Chapter 7 Sober Up
1228 Words
Thomas walked into the room just as Charlotte was disdainfully shoving Elijah to the floor.
"Are you okay? Who the hell dares to mess with you on your..."
Upon recognizing Elijah, Thomas stopped abruptly, surprised. "Elijah? What is he doing here?"
Charlotte stretched her wrists and put down the vase she was holding. "Someone must have drugged him. I have no idea how he ended up here, though."
Thomas got the picture instantly. "So, what's our next move?"
"Don't worry. I've got this. Just pretend you were never here," Charlotte said nonchalantly, nudging Elijah with her foot. "Thomas, let's get him checked. If there's no big deal, just strap a life jacket on him and toss him into the sea."
Thomas paused, uncertain. "Are you sure?"
Charlotte suppressed a smile and said deadpan, "The chilly water will sober him up."
Having realized that Charlotte had truly moved on from Elijah, Thomas let go of his concerns.
Now, more than anything else, he should be worrying about whether she might accidentally drown Elijah .
Half an hour later, the deck was packed with guests eager to see the commotion.
Daniel managed to push through to the railing.
The night was deep, and the deck was high above sea surface. All he could see was a floating orange life jacket.
"What's going on? Who's playing in the sea at this hour?" Daniel looked over curiously. "Is that dude crazy or what?"
"Daniel!"
Amelia ran up, her eyes wet with tears. "Please, you have to save Elijah."
"Huh? What's wrong with Elijah?"
"He's..."
Amelia didn't want to escalate the matter, so she leaned over and whispered, "He's in the sea."
"What in the world?"
Daniel was utterly confused. The fool in the sea was actually Elijah? Was this some kind of joke?
He looked again, and recognition dawned. That was indeed Elijah!
Daniel spat on the floor and shoved the crowd aside. "Stop staring! Move along for God's sake!"
"Clear the area. I'm going in!" he commanded before shedding his shoes and jacket and diving into the ocean.
The next day, Elijah unsurprisingly came down with a cold.
"We can't find out who it was. The surveillance footage has been tampered with," Daniel reported, trying not to laugh but failed.
It was the first time he'd seen Elijah this unlucky, and there was no clue as to who was responsible.
It seemed he could witness Elijah's misfortunes firsthand as long as he lived long enough!
Hearing his words, Elijah shot a sharp glance at him.
Yet, due to his current miserable state, his glance lacked any real menace.
Trying to suppress his laughter, Daniel said, "Amelia looked after you all night. Aren't you going to see her?"
Elijah's face darkened at the mention of Amelia. "No."
All of his embarrassment last night was because of her.
"Once we dock, have someone send her home. I don't want to see her right now."
"Have you truly forgotten everything from last night?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah."
Brows furrowed and eyes darkened, Elijah gazed out the window.
Although his memories from the night before were fragmented, he vaguely recalled seeing a cat-face mask.
And he seemed to hear... a familiar voice, too.
Sadly, those memories were hazy and jumbled.
Elijah only remembered his heart pounding like that of a young man experiencing first love.
He faintly remembered that he might have kissed Charlotte.
But now, without any surveillance footage to confirm with, he couldn't just jump to conclusions.
What if it was just a hallucination?
*****
Early the next morning, Charlotte woke up feeling as sunny as the light dancing on the sea's surface.
The cruise hadn't docked yet, but she had already arranged for a speedboat to take her back to the pier. Humming tunes along the way, she was heading to a restaurant to meet someone very special.
Before she had returned from abroad, Charlotte's grandfather, Gregor Robinson, had insisted on coming to New York to welcome her back.
She had thought it was a joke until he called the previous night. He announced that he had booked a private room at the city's finest restaurant and insisted that she join him for lunch today.
Charlotte arrived on time. She walked into the private room to find Gregor in conversation with a young man.
As the man turned around, Charlotte caught sight of his handsome features.
Unlike the elegant Elijah with his blond hair and blue eyes, this man had auburn hair that radiated wild strength. Beneath thin glasses, his green eyes sparkled with intelligence. With a prominent nose and a well-built, balanced physique, his entire presence exuded an effortless confidence.
Regaining her composure, Charlotte greeted her grandfather. "Grandpa!"
Gregor beckoned her over. "Come here, girl, let me introduce you to Mason Grande, your brother Adrian's colleague."
Charlotte quickly caught on to Gregor's real motive: he had lured her here for a blind date!
Charlotte smiled politely at Mason. "Mr. Grande, I'm currently not interested in dating, so I won't waste your time."
Mason, taken aback by her frank rejection, raised an eyebrow but smiled.
Gregor interjected quickly, "Charlotte, Mason isn't just any professor. He's the power behind Swain Group. The recent strategic moves of Swain were all his doing. You could learn a lot about business from him."
Swain, that well-known New York family? Charlotte recalled, but her interest in romance remained muted. She continued smiling, "Mr. Grande, you're certainly an accomplished man, and I'm sure there's no shortage of remarkable women around you. I won't crowd the scene."
With that, she went around Gregor, flashed him a pleasing smile, and excused herself. "Grandpa, I have some errands to run today. I'll treat you next time, okay? Bye!"
Mason watched as Charlotte made her swift exit, his smile deepening.
This young lady was certainly a character!
*****
After leaving the restaurant, Charlotte immediately arranged to meet her best friend, Layla Mente.
It had been three years since they last saw each other, and Layla had risen to become the editor-in-chief of a media company. Upon seeing Charlotte, she gave her a huge hug.
Layla handed over a stack of documents. "Here's the information about celebrities you asked for. Everything's ready."
As Glimmer Gems planned its expansion back home, choosing the right brand ambassadors was crucial, as it would significantly impact the brand's reputation.
Thus, Charlotte decided to select them personally.
Charlotte casually flipped through the files. Her eyes caught on Amelia's name.
She skimmed her profile which said: "Amelia seems to have done well since returning from abroad."
"She's just a pretty face, all looks and no substance, yet she insists on acting. Frankly, her performances are cringeworthy. If it weren't for..." Layla began but then paused.
If not for the backing of Garcia Group's Singwind Entertainment, Amelia wouldn't have access to so many resources. Layla thought but refrained from speaking it out loud.
Charlotte was lost in thoughts. Amelia had been back for three years, but she had never secured her place in Elija's life.
That must have been the catalyst for Amelia's drastic actions last night.
Charlotte couldn't figure it out, nor did she want to probe further.
What was between them had nothing to do with her now.
Turning her attention back to Layla, Charlotte suddenly came up with a plan.
"Editor Mente, I need your help with something!"
- Writer
