Chapter 1423: Chapter 1423: I Am the Real Fool
"Let me just ask you, Coco—have you ever bothered to ask my permission before barging into the office?"
Michael Richard, like Coco, is Justin Battleson’s assistant. He’s the one handling many of Justin’s mundane daily tasks.
As such, his own office is naturally located on the same floor.
Anyone who needs to see Justin often ends up coming to Michael first, but there always seem to be certain individuals in the company who don’t follow the standard protocol.
One of them happens to be the person standing right in front of him: Coco.
"I—" Coco started, but quickly realized he was clearly in the wrong. He could only rub his forehead in frustration and, before leaving, threw in a parting comment, "You could’ve reminded me, though!"
Michael was at a loss for words. What was this nonsense?
Meanwhile, Charlotte Thompson had already slipped out of Justin’s grip after Coco shut the door behind him. Staring at the now-closed door to the office, Charlotte heaved a silent sigh and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
How could she forget to properly close the door?
Could this be karma for trying to scheme against others? And now she herself had fallen right into the pit she dug.
While Charlotte’s expression held a hint of helplessness, Justin’s face was clouded with frustration.
Why was it that every time he wanted to get intimate with Charlotte lately, someone or something always interrupted?
Justin clenched his molars tightly in irritation.
...
The office debacle was nothing more than a fleeting interlude. After Charlotte left Justin’s office, she naturally returned a missed call from XTZ.
Mr. Carter spoke to Charlotte on the phone, addressing not only the long-term collaboration between the two companies but also the ongoing public scandal surrounding Charlotte.
"Thank you, Mr. Carter, for postponing the launch," Charlotte said, expressing her gratitude over the phone.
Mr. Carter’s hearty laughter could be heard through the receiver:
"It’s a minor gesture, really. Besides, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have uncovered the issues in our marketing campaign."
"But taking this route at the start did somewhat tarnish your company’s reputation, and I deeply apologize for that," Charlotte said apologetically.
"If Miss Thompson truly feels she owes us something, perhaps in the next collaboration, you could design some outfits for us—free of charge?"
"It would be my honor."
...
While on the phone with XTZ, Charlotte had already left the company and was en route to meet Teddy Carter at their agreed-upon location.
The rendezvous spot was a café not far from Riley Group’s headquarters.
Charlotte had recently crossed paths with Teddy at the office. Back then, he had still been looking relatively composed.
But in less than two days, Charlotte now found Teddy’s complexion pallid and utterly worn-out. Deep, dark circles hung under his eyes, his chin dotted with sparse stubble. A heavy air of despondency seemed to shroud him entirely.
"I didn’t expect the formidable leader of the design team, Mr. Carter, to end up looking like this," Charlotte remarked.
As she spoke, Charlotte slid into the seat across from Teddy.
"Yeah, I always thought I was the clever one... Turns out, looking at myself now, I’m the real idiot!"
Teddy’s lips curled into a bitter smile, and he propped his face up with both hands, trying to conceal the emotions slipping across his features.
But to Charlotte, his pitiful state didn’t stir even the faintest ripple in her heart.
"Teddy, I didn’t come here to listen to your sob story," Charlotte said coldly.
"You only want to use me to go after Florienna Ellis! Isn’t that right?"
Teddy chuckled grimly. He wasn’t a fool.