The hotpot simred with steam, and the elegant room was filled with tantalizing aromas, but Charlotte Miller had lost most of her appetite.
She held a cup of goji and chrysanthemum tea in her hand, sweetened with rock sugar, but as it touched her lips, it tasted a bit astringent. When Ethan Baird ntioned that Hailey Hill was living in a property under Atlas Hallow’s na, her whole tongue started to feel bitter and astringent, a taste that seed to well up from the bottom of her heart, sothing that even the sugared tea couldn’t mask.
Ethan Baird was never a fan of keeping secrets because the sooner you know so things, the less it hurts. Moreover, this issue with the Hallow Family was a bit bizarre.
"Hailey Hill and Flix Hallow have known each other for a long ti. Although she entered the sa university as Atlas Hallow under the guise of an art student, it was actually Flix Hallow who helped her in secret." Oliver Baird wasn’t drinking chrysanthemum tea; during hotpot, he preferred ice-cold cola, with tiny bubbles dancing joyfully in the brown liquid as it poured out.
Charlotte stood frozen in place; the news was too surprising. She had never imagined that Hailey Hill would have any connection with Atlas Hallow’s father. What kind of relationship was that? Why was she living in Atlas Hallow’s house?
"At first, I guessed maybe she was Flix Hallow’s illegitimate daughter. But if she were, it wouldn’t be Atlas Hallow taking care of her. She currently uses the Hallow family’s forr driver, and even the servants were brought from the Hallow family. Her parents and brother are all abroad, with arrangents made by Atlas Hallow. Hailey Hill rarely goes out, and her only hobby is collecting jewelry, all purchased with Atlas Hallow’s money." Ethan found out much from the private investigator, but the most critical point remained unclear to this day.
"Charlotte, we must understand what Hailey Hill’s connection to the Hallow family really is. I always felt sothing was fishy." Ethan worried that Atlas Hallow married Charlotte to cover up sothing, otherwise, he wouldn’t be in such a rush to marry. Everything seed connected to Hailey Hill, yet there was no clue to be found.
It definitely couldn’t be an illegitimate daughter because the way Hailey Hill looked at Atlas Hallow was different, not like a brother-sister relationship.
But if it were? Could it be a forbidden love, and getting married is just a facade?
Probably not because if Atlas Hallow liked Hailey Hill, he wouldn’t touch her. On this point, she trusted Atlas Hallow.
The child of an old friend? But Hailey Hill’s parents are still around, so it couldn’t be that kind of relationship.
If not any of these possibilities, what could it be?
"I’ve already sent soone to investigate, but many years have passed, and the Hallow family is not ordinary people. Until all results co out, Charlotte, you must protect yourself. I have a bad feeling about this." Ethan felt a sense of loss; he always subconsciously treated Charlotte like the Baird family’s precious one who was thrown into the sea, so he had to protect her. Perhaps Charlotte was here for him and his brother to repay so debt.
Ethan was usually playful, but today he spoke with unusual seriousness. Charlotte nodded cautiously.
After hearing all this, even eating hotpot in the winter couldn’t bring happiness anymore.
"By the way, Ethan, would it be a problem for Annie Gray to be your assistant?" After hearing all the things about the Hallow family, Charlotte almost forgot the purpose of finding Ethan.
"I have no problem with it, but Joseph Shaw will. Annie is his mistress, and they’ve been together for several years now." Ethan shrugged with an indifferent look. He thought Annie could handle the assistant’s job, but would Joseph Shaw let Annie leave so easily?
"I ran into Annie today while having dinner with Atlas Hallow in a restaurant. It seed like she was there for a blind date. Joseph Shaw is so disrespectful to won." Charlotte sighed. "I don’t understand why Annie got involved with Joseph Shaw in the first place. But now that she doesn’t like him anymore, can’t she choose her own life?"
"Joseph Shaw is a playboy, known for being quite indulgent in the past, though he’s kept a lower profile in recent years. Back when Old Master Shaw held a high position and power, he spoiled him beyond asure. If Joseph doesn’t let Annie go, there will surely be trouble. I’m not afraid of it; I’m just worried Joseph will be harsh with Annie." Ethan hadn’t expected that upon returning to the U.S., he’d encounter so many issues.
