That night, after Charles had finished fooling around with <b>Sophie</b>, he stood by the bed, straightening out the wrinkles in his suit.
When he was undressed, he’d give Sophie anything she <b>wanted</b>. But once he put his clothes back on, he turned back into the high–and–mighty CEO of Sinir Group.
Remembering what Ynda had said, Sophie <b>grabbed </b>his sleeve. “Charles, I mentioned before that I wanted the lipstick endorsement for Magnifique Cosmetics, right? I checked, and the current spokesperson is Joelle. Honestly, she’s nothing special. How could she possibly outshine me?”
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.
Sophie had never seen him like this before; her heart sank. She swallowed, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Did I <b>say </b><b>something </b>wrong, Charles? I’ve seen her photos. Could you help me get the Magnifique Cosmetics endorsement? 1-”
He slowly removed her fingers from his sleeve and leaned in close, studying her face. “Sophie, did someone say something to you?”
Sophie put on her most convincing act, her eyes growing teary. “Charles, I just can’t stand being outshined by someone who’s clearly not as good as me. It’s been eating away at me.”
He patted her cheek lightly, a faint smile in his voice. “Don’t say such silly things next time.”
Sophie’s face instantly drained of color, her fingers curling into a fist. “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice barely steady.
“Be good, and there’ll be plenty of resourcesing your way. But if you’re not, I can rece you anytime,” Charles said as he straightened his tie and grabbed his suit jacket. “I’m heading out.”
Sophie couldn’t even muster a smile, she just stared helplessly as he walked <b>away</b>.
As soon as the door closed behind him, she hurled a pillow across the room, tears streaming down her face.
She’d insulted Charles’s wife right to his face before, and he’d never cared. But just bringing up Joelle made him turn cold in an instant. Tessa hadn’t lied–Joelle was the one he cherished a lot in his heart.
Sophie pounded the bed beneath her. They’d just been tangled up together, and he could flip the switch like that. She’d never seen Charles act this way before. It was like he’d turned into ice, shutting her outpletely.
Her face twisted with rage; she snatched up the business card she’d salvaged from the trash. It was Tessa’s
contact info..
She finally saw it. Charles was truly heartless. She’d been chasing some ridiculous fantasy of rising to the top. She was nothing but a joke.
She was grasping at straws, clutching the card so hard her knuckles turned white, before finally letting it fall from her hand. <fn44af> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on </fn44af>
7:45 Thu, Sep 11
Charles hadn’t even made it far down the road when his phone buzzed–it was Ynda. She said softly, <b>“</b><b>Charles</b>, things have taken a turn for the worse with William. Can youe over right now?”
Ynda spent her childhood at the orphanage until she was ten. William, the director, wasn’t in great shape, but he <b>still </b>looked after a few of the kids who had no family.
William’s wife, <b>Athena</b>, had died a few years back from working herself to death, and now William was just barely getting by.
When Ynda got the call that night, she rushed straight to the hospital and was already pacing the hallway, waiting anxiously.
To her, William was like the grandfather she never had. She’d never known real family love in the Grant <b>or </b>Sinir families; the only warmth she’d ever felt came from William.
She forced herself to stay strong, clenching her fists to keep them from trembling, and waited until William was finally wheeled out.
The doctor pulled off his mask. “We caught it early this <b>time</b>, but William doesn’t have much time left. He needs a kidney transnt. We’ve been searching for a suitable donor for two years but still haven’t found a match.”
Ynda leaned back against the wall, her hand limp at her side. “Please let me know the moment <b>you </b>find a donor, okay?”
“Ms. <b>Grant</b>, don’t worry, William is at the top of the donor list. As soon as we find a match, he’ll be the first to get the surgery,” the doctor reassured her.
Ynda nodded, forcing a weak smile. “Sorry for the trouble.”
She walked into the hospital room and saw a few kids gathered around the bed. They were all orphans from the orphanage, and they’d lived with William for most of their lives.
William was only sixty. He’d taken over the struggling orphanage back when he was middle–aged. He and his wife had run it together for years, and after Athena passed away, he managed everything on his <b>own</b>.
“Ms. Grant, why isn’t Mr. Bet waking up?” one of the kids asked, their voice trembling.
“We’re so scared. What if Mr. Bet never wakes up?” another one cried.
Ynda reached out and gently patted their heads. These kids were the ones who’d called 911. If they hadn’t, William might not have made it.
She said softly, “Be good, okay? I’ll have someone take you all home. Mr. Bet is going to be fine, so don’t stay here and disturb his rest. Once he’s better, he’lle back to you.”
Each of the kids took turns hugging her around the waist. “Thank you, Ms. Grant.”
Once the kids left, Ynda walked over to William’s bedside.
7:45 Thu, Sep 11
William opened his eyes. <b>“</b><b>Ynda</b>, where’s Charles!”
Back when Ynda had just been taken in by the Grant family, she brought Charles to the orphanage. William liked him right away, and back when Athena was still around, she liked him, too,
They even knew about Ynda’s little crush on Charles. So many years had flown by, and every time Ynda visited, William would always ask about Charles. But the Charles of today was nothing like the pure–hearted kid he once was.
“I called him. He’s on his way over, Ynda replied.
William nodded, took her hand, and gave it a gentle pat. “Ynda, you have to take good care of yourself. I’ve always worried about you the most. Knowing Charles will look after you puts my mind at ease.”
Ynda’s eyes stung with tears, but she held them back. “William, we’ll definitely find a matching kidney. You’re just sixty, I asked the doctor, and he said if the transnt works, you could easily have another twenty
years.
Right as she finished speaking, Charles pushed open the door and walked in.
Ynda immediately noticed a faint water stain on his pants and quickly averted her gaze.
He came over and rested his <b>hands </b>gently on her shoulders, <b>asking </b>with concern, “William, are you okay?
When William saw Charles, he tried to sit up, but Ynda gently pushed him back down. “William, don’t get worked up. He’s here, and he’s not going anywhere.”
William’s gazended on Charles, and he reached out to <b>grab </b>his hand. “Charles, thest time we saw each other was when you and Ynda first got married.”
Charles lookedpletely unbothered, a faint smile ying on his <b>lips </b>as he casually slipped an arm around Ynda. “Yeah, I’ve just <b>been </b>swamped these past two years. Haven’t had a chance to drop by.”
William’s eyes were full offort. He couldn’t help but cough, saying, “I know you’re busy. You’re such a capable guy. Ynda won’t ever have to suffer with you around.”
Ynda clenched her fist at her side, her nails digging into her palm, but she kept her face neutral.
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