Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 223: Who is Lying?
Although Charlotte Shaw claimed she hadn’t forgiven Renee Sinclair, in her heart, she already considered Renee a friend.
Renee Sinclair was in a pitiable state. Since Charlotte Shaw couldn’t help her complete her mission, she could only do what little she could to earn some favor points for her and alleviate the pain she was suffering.
"Levi Zane is Renee Sinclair’s friend." Charlotte Shaw brought the matter out into the open. "Renee was the one who recommended Levi Zane to Volition Tech."
"..."
On the video call, Felix Preston suddenly fell silent. He looked at Charlotte Shaw, the smile on his face slowly fading.
"So the modeling artist Renee Sinclair said she’d introduce me to at the hospital... that was Levi Zane?"
Charlotte Shaw: "Yes."
"Oh..." Felix Preston nodded, his expression unreadable. "So, after I harshly drove Renee Sinclair away, you went behind my back and accepted her charity."
"...It’s not charity." Charlotte Shaw frowned, lying to Felix Preston with a serious face. "Didn’t Renee Sinclair and I make a deal? Three design drafts in exchange for her doing three things for me. Originally, I planned to just wheedle and coax Levi Zane’s contact information out of her. But she’s too sharp; no matter how I tried to trick her, she wouldn’t budge. I had no choice, so I had to trade one design draft for Levi Zane."
"..." Felix Preston listened to her quietly, not saying a single word in response.
She licked her lips, her gaze inexplicably guilty. "Levi Zane isn’t Renee Sinclair’s charity! He’s a talent I traded a design draft for! One of my drafts can sell for five figures. Renee Sinclair really made a killing!"
"..." Felix Preston stared at her intently, not speaking.
She was starting to find his stare unbearable. Feeling a pang of guilt, she couldn’t stop her mind from racing—
’What’s wrong? Did I mess up that little lie? But Renee said this was exactly how she explained their deal to Felix.’_
’He believed it back then, so what is he suspicious about now?’
’Is my expression too guilty, making him suspicious? Or is it that Felix still can’t accept someone recommended by Renee?’
Charlotte Shaw’s mind spun, conjuring up several possibilities in just a few short seconds.
And just then, Felix Preston finally deigned to speak.
"Charlotte, why does Renee Sinclair want your design drafts so badly?"
Charlotte Shaw: "Because my designs are good, of course! Renee Sinclair said she loves my design style and has even bought several sets of jewelry I’ve designed. Putting aside all our conflicts and grievances, Renee Sinclair is practically my little fangirl!"
"Isn’t it perfectly normal for a fangirl to want her idol’s design drafts?"
"..." Felix Preston raised an eyebrow in a half-smile and fell silent again.
Charlotte Shaw, flustered by his silence, had no choice but to throw a little tantrum to cover her own panic.
"Felix Preston, what’s that supposed to mean? Are my designs not good enough to fascinate Renee Sinclair?"
Felix Preston chuckled. "Of course they are. Your designs are the most creative I’ve ever seen, Charlotte. It’s perfectly normal for Renee Sinclair to be fascinated by them."
Charlotte Shaw glared at him unhappily. "If it’s so normal, then why did you clam up and not say anything?"
"..." Felix Preston lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, a strange glint passing through them unnoticed.
"No reason." He blinked, his smile suddenly deepening. "I was just teasing you by not talking, Charlotte. What? Did you get nervous?"
Charlotte Shaw: "..."
"You’re so childish!" she snapped at Felix Preston, but with an obvious sigh of relief.
Felix Preston reached out, stroking her head through the screen and coaxing her in a soft voice, "Of course I’m bored when you’re not here with me, Charlotte. That’s why I wanted to tease you. Don’t be mad, okay?"
"Hmph!" Charlotte Shaw shot him a fierce glare, not really wanting to deal with him.
He spent a long time gently and patiently coaxing her through the video call, even promising to let Charlotte sleep while touching his abs tonight, before he finally managed to placate her.
"You’re forgiven, for now!" Charlotte Shaw tapped the screen with her finger, a smile finally appearing on her face.
Felix Preston: "Thank you for forgiving me, Charlotte."
"By the way, Charlotte, how long did you study jewelry design to reach your current skill level?" Felix Preston asked, feigning casualness.
Charlotte Shaw was engrossed in a game, her head down. Because Felix Preston’s tone was so relaxed and natural, she let her guard down.
"About six years, I guess."
Felix Preston: "That long? You must have studied very hard and diligently, Charlotte."
Charlotte Shaw didn’t look up. "Diligently, of course, but it wasn’t much of a hardship. I love jewelry design, so studying it was mostly a joy."
Six years...
Studied diligently...
Felix Preston’s gaze darkened. The cloud of suspicion that had been lingering in his mind for a long time suddenly swelled and churned.
Charlotte Shaw said she studied jewelry design diligently for six years, but Renee Sinclair had said Charlotte was a natural talent who had mastered her craft after studying sporadically for less than four years.
Their stories were completely different. Who was telling the truth?
Or... were they both lying?
Felix Preston was utterly bewildered, with no idea how to find the answer.
"Felix Preston, I just had an idea."
Charlotte Shaw snapped her fingers, suddenly speaking with excitement.
Felix Preston was instantly pulled back to the present, smiling at her. "What idea have you come up with now, Charlotte?"
Charlotte Shaw: "I’m a super popular influencer with millions of fans right now. If I draw some fan art for each of the four male leads in *Laws of Love* during the closed beta, wouldn’t that be a great way to help you promote the game?"
Felix Preston: "Great idea! Fan-created content is one of the best ways to break into the mainstream. If you can draw fan art for the four male leads, the hype for *Laws of Love* will definitely skyrocket."
"I’ll start drawing right now!"
Charlotte Shaw didn’t delay for a second, immediately picking up another tablet beside her to start drawing.
"Charlotte." But Felix Preston suddenly stopped her.
"Huh?" She looked up at Felix Preston.
Felix Preston’s lips curved into a gentle smile. "There’s no rush, Charlotte. The closed beta has just begun. It’s not too late to draw after your confinement period is over."
"You haven’t been sleeping well these past few days. Don’t exhaust yourself with drawing. Just get some proper rest first."
"No need!" Charlotte Shaw was full of energy, not looking like she’d missed any sleep at all.
She waved her hand dismissively and immediately opened her drawing software.
"I’ve just been lazing around at home every day, so I’ve already recovered all my energy. Drawing is no problem at all. Besides, this is my first time drawing character art, and I can’t wait to see the final product!"
Charlotte Shaw loved trying new things. After saying this, she eagerly started to draw.
She even hummed a little tune as she worked.
Hearing her humming and seeing her fingers slightly curled in excitement, Felix felt the tension inside him suddenly dissipate.
’Forget it,’ he thought. ’As long as Charlotte is happy, I won’t worry about it so much.’
’The truth doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that Charlotte is happy.’
