It was 11 o'clock at night.
Charlotte didn't feel the slightest bit lethargic as she rolled around in bed. The image of Sheryl having fun with Shane earlier during the day kept resurfacing in her mind.
Sheryl's pure smile reflected so much happiness. It was evident that she was having such a good time.
As she looked back on this, Charlotte felt a little rueful.
She knew for a fact that Sheryl had always longed for fatherly love. Still, she never mentioned wanting a father as she was worried about hurting her mother's heart. Even when other children teased her, she would silently put up with it alone.
Sheryl' s obedience and pragmatism only made Charlotte feel more ashamed of herself as a mother.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Beep beep!" The phone she had put aside buzzed. The notification immediately pulled Charlotte back to her senses. Wiping away her tears, she picked up her phone from the bedside table. It was a message from Anne.
'Lottie, are you asleep?' 'Nope. What's the matter?" Charlotte replied.
'How was the day with Shane? From what I can see, Sheryl likes him an awful lot.' 'Yeah, she does. She toldtoday that she likes him very much.' Once this message was out, it took a long while before a new message cin.
'Lottie, have you noticed that Sheryl bears considerable resemblance to Shane? Especially those eyebrows and that nose of hers, they look exactly like Shane's. Say, do you think he could be...' Upon reading the message, Charlotte distinctly felt her heart sink.
In fact, she had already noticed their alikeness right after Braden's statement.
Still, how could this be possible? Charlotte speedily typed in a reply.
'The probability of this happening is too minimal, perhaps completely impossible. How could he be Sheryl's father?' Not too long later, she received Anne's response. 'You're right. Shane Fuller is known for his tendency to steer clear of females.
Besides that female anchor, there are literally no other women by his side.' Charlotte couldn't help but let out a giggle when she read the message. To think Shane was such a faithful man. Just as she was about to put down her phone, another notification cin for a piece of financial news. She unwittingly read the title.
'Timothy Emerson, Chairman of Emerson Corporation, Hospitalized For Serious Health Issues.' Beneath it was a short description, adding that the corporation's share price was plummeting. Charlotte stared inanimately at the notification and her mind went blank.
'Hospitalized for serious health issues?' From what she remembered, her father had always been in tip-top condition. Why did he suddenly fall ill? The more she dwelled on the issue, the more uneasiness she felt lodged in her throat. She no longer had the cognitive capacity to think about anything else.
She immediately leaped to her feet and hastily changed out of her pajamas. After one last glance at sleeping Sheryl, she booked a taxi and rushed toward the hospital named in the news. Twenty- odd minutes later, Charlotte cdashing into the inpatient department of the hospital.
She anxiously ran up to the nurses' station just in tto catch a young nurse on her night shift.
"Hello, may I know which room Timothy Emerson is in?" Hearing Charlotte's inquiry about a patient in a VIP ward, she looked at Charlotte warily and asked, "May I know how you are related to the patient?" Prior to this, the patient's family had ordered that no ordinary person was to enter and cause a disturbance.
"I'm his..." "Haven't I already mentioned that Mr. Emerson is doing fine? Please stop calling." Just as Charlotte was about to reveal her identity, she was interrupted by the voice of a lady on the line. 'This woman's voice...' Charlotte wondered.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm'Could it be her?' Charlotte turned around and, as expected, she spotted Elaine.
Elaine stood in front of the elevator doors, slightly facing her way.
However, as she was father om engrossed in the phone call, she didn't notice Charlotte standing by the nurses' station.
As of now, Elaine donned an ankle-length emerald skirt. Her hair O was curled into luscious locks and her lips were drawn a fiery red. Her rouged face manifested a trace of irritation.
After hanging up the phone, Elaine took out her foundation and dabbed the powder on her face. She scrutinized herself in the mirror and did not put the palette away until she was satisfied with her complexion. Before she could press the button to summon the elevator, her cell rang again from inside her bag. When she saw the caller's name, an enchanting smile broke out on her ruby lips.
"Hello?" Her voice was so coquettish it raised goosebumps all over Charlotte's body.
"Yup, he's asleep. I'll be right there." Elaine spoke with such tenderness and compassion to the person on the other side of the phone. It was the polar opposite of the person she was just moments ago.
'Is she going on a date?' Charlotte's jaw dropped.
Peter Gril CH/F-PSE X