Chapter 646
The dining room buzzed with warmth as Charlotte sat between Robert and Samantha, both of them doting on her nonstop. Samantha kept piling more food onto Charlotte’s plate with a worried frown.
“I already called The White Whale and asked them to go easy on you, but I swear, it still seemed brutal,” Samantha said, glancing at Charlotte’s thinner face. Just thinking about those crazy training drills made her heart ache.
Suddenly, Samantha remembered Donald and shot him a sharp look. “Weren’t you supposed to be looking after Lottie at the base? What kind of care was that?”
Donald was in the middle of sipping his soup. When he heard her, he gave a faint, unreadable smile. “I tried, but there wasn’t much I could do.”
Honestly, Anthony had been way more attentive than he ever could be, barely leaving Charlotte’s side, day or night.
As soon as Donald said this, everyone at the table paused, their forks and spoons hovering in the air.
Kenneth and Roger exchanged glances, and then Kenneth gave Donald a quick, discreet kick under the table.
Each person’s face showed something different. Only Charlotte kept eating, totally calm, not even a flicker of worry about anyone catching on to her relationship.
Had Lottie’s secret come out already? Robert and Kevin just looked confused, not really following.
But Samantha’s eyes lit up, and she leaned toward Donald, eager and suspicious. “What are you talking about? Aren’t you in charge at The White Whale? Who could possibly outrank you?”
Donald hesitated, suddenly realizing the older folks at home still had no clue about Charlotte and Anthony. Kenneth had mentioned that before college, Charlotte was supposed to be under Anthony’s watch. Somehow, in just a few months, that guy had managed to take care of her so thoroughly…
Donald frowned. If Grandpa ever found out about this, his opinion of Anthony would tank. If Charlotte didn’t really like Anthony, Donald would have already given him a serious beating.
He pulled himself together, cleared
his throat, set down his utensils, and picked up his glass. Trying to sound casual, he said, “Lottie’s kind of a Want
star on her team. All the guys
to help her out, so I barely got a
chance.”
“Really?” Samantha wasn’t buying it. She gave him a look. “Like you boys would
ever let anyone else get involved with Lottie.”
Whenever Lottie was around,
Kenneth and Roger would stick to her like glue. They wouldn’t even let the house staff pour her a glass of water insisting on doing everything themselves. And Donald was even more protective than either of them.
The three brothers just exchanged a look and said nothing.
Trying to change the subject, Donald added quickly, “Oh, and Lottie won first place in both the obstacle course and the sparring
competition.” He shot a nervous Glance at his mom, hoping she wouldn’t figure out anything more. “Honestly, I haven’t seen anyone as talented as her in years.”
“Really?” Samantha’s worry vanished, replaced by a beaming smile. She grabbed Charlotte’s hand and showered her with praise. “I can’t believe it! You look so delicate, Lottie, but you’re so strong.”
Robert nodded, his smile gentle. “Her mom was the same way. Once, she ran into five thugs on the street and sent all five straight to the ICU. Lottie definitely inherited some amazing genes.”
At the mention of her mother, Charlotte paused, her eyes dimming just a little. She wished she could have met the woman everyone always spoke so highly of.
“So Donald put down his glass and looked at Charlotte, his face serious. He tried to sound casual, but there was real hope in his voice. “Lottie, have you ever thought about joining The White Whale?”
Samantha opened her mouth, ready to protest. She hated the thought of Charlotte going through the same hard times Donald had faced, but she held back. This was Charlotte’s choice to make.