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“That’s a good idea.”
Chapter Six
Charlotte felt as if someone had written “Just had sex” on her forehead when she met Anika and the others. Daniel’s sister eyed her knowingly with a wide smile.
“So how was it?” Anika asked her teasingly.
Charlotte pretended she didn’t know what Anika meant. “The drink? It’s too strong for my taste.”
Anika laughed and lifted the glass. “To Charlotte. Our new sister-in-law.”
Everybody toasted in return. Charlotte felt awkward. She was rarely in the company of as many new people at once.
Daniel had introduced her to his stepbrother Jeremy and his girlfriend, Sandy. Liam Ruska, the company’s chief legal officer. Ray Bennet, Addington’s vice president and his wife Georgianna. It became clear to her that this was Daniel’s circle of close friends. Everybody had treated her nicely, but Charlotte sensed a veiled disapproval from Daniel’s stepbrother Jeremy. He looked shocked when Daniel announced that Charlotte was his mate. Jeremy might be smiling like the others, but his eyes didn’t match his smile. Charlotte could read people like Jeremy with her extra-sensitive perception. Usually, she’d just withdraw herself and blend in with the background. In this situation, she couldn’t.
Halfway through the dinner, Charlotte excused herself to go powder her nose. She spent a good twenty-minutes idling in the bathroom stall and another ten washing her hands. She dreaded returning to the table. Having become accustomed to avoiding people most her life, this kind of social gathering made her very uncomfortable.
She decided to return and put her game face on.
She was about to push the door open when she heard someone mention her name in the corridor. She stopped and couldn’t help eavesdropping. It was Anika and Jeremy, and they seemed to be arguing in a hushed tone.
“What the hell is he thinking bringing a girl like her into the family? Daniel must have lost his mind.” Jeremy’s voice sounded angry.
“Don’t be like that.” Anika’s voice appeased her brother. “She’s kind of interesting.”
“Mother wouldn’t approve of her.”
“Do you think Daniel would give a shit what Mom would say? Daniel’s his own man. He always has been.”
“Tch. To think I have to bow my head to a common human like her.”
Charlotte didn’t want to hear the conversation anymore. She quietly returned to an empty stall and sat on the toilet. When she heard the bathroom door open, she lifted her feet from the floor and stayed as quiet as a mouse. She could hear Anika humming a song as she used the sink.
She waited until Anika left before returning to the table. Jeremy’s chair was empty.
“Where have you been?” asked Daniel. “You’ve been gone an awfully long time.”
“Oh, I just needed to stretch my legs a bit,” she lied. Daniel bought her fib.
Jeremy came back a bit later and smelled like burnt tobacco. She had a sensitive nose. He must have had a smoke break.
Charlotte silently pretended to enjoy the reminder of the dinner. It was hard to do. Normally, she’d have come up with an excuse and ditched everyone. She didn’t this time. She knew that this dinner was important for Daniel. He wanted to show her off to them. If she hadn’t grown to like Daniel, she’d have bailed the moment she sensed any hostility.
She couldn’t have been happier when the dinner ended. They were all guests in the hotel, so Jeremy and his girlfriend shared an elevator because their room was on the same floor. Charlotte accidentally dropped her purse when she got out of the elevator. Jeremy helped her, and at that moment, he touched the part of her arm that wasn’t covered by her glove.
Instantaneously, she was sucked into Jeremy’s memory.
It was only a fraction of a second, but at that moment, it became clear to her that Jeremy’s dislike of her was beyond disapproval. He also loathed his own stepbrother, Daniel, with all his might.
With Jeremy’s memory reel flashing before her eyes, Charlotte could see that Jeremy harbored ill intent towards Daniel. Jeremy was jealous that Daniel was the alpha of their pride. Daniel had inherited the family fortune and the position as the head of the family.
In one particular memory frame, she could see a vision of Jeremy talking to his close friends about killing Daniel. Jeremy was in a drunken state, but his intention was far too real. It would be easy to sabotage the jet that Daniel used for his business trips. If Daniel’s Gulfstream went down in flames before the London gathering, Jeremy would be nominated as the next alpha of the Addington pride.
Charlotte pulled away in horror. She couldn’t speak for a moment as Jeremy offered her the purse back.
“Are you okay?” Daniel helped her stand up.
She flustered. “I’m fine.” She took her purse from Jeremy’s hand carefully.