It’s understandable why big brother doesn’t like coming back; dealing with the complexities of human relationships among the Chinese is unimaginable, like a deceptively calm sea concealing nurous hidden reefs beneath. Such matters are beneath big brother’s interest.
"Sigh..." A long sigh erged from her heart. It seed Atlas Hallow was not just trying to scare her, but it was a gamble she had to win.
Ti flew by, and before Charlotte realized it, three hours had passed when the phone rang.
"Charlotte, punctuality is a very good habit..." A man’s husky voice drifted into her ears over the line. Charlotte suddenly rembered she had agreed to let him pick her up in three hours and to tell him the restaurant address, both of which she had failed to do.
"I’m sorry." She bit her lip, speaking with a hint of helplessness. The information Ethan shared tonight had been too earth-shattering for her to process imdiately.
"Co out." Atlas Hallow sat in the car, the window rolled down; the night wind was bitterly cold, yet he felt none of it.
With a bit of anger in his heart, the cold wind seed a good way to cool down.
After all, she is good friends with Ethan Baird. Atlas Hallow convinced himself to give her plenty of space.
Charlotte stood up and looked out the window, indeed seeing the car parked under the streetlamp across the road. He had already arrived.
"Ethan, Atlas Hallow has co to pick up. I have to go now. I’ll leave Annie’s situation to you, and also my..." She knew Ethan understood what she was implying. She hoped the mystery of Hailey Hill and the Hallow family could be uncovered soon.
Sitting in the car, he watched Charlotte erge from the restaurant. The weather was clearly too much for her to handle, so she wrapped herself up tightly and quickly slipped into the car.
"Did you have the window open just now?" Once inside the car, the temperature felt a bit lower, indicating he must have had the window open.
"Mm..." Atlas Hallow adjusted the heating and then drove away from the restaurant.
Charlotte said nothing more, her eyes lingering on Atlas Hallow’s face as if trying to read the secrets hidden there.
But nothing was discovered; his facial contours remained profound, with the noble mystery of an Easterner and the seductive allure of a Westerner. His obsidian-like eyes were always impenetrable. She looked at Atlas Hallow, contemplating the myriad possibilities between Hailey Hill and him.
It was unlikely they were siblings, for there was not a trace of similarity in their faces.
But why did Hailey Hill have connections with Atlas Hallow and his father?
"What’s on your mind?" Atlas Hallow glanced at Charlotte, her crystal-clear eyes fixated on him as if trying to peer into his soul.
"You’re very handso; surely many won are fond of you. Atlas Hallow, shall we play a ga?" Once the temperature in the car rose, Charlotte unbuckled her seatbelt, removed her coat, and tossed it into the back seat.
"What ga?" He didn’t mind engaging in gas with her.
"Truth or dare, a sowhat outdated ga, but still quite thrilling to play." Charlotte smiled, her voice gentle and lodious.
"Alright." For so reason, Atlas Hallow found it hard to refuse any of Charlotte’s suggestions.
The car was warm, and the faint rose fragrance she carried seed to grow more lush and enticing with the rising temperature. Her black hair fell around her cheeks and down to her waist, flowing like clouds eting his gaze, suddenly seeming that driving with her like this, without an end in sight, wouldn’t be so bad.
"You ask first, after all, it was my suggestion. It would be unfair if I went first." Charlotte combed her long hair with her fingers, pondering over the questions she might ask.
"If you had the chance to go back, would you still agree to marry in place of Luna Miller?" Atlas Hallow wondered what life would be like had they never t.
"That question is pointless, Atlas Hallow. When did you beco so naive? There’s no ’if,’ and no turning back. The right of choice doesn’t lie with the Miller Family but has always been with you. Would you have married another girl if Luna had fled the marriage? I believe you held more than just the Miller Family’s leverage in your hands." Charlotte’s voice flowed like a soothing stream in the dim car, alluring but her answer was brutally honest.
"My turn..." Charlotte offered a smile, easing the slightly intense atmosphere from monts before.
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