At the sight of Alicia’s gentle smile and bright eyes, Charles felt his heart lurch. Clenching his fists, he managed only a slight nod before turning to stare out the window. No one noticed, however, that the tips of his ears had turned bright red.


    Alicia watched Charles cast her only a faint nce before turning to stare outside. ‘He really is as cold and distant as everyone says,’ she thought.


    She dropped her gaze. ‘If I can’t start a conversation, I’ll just show him the brooch straight out!’


    So she turned to Kevin, her voice soft, “Sir, my coat’s still damp and dripping. I’m really sorry about getting your car wet. I’ll take it off right away, and I’ll cover the car washter.”


    As she spoke, she pulled off the nket wrapped around her and took off her outer coat. When the brooch came into view, she finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.


    She stole another nce at Charles. He was still looking out the window, ignoring herpletely. ‘How can I get him to notice the brooch? Should I fake losing my bnce and lean into him? That feels too cheap. Even though I’ve acted this out as an actress in my previous lives, I just can’t do it in real life.


    Just as she was struggling to find a way to show Charles the brooch, a clean white towel was suddenly offered to her.


    She froze, her eyes tracing from the towel up to the hand holding it. It was long and well-shaped, yet slightly calloused, with a few faint scars.


    Seeing Alicia hesitate to take the towel, Charles kept his hand extended, his expression calm but his steady. “Dry your hair,” he said, his voice low yet clear. “It’s still dripping.”


    gaze


    Alicia quickly reached out and took the towel. “Thank you,” she said softly. She began drying her hair gently, stealing nces at Charles from the corner of her eye.


    After handing her the towel, he had taken out his phone and started scrolling, still not noticing the brooch on her chest.


    Panic began to set in. ‘Can he not see it? But where else should I put the brooch if not on my chest? Or is my chest too t? If it were bigger, maybe he would look this way!’ She suddenly wished she had padded her bra a little.


    She straightened her back subtly, lifting her chest a little, but Charles still didn’t nce over. Finally, she spoke up, “Sir, I’ve dried my hair. Would you like me to wash the towel and return it, or would you prefer I buy you


    a new one?”


    Charles finally turned his head. His eyes fell on the brooch and darkened instantly, but he quickly looked away, pretending not to have noticed. Alicia lifted her chest slightly and edged closer to him without a sound.


    Watching her move, Charles couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. ‘Is she trying to show me the brooch? Does she recognize who I am?’


    When he still didn’t ask about it, Alicia could wait no longer. She pulled the brooch off her chest, gently wiped


    it with her fingers, and muttered under her breath, “It’s all wet from the rain.”


    Charles watched her deliberate movements with a hint of helplessness. He wasn’t ready to bring up the brooch with her yet.


    Alicia’s fingers grew stiff from wiping. She was growing nervous. After all, she knew very little about the brooch, only what Tiffany had bragged about in her past life. If Charles started asking questions, she was sure to slip up.


    Noticing her stiff movements, Charles frowned. ‘She doesn’t seem to recognize me. She isn’t using the brooch to im a connection. If anything, she looks afraid. But why?’ He kept his eyes on her and asked, “Are you afraid of me?”


    ‘Of course I’m afraid. I’m afraid you’ll see right through me, afraid all this will be for nothing, afraid you’ll end up backing Tiffany again.’ Alicia replied in her heart.


    She lowered her eyes, her longshes hiding the panic in her gaze. “Your car rides so smoothly. It must be expensive. And these leather seats, will they be ruined if they get wet? I don’t have much money to pay for damages.” She used her poverty to cover her guilt.


    Hearing this, Charles knew she wasn’t telling the truth, but he was impressed that she noticed how smoothly his car rode. Most women would dismiss his modest-looking car without a second thought, let alone appreciate its subtle qualities.


    His car was a modified version of amon model. It looked ordinary, but every internal part had been upgraded to top tier specs. The leather seats needed careful maintenance every few weeks and could not get


    wet.


    But he would never let Alicia feel worried about it. “It’s just ordinary leather,” he said. “A little water won’t damage it.”


    Kevin’s lips twitched when he heard that. ‘Good grief, he calls this ordinary? These seats cost a fortune and one drop of water could ruin them.’


    Then he realized something. ‘Mr. Yates smiled again just now. Does he actually like Miss Lawrence?’ Kevin felt as if he had uncovered the secret of the universe, swelling with pride at his own sharpness.


    But his moment of pride was short-lived. After a brief pause, he asked, “Mr. Yates, where are we heading to pick up your friend?”


    At the question, Charles’s gaze cut toward him like a de. Kevin shivered under the look, realizing he had spoken out of turn. “No one needs to pick anyone up,” Charles replied tly.


    Kevin was baffled. ‘Now we don’t need to go? And why is he looking at me like that?’ But he wasn’t slow. It dawned on him. ‘Did Mr. Yates ever really have a friend to pick up? Or did he make it up just to have Miss Lawrence sit beside him? But does she even know how he feels?’


    Kevin nced at Alicia instinctively and froze. ‘Why is Miss Lawrence giving me such a cold, sharp look too? Does she also like Mr. Yates? Is she annoyed I interrupted them?’


    In fact, Alicia was annoyed by the interruption, not because she liked Charles, but because she had finally started talking to him and was so close to getting him to notice the brooch.


    ‘Now that we’re interrupted, when can we get back to the brooch again? I can’t just keep wiping it again and again. That would be way too obvious.’ Aliciained secretly.


    Charles watched Alicia shoot Kevin a resentful look. ‘She must be upset he interrupted her n to show me the brooch. She’s clearly determined to make me notice it today. Fine. If that’s what she wants, I’ll y along.’ So he said, “That’s a nice brooch you’re wearing.”


    Hearing this, Alicia felt as if she had heard an angel speak. ‘Finally, he mentioned the brooch!’ Her spirits lifted at once. She looked up and offered Charles a soft smile. “This brooch…”


    Chapter Y <fnf062> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? Find[?]ovel</fnf062>