“Louis, I’m going back to my room to rest.” Charlotte made up her mind. “You should return to watch the show.”
“I need a rest too.” Louis fanned himself. “I don’t know why, but I feel a little hot.”
“All right. Let’s head back together.”
They returned to the villa together. Before Charlotte could enter her room, Louis stopped her. “Charlotte, I need to talk to you.”
“We can talk tomorrow.” The woman held her temples, drained of energy.
“I’m afraid I’ll lose the courage to say anything tomorrow,” Louis confessed, sounding despondent. “Now that there’s liquid courage in me, I’d like to talk to you.”
Charlotte could not bring herself to reject him, so she caved in. “All right. Come on in then.”
Louis entered her room after her.
Her two female bodyguards were also about to head in, but Louis’ bodyguard stopped them. “The couple wishes to talk in private. I don’t think it’s appropriate for you two to be inside the room, right?”
“But…” Charlotte’s bodyguards glanced at her hesitantly.
“Leave us alone,” Charlotte commanded.
“Yes!” The bodyguards left as instructed.
After slamming the door shut, Charlotte poured two glasses of water. She offered one to Louis and sat down on the sofa to drink hers.
“Charlotte,” Louis uttered, gazing at her affectionately. He then proceeded to reveal his true feelings for her. “Do you know how delighted I was when you agreed to marry me? My dream is finally coming true! Our wedding will be held eight days later—”
“Louis,” Charlotte cut him short. She frowned and continued, “If that’s what you want to say, you can do it another day. I’m too tired and wish to go to bed.”
“You’ve been so cold to me lately,” he complained wistfully. “Is it because Zachary’s arriving soon?”
“Can you stop acting like a child?” she snapped impatiently. “I’ve been honest with you from the start—I don’t have romantic feelings for you. If you insist on marrying me, you have to consider it carefully.”
“Yes, you’ve warned me, and I understand.” Louis could not seem to hide his grievance. “I’ve been trying so hard to close the distance between us. I thought you’d be touched by my efforts, but you remained unfazed no matter what I did. On the contrary, I think you’re drifting apart from me.”
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. In a choking voice, he pleaded, “Charlotte, please be honest with me. Do you still love Zachary? Are you going to get back together with him?”
“That’s enough!” Charlotte did not want to hear any more of it. “Tonight isn’t a good time for us to talk. We can continue the conversation tomorrow.”
She placed her glass down with a thud. “I need to go to bed. Good night!” It was clearly an order to leave.
“I’m sorry for acting rashly. If I’ve upset you, please accept my apology,” Louis apologized instantly.
He was back to his cowardly self. Though an unknown fire was blazing within his body, arousing his desire, he dared not lay a finger on Charlotte.
“I hope I didn’t affect your mood. Goodbye, and see you tomorrow.”
Louis was all ready to leave when the phone on the coffee table rang. The caller ID showed that it was a call from Zachary.
Charlotte was startled. Why is Zachary calling me at this hour?
At the sight of the man’s name, Louis exploded with anger. “Charlotte, did you kick me out so that you can answer his call? Didn’t you tell me you’ve broken up with him and that you’ll never get back together with him ever again? Why is he calling you this late?”
“Louis, what’s wrong with you today?” she demanded.
He’s acting strange tonight. Usually, Louis is a polite gentleman. No matter what, he’ll choose to communicate in a sensible manner. He has never acted this capriciously before.
“Don’t forget that you’re my fiancée, Charlotte,” Louis roared. “You announced our wedding to the public yourself. You can’t do this to me!”
“Louis, are you drunk?” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I didn’t cheat on you, did I? Why are you so agitated?”
