My CEO Husband Cheated, I Wed a Ruthless General

Chapter 2

"What? You want to apply for the top-secret national medical research project?"

In the coffee shop, her senior from college, Hannah Sanders, stared at her in shock. "Are you crazy? Once you're selected for this project, the authorities will erase all your social identities and declare you missing to the public. The project runs anywhere from three to five years up to a full decade, and you're cut off entirely from the outside world the whole time. What about Leon? You love him more than anything, don't you?"

Charlotte placed her phone on the table to show the recorded video, which clearly captured footage of Leon cheating with Rachel, as well as his comment that she was nothing more than a useful i***t.

"He cheated on me. He was afraid if I had a child, I'd get a larger share of his property, so he's been slipping me birth control for seven years. He never loved me at all."

Charlotte's voice was perfectly calm without the slightest tremor in her voice. "The dean invited me to join many times before, and I turned him down every time. Now that I've come to my senses, I want to do truly meaningful research, not act as a moneymaking tool for him."

Hannah slammed the table in rage. "That bastard! You gave up so much for him, and he dares to treat you like this! Don't worry, I'll submit the application for you. Once you're selected, he'll never find you, no matter how hard he tries!"

Charlotte thanked her.

When she arrived home, Leon was already there. He was in a sharp suit, and when he saw her walk in, he reached out to hug her as usual, but Charlotte stepped out of his reach without a word.

He leaned in to kiss her neck, and a strange rose perfume hit her nose. It was the scent Rachel always wore and also the scent of the perfume Leon had given her for seven years. It turned out the perfume she had used for seven years had always been picked out to match Rachel's preferences.

Her stomach churned, and she pushed him away. "I'm tired today. I want to rest early."

Leon frowned. Just as he was about to say something, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the message and immediately grabbed his coat. "There's an emergency at the company. I have to head out. You go to bed first."

Charlotte watched his back as he hurried away, then opened the tablet he had left at home. A synced message popped up, sent by Rachel.

Rachel: Leon, I miss you. When are you coming?

And Leon replied almost immediately.

Leon: Be right there.

She let out a small, empty laugh, completely unfazed.

She printed out the divorce agreement, signed her name on it, and placed it in the most obvious spot in the living room. She made backups of all the evidence of his infidelity and drugging, then submitted her project application. At the same time, she arranged with her lawyer to file the divorce petition after she left.

She knew Leon would not let her go easily. Lancaster Group could not function without her research, and he would never allow his wife to "betray" him.

That was why she was going to disappear completely, so he would never find her.

After submitting the application, she grabbed her coat and headed out to the bar she frequented.

She downed glass after glass of whiskey. The whiskey burned its way down her throat, leaving a warm ache in her stomach, and the dull ache in Charlotte's heart finally eased a little.

The bar was dimly lit, and the music was deafening. Charlotte was alone, drunk and fuzzy-headed, and when her gaze swept across the corner, it met a pair of deep eyes.

The man was sitting in the shadows, wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing arms with lean, well-defined forearms. An unlit cigarette was held between his fingertips. His sharply contoured face looked cold and handsome under the flickering lights, and he carried a sharp, battle-hardened aura that felt totally out of place amid the bar's chaos.

On a strange impulse, Charlotte walked over with her glass in hand.

She leaned against the table and smiled, her eyes hazy with drunkenness. "Hey handsome, can you buy me a drink?"

Timothy Hollander had just finished reviewing the list of selected candidates for the classified project, and his fingertip was still resting on Charlotte's photo. The young woman he'd spent years searching for for years had actually appeared in front of him of her own accord.

He looked up at her. The corners of her eyes were flushed from drinking, her dress outlined her soft curves, and her long hair fell loose over her shoulders. She looked nothing like the woman in the photo, who had been wearing a lab coat and focused on running experiments, but she stirred something in him all the same.

He reached out and gently pulled her to his side to keep her from stumbling. His Adam's apple bobbed at the warmth of her touch. He lowered his voice, his breath fanning over her ear. "Miss, you're drunk. What if I'm a bad guy?"

Leaning against his chest, Charlotte caught a whiff of the crisp, cool scent of pine mixed with tobacco on him, a thousand times nicer than the commercial cologne Leon wore year-round. She tilted her face up, poked his firm chest with the tip of her finger, and smiled. "You're so good-looking. Even if you're a bad guy, I'm fine with that."

She had just been betrayed by the person she trusted most; her seven-year relationship had turned out to be nothing but a total scam. She had no desire to keep playing the role of the obedient Mrs. Lancaster. All she wanted was to let loose for this one night.

Looking at the unspeakable sadness hidden in the depths of her eyes, Timothy felt a faint, soft twinge in his chest. He picked her up horizontally, his voice low and rough. "You practically threw yourself at me, then don't you dare cry tonight."

Timothy carried her out of the bar. The night wind, carrying the lingering warmth of late summer, brushed across her cheeks, clearing Charlotte's muddled mind a little. She didn't push him away, though. Instead, her arms subconsciously tightened around his neck. The tip of her finger brushed the short, rough hair at the nape of his neck, sending a faint, prickly itch through her, and she clung even tighter to him.

