Jan let out a sigh. “Mia, the truth wille out eventually. Secrets never stay buried forever.”
Mia’sshes trembled. <b>Her </b><b>usual </b>spark was gone, her voice tinged with sadness. “Ian… I’m scared. Maybe we should just forget about this.”
“That’s not happening.” His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. “Mia, triest me. I’ll take care of it.”
She looked even more heartbroken, her voice quiet. “And how exactly do you n to fix this? Are you going to ask <b>our </b>parents to get a divorce so we can be together?”
Charlotte rubbed her temples. Just listening to them was giving her a headache.
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll keep your secret. But the son
sooner you two deal with this, the better. It’s lucky I found our first. <b>What </b>if <b>someone </b>else had seen you? <b>Someone </b>who loves gossip and had a camera on them? One photo, and by tomorrow morning, you two would be trending on the front page.”
She looked at Mia, her tone serious. “Mia,n’s right–this isn’t something you can hide forever. Sooner orter, your parents are going to find out. Better to tell them yourselves than have them hear it from someone else.”
Mia stared at the floor, saying nothing
len reached over and pulled her into his arms. “I’m here, Mia. You don’t have to be afraid.”
After dinner, Charlotte drove home to the Riley family estate.
Sunday
was her day off, and she nned to spend time with Jodie
While waiting at a red light, her phone lit up.
to the screen.
A message popped onto
It was from Scott
Scort. “Home yet?”
Charlotte replied: “Still on the road. What’s up?
He texted back almost instantly: “Drive safe. We’ll talk when you’re home.”
Charlotte: “Got it”
At the same time, <b>Sean’s </b>phone rang
It was Chris Carter–Sean’s friend <b>and </b><b>a </b><b>shareholder </b>at Jasper Corporation–sounding unusually gossipy on the other end.
“Seven, what’s going on with you and Charlotte? Haven’t patched <b>things </b>up yet?”
Sean’s tone was cold and clipped. “Why do you ask?”
Chris chuckled. “Guess who I ran into tonight?”
Sean wasn’t in the mood. “If this <b>isn’t </b>important, I’m hanging up.”
“Whoa, whoa–don’t hang up!” Chris <b>said </b>quickly. “I saw Charlotte.
Seven’s knuckles tensed. “When? Where?”
Chrisughed. “A second ago you were all <b>cold </b>and disinterested, but now you’re all ears, Know it. The second someone mentions Charlotte, you’re a
–
Sean’s <b>voice </b>dropped. “Cut the crap.”
“Alright<b>, </b>alright,” Chris relented, switching to a more serious toor. “But you might want to <b>brace </b>yourself. This one’s gonna sting.”
Sean stayed silent
Chris finally said, “I was out to dinner with a client tonight. When I walled out of the private room, <b>I </b>saw your Charlotte walking out of another one—
with Scott Lucas ”
Sean’s expression darkened.
Chris paused, then <b>said</b>, “And get this–I also saw Tim Gibson, his wife, their <b>load</b><b>, </b><b>and </b>her parents. You know who they are, right? Scott’s grandparents. Mandy – Tim’s wife–is Scott’s aunt.”
Sean’s eyes narrowed.
Chris added, “Scott’s parents have been living in Nend these past few
years, so his closest family here is his grandparents and his <b>aunt</b>, Mandy.”
Sean’s voice was sharp. “You sure know a lot about Scott’s family.”
Chris gave a sheepishugh. “Only because of you, man Back in college, that guy chased Charlotte <b>so </b>hard he even showed up at our school to confess to her<b>–</b>right under your nose. You think I wasn’t gonna keep <b>tabs </b>on him?