Free Web NovelChapter 226: Chapter 229: One Wild Night
"Not yet!"
Charlotte Shaw placed a hand against Felix Preston’s chest, turning her head to dodge his kiss.
"Why not yet?" Felix Preston’s brows furrowed in dismay. "Today is the forty-fifth day since you gave birth. The doctor said we could be intimate after forty-two days. And when I took you for your check-up yesterday, the doctor said you’ve recovered exceptionally well."
"Th-that’s not what I meant..." The warm air from his breath reddened Charlotte Shaw’s face, and her eyes grew moist. "I just suddenly remembered there’s a question I haven’t asked you yet, so I wanted you to wait a moment..."
"...Oh." Felix Preston paused for a second, then immediately propped himself up. "Go ahead, ask."
Charlotte Shaw looked up at him. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and without the lenses to hide them, his handsome, upward-slanting eyes were strikingly beautiful.
Gazing at his eyes, mesmerized, Charlotte Shaw asked softly, "You and Evan Yates knew about this a month ago, but why didn’t you say a single word to me about it?"
Felix Preston’s burning gaze roamed intimately over her face, his voice growing hoarse with desire. "You had just given birth to Sandy, and you were still very weak. I didn’t want this ugly business to disturb your recovery, so I planned to tell you slowly after your postpartum confinement period was over."
"You’ve already worried enough for my sake. I didn’t want you to have a restless recovery."
"...Alright." Charlotte Shaw had already guessed why Felix Preston had kept it from her. Asking now was just to hear him say it himself.
"I forgive you," she said with a coquettish smile, raising her arms to wrap around Felix Preston’s neck again.
"Hmph..." Felix Preston lowered his head, affectionately rubbing the tip of his straight nose against Charlotte Shaw’s. "Well, thank you then, Charlotte."
Charlotte Shaw didn’t say anything, simply tilting her head up and initiating a kiss with Felix Preston.
Her soft, fragrant lips gently pressed against his. Felix Preston froze for only a second before swiftly taking the lead.
「A night of wild passion...」
Utterly exhausted from the night before, Charlotte Shaw closed her eyes and slept straight through until one in the afternoon.
By the time she woke up, the snow outside had stopped. Felix Preston had already eaten lunch and gone to his studio, leaving her only a note telling her to sleep well.
She pulled the note free, tucked it into her phone case, and replied to messages on WeChat as she dragged her weary body into the bathroom to wash up.
Even though Felix Preston had been outrageously wild last night, he’d had the decency not to leave any marks on Charlotte Shaw’s neck.
After washing up, Charlotte Shaw went to the walk-in closet, found some thick, warm clothes to change into, and then stealthily twisted the doorknob to head downstairs.
Although she was free to sleep in at home, this was the first time since coming back that she had woken up so late.
Afraid her parents would notice something, she crept down the stairs furtively.
"Charlotte’s awake."
She hadn’t even made it all the way down the stairs before Jackson Shaw spotted her from the living room.
Her body stiffened. She kept her head down guiltily and replied, "Ah... I’m... I’m up."
Jackson Shaw smiled and waved her over. "No matter how good a TV show is, you should still remember to get to bed earlier. Come on down and eat before you get too hungry."
"TV... show?" Charlotte Shaw held on to the handrail as she walked downstairs, a bit confused by Jackson Shaw’s words.
Brianna Bell poked her head out of the kitchen, a wide smile on her face. "Felix said you stayed up until five in the morning watching TV, and that’s why you couldn’t get out of bed today."
"...Yes, that’s right." Charlotte Shaw immediately broke into a smile. "It’s all the show’s fault for being so good. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep soundly without finishing it."
Brianna Bell shook her head helplessly. "So, you finally feel rested?"
"Rested! Very rested!"
"If you’re rested, then come down and eat. I made you cola chicken wings!"
"Coming!" Charlotte Shaw’s guilt vanished instantly.
Felix Preston did have some conscience, after all. Knowing she was thin-skinned, he had come up with a lie in advance to perfectly explain away why she couldn’t get out of bed.
She went downstairs gleefully for her meal. After eating, she played with Sandy for a while, then put on her scarf and hat and went out.
Julia Dawson was hosting a dinner party at her house, having invited her friends over to discuss various matters about the wedding.
"Charlotte, wait a minute!"
Charlotte Shaw had just walked into the yard when Brianna Bell suddenly chased after her from the living room.
"What’s wrong?"
Charlotte Shaw stopped and turned back with a smile.
Brianna Bell had hastily thrown on a coat and ran right out in her slippers to catch up to Charlotte Shaw.
"Is Dawson’s house far? How long does it take to drive there?" She adjusted Charlotte Shaw’s hat and scarf, then zipped up Charlotte’s down jacket to the very top.
Charlotte Shaw said, "Not far, it’s only a twenty-minute drive. But if the snow on the roads hasn’t been cleared well, it might take half an hour."
Brianna Bell frowned, a faint layer of worry in her eyes. "Be careful on your way there, and remember to text Mom when you arrive. If I’m free later, I’ll come pick you up myself."
"Okay," Charlotte Shaw first answered obediently, then asked, "Mom, what’s with you today? I’m just going to Dawson’s place, not on some long journey."
"Sigh..." Brianna Bell sighed, smiling a little sheepishly. "I don’t know what’s gotten into me either. It’s just that when I saw you leaving just now, my heart started pounding for no reason."
"Charlotte, c-could you not go out today? How about going to Dawson’s place tomorrow instead?"
Charlotte Shaw took her hand, not taking her mother’s worries seriously. "Mom, the weather forecast says there’s heavy snow tomorrow, so it’ll be very inconvenient to go out. Besides, Dawson’s husband just got back from a business trip abroad and said he brought us a lot of nice things. I want to go take a look."
"...O-okay, then." Brianna Bell didn’t want to be a wet blanket, so she forced herself to believe that her fleeting panic meant nothing.
"Then be careful on the road, Charlotte. Tell the driver to go slowly."
Charlotte Shaw opened her arms and gave her a hug, pressing her cheek against her mother’s. "Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be careful. You help me take care of Sandy at home. I’m off to have some fun now."
Brianna Bell patted her head and forced a smile. "Go on, then. I had someone buy some shrimp that are bigger than your palm. I’ll make them for you tonight."
"Okay!"
She let go of Brianna Bell, said goodbye, and went to the main gate to get in the car, humming a little tune.
Brianna Bell watched her leave, not returning to the living room until she saw the car waiting at the gate drive away, her face etched with worry.
Jackson Shaw, who was amusing Sandy with a toy, glanced up at Brianna Bell and teased, "Charlotte is just going to see a friend, not running away from home. Look at you, all worried."
Brianna Bell clutched her chest and sank onto the sofa, looking utterly distraught. "I know Charlotte is just going to see her friend, and I know she’ll come straight home when she’s done. I just feel... uneasy, so I wanted to talk with her a little longer."
