Chapter 723 The Inevitable Bet
Wooing My Ex-Wife
Chades thought Zendaya was crying because she fell bel about his injuries The never imagined the young girl to throw a tantrum because she had not seen him her were a mislealation. Sheâs just a checky little girl Zendaya cried so much that she suffered a fit of hiccup Nico hurriedly patted her back and coased. âDonât worry, Zendy Uncle Charles will wear it eventually Heâs still injured, Hugging his cast like that will be painful for him At the same time, he shot Charles a frantic glance.
Charles got the memo and immediately grasped his cast with his left hand He inhaled sharply and knimed his brows, appearing to be in deep pain His acting did the trick, and Zendaya obediently let go of his cast. She sat beside him and stared at him with puppy dog eyes.
âDid I hurt Uncle Charles?â
Charles smiled tenderly at her and said, âItâs okay. I can handle it.â
Once again. Nico rolled his eyes at Charlesâ flamboyant acting Zendaya stared intently at Charlesâ cast and asked softly, âI thought I could finally see Uncle Charles and Uncle Nico in dresses today. I didnât know your injuries were so bad. How long did you need to recoverââ
âAboutâ¦â Charles looked to Nico for guidance.
Nico began an extensive pantomime behind Zendaya.
He raised three fingers, and Charles instantly understood his message.
âIt takes longer to recover from broken bones. The doctor said Iâll need at least a hundred days to fully recover, so thatâll be about three months.â
Nico nodded in satisfaction and discreetly shot Charles a thumbs-up in approval.
The answer brought a frown to Zendayaâs face. She appeared to be in deep thought before finally asking âWill it really take that long? Daddy said Uncle Charles trained in fighting since young, so his body is very strong. He should recover in a few days.
The two men struggled to come up with a reply.
Zendaya pouted, her scrutinizing gaze traveling between the two men. After some time, she said accusingly. âUncle Charles, Uncle Nico, are you lying to me because you donât want to carry out the bes Her question sent alarm bells ringing in their heads Haje can we fool a shrewd little thing like you?
âOf course notâ Charles was the first to speak up. He declared firmly âOnce Iâm fully recovered Ill carry out the bes, Iâm not the sort of man who will make empty promises Nico This arms silently and narrowed his gaze Charles Down? he golty about lying so her face? He must be at fooling gullible lite gire Amat his thoughts, Zendaya suddenly turned her altregion to Nicw She seemed to be wordlessly asking him a question with her tearful gaze and p posse Her long eyelashes were clumped together after being het by her tears, making her adorable Nicoâs heart skipped a beat. He was no match for her poful gaze He spunered. âThat me too! Since itâs a bet and one notarized by a lawyer in a contract, leely honor Iâll it Besides, this was Mr. Jensonâs punishment. I would ever lie to weasel my way out of r Guess Iâm not too shabby at tricking children after all it Charles leaned against the headboard and lazily arched a brow His blue eyes shot Nico a Nico responded with a glare They seemed to be challenging each other through their stares.
an Zendaya looked between Charles and Nico before voicing her protest. âThatâs not true Uncle Nicol Confused. Nico asked, âWhy not?â
âThe bet states that you must clean a restroom while wearing a dress You have to do it eventually. If youâre not injured, why not do it today, Uncle Nico Nico fumbled for a way to save his pride. He muttered. Im not in a rush. Let me do it with Charles. We can book out all the restrooms in the lab. Isnât that better!â
Mirth danced in Charlesâ eyes as he silently watched Nicoâs downfall.
To Nicoâs dismay, Zendaya smiled empathetically and said, âItâs okay if you donât do it with Uncle Charles In fact, you can show him how to do it now!â
Thatâs okay for you, but not for me!
Sull, Nico had run out of excuses to put off his bet. He looked to Charles for help, hoping the latter could help to distract Zendaya from her mission.
Alas. Charles was happy to jump on the bandwagon and commented, âI think thatâs a great sles. As the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he should show a citizen like me Besides, Mr.
Nico isnât injured and is perfectly healthy I would be disappointed in myself if delayed Mr Jensonâs punishmentâ
Zendays nodded hastily in agreement. âYouâre right, Uncle Charles. I fully agree?
Then she turned around to look at Nico and suggested âLetâs go. Uncle Nico. The mailâs dress is already prepared for you. Otc, and for a better effect. I even prepared a wig for you The camer Now was honibed Chills ran down his spine, though he did not dwell on his misfortune for long. He was going to drag Charles down with him.
Nico declared. âWe canât disappoint Zendy after her careful preparations, can we? I canât enjoy the fruns of her labor alone!â
His wicked gaze filled Charles with a sense of foreboding Nico announced. âStop acting, Charles. Remove the casts. I knew you were pretending to be injured from the beginning: I just didnât want to expose your lies. But now, I canât get over my guilt of tricking Zendy. Itâs time to own up.â
âTrick me!â Zendaya tilted her head in confusion and stared intently at her godfather.
Charlesâ words caught in this throat.
The decision to confess was taken out of his hands by Nico, who grabbed a small rubber hammer and broke the cast over his leg.
âWell, Charles, are you going to celebrate my misfortune? Too bad for you, weâre going down together!â
He raised the small hammer and accurately struck a nerve on Charlesâ kneecap, taking care to control his strength.
Charles left leg muscles twitched involuntarily in response.
Nico said in amazement. âThis legâs doing pretty well, isnât it? It looks nice and straight, and the muscles are still firm. I wonder where the broken bones are?â
A glum Charles could only purse his lips in silence.
âHmm?â Zendaya was surprised and pulled at Charles left leg. She asked curiously, âAre your broken bones all better, Uncle Charles?â
Charles could only reply through gritted teeth. âIt was quite numb, but after your Uncle Nico struck my leg, itâs suddenly good as new. His medical skills are so extraordinary that he should be a legendary doctor!â
Nico appeared pleased as punch at how things had turned out. He even gave himself a massage on the shoulders with the small rubber hammer.
Yes, his doom was near, but he would not be alone.
Charles made the error of betraying him first, so Nico had no qualms about digging both their graves The twist of events cheered Zendaya up. She exclaimed, âThatâs great! Now that Uncle Charles is all better you can both wear dresses together! Letâs go! Letâs carry out the bet today!â
Charles was moodily dragged out of bed. He removed the fake cast on his right arm and silently followed Zendaya out of the Newton residence.
On the way to the labs. Zendaya sat in the middle of the backseat with Charles on her left and Nico on her right Sandwiched between the two men, she seemed even smaller than usual.
Zendaya skillfully used her smartwatch to call Benedict The line connected, and she said, âBenny, weâll be at the lab in half an hour. Is everything ready? Oh right Uncle Nico and Uncle Charles are both coming. Uncle Charles is all better. You canât even tell that he was injured.â
She added. âRemember to check everything. Benny. There should be two wigs, two maid dresses, two pairs of long black socks⦠ah, and two pairs of black loafers! Those super cute ones!â
Charles and Nico had been watching the scenery outside the window during Zendayaâs call. Both men were close to losing their nerves after her phone call.
Did I hear her correctly? Long black socks? Is it the type of socks Iâm imagining now?
Nico had paled considerably at the thought of putting on Zendayaâs handpicked costume.
His fear was akin to the panic before a natural disaster.
Can I still escape if I jump out of the car now?