Joe glanced at Trevor and said, âThis year, our collaboration with Pope Group can reduce costs by 30%.â
As soon as Trevor heard this, he became anxious and gave Joe an annoyed glare. He said, âWhy are you still settling personal scores? I know youâre the esteemed party A. Iâll keep my mouth shut.â
Joe remained noncommittal and, with Charlotte on his back, headed towards the villaâs backyard.
On the side, Lena saw Trevorâs reaction and couldnât help but laugh. âYouâre quite daring, but you back down quickly, too.â
Trevor shrugged nonchalantly, downing the remaining contents of his glass.
âI truly envy him. If only Iâ¦â
Trevor gradually restrained his smile, took his empty glass, and turned to leave.
Lena and Gideon exchanged a glance. Even though Trevor hadnât said anything explicitly, they still understood the implied message.
Joe carried Charlotte steadily into the room. When he saw what Charlotte was wearing, he immediately called Mandy to the adjacent room.
However, he didnât notice that shortly after he left the room, two figures quietly sneaked in. They stood at the head of Charlotteâs bed and exchanged a few words with her.
When Joe returned, he found Charlotte still peacefully asleep on the bed.
âCharlotte, would you like me to take you for a bath? You donât seem comfortable like this,â Joe tried to wake her up, intending to have her take a quick shower.
However, Charlotte showed no signs of waking up. After a moment of contemplation, Joe began unbuttoning her clothes.
But to his surprise, just as he unbuttoned the last button, Charlotte suddenly opened her eyes, staring intently at Joe.
Joe was taken aback.
Without Charlotte having to scream, Joe knew that his current actions seemed too ambiguous.
He cleared his throat and said, âYou might not believe it, but I just thought of changing your clothes to make you more comfortableâ¦â
Joe was awkwardly explaining but felt that the more he explained, the less clear it became.
âIâ¦â He closed his eyes and was about to explain further when Charlotte suddenly tugged at his tie.
Joe looked at Charlotte in surprise, only to realize that her gaze was still hazy, indicating that she hadnât sobered up.
âWhat are you trying to do?â Joe tried to lean back, wanting to free himself without harming Charlotte.
Unfortunately, Charlotte didnât give him that chance.
Not only did she tightly clutch Joeâs tie, but she also unbuttoned his shirt. The delicate buttons flew against the wall and then dropped to the floor, finally rolling under the bed.
Joe had no choice but to quickly undo his tie and let Charlotte lead him.
Luckily, after all this fuss, Charlotte fell into a contented sleep, no longer troubling Joe.
Joe looked at his crumpled shirt and helplessly said to Charlotteâs sleeping face, âYou sure sleep soundlyâ¦â
Seeing that Charlotte was peacefully asleep, he decided to take a shower and change his clothes himself.
Soon, the sound of running water filled the bathroom.
At that moment, Charlotte suddenly opened her eyes, furrowing her brow as she discarded the tie in her hand and walked to the bathroom door.
The door, which had been left unlocked out of concern for Charlotte, was easily pushed open by her.
Joe was startled, his face filled with astonishment as he looked towards the doorway.
âCharlotte?â
Joe couldnât believe his eyes as he stared at her, never expecting her to appear at the door.
Then, he belatedly grabbed a towel and quickly covered himself up.