Timothy's steps were as steady as a mountain, and his chest was broad and firm. Through the thin black shirt he wore, she could clearly feel the scorching heat of his skin and the steady thump of his heartbeat under the fabric. Charlotte buried her face in the crook of his neck, enveloped in that crisp pine and faint tobacco scent.

The car stopped at the entrance of the hotel, and he bent down to set her on her feet.

Her legs were weak, and she stumbled the moment her feet touched the ground. He reached out to clasp her waist, the warmth of his palm seeped through the silk of her dress, hot against her skin. His fingers tightened slightly, sinking into the soft flesh of her waist.

"Can you still walk?" He lowered his head, his voice deep and gravelly.

Charlotte tilted her face up to look at him. The crystal chandelier in the hotel lobby cast a halo of warm light behind him, his sharp features half-obscured, straddling the line between light and shadow. His browbone was high, his nose was sharply defined, and his jawline as angular as if carved by a knife.

She squinted, her finger sliding slowly down his arm. The pad of her finger brushed over his protruding wrist bone, then finally hooked lightly around his little finger, giving it a small shake.

I can walk if you lead me.

Her fingers were soft with the faint scent of alcohol. Her slender fingers curled around his pinky, tugging at his heartstrings like a soft feather. Timothy gulped, and he wrapped her entire hand in his palm in turn. His hand was large, with prominent knuckles, big enough to close almost entirely around hers.

They stepped into the elevator, and the tension in the enclosed space instantly thickened, the air growing warm between them. Charlotte leaned back against the cool metal wall, gazing at the man standing in front of her—broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, his black shirt stretching taut over the muscles of his back, sleeves rolled up to his forearms to reveal smoothly defined muscles. Her gaze drifted down from his throat to his collar, where two buttons were undone, offering a faint glimpse of the soft dip of his collarbone.

The mirror inside the elevator reflected their figures. Standing beside him, the top of her head only reached his shoulder; the dramatic height difference between them hummed with unspoken tension.

"What are you looking at?" He turned his head, his heavy gaze settling on her face.

Charlotte did not draw back. Instead, she leaned half a step forward, pressing almost into his arms, her nose nearly brushing his chest. "Looking at how handsome you are."

Her breath carried the sweet aroma of whiskey, fanning over his shirt and warming a small spot on the fabric. Timothy tilted his head to get a good look at her face. Her eyes were red at the corners, her long lashes damp, like a wronged kitten forcing itself to act bold.

The elevator gave a soft "ding" and came to a stop, and its doors slid open, but neither of them moved.

After a long moment, he let out a low chuckle, curled an arm around her waist, lifted her into his arms, and stepped out of the elevator. "Bold one, aren't you?"

The guest room was at the end of the corridor. The thick blackout curtains were drawn tight, with only a single sliver of the city's neon light slipping through the gap to cast a long, thin band of light across the carpet. He set her down on the edge of the bed and had just started to straighten up when she hooked her fingers around his wrist.

Her slender fingers curled around his wrist; her nails were neatly trimmed and rounded, brushing gently against his skin.

"What's the rush?" Charlotte tilted her head back slightly, her long hair spreading across the bedsheet like a spread of inky black silk. She did not let go of his wrist but instead traced her fingers up along it, hooking the cuff of his sleeve and giving it a gentle tug to pull him closer to her. "Won't you stay for another drink with me?

Timothy leaned down following her pull, bracing one hand on the mattress beside her. The bed sank a little under his weight. The distance between them shrank abruptly, their noses almost touching, their breaths mingling.

What followed was a fierce kiss. Timothy kissed her hard, his lips and tongue moving insistently against hers, his hand slipping under her clothes to caress her waist, then moving up to her chest.

Timothy's scorching hot body made Charlotte tremble. Wrapped in his scent, the mix of ache and pleasure washed away all the betrayal and hurt she had been carrying.

She'd lost track of how many times they'd gone at it. Shy and exhausted, Charlotte murmured, "You... aren't done yet?"

Baby, we've barely gotten started.

Another wave of pleasure washed over her, and Charlotte's vision went dark. She could not hold on any longer and drifted off to sleep.

She felt as if she were drowning in warm seawater, rising and falling with the waves, his deep voice ringing in her ears, calling her name over and over again.

It was not until her custom ringtone blared in the early morning that she woke up. She answered the phone, and Leon's cold, displeased voice came through the line.

"Charlotte, it's already work hours. Where are you? Get to the conference room for a meeting immediately!"

She hung up the phone, only then noticing it was already time for her to head to work.

A moment later, the lingering ache in her waist and legs hit her all at once. Charlotte's face flushed hot, but this had been the most restful night of sleep she had had in a long time.

The spot beside her was already empty.

Before she got dressed and left, she left enough money to cover the room charge on the nightstand, along with a note: Last night was wonderful. You're incredible. I'll remember this forever. Farewell, sweetheart.

She walked out the door. Just then, Timothy opened the door and came in carrying breakfast. Seeing the empty room, an amused, sharp smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"So heartless. Running off right after sleeping with me. Just you wait!"