Chapter <b>331 </b>
Charlotte waved with a smile. “Bye.”
<b>H </b>
Η
<b>.25 </b>Bonus
She didn’t turn back until Scott and the others had walked off into the distance. Then she shifted her gaze to her best friend, Mia.
Crossing her arms, Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Alright, talk. What’s going on between you two?”
Mia swallowed nervously. Her face was flushed as she bit her lip “Lotrie, 1..”
“Can’t say it?” <b>Charlotte </b>cut her off, then turned her sharp gaze to Lan. “Ian, why don’t you exin.”
“Luttie, don’t look at me like that,” Lan said, rubbing the bridge <b>of </b>his nose. “That look’s kind of seary,
“This isn’t the ce to talk, Charlotte said firmly “Let’s go somewhere else.”
Jan <b>gave </b>an awkward smile. “Mia and I were just about to grab dinner. We booked a private room <b>upstairs</b>–want to join us?”
“Sure.”
Charlotte followed Mia and tan back into the elevator, her mind a whirlwind of emotions
She had knownn for years. He had always been like an older brother to her. Thenn’s father married Mia’s mother, and Mia became his stepsister. Charlotte had watched them go from awkward acquaintances to being practically glued to each other. But to her, they were just incredibly close siblings. She never imagined they <b>had </b>actually end up like this<b>. </b>
When they entered the private room, Charlotte’s brows furrowed.
It was clearly <b>a </b>couple’s suite.
The room was beautifully decorated. Roses stood in a vase
in a vase on the table, and petals were scattered across the ss surface. Soft candlelight flickered warmly, giving the whole space a romantic glow.
Charlotte sighed and pulled out a <b>chair </b>without hesitation. “Alright–when did this start?”
It wasn’t that she was trying to be harsh
She and Mia were closer than sisters.
<b>And </bn? She had always treated him like family. Now he had <b>gone </b>and fallen for <b>her </b>best friend?
rlotte felt <b>like </b>her world had tilted. It was like someone had snatched her best friend, and the culprit was thest person she ever expected. Sure, Ian was handsome, had <b>a </b>good family background, and wasn’t exactly a terrible catch. But something about this just felt.. wrong. She couldn’t shake the feeling,
Mia avoided Charlotte’s eyes. Her gaze darted to the floor, her voice <b>barely </b>above <b>a </b>whisper. “… it hasn’t been long
“How long exactly?” Charlotte pressed.
Mia bit her lip. “That night at the bar… when I said I wanted to h
to hire a male escort for you,n gor jealous. After we got home, things just kind of…”
Charlotte’s anger red. She whipped her head towardn, her eyes starp “so you forced it? Is this some twisted enemics–to–lovers fantasy?”
len scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “Something like that… but Mia has feelings for me too! I didn’t force her.”
Charlotte tumed to M. “Is that true?”
Mia nodded faintly. “Yeah….. it is ”
Charlotte sighed and rubbed her temples. “How did it even get to this point? Aren’t y
you two worried what your parents will think?”
Lan’s expression turned serious. “They don’t know yet. But if anything happens, I’ll take responsibility”
“Take responsibility?” Charlotte snapped. “Do you have any idea how brutal people can be? Do you think you <b>can </b><b>just </b>take the me and everything will be fine? What happens when the <b>gossip </b>starts–when people say Mia seduced her own brother?”
Her voice trailed off. She couldn’t bear to say the rest out loud
The things people said blind closed doors would be far worse than what she had just voked
She didn’t want to see her best friend dragged through the mud, humiliated and judged by everyone around her.