The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 165

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Anthony could feel Charlotte watching him. He quickly set his phone aside, let his cold expression fade, and reached over to take her hand. His gaze softened, filled with that warmth only she ever saw.

“How’d the test go today?” he asked.

Charlotte stretched, her voice lazy. “Not bad. I definitely wasn’t dead last.”

Anthony’s lips twitched with a helpless kind of smile, a mix of fondness and surrender. He brushed his thumb gently along the edge of her tired eye. “You’re smarter than you think,” he murmured, his voice rough and quiet.

Charlotte scrunched her brows, her lips barely moving. “What if I come second to last? Not worried about that?”

“That’s still an improvement.” With him here, even dead last wouldn’t matter.

Charlotte just stared at him, lost for words. If Andrew ever heard this, he’d probably start questioning his whole life.

Before she could say anything else, the car suddenly jolted hard.

“Anthony, Ms. Main, hold on!” Hans shouted from the front, panic sharp in his voice.

Almost immediately, the car whipped around a sharp turn. Charlotte, completely unprepared, was thrown toward the door.

Anthony’s eyes went cold in an instant. He reacted so fast, pulling Charlotte onto his lap and holding her close, his hand steady on the back of her neck, tucking her face safely against his chest.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. Don’t be scared.”

Their bodies were pressed so close together she could feel the heat of his skin and the wild thumping of his heart, right there with hers. His scent surrounded her, calm and clean, and suddenly the world outside didn’t matter anymore.