It was precisely how Charlotte remembered it. Victoria arrived with a box of delicious donuts passed seven in the evening. Victoria said, “Something to cheer you up, my girl!”
Victoria wore a skimpy skirt, a leather jacket over her frame, and those over-the-knee leather boots.
Charlotte’s best friend was a model and an actress. She was charismatic, beautiful, tall, and sexy. Victoria had long black hair, irresistible brown eyes, and a long, roman-shaped nose.
Charlotte was quite the opposite of Victoria. She had short golden hair, hazel eyes, and a long pointed nose. Charlotte was shorter than Victoria, even when wearing heels to match her best friend. She may not be as alluring as Victoria, but she considered herself to be cute.
Outright, Victoria hugged Charlotte. She said, “Let’s talk about it over donuts and tea.”
“Hey, Victoria. Thank you for coming over,” behind them, Timothy greeted after coming out of his study.
“Oh, Hello, Tim. Of course, I’d be here for Charlotte. She is like a sister to me,” Victoria replied with a smile.
“I appreciate it. My Love is really down today,” Timothy said while putting an arm around Charlotte. He pecked Charlotte’s forehead, telling her, “Love, I’m glad you have a true friend in Victoria.”
‘Yeah, right! So you could fuck!’ Oh, how Charlotte wanted to scratch their faces right then and there. She felt her body burning angrily and swore the heat had reached her cheeks.
“Oh, my god! Charlotte is blushing!” Victoria laughed. “Aww, the thing about being so in love with your husband, right?”
Charlotte wound up touching her face. She gulped, turned to Timothy’s smiling face, and said, “He still has that effect on me.”
What else could she do but ride along with their game?
After that meet and greet, Victoria dragged Charlotte to the kitchen. Victoria opened the donut box for Charlotte and said, “This is all for you!”
“Wow.” Charlotte tried her best to look excited at the mix of flavorful donuts. They were her favorite.
Charlotte stared at the treats momentarily before urging Victoria, “Why don’t you have a bite first?”
“Oh, no. I’m on a diet,” Victoria replied, making Charlotte frown.
Before Charlotte was imprisoned, Victoria had pointed out her weight, and so did Timothy, but now she realized that aside from the medications she took, Victoria was constantly feeding her with sweets!
She pondered about her past life. Victoria often invited her for coffee or lunch. Each time, she always ordered cakes and pastries to match Charlotte’s drink or meals. It just occurred to her that Victoria was purposely feeding her junk!
“What? You are on a diet too?” Victoria scoffed and said, “You look wonderful! Tim adores you, and what you have right there is true love. Besides, it is not the sweets making you fat, but the hormones you take to get pregnant.”
‘Yeah, right? So you and Tim could call me a pig,’ Charlotte said silently.
Charlotte sighed and looked pitiful. She answered, “No, it’s not that. I guess I feel so down today. I don’t have the appetite to eat.”
“Oh, okay, but you must eat them later. I bought them all for you,” Victoria insisted. “Don’t share any with Tim.”
“Sure.” Faking a smile, Charlotte replied.
The night continued with Victoria telling Charlotte about her new project. Charlotte tried to pay attention, but her mind constantly went back to her earlier plan of recording any of their intimate acts. Surely they would do it. Victoria would be sleeping over after all.
It was at midnight when Charlotte finally checked on the time. Charlotte said, “It’s getting late. We both better get some rest. Didn’t you say you were leaving for a photoshoot tomorrow?”
Smiling, she added, “I better ensure the guest room is ready. Excuse me, Victoria.”
Charlotte left the kitchen. She fetched one of her phones from the bedroom. There she found Timothy sleeping. At least, that’s probably what he wanted her to think.
Finding the second guest room, she turned on the light and locked the door behind her. Right in front of the bed was a painting mounted on the wall. Charlotte walked towards it and took it down. She had already done the needful of putting a small hole in that expensive painting and setting up her camera.
Yes, it was a valuable painting, but she had to try and catch them in the act. This was the only part of the room where she could conceal her phone.
Charlotte was not prepared. She had to admit it. She was going to maximize her mobile’s recording capacity and set the recorder before going to bed. At most, her iPhone could record up to four hours. She may get lucky and catch them, or her phone would die before then.
