After the police station made contact, the boy's mother rushed in around midnight, her face pale with worry.
She swept the boy into her arms and shot Charlotte and Herbert a hurried thank you. “Thank you both, truly!”
Before she finished, she turned and hurried out, clutching her son tightly.
The boy kept glancing back every few steps, his gaze lingering on Charlotte as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.
At last, he followed his mother out of sight, leaving Charlotte alone in the quiet corridor.
Charlotte’s eyes grew dim.
“Charlotte, did this remind you of the past?” Herbert asked gently, draping his coat over her shoulders in a reassuring, subtle gesture.
Her voice was calm, almost cold, edged with a weary understanding of the world. “If that mother had really tried to find her son, the police would’ve had her information on file. They wouldn’t have needed to scan through every fingerprint database just to reach her.”
She looked away. “His clothes were filthy and torn. He must’ve been on the streets for days.”
To be precise, he hadn’t just gotten lost. He’d been abandoned.
Just like Charlotte once was.
Most of the children at the orphanage had been left behind by their parents, but Charlotte’s story ran deeper—after being abandoned by her birth parents, she’d been given up by eight different foster families, one after another.
She saw her own shadow in the boy and couldn’t help but feel a dull ache.
Herbert tried to comfort her. “Maybe this time, after nearly losing him, his mother will finally understand what she almost gave up.”
“We can only hope,” Charlotte replied quietly.
She suddenly noticed the weight of Herbert’s suit jacket on her shoulders. Pausing, she shrugged it off quickly and handed it back to him.
Herbert blinked, surprised. “What’s wrong?”
Charlotte smiled, but the distance in her eyes was unmistakable. “Mr. Nelson, maybe it’s time you found yourself a girlfriend.”
Herbert was caught off guard. “Charlotte, actually I—”
She cut him off softly but firmly. “You’re a good man, Mr. Nelson. You deserve the best.”
She replied: [You were good. I’m sure your girlfriend will appreciate it even more.]
He answered instantly: [??]
Half a minute later, another message popped up: [I’ve only ever done it with you. What about you? How many guys have you been with?]
Only with her?
Charlotte paused, surprised for a second, but quickly regained her composure. How likely was it that a professional model had only ever been with her?
The money was already sent. She tapped her screen and deleted him without a second thought.
Meanwhile, in the Harrington family’s study, Darren stared at his phone, waiting for her reply.
Irritated by the silence, he fired off another message: [Why aren’t you answering? Lost count of how many guys you’ve been with???]
Suddenly, a notification flashed across his screen: [You are not friends with this user. Please add them to continue the conversation.]

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