Scarlett’s POV:
When the call ended, I continued to clean the house. I had nothing else to do anyway.
While I was busy working, the doorbell unexpectedly rang. I had no idea who would come at this time.
With that, I put down the rag in my hand and answered the door. I peeked through the peephole to see
who it was. To my surprise, it was Charles. Did Nina tell him that someone had attacked me and I
almost died on the spot? Why else did he come all of a sudden?
With a helpless sigh, I took the scarf that was hanging on the banister and wrapped it around my neck.
With that, I finally opened the door.
“You don’t seem very happy to see me, do you?” Charles asked with a long face while leaning on the
doorframe.
I opened my mouth to speak. But on second thought, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Why didn’t you call or reply to my texts? Do you hate me that much?” Charles asked again. His tone
became plaintive as I did not respond to his questions.
Judging from his reaction, it seemed that he did not know that someone had attacked me. At that
moment, I pursed my lips and shook my head in response.
“You’re hiding from me on purpose, aren’t you? Fine. If you really hate me that much, I’ll leave.”
Charles kicked the door irritably and turned around to leave.
“Wait!” I blurted out when I saw that he was about to leave. Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. I
almost died in a foreign country. How could he be so cold to me?
Charles stopped in his tracks but did not turn around.
“Have you booked the air ticket?” I asked with a trembling voice.
“I can book it now,” Charles retorted.
I tried my best to calm myself down. Once I finally got a hold of myself, I stepped aside and let him in.
“Come in first.”
Without a word, Charles entered my house and sat on the sofa.
“I’ll get you a glass of water,” I offered. I then went to the kitchen to get it.
When I returned to the living room, I noticed that Charles’s ears were red because of the cold.
Did he come a long way to see me? But it was so cold outside. It must take him a long time to get my
new address. I did not tell him I had moved, after all.
Seeing Charles like this, I could not help but feel sorry for him. “How did you know that I moved here?” I
asked casually.
But in fact, I was on pins and needles. I could not help but fiddle with my hair in anxiety. Charles cast a
glance at me and then looked away.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he curtly replied.
“Why did you suddenly come here?”
“Are you going to spend Valentine’s Day cleaning the house?” he asked back instead of answering my
question. It was then that I realized what day it was.
I smiled at Charles meaningfully. “Should I hang out with someone to celebrate?”
Charles clenched his fists and moved close to me.
“Don’t provoke me,” he warmed in an icy cold tone.
His face was only an inch away from mine. As he I felt his breath on my face, which made me
instinctively move back.I averted my gaze and shifted the topic.
“Are you on a business trip?” He looked at me from the corner of his eye and grumbled,
“What else?” I could not look at him. So, I lowered my head and changed the subject. “How are
Grandpa and Grandma?”
“Huh? You still have them in your heart? How strange,” he said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. His
crass remark made me feel even more uneasy.
The grievance caused by the attack two days ago and Charles’s indifferent attitude made my chest feel
stuffy. I felt like bawling my eyes out. But then, I did not want to cry in front of him, so I wiped my eyes
and held back my tears.
“I… I’m here for you.” Charles helplessly said, his tone softer than a while ago.
I looked up at him as his gentle and pleasant voice rang in my ears. However, the grievances that I had
been bottling exploded in my heart, and I burst into tears.
Charles looked a little flustered when I started crying.
“You don’t want me here? Is that why you’re crying?”
I wiped my tears and shook my head in response.
How could I not want him here? I was happier than ever now that he was here with me.
Charles walked up to me and wiped my tears as gently as he could. Just then, his phone rang.
Charles held up his phone and said, “It’s a video call from Grandma.”
I sat beside him and forced a smile as he answered the incoming call.
“Scarlett, how are you doing there?” Christine asked with concern over the phone.
“I’m fine, Grandma,” I replied with a reassuring smile.
“Wait a minute. Why are your eyes red? Did Charles hurt you again?”
“No, Grandma. I just woke up, and my eyes were a little puffy, so I rubbed them,” I reasoned out.
“I see. Tell me if Charles hurts you, okay? I’ll teach that brat a lesson!” Grandma assured.
But, I sensed in her voice that she was not convinced by my explanation. “I promise, Grandma. Charles
didn’t do anything to me. By the way, Happy Valentine’s Day.”
A bright smile appeared on Christine’s face when I greeted her.
“Oh, darling. I’m too old to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Only young people like it.” She looked at me
meaningfully. I felt my face burning in embarrassment, but I forced myself to calm down.
“Grandma, take care of yourself. I’ll come to see you soon.”
Meanwhile, Charles snorted when he saw the smile on my face.
“I will. Don’t worry. Take care of yourself too, my dear Scarlett.” Christine then shifted her attention to
Charles. In an instant, her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of utter disdain.
“As for you, Charles, don’t think that I can’t teach you a lesson just because you’re out of the country.”
Michael, who was sitting beside Christine, also warned Charles “Charles, if I find out that you’re
bullying Scarlett, I will break your legs!”
But as Michael saw that Charles was unmoved by his warning, he continued, “Scarlett is a good girl.
You should treat her well and be content with what you have. I may be getting old, but I still have the
strength to hit you with my cane!”
“Didn’t you hear what your grandparents said? Why aren’t you answering?” Alice chimed in.
I turned to look at Charles. I felt sorry for him as his family kept on reprimanding him for something he
did not do. At last, Charles sighed exasperatedly and answered, “I didn’t hurt her or bully her.”
“Very well.” Christine looked at me with a smile and reminded me, “Scarlett, take care of yourself,
okay? Grandma will always be here for you.”
I wanted to laugh as I noticed the difference in her attitude towards me and Charles. But of course, I bit
my tongue to stop myself from bursting into laughter. “I will, Grandma. Don’t worry.”
“Alright then. We’ll leave you two alone now. Happy Valentine’s Day!” Without waiting for our response,
Christine hung up the video call. nner
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda