Chapter 101: The Attitude Of The Elders

Sarlett’s POV:

I was alone on the sofa when I woke up. But I got the sense that Charles slept next to me last night.
Maybe it was a dream, but I could not be sure.

“Good morning, Mrs. Moore. Mr. Moore just went upstairs,” the servant who was cleaning said to me. I
took a deep breath and nodded. I kept my face neutral, but deep inside, I felt ashamed and flustered.

“He told me to tell you as soon as you wake up to go upstairs and take a shower,” the servant added.

I did not understand why Charles always had to use such ambiguous words that easily gave other
people the wrong idea. As blood rushed to my cheeks, I lowered my gaze and made my way upstairs.

I ran into Charles just as he was stepping out of the bathroom. He was drying his hair with a towel. He
was naked from the waist up. The muscles on his torso were well defined, and his collarbone, for some
reason, looked sexy and inviting. When he raised his head, his Adam’s apple slightly bobbed.

I averted my eyes and swallowed. “Will you please put a shirt on?”

“No. It’s hot.” Charles put down the towel and glanced at me. “Why is your face sored?”

“It’s stuffy downstairs,” I snapped, feeling a bit embarrassed by how defensive I sounded.

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” Charles asked, confused and a bit annoyed. He pinched my chin and
forced me to look at him.

Standing close to him now, I could see that his skin was still slick, and for reasons I could never fathom,
he looked a hundred times more handsome to me when he was fresh out of the shower.



We looked into each other’s eyes for a long time. In the end, I lost the little staring contest and shook
off his grip on my chin. I suddenly remembered that his arm had not recovered yet, so I walked past
him and grabbed the hairdryer from one of the drawers in the bathroom. “Let me help you dry your
hair.”

Charles beamed and nodded.

“Sit down. I can’t reach your head.” He was way taller than I was. I could only reach up to his shoulder.

He sat on a chair obediently, and I started to blow-dry his hair, which was short and soft. It was the first
time that I helped him dry his hair. It felt a little unnatural to me. From time to time, I grazed the back of
his ear with my fingers, and when I did, I felt some sort of tingle. I clenched my jaw and shoved down
my emotions until I was done.

“There. You’re all good,” I said after making sure his hair was all dry. Charles stood up and raised his
eyebrows at me. “How should I thank you?”

“No need for gestures of gratitude. You’re always welcome. We should help each other and build a
harmonious future,” I joked, but at the back of my mind, I wished that our relationship could be much,
much simpler.

“Well, I don’t want to owe you anything,” Charles pressed.

Why did I get the feeling that he had used that tone with me before? I knitted my brows.

“How about I repay you with a kiss?” Charles suggested smugly. I pushed him away, feeling repulsed
by his behavior.

“I said there’s no need for you to thank me.”



“No, I insist. I have to pay back what I owe you. That’s what you do with me. And didn’t you say we’re
strangers? A kiss shouldn’t be an issue with us, should it?” he teased.

I raised my head and glared at him. I resented that he was using my own words to get me to do what
he wanted.

“Relax. I’m kidding,” Charles laughed after a brief pause and then looked into my eyes. I heaved a sigh
of relief, but next thing I knew, his lips were a hair’s breadth away from mine, and before I could draw
another breath, he was already kissing me. He sucked on my lower lip and then traced my teeth with
the tip of his tongue. For once, he was not being aggressive. He was being so gentle that I considered
kissing him back despite my mind’s objections. Before I could completely get lost in his intoxicating
kiss, I raised my hand, put it on his chest, and pushed him away. My knees threatened to buckle as he
let go but put a finger under my chin and tipped my head up.

He gave me two soft pecks on the lips before flashing me a satisfied smile.

I cursed myself as my face burned. He succeeded again. I allowed him to succeed again.

“You’re getting redder and redder, my dear. Maybe a shower will help get rid of some of that heat,”
Charles smiled and brushed his thumb over my cheek.

I backed away from him, walked into the bathroom, and shut the door, and his lingering scent greeted
me. When I went upstairs, I told myself to keep my guard up and keep Charles at arm’s length. I did not
want to wait for a man who did not love me, so I had to end whatever was going on between me and
Charles.

But it was easier said than done. Whenever I was around him, I felt like I was no longer in control of
myself. My attraction to him was too strong for me to fight. Frustrated, I shook my head and took off my
clothes. I decided to put all my troubles behind me for the time being.



Right now, I really needed a long, hot bath. Maybe it would help me figure out my next move. a

Alice had prepared quite a selection of clothes for me. After taking a bath, I dried myself off, changed
into an off-shoulder light purple dress, and went downstairs.

I found the whole family sitting in the living room. Alice’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw me.

“Oh, Scarlett, sweetheart, you look so beautiful in that dress! If I were a man, I would be fascinated by
you right now.”

Alice’s compliment made me blush. I took her hand and said, “It’s because you have good taste in
clothes, Mom. Thank you.”

“Oh, please! You make the dress look good! Don’t you think so, Charles?” Alice turned her head toward
Charles who was sipping his coffee silently.

“She’s not that bad,” Charles muttered, taking a glance at me.

It took all my strength to keep my face neutral. I did not understand why he was being cold and distant
again. What changed since he kissed me earlier?

“Well, I also had some suits made for you, dear. You can wear them to work or to important occasions
in the future,” Alice turned to me and said with a smile.

I got a warm feeling in my heart. Alice had always been nice to me and treated me like her own
daughter. I smiled at her sweetly and said, “That’s very kind of you, Mom. I really appreciate it. I love
you so much. I really can’t imagine my life without this family.”

“You don’t have to worry about life without us. You’ll always be our family. You’ll always be with us,”
Alice replied and squeezed my hand. She pulled me to sit on the sofa and then glared at Charles.



“Charles, you should be the one doing these things for your wife, you know? You should take good
care of Scarlett.”

I sat there awkwardly and considered defending Charles. Charles turned his head toward Alice,
dissatisfaction so obvious on his face. “Mom, I’ve bought Scarlett hundreds of clothes. She never
wears them.”

“I have my own clothes, Mom,” I interjected.

Alice just rolled her eyes and shook her head as if she was done with the conversation about my
wardrobe.

After breakfast, Charles and I prepared to leave. On our way out, Christine pulled me aside.

“Remember what you promised me, dear. If we confirm that Rita’s child isn’t Charles’s, you won’t
divorce him. I don’t want you to leave this family. Anyone with half a brain can see that Charles cares
about you very much. You should give him a chance.”

I pursed my lips and said nothing. I did not know how to respond. Charles and I’s problems were not
only about Rita’s unborn baby.

“What are you worried about, Scarlett?” Christine asked.

“I need more time to think, Grandma. I…”

“What else do you need to think about? Charles loves you, and you love Charles. You love each other,
so be together. Don’t worry about Rita. I’ll take care of her,” Christine butt in.

I knew that she was doing this for me and Charles, so I decided not to argue anymore. So far, I had no
choice but to let nature take its course.



After our short conversation, Christine let me go.

“What did Grandma say to you?” Charles fell into step beside me and asked nonchalantly. .

“It’s a secret between women. You don’t have to know,” I answered casually.

As I spoke, I quickened my pace and left Charles behind. I could not help blaming him in my heart. If he
had not entangled himself with Rita for so long, I would not be in such a dilemma now.


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