Free Web NovelChapter 236: Chapter 239: Don’t Force Me to Hate You
SLAP!
Charlotte Shaw slapped him again.
"Give me back my ring and bracelet." Her eyes were red as she stared at him, stubbornly holding out her hand to Willow Quincy. "I want my ring and bracelet. Give them back to me."
Willow Quincy gave the same reply. "I can’t."
"..."
Charlotte Shaw looked at him, suddenly at a loss for words.
She let out a nearly imperceptible sigh. Her gaze toward Willow Quincy gradually filled with disappointment, and a hint of exhaustion.
She said nothing more, simply turning with a desolate air and walking back to her room.
Watching her frail figure retreat, Willow Quincy suddenly felt a flicker of panic.
"Sonia." He started after her, reaching out to grab Charlotte Shaw. But Charlotte anticipated his move, sidestepping just before his hand could touch her.
His hand met only empty air, and the panic in his heart intensified.
"Sonia, if you like gold bracelets and rings, I can take you to buy new ones. I’ll buy you the most expensive, most beautiful ones, I guarantee they’ll be a hundred times more beautiful than the ones Felix Preston gave you!"
Charlotte Shaw stopped, her back still to him. "Willow Quincy, I only want the ring Felix Preston bought for me."
"..." Willow Quincy frowned, the panic in his heart instantly replaced by bitter resentment. "Sonia Quincy, why must you insist on having things from Felix Preston?"
Charlotte Shaw turned to face him. "Because I love him. I love Felix Preston, and he’s the only one for me in this lifetime!"
"...Sonia Quincy!!" Willow Quincy was consumed by hatred and jealousy, yet he was utterly helpless against Charlotte Shaw.
Charlotte Shaw said, "Also, I haven’t been Sonia Quincy for a long time. I’m Charlotte Shaw now, the biological daughter of the Shaw Family, Charlotte Shaw! Please don’t call me by that name anymore."
"And what if I insist?" Willow Quincy’s lips twisted into a smile, a smile clearly laced with deep pain. "What if I insist on calling you Sonia Quincy, and insist on keeping you from being with Felix Preston?"
Charlotte Shaw smiled as well. "Willow Quincy, that’s your freedom."
Willow Quincy stared at her, his eyes bloodshot.
Charlotte Shaw continued, "But hating you is my freedom, too."
"Willow Quincy, don’t force me to hate you."
BANG!
The next second, the door was slammed shut in Willow Quincy’s face. The thin wooden panel separated him and Charlotte Shaw into two different worlds.
He clenched his fists in frustration and spoke to Charlotte Shaw on the other side of the door. "But Sonia, hate lasts longer than love."
"If it makes you remember me forever, then I’ll be happy even if you hate me for the rest of your life."
Charlotte Shaw no longer paid him any mind.
At 12:30 in the afternoon, a kind-faced, middle-aged woman knocked on Charlotte Shaw’s door.
Charlotte didn’t answer, so the woman let herself in.
"Sonia, time for lunch."
Charlotte glanced at the woman and said coldly, "Don’t call me Sonia."
The woman acted as if she hadn’t heard. "Sonia, I made your favorites, braised pork ribs in soy sauce and chestnut chicken. Come and have some."
Charlotte rolled over in bed, propping herself on her side to look at the woman with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Do you know me?"
The woman smiled. "No. This is the first time Sonia and I have met."
"..." Charlotte was a little speechless. "You don’t know me, yet you call me so familiarly? And how do you know I like braised pork ribs in soy sauce and chestnut chicken?"
The woman replied, "Mr. Quincy told me all this."
"..."
Charlotte rolled her eyes. ’Right, I’d forgotten about him.’
The woman set out the bowl and chopsticks and, with great patience, called to her again. "Sonia, come and eat. It’ll get cold soon."
"..." Charlotte didn’t say a word, but she threw back the covers, got out of bed, and obediently sat down at the dining table.
The woman said, "Go on, eat. You’ve been hungry for over ten hours."
Charlotte ignored her, picked up her chopsticks, and started to eat.
What she’d said that morning had just been angry words. Although she was now imprisoned by Willow Quincy, she wasn’t foolish enough to actually seek death.
She had a husband, a child, a happy and perfect family, and friends who were always by her side. With so many vulnerabilities and people to care for, she would never give up and die just because of one Willow Quincy.
Not only would she not die, but she would also do everything in her power to survive and escape.
And the first step to escaping was to eat well. Only with a full stomach would she have the strength to battle wits and will with Willow Quincy.
She had been hungry for over ten hours, and her stomach had long been rumbling. Plus, the woman’s cooking was quite good, so she ended up wolfing down her food.
Seeing this, the woman immediately took her phone out of her apron pocket and sent a text to Willow Quincy.
Two minutes later, Willow Quincy came up from downstairs.
He stood at the doorway, watching in surprise as Charlotte Shaw obediently ate her meal.
Charlotte kept her head down, completely focused on her food. She had known he was there for a while but couldn’t be bothered to spare him a single glance.
"What should I call you?" she asked the woman standing by her side.
The woman smiled. "My surname is Bell. Sonia can just call me Aunt Bell."
"Mm," Charlotte responded perfunctorily, then picked up her bowl and continued eating.
Willow Quincy stood silently in the doorway, afraid that if he spoke, Charlotte would stop eating. So he kept his mouth shut, not making a sound.
Charlotte was starving and ate every last bit of the food Aunt Bell had brought. When she finished, she also drank a large glass of water.
Aunt Bell pulled a napkin from the table and handed it to her, asking softly, "Was that enough? Should I go get you some more?"
"No need." After wiping her mouth, Charlotte tossed the wadded-up napkin into her bowl. "I’m full."
"...Alright." Aunt Bell immediately began to clear the dishes.
Charlotte got up from her chair, walked back to the bed, and pulled the covers over herself again.
Only then did Willow Quincy dare to enter the room.
"Good girl, Sonia." He sat on the edge of the bed, a pleased look on his face as he reached out to pat Charlotte’s head.
But Charlotte slapped his hand away—SLAP!—and, with a sour expression, rolled over to face away from him.
"Ah..." He sighed helplessly. He sat on the edge of the bed watching Charlotte for a while. Seeing her eyes closed and her breathing long and even, it seemed she had fallen asleep, so he quietly got up.
"Go on, get some sleep." He gently stroked Charlotte’s hair and whispered in a voice only he could hear, "When you wake up, don’t be sad anymore."
...
"Still no news?"
Jackson Shaw, his eyes red, stared hopefully at Kevin Collins as he walked into the living room.
Kenneth Collins hung his head and sat down on the sofa.
"Everything’s normal on Willow Quincy’s end. My people didn’t find anything."
"Impossible." Felix Preston glared fiercely at Kevin Collins, spitting out each word through gritted teeth. "I’m certain Willow Quincy took Charlotte. It’s impossible that you couldn’t find anything."
"He must have used some method to cover his tracks and throw us off."
