her face.

"Can you two stop going at each other the moment you're in the same room?"

"This is my office, not a place for you to argue."

George opened his mouth, then thought better of it and swallowed his words.

He pressed his lips together and looked away from Alaric.

Alaric said nothing either, just smiled faintly.

The room went quiet again.

Charlotte looked at him and asked, "Alaric, so what brings you by today?"

Alaric's smile faded a little.

He gave a small, rueful laugh and said quietly, "Nothing in particular."

"I'm back, so I came to see Miranda."

He was hurting inside.

Was Charlotte taking George's side?

Charlotte understood what Alaric really meant.

He came to see her.

But she couldn't give him what he was looking for.

She looked down and played dumb, smiling lightly. "I see. How about Miranda goes home with you today then?"

"She's been talking about wanting to eat your cooking for the past couple of days."

Alaric looked at her, a trace of sadness in his eyes.

He'd heard it clearly.

She was playing dumb.

She didn't want to pick up on what he was saying.

Alaric sighed quietly to himself.

It was okay.

Just being able to see her and spend time with Miranda was enough.

He pulled up a small smile. "Sure."

"I'll take Miranda for the day and drop her off at school tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Charlotte nodded.

Miranda had been listening the whole time. When she heard Alaric was taking her home to play, her eyes lit right up.

She slid off Charlotte's lap and ran over to Alaric on her little legs.

She reached out and wrapped her arms tight around his leg.

"Mr. Kingsley!"

Miranda tilted her head back, eyes sparkling. "Are we going to play together tonight?"

Alaric crouched down and gently tapped her little nose.

"That's right."

"Is there anything you want to eat? I'll make it for you."

Miranda tilted her head and thought about it.

"Miranda wants grilled chicken wings!"

"Grilled chicken wings?" Alaric smiled. "Okay, let's go buy some now and I'll make them for you when we get home. Sound good?"

"Yes!" Miranda nodded eagerly, absolutely thrilled.

Alaric laughed and stood up, scooping Miranda into his arms.

"Let's go get those wings."

He held her and turned to Charlotte. "We'll head out then, Charlotte."

Charlotte nodded. "Be careful on the way."

"Will do."

Alaric carried Miranda toward the door.

George stood watching, his expression growing darker by the second.

What was going on?

Alaric was just taking Miranda like that?

What about him?

George instinctively reached out to stop them.

But his hand froze halfway.

What right did he have to stop them?

Yes, he was Miranda's father.

But Miranda and Alaric had a real bond too.

And Charlotte was the one who agreed to let Alaric take her.

George clenched his jaw and slowly pulled his hand back.

He watched Alaric carry Miranda out of the office.

The door clicked softly shut.

Only Charlotte and George were left in the room.

The silence settled in.

George stood there, his face dark and heavy.

Jealousy and anger churned inside him.

Why did it have to be this way.

He was Miranda's real father.