Still, she taped her phone against the back of the painting, positioning the camera right at the center of the hole. After ensuring everything was in place, she pushed the record button and mounted the canvas back to its place.
Satisfied with her plan, Charlotte returned to the kitchen and found Victoria yawning endlessly.
“I prepared your tea,” Victoria said, pushing a teacup before Charlotte.
“Thank you. What would I do without you?” Charlotte said, accepting the tea. ‘Wonder what you put in here too.’
“You can go to the second guestroom now. It’s ready,” Charlotte encouraged.
“Drink your ginseng so you can have a good sleep!” Victoria said while waving goodbye. “Goodnight!”
Charlotte acted like she was drinking, but she never drank even the smallest of the tea.
When Victoria was gone, Charlotte put down the teacup and poured the contents into an empty bottle. She stashed the bottle somewhere, intending to have it studied in the middle of the week.
Charlotte then went to their bedroom and lay next to her husband. Next, she pretended to sleep like a log.
Two hours passed, and nothing happened. After another five minutes, however, she noticed her husband got up from the bed. The door to the bedroom creaked open, and whispers echoed in the room.
“Look at her. She is sleeping like a baby. She has no idea we are about to make love,” Victoria softly said before giggling.
“Be quiet,” Timothy ordered.
“Oh, Tim, I plan on getting naughty tonight,” Victoria seductively responded.
‘This is it,’ Charlotte silently thought while remaining in bed, her hand clenching against the pillow. ‘I’m going to catch you. We’ll see who gets the last laugh.’
“Are you out of your mind?” Charlotte heard Timothy say. “I’m telling you, I gave her an extra dose - just a little. Remember the last time I did that? She was completely out,” Victoria reasoned. Charlotte was tempted to take a peak. She couldn’t understand why they hadn’t left the room yet. She inwardly said, ‘Go fuck already!’ “Come on, Tim. I want to be super naughty tonight. I haven’t seen you for three days,” Victoria begged. Timothy and Victoria remained to speak in low voices, but with the silence of the night, Charlotte could decipher their words. Charlotte was lying sideways to her right when unexpectedly, Victoria pushed her to lie on her back. Victoria described, “See? She is completely out.” “Extra dose again? I told you not to do that so often. It’s dangerous,” Timothy answered. Victoria’s sultry voice softened as she added, “Oh, come on. You are not turning soft on her, right?” The next thing Charlotte heard were their kisses and gasping. A few moans left Ti
Charlotte sat in a daze while staring at the man who was with her before she died. Liam Wright. He was undoubtedly handsome. His features were accentuated by prominent, chiseled jawlines that added a touch of ruggedness to his face. His suit spread nicely against his broad shoulders and chest. His mesmerizing green eyes easily held her gaze. The memory of Liam crying on her deathbed almost made her weep. Charlotte held the urge to walk up to him and simply hug him. She figured she would find a suitable opportunity to do that later. Instead, she smiled at him and said, “Liam, thank you for your time - for seeing me.” Liam had welcomed her in one of the hotel’s mini-conference rooms. He ordered tea and some snacks for Charlotte. Inside, Liam’s bodyguard stood behind Charlotte, watching them as they chatted. “Charlotte, I’m rather surprised that you came to see me. What can I do for you?” Liam asked, his voice exuding authority as he crossed his legs. He picked up his teacup a
"Chadwick! Get me another chair! This seat is broken!" Liam ordered his bodyguard. Charlotte gave Chadwick an apologetic look, for the latter had to fetch a new chair from the side of the conference room. Truth be told, Charlotte did not find anything wrong with the seat. The hotel was new, and so were all the pieces of furniture. The Diamond Hotel brand was not the type to invest in low-quality furniture. Liam's face was flushed as he sat on a new seat. He fixed his suit and cleared his throat, saying, "I think I - I must have heard you wrong. What did you say again?" Charlotte had his full attention. His eyes were narrowed, fixed on her face, and his body leaned closer against the table's surface. He even tilted his head just a little, with his right ear slightly angled toward her. 'How clear do I have to be?' Charlotte wondered. "Liam." Charlotte moved her chair closer and resumed, "After my divorce, I will marry you, Liam." Liam loosened his tie. He puffed air out of his
