The Billionaire’s Reluctant
Chapter 17
Charlotte’s POV:
Morning sunlight streamed through the century–old windows of the Kingsley mansion’s dining room, casting elegant patterns of light and shadow across the table. I sat next to Alexander, talking incessantly about our agreement and the severe consequences that would befall anyone who broke such promises.
“Alexander, are you even listening to me?” I finally asked, noticing his attention was fixed on his tablet.
“No,” he replied flatly, not even bothering to look up from his financial reports.
I leaned closer, lowering my voice to ensure only he could hear me. “You agreed to two conditions, one of which clearly stated you would move out of the Kingsley mansion. You need to honor that agreement.”
Alexander set down his tablet and turned to face me, his expression unreadable. “I did agree to move out. But I never specified when.”
I was at a loss for words. My eyebrows furrowed as I pressed my lips tightly together. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Alexander’s lips curving into a slight smile at my reaction.
Across the table, Richard Kingsley stared with widened eyes, his gaze darting between Alexander and me with strange intensity, as if wondering how our relationship had become so intimate after just one night.
“Just wait, you’ll regret this,” I whispered to Alexander, half threatening and half joking.
When Victoria and James entered the dining room, the already tense atmosphere grew even heavier. Victoria’s eyes
hardened when she saw me, still ready to seize any opportunity to attack.
When the previous night’s argument came up, Victoria and I exchanged a few more barbed comments.
“Charlotte,” James’s voice was ice–cold, “considering your age, I’ll overlook this incident.” He turned to his brother, his tone equally severe: “Control your wife before she damages our family reputation.”
Alexander looked at his brother impassively, his practiced smile never faltering. “I suggest you do the same with yours, brother.”
Richard gripped his cane tightly and declared through clenched teeth: “From today forward, no conversation at the dining table. Anyone who speaks leaves immediately!”
All four of us rose simultaneously–a rare moment of perfect agreement–and exited the dining room. Behind us, I heard the crash of Richard’s cane sweeping the tableware off the table, fine porcelain shattering across the floor.
In the meticulously landscaped gardens of the Kingsley estate, we separated into two pairs. I naturally followed Alexander.
“Looks like my presence is destined to disrupt your family’s peace,” I commented.
Alexander turned to face me, the morning light illuminating his sharply defined features, highlighting the chiseled jawline that had graced numerous tech magazine covers. I looked up at him, thinking how someone with such perfect features could be so infuriating.
“You’re more fearless than I expected,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
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Chapter 17
“So when are you planning to move to your Marin County villa?” I asked directly.
Alexander’s lips curved into that confident smile I’d seen in business negotiation photos. “No rush.”
“After all,” he added, “you’re irritating them, not me.” His tone suggested a strange sort of appreciation.
I watched the sleek vehicle disappear down the driveway, its polished surface gleaming in the sunlight. My stomach growled in protest at missing breakfast.
Back in my Victorian–style bedroom, I locked the ornate oak door and slumped onto the antique sofa. If William and Elizabeth knew how I was being treated in the Kingsley household, they would immediately bring me home.
Still with an empty stomach today, tears slid down my cheeks as I buried my face against the sofa armrest, crying silently. “Mom, I miss your homemade spaghetti and meatballs,” I whispered, remembering our warm family dinners.
Alexander’s position was clear–he wouldn’t leave the Kingsley mansion.
I realized I couldn’t continue challenging the family’s authority with sharp words. This morning’s verbal sparring wasn’t really about fighting Victoria–it was a strategic attempt to make Alexander see how poorly I fit into the Kingsley family, hoping he’d take me away from this oppressive mansion.
But my plan had backfired. I’d offended James and Richard without achieving my goal.
For the next several days, I rarely left my bedroom in the Kingsley mansion, spending most of my time on my laptop participating in remote summer internship projects and avoiding Richard and Victoria whenever possible.
I thought I could maintain this peaceful routine until moving back to campus, but I hadn’t anticipated Victoria’s cruelest move yet–insulting my parents.
One day, William and Elizabeth Cole grew increasingly concerned about my situation at the Kingsley estate. We usually video–called daily, but recently, I’d been emotional and choked up during our conversations.
They decided to visit me personally. Being first–time visitors to such a prestigious family, my mother was understandably nervous, worried her behavior might negatively impact my standing in the Kingsley household. Despite the Cole family’s
success in the tech industry, we couldn’t compare to the century–old Kingsley dynasty.
Victoria immediately noticed my mother’s unease and scoffed. As a seasoned socialite who had attended countless high- profile events, she found Elizabeth’s discomfort beneath her.
According to the servants who later told me what happened, Victoria received my parents as the Kingsley matriarch, examining William and Elizabeth with unconcealed disdain, her every gesture revealing her contempt for “nouveau riche” families like ours.
She barely glanced at their carefully chosen gifts before ordering the staff to set them aside without a word of thanks.
When my parents asked to see me, Victoria pretended to comply and ordered a servant to notify me. I never received any message that entire day.
As seasoned business professionals who had dealt with all types of people, my parents immediately recognized Victoria’s disdain from her expression and manner. When the servant lied that I wasn’t home, they tactfully departed without even accepting a cup of coffee.
I knew nothing about my parents‘ visit until that fateful afternoon when I went downstairs to the kitchen for food. There I
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trash.”
“Who sent those?” I asked coldly, standing behind her.
Victoria turned to find me with clenched fists, and didn’t bother hiding her contempt. “Cheap things from cheap people, not even good enough for our servants. Who else but your small–time entrepreneur parents? They came looking for you, but I sent them packing.” Her voice dripped with superiority.
Fire ignited in my eyes as I stepped closer, my voice barely controlled, “What did you say?”
“I said your parents came to see you, and I taught them a proper lesson before they slunk away-”
Her sentence ended in a cry of pain as my fist connected solidly with her perfectly maintained face.
The servants in the dining room froze in shock, Victoria stumbled backward, falling onto a priceless Persian rug, her expression one of utter disbelief. I stood over her, rage burning in my eyes, completely unconcerned about the storm this would unleash in the Kingsley household.
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