Chapter 7
5 vouchers
Charles sat with Sophie by his side, surrounded by a few of his friends. He had already introduced Sophie to them before, though none of them had ever mentioned it to Yolanda.
Sophie had the kind of face that looked like everyone’s first crush. Clinging to Charles’s arm, her voice was sweet.
“Charles, I’ve got an audition tomorrow, and I’m a little nervous. Will you stay with me tonight?” she said, locking her gaze on him.
Back when he first started liking her, he had told her he loved her eyes–they were bright and beautiful. So Sophie knew just how to use that trick to keep him hooked.
Charles smiled and peeled a grape for her himself.
For a rich young man like him, who had always had everything done for him, he had never taken care of anyone. That small gesture made Sophie feel a rush of satisfaction she had never felt before. Blushing, she threw herself into his arms. “Please?”
Just as the words left her lips, his phone rang. The screen flashed with the name saved as–Honey.
The smile in his eyes faded slightly. He slipped the grape into Sophie’s mouth, then left his hand there, slowly tracing along her lips.
Sophie’s face burned as her heartbeat raced. Coupled with Charles’s handsome looks, it was impossible for her not to be enchanted. Charles just had that kind of charm that drew women in.
He answered the call, his tone flat. “What is it?”
Yolanda was standing by the nightstand in their bedroom. She couldn’t find her business card and vaguely remembered Charles had put it away.
As the head of her own studio, she needed that card for all the upcoming contracts.
“Where did you put my business card?” she asked.
“Ask the maid. How would I remember something like that?” Charles replied.
Yolanda knew better than to expect anything from him. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Fine.”
Charles chuckled, his hand still brushing against Sophie’s lips as he gave her a teasing look. “You don’t really want your business card- you just want to know what I’m doing, don’t you?”
Half–truths always hit the hardest.
Yolanda said nothing. Charles had too many tricks, and she never knew how to fight back.
But luckily, she caught Sophie’s voice on the other end of the call. Reality had a way of slapping her awake just when she was about to soften toward Charles.
Her lashes lowered. “No. I’m hanging up.”
Charles ended the call, only to feel Sophie sink onto his lap. “Charles, then don’t go back tonight, okay?”
Charles glanced at the three men across from him, his closest friends. They were already used to his situation.
Max Shaw let out a quiet laugh. “It’s only halfway through the month, and Charles has already spent ten nights with you. His wife must be/heartbroken.”
Sophie blushed hard. She buried her face against Charles’s chest, her heart pounding wildly.
Charles was handsome, and he always looked at her with deep affection, whispering sweet words. Naturally, Sophie loved him.
She wanted him to divorce Yolanda soon and be with her instead. But she had to keep that urge under control–pushing Charles too hard would only backfire.
Sophie was an actress, so it wasn’t like she hadn’t met rich men before. But compared with the people sitting in front of her now, those men she used to know were nothing but upstarts.
Charles and his friends came from real aristocratic families, each with powerful backgrounds. Sure, there were plenty of rich kids in the industry, but these few were at the very center of power.
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Chapter 7
Sophie had made up her mind to win Charles’s heart and kick Yolanda out of the picture.
5 vouchers
Charles tilted his head and brushed a kiss against Sophie’s cheek. “Babe, you should head back first. I’ve got something tonight.”
Sophie felt a little unwilling, but she knew she had to listen. She held his face in her hands, kissing him for several long minutes before finally getting up to leave.
The moment she was gone, Max couldn’t hold back. “You keep this up. Yolanda’s bound to find out.”
Before Charles could reply, Quinn Cooper cut in. “If he dares do it, it means he’s not afraid of being found out.
“But Charles, hasn’t Yolanda loved you for over ten years? Back when she was adopted by the Grant family, you always went to hang out with her. No matter what, she’s still our childhood friend–you shouldn’t go too far.”
Charles leaned back, fingers sliding over the rim of his glass, speaking carelessly. “I told her clearly when we got married–I don’t love her.”
Quinn lifted his glass, took a sip. “Everyone knows who you really love. Sophie’s eyes do look a lot like hers. Yolanda’s gorgeous, though How did she end up stuck with you?”
Max chimed in, “Bad luck. One look at Charles, and that was it–ruined for life. Yolanda’s not escaping that.”
Quinn chuckled. “Well, not necessarily. Maybe one day she’ll wise up and keep a lover of her own, just like Charles.”
Charles undid a button on his shirt, closed his eyes, and smiled faintly. “Yolanda was raised by the Grant family to be a house wife. She can’t live without me.”
No one else spoke, clearly agreeing with him. Everyone knew the Grant family had adopted Yolanda for one purpose–marriage ties.
She was lucky to be with Charles.
Yolanda woke up in the middle of the night, feeling unwell.
She touched her forehead. It must’ve been all the stress piling up these past few days–she had a fever.
Forcing herself up, she tried to go downstairs to find some fever medicine.
The maid heard the noise and turned on a wall lamp. “Mrs. Sinclair, what are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for some fever medicine. I think I’ve got a fever.” Yolanda leaned against the side table, her head spinning.
“I’ll find it for you. Just sit down, I’ll bring you some water,” the maid hurried over.
“Thank you,” Yolanda said.
She had always been kind to the maid, never putting on airs. The Grant family might have had a lot of strict rules, but Yolanda had truly been raised as the perfect society lady.
She held her head, her shoulders rising and falling, feeling so sick she wanted to throw up.
In the dim light of the hall, her phone rang.
Still groggy, she answered and put it on speaker. A woman’s voice came through right away. “Charles, I’ve got an interview tomorrow, I really can’t tonight.
“Charles…”
Yolanda’s face instantly went pale. Her fingers trembled as she tried to hang up, but her vision was so blurred she missed the button.
The maid stood by with the medicine, not daring to say a word.
“Mrs. Sinclair, m–inaybe they dialed the wrong number…” the maid tried to cover for Charles. After all, Charles was the one signing their paychecks.
Yolanda was just a housewife. If it ever came down to a divorce lawsuit, she’d be at a huge disadvantage.
The thought made her smile bitterly, and her mind cleared a little. She took the fever medicine from the maid, swallowed it dry without
water.
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Chapter 7
“Don’t tell Charles about this,” she told the maid.
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A glint of disdain flashed in the maid’s eyes. She figured Yolanda would just pretend she didn’t know about Charles’s affair.
Well, of course–Mr. Sinclair gives Mrs. Sinclair 60 thousand dollars a month. Of course she’d turn a blind eye, she thought.
“I won’t say a word in front of Mr. Sinclair,” the maid replied.
