Chapter 43
Everyone except Charlotte: “…?!!”
Another bombshell dropped on the already chaotic scene.
In the Italian restaurant of the Peninsula Hotel.
Zarek Weasley had finished his meal but remained seated, absorbed in his phone.
As he watched the unfolding drama, a slight curve appeared on his lips. His rich, cultured voice carried a hint of appreciation. “She’s quite formidable.”
Rex Paine stood beside him, equally captivated by the spectacle. “Better than any Netflix drama. This Charlotte Whitmore has both courage and strategy.”
“The difference is, they’re acting. She’s fighting for her life.”
Zarek’s observation was casual yet penetrating.
After watchin
a moment longer, he pocketed his phone and rose to leave.
In the elevator, Rex had already pressed the button for the parking level when Zarek inquired, “Such a remarkable performance–care to see the live version?”
Rex blinked in surprise. “…Of course.”
The kind of ‘of course‘ that wasn’t really a choice.
Back in the ballroom.
Amanda stared at Evelyn with stunned disbelief.
She had never imagined the girl would sacrifice her so brazenly.
“That’s absolutely false! I never forced her to do anything,” Amanda protested, her composure cracking. “She claimed she had a method to make Charlotte sign the settlement agreement, which is why I… why I arranged the hotel meeting. I had no idea she was planning something this depraved. I thought perhaps some intimidation, that’s all. I only wanted the agreement signed.”
Amanda’s desperate explanation only confirmed her involvement.
Meanwhile, Evelyn countered with perfectly timed tears, “How can you say that, Amanda? You were the one complaining about how greedy Charlotte was, raising her demands from $10 million to $15 million. I felt terrible for you and for Issac, so I offered to help! You said you were afraid Issac would turn against you, so you begged me
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to handle those arrangements!”
“…” Amanda trembled with indignation, her finger shaking as she pointed. “You… you… unconscionable liar!“.
“I’m telling the truth, Amanda,” Evelyn replied with calculated sadness. “For the sake of my future with Issac, please just accept your role in this.”
“…”
Amanda nearly collapsed, her face contorting with enough rage to trigger a cardiac event.
The Grantham family, finally catching up with the situation, abandoned any concern for truth. Intent only on extracting Evelyn from blame, they collectively accused Amanda of manipulating an innocent young woman into such a scheme.
Every carefully crafted statement redirected all culpability to Amanda’s shoulders.
The Woods dropped all pretense of social decorum, engaging in an increasingly heated argument with the
Granthams.
The assembled Manhattan elite were utterly transfixed.
They had severely underestimated the night’s entertainment value–each revelation more explosive than the last, each twist more shocking, the intensity never waning.
Charlotte observed with detached fascination.
She hadn’t expected Evelyn to turn on her future mother–in–law so viciously–a perfect case of honor among thieves.
She glanced toward Issac, gauging his reaction. His face had frozen into a rigid mask, as if carved from glacial ice.
For a man who had built his life around maintaining appearances, his internal world must be utterly shattered.
This… was the price of betrayal!
“Charlotte, I am truly sorry!” Evelyn’s voice broke theatrically. “For your injuries, for the disease you contracted–I’ll cover all your medical expenses! With modern treatments, even HIV might be manageable, perhaps even curable!”
Charlotte turned toward Evelyn’s performance, watching as she dabbed at non–existent tears, presenting herself as someone who recognized her mistakes and desperately sought forgiveness.
Yet beneath this facade, Charlotte could still detect the malicious gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.
She didn’t fear exposure for her crimes. She didn’t care about betraying Amanda. Her sole objective remained spreading the rumor that Charlotte had been assaulted and contracted HIV.
Evil to her very core!
“Hmm…” Charlotte laughed coldly. “First, I reject your apology–I’ve already contacted the police. Second, I regret to disappoint you, but last night someone intervened before your hired men could complete their mission. I didn’t
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contract any disease, and I’m not going to die. But YOU–you are absolutely going to prison!”
“!”
Evelyn, who had been masterfully performing heartfelt remorse, froze mid sob. The regret, sadness, and contrition on her face peeled away like cheap veneer, revealing the dark, twisted core beneath.
Issac’s eyes suddenly brightened with hope.
He stepped toward Charlotte, his voice urgent. “Is that true? Is that really true?”
Charlotte didn’t even acknowledge his existence.
Seeing Issac’s reaction, Evelyn’s voice transformed into something shrill and unhinged. “That’s completely impossible! That hotel is legendary for its discretion. The room was in the most isolated section–nobody would have been there! Who could have possibly rescued you? Who would have even known to rescue you? What, some guardian angel?”
Charlotte replied with elegant composure: “If you insist on calling him an angel, then yes, he did have something
rather divine about him.”
The subtle fragrance of his palm, his reassuring voice telling her she was safe–in that moment, he had indeed seemed like an otherworldly savior, tall and striking, radiating protection.
Evelyn’s face twisted with skepticism: “This is bullshit. This person doesn’t exist. You’re just terrified Issac will see
you as damaged goods.”
Charlotte responded with a glacial laugh: “I require neither his approval nor his opinion. If I had been assaulted, the ones who would be filthy and contemptible would be those men and you who orchestrated it–never the victim!”
Evelyn was momentarily stunned before her expression contorted with unrestrained rage. “Enough with these delusions! You claim this person exists? Then summon him! Call forth your mythical savior! Let everyone witness
this mysterious hero!”
Charlotte maintained a dignified silence.
She couldn’t drag Zarek into this sordid affair.
A man of his stature wouldn’t want entanglement in such base melodrama. How could she repay his kindness by causing him public embarrassment?
“Can’t produce him, can you? I knew you were lying!” Seeing her silence, Evelyn grew increasingly aggressive.
The flicker of hope in Issac’s eyes began to fade.
He made no move to halt Evelyn’s inquisition because he, too, needed to know…
“Guardian angel would be an overstatement, but I was indeed the one who intervened.”
A refined, authoritative voice resonated from the back of the crowd.
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Every head turned simultaneously.
Only then did they notice an extraordinarily distinguished man had entered. His bearing, his presence–absolutely
commanding.
Someone recognized him first, exclaiming in hushed reverence, “It’s Zarek Weasley!”
“Which Zarek Weasley?”
“How many Zarek Weasleys exist in New York? You idiot!”
“Holy shit, THE Weasley heir! Why would he even be here… Wait, what did he just say?”
The ballroom erupted in shocked whispers.
Zarek Weasley would never normally attend such an event; the Woods lacked sufficient standing to merit his
presence.
Yet here he undeniably stood. Combined with his statement… everyone drew a collective breath. So he was the savior who had rescued Charlotte?
He had come specifically for her?
Did Charlotte Whitmore possess some supernatural ability to attract billionaires?!
The expressions of both the Wood and Grantham families were kaleidoscopes of complicated emotions.
Issac stared at the approaching Zarek, his dark eyes filled with primitive hostility.
A man’s instinct toward a rival…
Evelyn had never met Zarek in person, but she certainly knew the Weasley name and understood this man’s significance.
She looked at Charlotte with venomous hatred. This worthless bitch had already secured another powerful protector! The unfairness burned through her like acid.
“Mr. Weasley,” Charlotte said, momentarily caught off guard.
“I happened to be dining downstairs,” Zarek explained with elegant nonchalance, as if he were merely a cultured passerby who had wandered in after dinner. “Noticing the commotion, I thought I might observe.”
With one hand casually in his pocket, his gaze swept the room with quiet authority.
His demeanor appeared relaxed, yet something in his presence created an undeniable gravitational pull–as if everyone else had suddenly become supporting characters in his story.
