Chapter 249: ... her Dad certainly can.
Charlotte glanced at Xavier, and slowly, her lips curled up into a content smile. She turned to Clara, and gently patted the back of her hand.
"See?" she said softly. "I told you."
Then she looked back at Xavier.
"Xavier’s feelings for you were never a lie. He still loves you just the same. Adelyn’s sudden appearance cannot change that so easily."
Xavier’s expression remained simply stoic. He neither denied nor affirmed her words.
Seeing his silence as agreement, Charlotte’s smile only further deepened.
"Since you’ve finally made your decision and made your feelings clear to me," she continued, "I’ll entrust my daughter to you, Xavier." Her tone gradually turned more earnest. "I hope you wouldn’t disappoint me anymore. Protect my daughter, love her, and give her the best that you can ..."
"My Clara has already suffered enough." She looked at her daughter with unmistakable tenderness. "I don’t want to see her suffer even a little anymore."
Xavier followed her gaze toward Clara. After a brief moment, he gave a firm nod. "Aunt Scott," he said solemnly, "I won’t disappoint you."
"Clara is my fiancée. As long as she’s with me ... I won’t let her suffer."
Charlotte believed him.
This wasn’t simply because of what he had just promised.
She had watched Xavier grow up. She had seen how he cared for Clara over the years. She trusted that he would never intentionally hurt her daughter.
Smiling with satisfaction, she nodded before turning back toward Clara again. However, after a bried moment, her expression became noticeably more serious.
"And I —" she said gently, "I ... won’t let you suffer anymore either."
Clara sensed the deeper meaning behind those words. She slowly turned toward her mother. "Mom ..."
"Clara." Charlotte took both of her hands into hers. "Let me ask you something."
"If it isn’t the female lead ... Would you still want to join this movie?"
Clara paused. Confusion immediately appeared in her eyes. For a brief second, she couldn’t quite understand what Charlotte was asking.
"Mom ... I already told you. That movie isn’t important anymore. Let Adelyn have it. I—"
Before she could finish, Charlotte gently shook her head. "That’s not what I asked, Clara." Her voice remained calm ... yet firm. "I’m asking whether you’d still want to act in that production if it weren’t as the female lead."
Of course, Clara wanted the leading role. It was the role that would allow her to shine the brightest. The role everyone would remember.
But she couldn’t admit that.
Not while maintaining the image she had carefully built.
After a brief hesitation, she slowly answered, "It was never about a specific character, Mom. What excited me was the script itself ... and the opportunity to work under Director Rhodes."
She smiled modestly.
"It’s just that ... with my current reputation and achievements in the industry, I believed the female lead suited me the best. So I naturally prepared the hardest for that role."
She lowered her eyes slightly. "But ... it doesn’t really matter. I’m not attached to any particular character. I simply wanted to be part of this production. So I could make you ... and our family ... proud."
Charlotte listened quietly.
The more she heard, the prouder she became.
This ...
This was the daughter she had always wished for.
Considerate.
Thoughtful.
Unlike what Adelyn had become.
Gently stroking the back of Clara’s hand, she smiled. "I knew it." Her voice carried certainty. "Later, when I speak with your father, I’ll discuss this matter with him. I’m sure he’ll find a way to help you."
"But Mom ..." Clara hesitated deliberately. "What about Adelyn...?"
"Don’t mention her anymore." Charlotte frowned almost immediately. "She got that role through favoritism. How could she even compare herself to you?"
In Charlotte’s eyes, Clara and Adelyn could not be compared anymore.
Clara had spent quite a few years refining her acting before entering the industry. She had earned her awards, the recognition, and her success.
Meanwhile, Adelyn had only recently stepped into the entertainment industry. If she hadn’t resorted to underhanded methods, Charlotte was convinced she would never have secured such an important role.
And because of that ...
A new thought had gradually taken root in her heart.
She wanted both girls to appear in the same production.
Only then ...
Would everyone witness the difference between them.
Only then ...
Would Adelyn finally understand her own place.
"Clara," Charlotte said gently, patting her hand once again, "you have the talent to outshine her. So outshine her for Mom."
She stared at an empty distance and continued, "I want Adelyn to finally realize what she’s lost ..."
"And regret every decision she has made."
Clara looked into her mother’s eyes before giving a gentle nod.
Truthfully ...
That was exactly what she wanted as well.
"Alright, Mom. If that’s what you wish ... I’ll do my best." She paused before asking hesitantly,
"But can Dad really ...??"
Her words trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished —
... But Charlotte understood perfectly.
Smiling confidently, she reached over and gently cupped Clara’s cheek.
"Your father may not be in Vabraria right now, but his connections here run deep. As long as he wants something done ... he’ll find a way."
Then her smile softened. "And besides, you know how much he’s always wanted to spoil you. It’s just that circumstances never gave him the chance. Now that he finally has one ... he certainly won’t let it slip away."
Clara smiled sweetly before nodding.
Just then—
A familiar voice came from outside.
"What are you all talking about?"
Both Charlotte and Clara turned toward the entrance.
Liam was walking over. As he approached, his eyes naturally landed on Xavier sitting nearby. "Xavier? You’re here too?"
Xavier looked up before giving a small nod. "I came to take Clara out."
Liam stopped walking.
A slight crease formed between his brows. He instinctively glanced toward Clara before looking back at Xavier. "You’re taking Clara out?"
Although his tone sounded casual ...
There was unmistakable skepticism beneath it.
He hadn’t forgotten what had happened at the hospital. He had seen with his own eyes how distant Xavier had suddenly become toward Clara.
And he knew exactly why.
So why ...
Why was Xavier suddenly acting as though nothing had happened?
"What kind of question is that, Liam?" Charlotte lightly scolded him. "Xavier and Clara are engaged. If Xavier wants to take Clara out, isn’t that perfectly natural?"
Liam heard her explanation. His eyes drifted back toward Xavier once more. The crease between his brows deepened slightly, but he said nothing.
Clara stood up before turning toward Xavier. "Xavi, let’s go."
Xavier nodded.
Without another word, the two of them left together.
Charlotte watched them leave with a satisfied smile.
Only after they disappeared did Liam turn back toward his mother.
"Mom ... what were you talking about earlier?"
Charlotte looked at him.
The warmth in her expression gradually disappeared, replaced once again by determination. Slowly rising to her feet, she said, "I was simply telling Clara ... if there is something her brother can’t help her with ..." She paused deliberately to look at him.
"... her Dad certainly can."
