Chapter 152
The two of them just stared, completely thrown off. Where had that topic jump even come from?
“Is it because your medical skills are amazing?” Adonis guessed, testing the waters.
“No. It’s because she minds her own business.” Charlotte’s voice was pure ice. “From now on, I don’t want either of you saying a single bad thing about Anthony when I’m around. If you do, you can go dig for herbs in the desert.”
Charlotte hung up. Adonis stood there, stunned, his face spelling out, Did I really hear that? Or did Charlotte just say something totally out of character?
Charlotte, actually sticking up for Anthony? Over some guy she’d only known a few weeks, she was ready to send them off to the desert? It almost didn’t compute.
“Jackson, pinch me,” Adonis muttered.
Jackson didn’t hesitate-he twisted Adonis’s arm hard.
“Ah—” Adonis yelped, pain shooting through him. His arm throbbed, but his heart hurt even more. Their precious Charlotte had been swept right out from under them.
…
About thirty minutes later, Charlotte was propped up against her headboard, laptop in hand. She’d just finished hacking and disabling every security camera in Imperial Heights. Tapping away at her keyboard, she messaged, her tone almost smug. “Climb the wall and get in.”
Adonis shot back, “Charlotte, there’s a dog! 98K!”
Charlotte frowned, threw off her blanket, and stepped onto the balcony. “98K!”
As soon as she spoke, the dog chewed through his leash and tore upstairs, sending
the maids into a frenzy. Screams echoed all the way up.
With 98K distracted, Adonis slipped into the garden, catching the tiny pouch
Charlotte tossed down. Inside were two locks of hair, each a different color.
“How long does it take to run a DNA test on cousins?” Charlotte called 98K over and scratched his head.
Usually, you could run a DNA test even if people weren’t direct relatives, but the results would be less obvious.
“About a day and a half,” Adonis replied. It took a bit more time to analyze cousin- level matches.
“Charlotte, who’s getting the DNA test?” Adonis stuffed the pouch into his pocket as he scrambled back over the wall.
“Me,” Charlotte said, her voice casual. “Keep it safe. If you lose it, you can go pull his hair out yourself.”
Adonis froze for a second, then carefully took the hair out of his pocket and tucked it neatly into his bag.
…
Midnight. No surprises.
Charlotte padded down the hallway in a cute strawberry pajama set, her silky ban spilling over her shoulders. She looked a little out of it as she headed straight for Anthony’s room.
Anthony, making things easy for her, had left his door wide open. When he saw her appear right on time, his lips curled into a smile. He looked like someone who’d just been handed a gift he wasn’t expecting.
Charlotte walked to the bed, lifted the covers, and slid right into Anthony’s arms But as she moved, her foot caught on the edge of the rug She stumbled and landed on him with no warning.
“Oof
“Lottie
She let out a soft whimper, obviously hurting from the bump.
Anthony grunted too. He’d definitely felt that.
He looked down at Charlotte, who was sprawled across his lap. He swallowed hard,
heat rushing to his cheeks and flooding his mind.