“What’s she so smug about? Sooner or later, Mr. Jasper will dumper,” Zoe thought bitterly,
After Zoe left, Sean immediately noticed that Charlotte’s mood had shifted.
“What’s wrong, Lottie?”
“That woman just now… she seemed to have some kind of strange hostility toward me.”
Sean frowned slightly. “What makes you say that?”
He hadn’t really looked at Zoe earlier, so he missed the flash of disdain and mockery in her eyes. But Charlotte had caught it.
“She didn’t exactly look at me in a friendly way,” Charlotte said evenly. Then she glanced at the man across from her with a faint, teasing smile. “Another one of your admirers?”
Sean looked genuinely confused. “What?”
“The way she looked at you made it obvious she’s interested.”
Sean’s brows drew together. “She just transferred over from the branch office. We’ve only ever talked about work–nothing more.”
Charlotte gave no clear reaction. “Let’s eat.”
A few days later, the second trial for Wendy’s case was held.
As expected, the appeal was rejected. The sentence remained the same–one year in prison.
Wendy was officially taken into custody and sent to the women’s prison.
That night, Charlotte went out to a club with a few colleagues to unwind. To her surprise, she ran into Zac.
They were walking down the hallway, passing a private room. Just then, the door opened and a waiter stepped out.
Charlotte happened to glance inside and what she saw stopped her in her tracks.
Zac was wearing the club’s uniform: a crisp white shirt, black vest, and black dress pants. He was sitting with a woman in her forties, drinking.
Ever since the divorce case between Mark and Monica had wrapped up, Charlotte hadn’t seen Zac again.
By her count, it had been nearly two months. During that time, he had finally kept his distance and stopped bothering her.
Their eyes met.
Zac’s face went pale.
Charlotte’s expression didn’t change. She quietly looked away and kept walking with her colleagues toward their reserved suite, chatting as if she hadn’t seen anything at all.
The suite they had booked was large, with separate rooms for karaoke, a game room, a billiards table, and a dining area.
Jenny and Sophie were belting out songs in the karaoke room. Charlotte, not much of a singer, sat on the sofa with a fruit plate, listening.
Petra sat nearby, absorbed in her phone game.
In the game room, Scott, Asher, Cynthia, and a newly hired attorney were gathered around a poker table,
As they played, Asher—Scott’s close friend from college and one of the firm’s partners–asked with a knowing look, “So, did
1/3
you win her over yet?”
Asher had been friends with Scott for years, so of course he knew about his feelings for Charlotte.
Scott’s face stayed impassive as he calmly tossed in a chip. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Asher said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m asking if you’ve managed to win over Ms. Riley yet.”
Asher hadn’t attended Megan’s cruise party and wasn’t part of the same social circle as Megan or Sean Jasper. He had no idea that Charlotte and Sean had already reconciled.
It wasn’t really his fault. Charlotte never discussed her personal life at the firm, only work
Since their reconciliation, Sean had visited the firm a few times to see Charlotte. Once the office door closed, no one knew what they talked about. Asher had simply assumed it was work–related
Cynthia tilted her head, listening intently. She had long suspected Scott’s interest in Charlotte, but it wasn’t her place to pry. Now that someone else had asked, she was all ears.
Scott studied his cards without even lifting his eyes. “Why are you asking so many questions?”
