Chapter 122
Charlotte lowered her gaze.
Sean was holding her hand, fingers tightly interlocked with hers. His voice was cool and laced with sarcasm.
“A date? You think Lottie would give a second look to trash like him after being with me?”
It was crude but not wrong.
Charlotte gave a soft smile and leaned into him sweetly, like the perfect doting girlfriend.
“Exactly. Now that I’ve got Sean, there’s no room left in my heart for trash from the past. I mean, we all had our dumb ‘puppy love‘ phase with nobodies, right?”
Zac’s smile froze. His expression darkened.
“Nobodies? That’s how she sees me now?” he wondered.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides, knuckles white. He fought hard to keep his anger and humiliation from spilling over.
Across from them, a flicker of jealousy flashed in Vivian’s eyes. She bit her lip and, inwardly, cursed Charlotte a hundred times over.
Just then, Mia chimed in, tone sweet on the surface but full of venom underneath.
“Miss Yeager, this is why people say the Yeager family lacks class. I mean, Zac? Really? He’s yesterday’s trash. Lottie’s already over it and you’re still chasing it? That’s just sad.”
Zac finally lost it.
“Who the hell are you calling trash?”
Mandy’s face flushed red. She looked like she was about to fight back, but caught sight of Ian standing behind Mia and stopped cold. She wasn’t about to pick a fight with the Quinton family.
“It’s you I’m talking about.” Mia crossed her arms, her tone biting as she gave Zac a long, withering look.
“So you’re Zac Gibson, huh? Dating you is like having a criminal record. You stick around like a stain. Thank God Charlotte woke up and dumped you when she did. Honestly, if she hadn’t, I would’ve held a knife to her throat and made her.”
Her voice turned mocking.
“And didn’t you run off with your little ‘first love‘ or whatever? Weather’s great today. Why didn’t you bring her out for a walk too?”
Zac was practically fuming, his lungs about to explode from the pressure.
Just as it looked like he was going to lose it and hurl insults back, Vivian quickly grabbed his arm.
“Alright, alright, let’s not fight,” she cut in, all flustered innocence. “This whole thing’s just a misunderstanding. Blame me, okay? I didn’t know Zac and Miss Riley used to be a thing.”
Vivian bit her lip delicately, her eyes glassy with tears as she looked up at Sean with a pitiful expression.
“Sean, I really didn’t know Zac was Charlotte’s ex. I thought… I thought he was just Mandy’s friend. You’re not mad at me, are you?”
Sean opened his mouth, but Charlotte beat him to it. Her voice was syrupy sweet, mimicking Vivian’s tone to perfection..
“Oh, it was just an honest mistake, right? Why would I ever blame you? And Sean wouldn’t either.”
Sean wasn’t sure where Charlotte was going with this, but if she said it, he would go along.
“If Lottie doesn’t blame you, then I don’t either,” he said coldly.
Vivian’s smile taltered. She blinked, trying to make sense of Charlotte’s sudden switch in tone. But Charlotte only flashed her a radiant smile–so sweet it sent chills down Vivian’s spine.
“What the hell is she playing at?” Vivian thought uneasily.
“Trying to gross the out with your little performance? Alright let’s see who ends up regretting it more,” Charlotte smirked to herself.
At that moment, Jordan, who’d been silently watching from the sidelines, finally spoke.
“Alright, enough drama. Let’s eat something and take a break You’ll need your strength for the bike.”
With that, the crowd finally dispersed. Everyone got to work setting up the picnic–unfolding chairs and tables, laying out tablecloths, unpacking drinks and food, lining up the cookware.
Grills were lit, pots were prepped, and soon the campsite was buzzing. Some started barbecuing, others prepped ingredients. It was busy, loud, and finally normal. Charlotte and Mia were both fans of grilled food, so they stuck together by the barbecue.
Chapter 122
Mia leaned in, whispering, “So why don’t you just tell him to leave?”
The him was obviously Zac Gibson.
Charlotte kept calmly brushing marinade onto a skewer.
“Tried. He just keeps coming back. I’ve done it more than once. It’s pointless.”
+25 Bonus
Chapter 123
