On the last day of May, Charlotte flew to Harbor City.
Back when she had fallen out with her family, she had come to Harbor City for work and rented an apartment. That was when she met a girl named Manon Yeager.
They were neighbors. Manon worked in sales and had a bright, outgoing personality. She was warm, friendly, and easy to talk to.
Charlotte still remembered the day she accidentally locked herself out of her apartment. She had called her landlady, who said she was picking up her daughter from school and wouldn’t be back for at least thirty minutes. With no other option, Charlotte waited by the door.
Manon lived right across the hall. When she saw Charlotte standing outside, she came over and asked kindly, “Did you forget your keys?”
Charlotte nodded. “Yeah. The landlady has a spare. I just called her but she’s not free yet. I’ll have to wait about half an hour.” “Do you want to come over and sit for a bit?” Manon offered.
At that point, they weren’t close. Their work schedules happened to align, so they often ran into each other. After exchanging greetings a few times, they had become acquaintances, but nothing more.
That day, Charlotte accepted her offer and went into Manon’s apartment. Manon washed some fruit for her and made small talk while they waited.
After that, the two grew closer. On weekends, they would grab meals or go shopping together. Manon became the first real friend Charlotte made in Harbor City.
Eventually, Manon moved back to her hometown, got married, and had a child. They hadn’t seen each other since, but they still stayed in touch by texting now and then.
This time, Charlotte came to Harbor City specifically to visit her.
A few days earlier, Manon had reached out and asked if Charlotte could help her with a legal matter.
When Charlotte asked for the details, she found out that Manon’s husband had gone into business with two childhood friends from his village. Together, they had invested over forty thousand dollars–every bit of savings the couple had managed to put aside over the years.
But then, one of the partners disappeared with the money. When they finally located him and reported him to the police, they discovered that he had already spent it all.
Now Manon and her husband wanted to file a lawsuit, hoping they could recover the money.
On paper, the case seemed straightforward. The three of them had signed a contract, complete with fingerprints and a full record of the bank transfers documenting the investment. The evidence was solid.
But in reality, things were far more complicated. The man had no job and no assets. Even if the court ruled in their favor, enforcing the judgment would be difficult. With nothing to seize, it was unlikely they would get any of the money back, even after a formal verdict.
Over the phone, Manon broke down in tears. She pleaded with Charlotte to help.
She lived in a village on the outskirts of a small county town near Harbor City. She had no resources and no connections. Of all the people she knew, Charlotte was the only one who might be able to help. She hadn’t wanted to ask, but she had run out of options.
Charlotte had always believed in repaying kindness many times over.
That simple gesture from years ago–inviting her in when she was locked out–had stayed with her ever since.
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Chapter 428
So she brought Petra with her and made the trip to the village where Manon now lived.
The village was more than twenty kilometers from Harbor City’s center, hidden away in a remote area. Manon’s home was a three–story rural house that her family had built themselves.
When Charlotte and Petra arrived, Manon’s family welcomed them with warmth and hospitality.
But just as Charlotte was getting ready to leave, a torrential downpour began.
