Scarlett's POV:
As soon as I arrived at the office, I received a call from Nate.
"Have you made up your mind, honey?" he asked in a lewd, disgusting tone.
"I will make up my damn mind when I go out of it," I snapped.
Then, I hung up the phone and blocked his number.I did not want to waste my breath because I was in
a bad mood.
Although my reason told me again and again that Charles only said those words to poke fun at me, my
heart still hoped that they came from a place of truth.
His words lingered in my ears as if he were uttering them to me.
"I'm in love with you! I want to be with you, Scarlett."
That scene played over and over in my head like a broken record, and it was starting to disrupt my
concentration at work.
I needed a break to calm down and realign myself, so I stood up and made my way to the lounge.
But before I could push the door open, I overheard people talking about me inside.
Judging from the voices, they were female colleagues of mine, but I was not close to any one of them.
"Don't you think it's shameful! for Scarlett to do that in the meeting room yesterday?"
"They stayed there for at least an hour.That handsome man she was with must be very energetic " I
think it's because Scarlett was sexually unsatisfied...
I could not stand it anymore.I stormed in.
The three ladies sitting at the round table all looked embarrassed when they saw me.
"Aren't you ladies supposed to be working and not gossiping in here?"
They exchanged nervous glances and hurriedly left.
None of them dared to make eye contact with me.
I sighed and made a cup of coffee after they left, but before I could take a sip, Linda walked in and
approached me in haste.
Thinking of what happened last time, I had guessed what she had come to tell me.
"Scarlett, Mr.Valdez wants you to come have lunch with him today," Linda said directly.
"Oh, Linda, do I have to? There has to be a better way to get a sponsorship."
Thinking of that fat, depraved man, I frowned in disgust.
The media industry should not operate in this way.
I did not believe that there was no way to change the way things went.
"I know, sweetie.Believe me, I get it.No woman relishes to deal with the likes of Mr.Valdez,"
Linda agreed in a low voice.
"Well, it's not that we don't have a choice.In fact, I think Mr.Moore is a great option.You two seem to get
along quite well.I mean, he was just here for you yesterday.With him as your backer, Mr.Valdez won't
be able to lay a finger on you."
Linda's words were full of hints.
As soon as I heard Charles's name, my skin bristled as if I were a cornered porcupine raising its
barbed quills.
"Charles may be like a brother to me, but I don't want his charity.Besides, I don't like owing people
favors.It's just like buying a weakness," I said stiffly.
The last person I wanted to depend on was Charles.
"Okay.So is that a yes to the luncheon meeting with Mr.Valdez?"
Linda eyed me carefully.
She looked like she wanted to say something more but decided against it.
"No, Linda.I'm sorry."
Thinking of what happened that day, I felt my stomach flip.
"Very well.All right.Let me treat you to dinner then.Please?"
"To that I'll say yes.See you after work."
The work day passed by quickly.
In the evening, Linda booked us a VIP lounge at a great restaurant.
When I entered the room, I immediately thought I was dreaming.
I saw not only Linda but also Mr.Valdez and Charles.
Charles was sitting at the head of the table, and he smiled at me the moment I walked in.
Thinking of what I said to Linda this morning, I got nervous.
Had she said anything to Charles about our conversation? Worried that she might have, I rushed over
to Charles and grabbed his hand.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as calmly as I could.
Charles did not show any surprise at my feigned gentleness.
He just squeezed my hand.
"Linda and I were schoolmates back in the day.I came here as a favor to her."
I nodded perfunctorily, feeling a little surprised that Linda and Charles actually knew each other.Then, I
managed to give Mr.Valdez a friendly smile and chose a seat far away from him.
"Sit next to me, Scarlett," Charles ordered.
He pulled up a chair next to him and then casually leaned on his like a king waiting for his jester to
entertain him.
I smiled awkwardly and took the seat beside him.
I did not want to embarrass him in front of Linda and Mr.Valdez.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I sat down, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.
"You may not know this, but Scarlett is my woman,"
Charles suddenly announced to no particular person in the room.
My heart immediately started racing after he finished his sentence, and my eyes darted around the
room to spot the nearest exits.
I could not believe he just called me his woman.
"But isn't Miss Lively your girlfriend, Mr.Moore?"
Mr.Valdez asked.
The moment Charles said that I was his woman, the cocky smile on Mr.Valdez's plump face
disappeared.
"Can't I have two women at the same time?"
Charles asked in reply, his face remaining neutral.
Mr.Valdez averted his gaze and cleared his throat.
He could only muster an awkward smile.
I carefully took a breath beside Charles.
I knew that Charles was trying to help me.
If he told Mr.Valdez that he and I were involved, Mr.Valdez would not dare to even breathe wrong in my
direction.
He did not have to do it, but he did, and I wondered why.
Was he not afraid of Rita finding out? All of a sudden, I recalled what Charles said to me at the hospital
the night we rushed Rita to the emergency room.
He said that he loved me and that he just regarded Rita as someone whose kindness he wanted to
reciprocate.
God.
What the hell was he doing playing this game again? Yes, I still thought that Charles was not being
serious.
This was his pattern.
He came on to me and then turned around and left me.
I could not fall into his vicious cycle again.I just could not.
As a stampede of assumptions ravaged my head, I happened to glance at Linda and found that she
was winking at me.
I flashed her a blank look, and then she turned to look at Mr.Valdez.
"Please," she mouthed at me.
Only then did I realize that she wanted me to break the uncomfortable silence.
I was not used to dealing with this kind of situation, but on second thought, Charles's business might
suffer if he offended Mr.Valdez like this.
So I gritted my teeth and decided to apologize to Mr.Valdez.
But before I could, Charles rose from his seat.
"Well, your silence was loud enough to communicate your judgment, Mr.Valdez.I do not appreciate it,
but I also do not care for it.I live my life without validation from others."
Charles swept his cold gaze around the room like a monarch sizing up his court.
Obviously, Linda did not expect him to react so strongly to Mr.Valdez's non-response.She stood up with
a nervous smile on her face.
"Charles, nobody's judging you here.I'm being a terrible hostess.I apologize.How about I have dinner
served and we all share a lovely meal?"
Charles still stood there.He looked back at me with tenderness in his eyes.
"Do you want to eat?"
I looked at him blankly and did not answer.
"Then let's go.I don't like this dirty place."
Charles glanced indifferently at Linda and Mr.Valdez, grabbed my hand, and towed me out.
However, as we walked toward the door, it swung open, and the last person I wanted to see swaggered
inside like he owned the place—Nate Lively.
I gasped.
What was he doing here? Did he follow me here?
"Scarlett! Are you leaving already? But I just got here."
Nate glanced at my hand, which Charles was holding.He flashed me a crooked smile.
I lowered my head in embarrassment and tried to shake off Charles's grip, but Charles just held on
tighter.
"It's good that you're here.I have something to tell you, "
Charles muttered and shot daggers at Nate with his eyes
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