"Have you ever wanted something so badly you are tempted to take it at the first available opportunity?" Liam asked Chadwick when the bodyguard caught up with him in the car. For the last half an hour, while waiting for Chadwick to join him, Liam had been gawking at the street, wondering what to do. To marry her? That would be a dream come true, but to be with her because her husband betrayed her, he could not help but feel insecure. He certainly did not want to be a rebound guy! He had been in love with Charlotte for as long as he could remember. The problem was, after Charlotte's father died, she left Braeton City without telling anyone where she was going. Back then, he was too young to have the resources to find her. His parents initially did not support his request to find Charlotte. They thought he would get over his young love, but that never happened. He tried, but Charlotte was the only girl that filled his heart. Liam was already in college, studying in London, when he
Charlotte's heart galloped, hearing Liam's words. She turned to him with a bright expression and echoed, "You have made your decision?" Liam straightened his face to the front. In his deep voice, he answered, "I have taken a considerable amount of time to think about what you have offered. Normally in business, one must learn to decide quickly, so I have been trained to make smart and fast decisions all my life. But with your request, I took as much time as I needed." Charlotte, "..." At the front seat, Chadwick coughed, catching Charlotte's attention. Chadwick had been coughing too often. The bodyguard was hinting about Liam's white lies. It had to be! "Sorry, Miss Charlotte. I don't know what is it with me today," Chadwick said. "Please don't mind me." When Charlotte peered back at Liam, she saw how he was squinting at Chadwick. He glanced at her and then returned his gaze to the front. He narrated, "Just two days ago, I closed an excellent deal at Alberto City. I bought a comme
Charlotte left out the fact that there was a potential threat to her grandparents' life. Knowing her grandfather, he would declare war, but without solid proof, the Cash family will only suppress his accusations and make things difficult for them. Her grandfather may be wealthy, but the Cash Family had political power in Swaxon. Timothy's father was the mayor, and his mother was a city councilor. "I can't believe it," Her grandfather remarked, learning of Timothy's relationship with Victoria. "I know, Grandpa. And Timothy wasn't planning on divorcing me until he gets the CEO position," Charlotte revealed. The two of them were inside Pete's study. She had left Chadwick to go around the estate and evaluate the overall security of the place. "Is this why you hired a bodyguard? Where did you even find this man? Are you sure you can trust him?" Pete asked. With a nod, Charlotte answered, "I am sure I can trust him with my life." "Just file for a divorce. Confront him, and maybe
Charlotte watched as Timothy's forehead formed beads of sweat. He ran his fingers through his hair and admitted, "I'm sorry. One of the HR associates walked up to me and said she saw you on the road, and a man had carried you in his arms -" "Oh," Charlotte gulped. "That was the gentleman I spoke of. As you can see, I got injured. That man helped me up and brought me to the nearest hospital. And honestly, I did not get his name. I simply gave him money for the trouble." Hearing this, Charlotte conceded she needed to be more careful when being with Liam. She could easily encounter someone who was acquainted with Timothy or Victoria. "Well, did the HR associate see this man's face?" Charlotte asked, evaluating what lie to make. "No, she said she was driving by Julian Road when she thought she saw you," Timothy said. "She wasn't really sure if it was you." Recalling Julian Road, and the angle at which a person would be driving through it, Charlotte came up with a story, "That gentlem
Timothy has had it bad in Los Angeles. The night he and his assistant arrived, the hotel they were supposed to stay in had apparently been overbooked. They were bumped off to another property which was below Timothy's standards. The strange thing was that Clarence Sinclair's assistant was the one who booked the hotel for them. Mister Sinclair was apologetic, so Timothy simply let it pass. It was the hotel's fault and not the secretary's. The following day, Timothy and his assistant searched for another hotel and rested. He went to see Mister Sinclair on the third day, but the latter had successive meetings. Timothy and his assistant waited outside Clarence's office for six hours. He didn't eat because he feared his potential investor would leave, but to his dismay, Mister Sinclair still left, saying he had stomach flu. On the fourth day, Timothy was able to speak to Mister Sinclair, but the entire time, he thought the man was not paying attention. After three hours of discussing