.Wait. I might be hallucinating from too much whiskey.”
“You have three seconds to sober up. I need your help finding her.”
I heard a thud and a groan as Jake apparently fell out of bed. He finally realized this wasn’t a drunken misunderstanding— I had indeed gotten married without telling any of my friends.
Three minutes later, my phone was flooded with calls from friends overseas.
“Alexander, Jake says your wife ran away?” Elliot Pierce’s voice was incredulous.
I struggled to contain my fury.
Another voice cut in: “Dude, how did this happen? You’re not lacking in charm. How could your wife run off right after the
wedding?”
I took a deep breath. “If I didn’t need Jake’s help right now, I’d make him shut up permanently.”
“He’s angry,” I heard Elliot tell someone else. Then to me: “Alexander, I’m booking a flight to San Francisco right now.”
Elliot, Daniel Grant, and Marcus Liu all insisted on coming to “support me through this dark time.” I knew their real motivation was curiosity about what kind of woman would dare cause trouble for Alexander Kingsley.
The search for Charlotte continued throughout the night. Even my father was alarmed, sitting on the sofa with a grim expression, his knuckles white from clenching. I remained awake all night, waiting for her return.
By noon the next day, as I maintained a silent vigil in the living room, I sensed movement at the entrance. Opening my eyes, I saw Charlotte hesitating in the doorway, the bright sunlight outlining her petite figure. I noticed her nervousness, the way she gave herself a mental pep talk before stepping inside.
Seeing Charlotte appear, my father exploded immediately. “Out all night without a word! Who do you think you are? Are you deliberately defying me?”
His fury clearly frightened Charlotte.
“Father, I went to a friend’s house,” she explained, her voice softer than usual. “Then I realized I’d forgotten my phone, so I couldn’t call.”
“Don’t call me Father,” my father growled.
Charlotte pressed her lips together, falling silent. I could see my father wrestling with his anger.
“Charlotte Cole, do you acknowledge your mistake?” he asked, his gaze sharp as a knife.
Victoria remained silent, clearly staying out of the line of fire, but eagerly watching to see if Charlotte would apologize for yesterday’s incident.
I was also curious whether she would challenge authority again.
“I don’t think I made a mistake,” Charlotte answered, stubborn as ever. Her obstinacy reminded me of a bull refusing to
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Chapter 21
yield.
Her response predictably ignited my father’s carefully controlled rage.
“Then you will go to the reflection room to think alone until you recognize your error,” he declared, summoning Morris. “Take her to reflect on her behavior.”
Morris tried to intervene. “Sir, Charlotte is still young, and she’s just joined the family. Perhaps we shouldn’t frighten her
like this.”
“Are you challenging me too?” my father glared fiercely at Morris.
The butler fell silent and led Charlotte away.
After Charlotte was taken away, I stood up and brushed off my pants.
“I’ve shown both of you enough respect. Now that she’s gone, let me be clear: Charlotte is my wife. Respecting her means respecting me. If either of you finds her presence so offensive, I will take her and leave.”
Victoria wisely avoided direct confrontation, attempting to appeal to reason. “Alexander, you witnessed everything. You know who’s right and who’s wrong.”
I looked at her coldly. “Even if she were right, did you apologize? Even if she were wrong, do you think I would criticize my own wife to please you?”
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