Chapter 383
It was Monica.
But she looked nothing like the woman Charlotte remembered.
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Every time Charlotte saw her in the past, Monica was impeccably dressed whether in luxury designer suits or custom gowns, her jewelry always perfectly matched, her hair styled to perfection She carried herself with the poised elegance of a high- society matron.
But today?
Just as Jenny had described, she looked plain.
She wore no makeup. Her face was sallow and worn, with dark circles under her eyes. She wore a simple, loose–fitting light gray tracksuit–nothing fancy, just something you might find on any tired housewife in her forties. There wasn’t a trace left of the elegance or superiority she used to carry as the lady of the Gibson family.
It looked like the Gibsons were truly in dire straits.
Even someone as vain and status–conscious as Monica had fallen this far.
Charlotte curled her lips slightly. “Serves her right,” she scoffed silently.
She stepped forward slowly.
Monica spotted her and immediately rushed over, her movements frantic. She reached for Charlotte’s arm–only for Petra to step in and shove her back.
Monica stumbled, but quickly regained her footing, her tone pleading and desperate–worlds away from her usual haughty
manner.
“Charlotte, please. I’m begging you, help the Gibson Corporation. Help us. The Riley family is the richest in Jasper City. If you’re willing to invest, to help us through this, I’ll do anything you ask. Anything!”
Charlotte let out a soft, disbelieving laugh.
“Anything I ask?”
“Yes, yes!” Monica nodded repeatedly. “As long as it’s within my power, I’ll do it. Please, just help us. We’ve lost everything. My husband collapsed from overwork and was hospitalized. Zac drinks all day now. Our family’s falling apart. We won’t last much longer.”
Charlotte looked at her, half–smiling.
“And what exactly can you do for me?”
Monica froze.
She didn’t have an answer. She had spoken in panic and desperation, throwing out promises she couldn’t even define.
“I… could you at least consider helping us for Zac’s sake?” she tried again. “You were together for three years. Didn’t you love him? Can you really just stand by and watch him drink himself into ruin?”
Charlotte actually laughed.
At that point, the name Zac just amused her.
“Mrs. Gibson,” she said with a cool smile.
Monica flinched.
That title, once a point of pride, now felt like a cruel jab.
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Chapter 383
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And Charlotte meant it to be.
Her smile sharpened. “Have you forgotten what you said to me the first time we met?”
Monica’s face went pale.
Of course she remembered.
It was right after Wendy returned from abroad. Monica had been hoping to pair Wendy with Zac—especially since they had a long–standing family friendship. But then she found out Zac already had a girlfriend: an ordinary girl, with no status or background.
She couldn’t allow that.
So she paid Charlotte a visit and humiliated her.
She still remembered the venom in Monica’s voice.
“A girl like you, dreaming of marrying into the Gibson family? Please.”
Back then, Monica had been convinced that Charlotte was only with Zac for money. She called her a social climber, a gold digger with no class, no future, no right to be at Zac’s side.
She had always spoken to Charlotte with an air of superiority.
“There’s no need to pretend in front of me. I know exactly what kind of girl you are. My son attracts plenty of women. Meeting someone like him must’ve felt like hitting the jackpot, right? I’m sure he’s spent plenty on you already.
“Cut the act. Playing innocent while clinging on? I’ve seen your type before. You say you don’t care about money, but if that’s true, why go after someone like Zac?
“I’m here today to make one thing clear: the Gibson family isn’t some place just anyone can walk into. Marrying Zac? That’s never going to happen.
“Wendy is the daughter–in–law I’ve always wanted. Her family and ours go way back, and on top of that, she was Zac’s first love. You’d better let go of your little fantasy and step aside while you still can.”
And that was just the beginning. She had said much more, all with one goal–to humiliate Charlotte, to make her understand her “place,” and to crush any hope she might have had of marrying into the Gibson family.
