Chapter 113: Crooked Ideas
Charlotte walked into her house, and in the foyer, she met Jenkins, their loyal butler.
"Good evening, Young Miss," Jenkins said, adjusting his gloves. "You’re back."
"Yes, " Charlotte replied. "Where’s Grandma?"
"Master Harrington arrived a short while ago. He’s with Madam in the living room."
Charlotte entered the living room, greeting the guest with a warm smile.
"Hey, Mr. Harrington. What brings you here?" she asked, settling into the couch beside him.
"Just wanted to pay your grandmother a visit."
Her gaze drifted to the shopping bags beside him. "You’ve brought gifts."
"Grandma’s favorite treats.." Ryan said, smiling.
Charlotte whispered into Ryan’s ear, "So, you have time for Grandma, but I thought you were too busy for your girl."
Ryan’s eyes flashed with annoyance, his jaw tightening.
"Grandma, I’m going to my room." Charlotte announced abruptly, ignoring Ryan’s piercing gaze.
She deliberately avoided eye contact with Ryan, knowing she’d successfully ruffled his feathers.
Charlotte settled into her armchair,
surrounded by stacks of books and papers, ready to immerse herself in her thesis reading.
A gentle knock on the door interrupted the silence."Come in." Charlotte said, expecting Butler Jenkins with a tray of refreshments.
However, Ryan walked in, Charlotte’s forgotten bag hanging from his shoulder.
"Grandma Jenkins, I’ll have them later."
Charlotte began, but her words trailed off as she met Ryan’s piercing gaze.Her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"
"I think you forget something.."
Ryan sat next to the desk, his gaze sharp, his hand idly tapping the table surface.
Having removed his black suit, he donned only a white shirt, the top button casually undone, slightly revealing a sexy, wheat-colored collarbone. Charlotte stared at him for a moment, her gaze drifting downward...
"I’m talking to you!" Ryan raised his voice.
"I heard..." Charlotte spoke.
"Brother Ryan, aren’t you tired? I hear you have been really busy lately. You should rest early so you can get up tomorrow morning. The whole company is counting on you.You should take a bath and go to take a nap in your apartment."
Charlotte fluttered around behind Ryder, her small hands eagerly massaging his shoulders and back.
"Do you want to get something from me?"
Ryan curved his lips into a slight smile, his long fingers tapping the desktop.
"Why is this man so hard to deal with! "
Charlotte quickly stepped in front of him, "There’s no need for you to buy me something.."
If he really began rummaging through her things, the stash of treasures in her backpack would surely be discovered!
After that incident, she has put the bottle in her bag.She had totally forgotten about the bottle in her bag.Just as she got the bag from him..she was rummaging through her bag.
Ryan somehow managed to appear behind her!
"What are all these messy things?"
He frowned and asked in a cold voice.
Charlotte quickly stuffed her treasures back into the bag, covering them. But she was a step too late. Ryan grabbed her bag, turned it upside down, and with a clatter, dumped everything out!
There really was a bit of everything: textbooks, workbooks, comic books, snacks, a small mirror... The last thing to fall out was a purple bottle of essential oil!
His face darkened, while Charlotte covered her eyes... The scene was too much for her to bear.
Ryan picked up the unlabelled essential oil bottle, his eyes scanning its contents. His expression turned incredulous; how did someone so young have such thoughts?
He stood, his grip on the bottle tightening, his icy stare boring into Charlotte.
"Where did this come from?" Ryan demanded.
Charlotte trembled, lowering her hand from her eyes. She forced a nervous chuckle.
"It’s just messaging oil..." she said, attempting nonchalance. "Really? For what purpose?" he pressed.
Charlotte’s eyes welled up with tears. If she revealed the truth, Ryan would surely inform Grandma, sparking unnecessary concern.
"I bought it for....It’s..just for messaging." she stammered.
Ryan’s smirk grew colder, his gaze drifting from her face to the neckline of her dress.
The neckline was neither too high nor too low, and from his angle, he could catch a glimpse of something.
Charlotte instantly crossed her arms over her chest, "You, you, you, what are you looking at!"
"This is actually a breast enlargement essential oil...I’m checking to see if you actually need this thing."
