Chapter 691: Chapter 691: It’s a Misunderstanding
Returning his coat to the chair, Justin Battleson raises an eyebrow at the neatly tidied cleaning supplies, then sits down next to Charlotte Thompson with a hint of guilt, murmuring:
"Sorry, Charlotte, there was an urgent meeting at the company, and it ran long, so I couldn’t make it back for lunch."
At his words, Charlotte’s long eyelashes flutter slightly. She lowers her eyes and does not respond.
Without recognizing her odd behavior, Justin instinctively tries to wrap his arm around her petite waist, but to his surprise, Charlotte quietly moves a few steps away.
His hand clasping at empty air, Justin looks at her with mild surprise.
The latter has put some distance between them in an instant, her face devoid of any expression, her rosy lips drawn into a line, her downcast eyes concealing any discernible emotions.
Slightly taken aback, Justin opens his mouth, "Charlotte?"
He is answered by silence.
Seeing this, a man’s puzzlement deepens. He’s settled matters concerning the two children, and Charlotte had not been holding any grudges for a long time now.
But now...
Charlotte’s sudden cold treatment has him completely confused. His thin lips press into a line, and after a few seconds of thought, he raises his eyes to the still frowning woman in the distance.
His voice is very soft, "Charlotte, what’s wrong?"
But she remains indifferent, her gaze fixed on the TV screen, though clearly preoccupied.
Justin subtly shifts towards Charlotte, gingerly starts, "Did something upset you?"
He pauses slightly, continues, "You can tell me, maybe I can help solve it?"
Upon seeing Charlotte’s stone-faced reaction, Justin decides to approach directly and cajoles her at length, finally succeeded in softening her a little with all his skills.
With a halting sweep of her gaze upwards, Charlotte locks her dark, heavy eyes on the man’s finely sculpted features. After few seconds of contemplation, she finally loosens her lips,
Her eyes fixed on the man’s face.
"I saw a jade pendant in your room while I was cleaning. There were two characters on it, ’Rui’ and ’R’."
Charlotte gazes intently at Justin, trying to capture any unusual expression on his face.
And she succeeds.
Upon hearing this, the man oddly falls silent, a fond reminiscence in his eyes that Charlotte hasn’t seen before.
Just at this moment, Charlotte’s heart suddenly feels as if a bucket of cold water has been poured over her, the shock overwhelming her completely.
It’s actually funny, though she’d already understood everything in her heart, she can’t help but keep pursuing an answer that has always been obvious.
She gives a self-deprecating laugh, her eyes gradually becoming red, "I have another question. Is this ’R’ from the Riley Group?"
The Riley Group is a commercial empire founded by Justin Battleson. Many journalists have asked about the significance of the letter ’R’ in the past, but Justin has never publicly answered.
Now the silent one is Justin.
Grimly curving her lips, Charlotte feels her heart falling into an icehouse. She nods, stands up: "You don’t need to answer, I understand."
With that, she prepares to step around Justin and return to her room, but just as she takes her first step, Justin extends his hand and grips her wrist.
She halts her steps and takes a deep breath, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
After a long pause, Justin finally smiles reluctantly. He pulls Charlotte back towards him and after choosing his words carefully, he starts, "You don’t understand, everything is just a misunderstanding."
The character "Rui" is the root cause of this misunderstanding.