Free Web NovelChapter 213: Chapter 216: She Wants to Protect Charlotte Shaw
Charlotte Shaw picked up the throw pillow from the floor and flopped back onto the sofa. "Do you want to hear the truth, or a lie?"
Renee Sinclair lifted her foot and gave her a light kick on the knee. "The truth, of course!"
Charlotte Shaw said, "The truth is... I don’t know how I got here, either. I just remember dying. I never thought I’d open my eyes again and find myself in this world."
"D-died?" Renee Sinclair’s eyes widened in shock. "You died in your original world?"
"Yeah." Charlotte Shaw’s tone was light, as if the person who had died wasn’t her. "I truly, genuinely died once. Worn down by cancer until the very end."
"What kind of cancer?" Renee Sinclair put the bowl in her hands on the coffee table, having lost her appetite for strawberries.
Charlotte Shaw said, "Pancreatic cancer. The king of cancers."
"...Huh?" Renee Sinclair’s eyes widened in shock. It felt like a thick, wet wad of cotton was stuck in her throat, choking her so she couldn’t speak.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Charlotte Shaw gave her a sidelong glance, a hint of haughtiness in her expression. "What, you feel sorry for me?"
Renee Sinclair didn’t answer, asking instead, "How old were you when you died?"
Charlotte Shaw said, "Twenty-four."
"Twenty-four..." Renee Sinclair’s brow slowly furrowed. "That’s a year younger than Sonia Quincy."
"Right." Charlotte Shaw smiled faintly. "Since I’ve died once, strictly speaking, I’m not really a transmigrator, but a reincarnator. I was reborn into this world."
"W-were you happy, in your old world?" Renee Sinclair stared at her, her eyes a chaotic mix of emotions. There seemed to be a bit of sympathy, a bit of pity, and the rest was a heavy tangle of conflict and pain.
Charlotte Shaw shook her head. "Not happy. Not happy at all."
Renee Sinclair asked, "Why?"
Charlotte Shaw pouted. "Because there was nothing to be happy about."
"I was born into a blended family. My biological father, my stepmother—neither of them liked me. I grew up amidst beatings, scoldings, and schemes, living a stifled life for twenty years. At twenty, I finally became financially independent and moved out of that suffocating house. But fate wouldn’t let me have it easy. Just as I was about to start a whole new life, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer."
"Pancreatic cancer is the king of cancers. I gritted my teeth and fought it for four years, but in the end, it still killed me."
Renee Sinclair bit her lip, the conflict in her eyes slowly dissipating.
Charlotte Shaw let out a nearly imperceptible sigh. Her gaze shifted, and she stared somewhat dazedly at the bright scene outside the door.
"That life of mine was short and stifling. I fought against fate for so long, refusing to give in, but in the end, I still died all alone on a hospital bed..."
"It’s a good thing you were reborn. You still have a chance at happiness," Renee Sinclair said, smiling at her.
"Mhm!" Her eyes suddenly lit up, and the grief and despair that had appeared for just a moment quickly vanished from her face.
"That damned fate still had a shred of conscience, giving me a second chance at life after I died. I love this world. Here, I have a family that dotes on me, a husband who cherishes me, a cute son, and a group of kind and lively friends!"
"I really, really love it here!"
"Mhm." Renee Sinclair smiled and nodded. "Charlotte Shaw, do I count as one of those kind and lively friends you mentioned?"
Charlotte Shaw gave a sly look, deliberately putting on a reluctant air. "Barely. You’re two-thirds included."
"Why only two-thirds?" Renee Sinclair protested. "Where’d the other third go?"
Charlotte Shaw explained, "The other third is still floating around outside! I haven’t forgiven you yet, so of course I can’t let you all the way in."
"..." Renee Sinclair was speechless, but after a moment, she suddenly laughed.
"Charlotte Shaw, you’re much livelier than you used to be."
"Am I?" Charlotte Shaw blinked playfully. "Maybe it’s because I’m in a good mood every day now."
"Mhm." Renee Sinclair’s smile deepened, and her gaze toward Charlotte Shaw softened considerably.
Charlotte Shaw was bored from her postpartum confinement, and now that they’d finally gotten a lively conversation going, she didn’t want the atmosphere to cool down.
Even though she hadn’t forgiven Renee Sinclair yet, they had great conversational chemistry. She brought up a few more topics, pulling Renee into a long chat about this and that.
Renee Sinclair wasn’t working at the moment and would just be bored at home by herself, so she decided to stay. She kept Charlotte Shaw company, chatting to pass the time, and even had lunch at the Shaw residence.
She stayed at the Shaw residence for several hours; by the time she left, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon.
The sky was gloomy, looking like a snowstorm was brewing.
Charlotte Shaw walked Renee Sinclair to the door and casually reminded her, "The weather’s been bad lately. Drive safe."
"Oh?" Renee Sinclair’s tone was teasing. "I thought you hadn’t forgiven me yet. Why the sudden concern for my safety?"
Charlotte Shaw said, "..."
"I take it back, then."
"Take what back?" Renee Sinclair shot her a glare. "You’ve already shown you care. There are no take-backs."
Charlotte Shaw retorted, "I’m shameless."
Renee Sinclair replied, "...I can’t be bothered with you. I’m leaving."
Charlotte Shaw leaned against the doorway, watching her walk slowly under the gloomy sky.
"Renee Sinclair," she called out suddenly.
Renee Sinclair turned her head. "What is it?"
Charlotte Shaw said, "If you’re bored with nothing to do, come over and help me with the baby. Don’t just hole yourself up at home with that stupid system, cooking up all sorts of harebrained schemes."
"Got it." Renee Sinclair waved at her. "Leaving now."
"Hey!" Charlotte Shaw called out to her again.
She stopped and turned around completely. "What now?"
Charlotte Shaw rubbed her chin and asked curiously, "You’ve been talking so much trash about the system. Can it hear you?"
"Probably." Renee Sinclair couldn’t care less. "Ah, I can’t be bothered with it. It screwed me over so badly, it deserves to be cursed out!"
"True," Charlotte Shaw agreed.
"For real this time, I’m leaving." Renee Sinclair waved to her again, turned, and continued on her way.
Charlotte Shaw said, "Bye-bye..."
[Host, has Charlotte Shaw won you over?]
The mechanical female voice suddenly rang out just as Renee Sinclair reached the main gate of the Shaw Villa.
Her steps faltered. She remained silent.
[Heh heh...]
The mechanical female voice gave a soft, mocking chuckle.
[Host, are you planning to sacrifice yourself to protect Charlotte Shaw?]
Renee Sinclair pressed her lips together, responding in her mind. ’Protect? Charlotte Shaw hasn’t done anything wrong. She deserves to be alive in the first place. There’s no need to "protect" her.’
[If she lives, then Host’s life will be in danger, you know.]
’I already said, I’ll find a way to max out the favorability points on my own.’
[Find a way yourself? HAHAHAHA!]
The mechanical female voice suddenly burst into laughter, a sound that sent a chill down Renee Sinclair’s spine.
