Chapter 14
Charlotte’s POV:
At dinner, Victoria Kingsley sat directly across from me, her narrow eyes tracking my every movement with undisguised contempt. She cleared her throat, her voice carrying a distinctly affected tone.
“I’d like to share something interesting that happened today,” she began, glancing around the table while deliberately avoiding eye contact with me. “This afternoon, when returning from a charity event with Mrs. Barrett, we saw two very different dogs. One was a purebred French Bulldog, and the other was a filthy stray, dirty all over and emitting a nauseating smell.”
I focused on placing my napkin on my lap, observing tonight’s dinner spread on the table.
“Mrs. Barrett’s pedigree dog was hungry,” Victoria continued, her voice becoming more animated, “and her assistant immediately brought out some organic, premium dog food. The stray noticed this and tried to imitate the purebred, but clearly didn’t understand what proper dog food was. Instead-” she paused dramatically, “-it ran to a garbage can and started eating trash! The most amusing part was that it tried to look elegant while doing so, as if pretending to be a purebred. The scene had a strange familiarity to it.”
Her laughter echoed through the quiet room. I watched her silently. Everyone at the table perfectly understood what Victoria was implying. From the corner of my eye, I saw James’s jaw tighten, while Alexander observed the unfolding scene with detached interest.
Victoria continued, her voice dripping with malice: “Coincidentally, we later met the stray’s owner–a ragged homeless man. He called the dog something like ‘Cole,‘ which sounds remarkably similar to our newest family member’s surname.”
The room fell silent. I took a deep breath. Since arriving at the Kingsley mansion, I had endured Victoria’s passive- aggressive comments, but this direct attack on my family name crossed a line.
I met her gaze, keeping my voice calm but giving each word weight.
“Victoria, from your words, I sense you seem to envy Mrs. Barrett’s dog. If you so desperately yearn to live a dog’s life, I imagine the Kingsley family should be proud to have such a unique ‘non–human‘ member. How special for all of you.”
Victoria’s face contorted with anger. She slammed her hand on the dining table.
“Charlotte Cole! You’re asking for trouble!” she shouted, the smile completely collapsing from her face.
James, listening to this unsightly quarrel, decided to intervene.
“Enough!” he commanded. “This is the Kingsley family dining table, not some street corner dispute. Victoria, as the senior daughter–in–law, you should set an example, not instigate conflicts.”
Alexander remained silent, watching me with a strange mixture of curiosity and calculation, as if I were putting on a fascinating performance.
Victoria, clearly pushed to the edge by her husband’s public reprimand, made a motion to grab the water glass beside her, obviously intending to splash its contents at me.
I was faster. I had learned long ago that the best defense is a good offense.
1/2
Chapter 14
In one fluid motion, I stood up, took my water glass, and sent its contents flying through the air. The water hit Victoria square in the face, soaking her carefully applied makeup and the front of her designer dress. Some droplets splashed onto James’s custom suit.
“Sorry, James,” I said, my tone polite but not particularly regretful. “I didn’t mean to involve you.”
Both brothers seemed speechless. The household staff froze in place, clearly uncertain whether they should intervene.
Victoria let out a sharp shriek of anger, her perfect appearance now a dripping mess.
I calmly set my empty glass down and resumed my seat, smoothing my dress. “In the Kingsley house, we are both daughters–in–law. Apart from our age difference, my status is not lower than yours.”
The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride
Chapter 15
