When Shane said they were here to meet Ryland Stevens, he didn't mean that they had agreed to meet here. Instead, he was saying that he knew Ryland was coming here, but Ryland didn't know that he was coming here. So, that was the reason why he dressed differently today and took down Charlotte's scrunchy.
But even so, Charlotte still couldn't accept it. She was used to dressing up to look mature. So, she found it slightly hard to accept that she had to dress the way she did when she was in university.
When she was pregnant with Sheryl, she was only 18. Five years had passed, but she was only 23. If she wanted to find a good job, of course, she couldn't show her immaturity. That was where her idea of dressing up to look more mature cfrom.
But now, she was instantly back to how she used to look.
Charlotte walked beside Shane, feeling very uncomfortable.
Shane gave her a sidelong glance and asked, "What's the matter? Are you not happy anymore?" "I haven't let down my hair in a long time, and you revealed my bangs too. Do I look like a child?" More like a little woman who needed protection.
Shane didn't respond. He just slid down his hand to hold her hand, pulling her closer to him.
He looked ahead and said in a cold voice, "Didn't you say that I'm God? If the sky collapses, I'll be the first to carry it. What are you afraid of?" He was right.
However, the reality was often different from what you imagined.
This was what Charlotte thought.
Soon.
Shane brought Charlotte to the poolside. He bought VIP tickets, so it was a private hot spring pool.
The two could see what the other small and large pools looked like next to the pool. If they wanted to spy on someone, it would be the best place to do so.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtCharlotte's arm was injured, so she could only lie beside the pool. She couldn't soak her body in water.
But it was so much easier for Shane. He dipped his entire body into the pool, revealing only his head.
At first, Charlotte was still looking for Ryland, but later, she just kept staring at Shane. Shane's eyes were closed, small drops of sweat gathered at the corners of his forehead. A stroke of blush splayed across his handsface.
She wouldn't be able to see Shane like this every day.
"Still staring?" Shane opened his eyes and glanced at herteasingly.
"Why can't I stare if it's good to look at? Besides, you're so handsome. It'd be a pity if I don't take another look at you." He felt like he had heard that before.
Shane was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of Ryland. He smirked and said, "Our prey is here." Charlotte immediately followed his gaze and looked over.
Ryland was wearing a white bathrobe. He appeared to be in his 40s or 50s, and he didn't have a bald head or a beer belly. If nobody said that he was Kendall's father, people might mistake him for Kendall's brother. He looked energetic and relaxed. Plenty of women were following him as well.
"There's more," Shane spoke again.
There was indeed more than that.
Another woman cwith Ryland, and this woman was Kendall.
Next to the two of them was a man who looked a little younger than Ryland. He looked very similar to Ryland, as if they were carved out of the smold. Their behavior, temperament, and habits were all the same. So that man must be Caleb.
Kendall was the first to enter the pool. She swam to one side, leaned against the pool, and waved at the people outside of the pool.
Ryland smiled as he went to her side. He held her in her arms and kissed her cheek.
"Uhm, are siblings allowed to be that intimate?" Charlotte awkwardly looked away, not wanting to look at the three of them.
"Look again." Charlotte turned around again and saw that Ryland had also gone into the pool. Just like Caleb, he kissed Kendall on the cheek too. Only then did Kendall play with them with a satisfied expression. That weird intimacy seemed like a tradition of the Stevens Family.
After the three members of the Stevens Family entered the pool, only did the other women step into the pool. They surrounded them, talking and laughing.
There was nothing more to see after that. But a person, who Shane didn't expect to appear, appeared. It was Rick.
Charlotte looked at Shane almost instantly. The expression on his face was similar to hers. Both of them were baffled. Neither he nor she had expected that Rick would be this close to the Stevens Family. As soon as Rick went into the pool, Kendall immediately clung to him.
Rick held her body with one hand, and the other went all the way down along her waist. The two of them were making out, looking extremely intimate. Charlotte gaped at them, dumbfounded.
"Have you ever done this with him before?" Shane stopped looking at the Stevens Family. He turned back, closed his eyes, and continued to rest.
"No, I really have not," Charlotte quickly explained.
She was afraid that Shane would misunderstand.
Hang on, why would she worry that he would misunderstand her Shane didn't give Charlotte the tto think thoroughly. He parted his lips and said coldly, "Rick has never been in a relationship before. You didn't kiss him, didn't hug him, didn't play in a pool with him before?" Charlotte instantly understood what he meant. "You're saying that he's extremely close with Kendall. So close that doing all these intimate actions are extremely common for them already?" "Smart." "In this case, he obviously has the support of the Stevens Family and is also dating Kendall. Why did he still want to cooperate with us?" "He's not looking to cooperate with us. He's looking to cooperate with you." "I don't understand." "He knew that I would never let the Stevens Family go, so he avoidedand directly looked for you, leveraging on his friendship with you to make you unable to reject his offer of cooperation." Charlotte suddenly understood everything.
Indeed.
She could notice that there was something unreasonable in his contract, but she never thought about refusing to cooperate with him. She didn't understand why, but at this moment, she understood. It was her subconsciousness. In her subconsciousness, the option to refuse Rick didn't exist.
Shane's fingers were dancing in the water as he asked, "What are they talking about?" "I don't know." Charlotte kept staring at them, but the sound of the flowing water was too loud, so she couldn't hear them clearly. She didn't know how to lipread either.
"They are talking about bidding." "How do you know?" "Look at their lips." Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIndeed, it seemed like Ryland and Caleb both mouthed the words, bidding and this bidding. But how did Shane know about this? He had been resting with his eyes closed the entire time. He wasn't even looking at the people on the other side.
"They are also talking about Kendall and Rick's wedding," Shane continued.
Charlotte continued to look with narrowed eyes. She couldn't make out what the Stevens Family and Rick were saying, but they really seemed to be mouthing the word, wedding.
"Shane, you were obviously not looking at them." "I guessed." Charlotte was instantly speechless.
Shane suddenly stood up and got on top of her. He lifted her chin and pulled her into his arms. His lips were close to hers, but he didn't kiss her.
Subconsciously, Charlotte wanted to struggle. But he didn't kiss her, so she just went stiff and stayed put. Shane's hand went all the way down along her shoulder. And when it finally landed on her butt, he gave her a hard slap on the butt.
"What are you doing!" Charlotte's face instantly turned crimson red.
"They're looking at us." Shane turned his head slightly, his eyes cold. "Your gaze was too obvious. Restrain yourself a little." "Then, now we..." "Have you ever been in a relationship?" he suddenly asked.
What kind of question was that? Charlotte shook her head awkwardly.
She had never been in a serious relationship before. What was he Pher m trying to imply imply when he asked her that question? The reason why she was like this was all because of that night. A sense of sorrow aroused in her heart.
"That's perfect. I've never been in a relationship either. Let's experience it." What did that mean?
Before Charlotte had tto react, Shane had already held her in his erinbin arms, kissing her deeply. His fingers moved back and forth along the curves of her body. At first, she still had the strength to stand, but in the end, she completely melted into his arms.
Suddenly, Shane changed his position. He placed his big palms on her thighs and straightaway picked her up: She was forced to lean against his chest. "Shane." Her entire body went limp as she begged him in a low voice.
"Can you see how the Stevens Family reacted?" How could she still have the mood to care about the Stevens Family? Charlotte bit her lips.
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