Ryan held the essential oil bottle.
For the first time, Charlotte realized that this man had the potential to be a thug!
"Give me back the essential oil!" Charlotte reached out to grab it.
Ryan moved his hand, holding the bottle in his palm, and Charlotte missed grabbing it, circling around Ryan to snatch the bottle back.
"Why did you buy this?" Ryan’s tone was as chilly as ever.
"For breast enlargement, obviously.."Charlotte replied with disdain.
"And then what?"
"Then to seduce young boys, what else!"
Charlotte jumped onto a stool, reaching for the essential oil bottle in Ryan’s hand.
Ryan’s expression darkened even further.
Breast enlargement? Seduce young boys?
He had forgotten; she was nineteen this year, the age when a girl’s heart starts to flutter..
Charlotte watched as Ryan’s complexion grew increasingly unpleasant, and before he could lose his temper, she needed to quickly snatch the bottle! But when Ryan slightly shifted his body, Charlotte lunged at nothing.
She lost her footing and stumbled down from the chair!
Just when she thought she was going to crash and break her skull, a strong arm caught her.
"Are you throwing yourself into my arms?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"It was clearly you who seduced me! Give me back the bottle!"Charlotte yelled at him, while Ryan continued holding her without letting go.
"You initially pretended to know nothing about this essential oil, yet now it seems you’re familiar with it.." Ryan pointed out.
"Who are you to interrogate me? Why do I owe you an explanation?" Charlotte shot back.
"Didn’t I say I need to see if you really need this thing?"Ryan smirked devilishly.
In Charlotte’s eyes, this man’s smile was incredibly luxurious, hence, when he smiled, he was so enchanting that she couldn’t take her eyes off him
While she was lost in admiration of his beauty, Ryan pushed her away and started walking towards the door.
When Ryan was just two steps away from the window, Charlotte pounced forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Don’t you dare to tell my grandma."
Her little claws clung desperately to Ryan’s waist, and she was truly frantic, not even noticing that her hand was resting on the most prominent part of his masculinity.
"Take your hand off!"
"Give me the bottle!"
"Let go of your hand first!"
"Give me the bottle first!"
"If you dare to tell my grandma..." Charlotte’s voice trembled with warning, "I’ll tell your grandmother about your girlfriend."
Ryan’s expression faltered, realizing he had overstepped."She’s just my friend.." he muttered.
"Let go of your hand.." Ryan said, his tone softening, "and I’ll return your bottle."Charlotte released her grip, and Ryan handed her the essential oil.
"Focus less on those crooked ideas and spend more time on your studies."
With a firm slam, he shut her bedroom door behind him and strode downstairs, leaving Charlotte feeling both relieved and embarrassed.
Ryan swiftly headed to his apartment, leaving the tension with Charlotte behind.
As Thea assisted Aunty Evelyn with preparations, she checked the fridge and discovered a crucial omission.
"Aunt Evelyn, we’re out of juice..Would you like me to run to the market to get some?"
"I completely forgot to buy juice!"
Thea quickly ran errands, stopping by the closest supermarket to pick up juice for Aunt Evelyn’s gathering.
After buying the essentials, she headed straight to Aunt Evelyn’s house. As she walked, her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Thea.." Liam said on the other end. "I’m calling to let you know I won’t be able to make it to the treat today. Please extend my regards to Aunt Evelyn."
"Okay, I will," Thea replied. "Liam?"
"Hmm?" Liam responded.
"You resigned from the university?"
Liam’s response was a simple "Hmm."
The conversation stalled, Liam remaining tight-lipped about his departure. Thea considerately didn’t press the matter.
The silence lingered before Thea broke it. "Take care, Liam.."
"Yeah...."
As Thea entered the house, she relayed Liam’s message. "Aunt Evelyn, Liam called – he won’t be able to make it today."
Mrs Evelyn nodded silently, her focus on slicing the meat uninterrupted.
Meanwhile, she put away the groceries, neatly stacking the juice bottles in the refrigerator.
"Are you okay, Aunt Evelyn? You’re looking a bit worn out.Why don’t I finish up here while you go take a break?"
