She had believed she had kept the secret well hidden. Furthermore, she assumed that no one would ever find out about it if she didn’t say anything about it
“However, I still want to know the truth from you. Anna, tell me, your daughter’s father is Wayne, isn’t he? And you’re the mother of her son, aren’t you? What the hell had happened?”
Anna clenched the paper so hard that her knuckles turned white. “Does Wayne know about this?” she asked after calming down.
Charlotte answered with a shake of her head, “No, he certainly doesn’t. I didn’t tell him because I wasn’t sure what will happen if I tell him. Anna.”
“Yes, I see. What do you know?”
“Actually, I only know the first half of it. Someone told me that Wayne’s son was born to a surrogate mother. He only did it because his grandfather persuaded him to get married soon. But I still find it puzzling. Your father was a successful businessman, wasn’t he? So, what made you decide to become a surrogate mother?”
Anna frowned and started to ponder. She thought Charlotte already knew most of what had happened, but she hadn’t told Wayne about it because she was worried about some things.
However, Anna knew what Charlotte was worried about
Then Anna tucked that paper into the bag and sealed it. She said thoughtfully. “Well, Charlotte, I can tell you more of it since you have already known my secret. But will you keep it a secret for me?”
Charlotte was stunned for a moment and asked, “Huh? Do you want to keep it a secret? So, you’re not going to tell Wayne about this, right?”
Anna answered indifferently, “No. It’s my own business. If you don’t tell
Wayne about it, I can keep your secret in exchange.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t have any secret,” Charlotte asked, frowning. “I know you have something to do with the fire that broke out at the hotel before.” Charlotte flushed immediately, and she then stuttered, “You…”
“Actually, I’ve got to the bottom of it a week after that. But I didn’t tell anyone about it.” “Anna, are you threatening me?”
“No, you‘re overthinking it. Actually, I’m trying to make a deal with you. You met me here today and showed me this file for some purpose, right? I’m sure you’re not doing this out of concern for me.”
Anna then pointed her finger at the paper bag and stated, “In any case, I’m sure reasons. So, tell me exactly what you want me to do for you.”
After a long pause, Charlotte scowled and confessed. “Okay, I admit I did it for other reasons. But, Anna, please trust me when I say I didn’t aim to hurt you. I came here to meet you since we have common interests. Otherwise, I would have talked to Wayne about it immediately.”
Anna gave her a blank stare and didn’t say anything.
“Honestly, I had no idea about it and assumed that you two were just dating. But someone informed me that the relationship between you two was far more complicated than everyone thought.”
Anna furrowed her brow and asked, “What? Who was it?” She figured that only the Wrights’ housekeeper back then knew the truth
“Well, it was Ada.”
Anna immediately exclaimed in surprise, “Ada?!” Ever since she hadn’t seen Ada in roughly six months
The last time she saw Ada was at that reception in Seriel City. They didn’t say anything but just stared at each other from afar.
Anna couldn’t believe that Ada knew the truth and had told Charlotte.
“She was the one who planned the fire. Later, I discovered that she had taken advantage of me.” Charlotte said angrily.
Charlotte said, “I didn’t want to hurt these two kids at first. Ada explained that she had only intended to cause a minor mishap, giving me the opportunity to save Matthew. But I didn’t expect the fire to be so large that it burned down the entire kitchen. Whenever I think about it later, I feel petrified. I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life if I hadn’t had the guts to run into the kitchen and save Matthew.”
Charlotte said so with a horrified expression.
Anna looked at her, paused for a moment, and then continued, “So, Ada did try to kill Matthew, and she wanted everyone to believe that you were the murderer instead if that was the case. That way, Wayne would know that I was being a bad parent and didn’t save Matthew. Also, she could get him killed. Even if Wayne investigates the case, he will conclude that you are the murderer because you have no evidence that Ada committed the crime. She was attending a film festival in another country when the fire broke out”
Charlotte nodded thoughtfully and continued. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
Anna inhaled deeply and felt a shiver running down her spine. She knew that Charlotte was telling the truth: Ada did seem like someone who would do this evil thing and plant it on her.
Anna thought, It‘s very likely that Ada had planned this alone and convinced Charlotte to help her. That way, all my previous doubts can be proven well–founded.
Anna had previously felt puzzled as to why a wealthy lady like Charlotte would conspire with the pastry chef to murder two children. She also pondered why Charlotte would dash into the kitchen at the last second to save Matthew. It was crystal clear that her weird actions would make her suspicious.
So, without even thinking about it, Anna trusted what Charlotte said to her. Moreover, she also knew that Ada had the guts to commit a brutal crime like that.
Ada was not a wealthy young lady like Charlotte, and she began working as an actor when she was 16 or 17. In the showbiz, she had met many strange people as well as witnessed many nasty deals. Therefore, she was highly likely to do something like this.
Finally, Charlotte asked, “So, Anna, can you trust me now? I’ve been feeling very guilty since the incident happened. Wayne may know the truth, but he refuses to discuss it with me. This sensation makes me restless, and I don’t want to bear this anguish any longer. Anna, I want to do something to get things back to the way they were.”
“So, you want Wayne and I to make up with each other?” Anna asked. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
Anna inhaled deeply. She was no longer wary of Charlotte at that point, and she leaned back in her chair at ease.
She said, “Well, you should know that it’s impossible. Charlotte, I believe in what you just said to me. Honestly, there are a lot of issues between Wayne and me. The truth about the kids isn’t the only thing keeping us from taking our relationship to the next level. Anyway, it’s not as simple as you think it is.”
“I think you should just tell Wayne about it. I know he adores you, and you know it as well. So, if he finds out that you are his child’s mother and that he has a daughter, he will be overjoyed! Nothing can stop you from being together in that case.”
Hearing Charlotte’s words, Anna knew she had it all figured out and was desperate for them to get back together.
Anna wished she could laugh out loud after hearing Charlotte’s naive words, but she couldn’t. Then she added, “Actually, I haven’t decided what to say to Wayne yet. But I have to tell him about it someday. Could you keep it a secret till then for me?”
I had no idea that Wayne was the man who forced me to become his surrogate when we started dating. If I had known who he was, I indeed wouldn‘t have fallen in love with him, Anna thought
Charlotte paused for a while before saying firmly, “Don’t worry, you can count on me. In fact, I have hesitated whether to tell Wayne about this or not before. But I didn’t dare to tell him about it eventually. If I tell him, he will definitely know about my deal with Ada. Although I believe Wayne knows that the fire has something to do with me, I dare not tell him the truth. We couldn’t possibly be friends otherwise.”
Anna could comprehend her point of view and understand that everyone desired to be perfect in the eyes of the person they loved.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to the paper and said, “Okay, I’ll take this me, then. Thank you for taking me to lunch and helping me keep my secret, Charlotte.”
Charlotte pursed her lips and tapped the table with her fingers. She spoke anxiously, “In fact, I owe you an apology. I went against you before because I thought I relied on him so much that I couldn’t leave him. Later, I spoke with my therapist and asked for advice from my brother. And I’ve finally got it all figured out. Please don’t hold grudges against me for Anna Could you please forgive me?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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