Chapter 78
As soon as those words came out, Charlotte froze mid-movement, two smiling faces appearing in her mind.
Thinking of those two kind elderly people, her jaw suddenly clenched tight, and her voice turned sharply cold: "What time."
Hearing her give in, Henry on the other end of the phone smiled smugly: "Six-thirty. Don't be too late, everyone's waiting for you."
As the call ended, Charlotte's expression grew even darker.
After who knows how long, there was a knock at the door.
Hearing the sound, she finally snapped back to reality, her expression returning to its usual calm, red lips pressed tight.
"Come in."
As soon as she spoke, the door opened and Jason walked in.
"Charlotte, I found something."
"Recently, only Chloe and Mandy have been close..."
Hearing that name, Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly: "Mandy... Keep digging. Get me proof."
"Got it."
Jason nodded, then as if remembering something, spoke again: "Oh, should I drive you home tonight?"
Charlotte shook her head, her eyelids lowering as her gaze fell on the water glass in front of her. After a long while, she said hoarsely: "Tonight I have to go back to the Johnson Mansion..."
"What?"
Jason was stunned, showing a hint of surprise: "Let me go with you."
"No need."
Charlotte shook her head without hesitation, leaning back against her chair with a cold laugh: "It's just dinner. They won't do anything to me."
That's not necessarily true!
Jason grumbled silently to himself, but looking at her cool profile, he didn't dare say it out loud.
At six o'clock in the evening, Alexander's car appeared right on time downstairs at Starlight Tower.
When Charlotte came out of the elevator, she immediately spotted that low-key, understated Maybach. Her eyes flickered for a moment before she slowly walked over.
"To the Johnson Mansion."
"Why the sudden trip back?"
Alexander looked at her with confusion and asked.
Charlotte was silent for a few seconds. "Henry invited me to dinner."
Instantly, the atmosphere in the car went quiet. Alexander's brow furrowed slightly.
Charlotte had never told him about the Johnson family's affairs, but just from her relationship with Chloe, he could guess that this family probably didn't treat her well.
Worried she might be at a disadvantage, he thought for a moment and suggested: "I'll go in with you."
"No need, just wait for me outside."
Charlotte refused again without hesitation, her gaze falling on the window, very sharp: "It's just dinner. Won't take long."
Hearing this, Alexander's fingers lightly tapped on the steering wheel a few times before he suddenly stepped on the gas.
The Johnson Mansion was in the villa district in the south of the city. By the time the car arrived, the sky had completely darkened.
Lights were on in the courtyard, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you could clearly see figures in the living room.
Charlotte squinted as she surveyed the scene, unbuckling her seatbelt while saying: "About an hour, won't be too long."
"Okay, I'll wait for you." Alexander nodded, watching as she entered through the ornate iron gate.
With a "ding-dong" sound, a servant soon came to open the door.
The moment she saw it was Charlotte, she first froze, but quickly stepped aside, saying with lowered eyes: "Ms. Charlotte Johnson is back. Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Johnson have been waiting a long time."
Soon, the two walked into the living room.
The three people sitting on the sofa all stood up at the same time, their faces simultaneously breaking into smiles—warm but utterly fake.
"Charlotte's back!"
Susan was the first to approach, trying to grab her hand very intimately: "Come in, come in! Was there traffic? Are you tired?"
Charlotte subtly stepped aside, avoiding her gesture.
Instantly, Susan's smile froze.
"No traffic, not tired."
Henry acted as if he hadn't noticed this little episode, still wearing a loving smile.
"Charlotte, come sit down. We're all family here, don't be shy!"
"Come to think of it, we haven't seen each other in quite a while. You've been doing better and better lately—I see your name in the papers every day."
Charlotte let out a cold snort, standing in the center of the living room and scanning around, but finding nothing.
"Where are Grandpa and Grandma's things?"
Seeing she wasn't even pretending anymore, looking eager to grab the items and leave, Henry's face darkened for a moment, but then he put on a smile again.
"What's the rush? Let's talk after dinner!"
"Since you're already back, you should at least eat something."
"The chef has been busy all afternoon, making all your favorites."
Chloe finally found a chance to chime in, immediately stepping forward with a smile: "That's right, Charlotte. I specially had the chef make a few dishes you loved as a child."
"You rarely come back, so let's eat first."
As she spoke, she reached out to take Charlotte's arm.
Sensing her intention, Charlotte glanced at her with indifferent eyes.
Whether scared or for some other reason, Chloe's movement suddenly stopped, and she awkwardly withdrew her hand.
Seeing them all talking about dinner, Charlotte laughed coldly to herself and curved her lips.
"Fine, let's eat first then."
Watching her leave that single sentence and stride toward the dining room, the three people behind exchanged glances and followed.
The dishes on the table were indeed lavish—fish, meat, seven or eight plates in total.
Susan eagerly pulled out a chair for Charlotte, then served her a bowl of soup, her smile especially gentle.
Henry sat down in the seat opposite, and after pouring himself a glass of wine, raised it to clink glasses with her.
Charlotte watched his actions coldly, not moving her glass.
But he didn't get angry either, drinking by himself and letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Really good wine."
"Come to think of it, I never imagined you were actually Queen..."
Hearing this sudden exclamation, Charlotte knew today's main event was coming.
She snorted coldly but didn't respond.
The man glanced at her, and seeing Charlotte's expression unchanged, continued: "Now that this identity is exposed, your worth has increased a hundredfold. So, have you thought about collaborating with the family?"
As Henry spoke, the smile on his face grew deeper.
"I have several companies under me. Whatever you design in the future, you can bring it over. After all, we're family. What do you think?"
At this point, Charlotte truly understood why he'd called her here. She immediately put down her utensils and said with a cold laugh: "So you called me here today just for this?"
"Of course not, just family chatting casually."
Hearing the hostility in her tone, Henry laughed it off, then picked up the wine decanter nearby and poured Charlotte a glass of red wine. "Come, try this. I specially had someone bring it back from Phoenixia."
"Rich and mellow flavor. If you weren't coming back today, I wouldn't have been willing to open it."