When She Turns Her Back (Teresa and Charles) novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

At nine o’clock the next morning, Teresa arrived at the local court. Charles was already there, his car parked by the curb, but he hadn’t gotten out.

He was never one to be punctual, but today, he’d kept his word. It was clear he’d been waiting for this day too.

Charles was sitting in his car when Liam called. As he listened, his expression suddenly darkened.

“Mr. Logan, we lost the project,” Liam said, his voice heavy with disappointment.

Charles stared out at the trees lining the street, his expression grim. “I see,” he replied, his voice low and steady.

Liam went on, “They’ve already partnered with Hamilton Group. The deal will probably be signed in the next couple of days.”

“Troy’s stolen our projects more times than I can count. He’s been keeping a low profile

Charles’s face grew even colder, his tone ic

lately, but I guess he never really changes.”

Liam suggested, “Mr. Logan, why don’t we go after that project in the east? Troy’s almost guaranteed to we’d been chasing for ages.

“He’s been going up against Logan Group for years. We can’t just let him have it easy.”

Charles nodded. “Do it. Even if we can’t win, let’s make Troy bleed for it.”

H

==

win, but he snatched the project

It’s just one of those moves where you hurt your enemy, but end to play this game, I do, too.’

up hurting yourself even more, Charles wondered,

If Troy

knows how

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For years, Troy had been going head–to–head with Logan Group, both in the open and behind the scenes. No matter what the deal was, he always tried to muscle his way in.

Even if he didn’t end up winning the project, Troy savored the struggle, win or lose.

It was obvious that his tactics cost him a lot, but Troy never seemed to tire of the

game.

At first, Charles thought Troy just wanted to take over his spot as the top dog in Riverdale. But now, he wondered if Troy had other motives beyond just replacing him.

The bracelet Troy had bid a fortune for at auction was now on Teresa’s wrist. Charles found it hard not to let his mind wander.

‘Was Teresa really that irresistible, worth Troy going head–to–head with me for all these years?‘ Charles couldn’t help but think.

Just as he was getting lost in his own wild guesses, a tap on the car window pulled him back to reality. Charles turned to see Teresa standing outside.

He rolled down the window, and her clear, composed face came into view. Her voice was cool and steady as she said, “Let’s go.”

Charles looked at her, momentarily lost in thought. He didn’t know when it happened, but these days, whenever Teresa looked at him, her eyes were completely calm–no hint of feeling left.

But it hadn’t always been like this.

After getting out of the car, Charles glanced down and caught sight of the emerald bracelet on Teresa’s wrist.

Whether he meant to or not, Charles blurted out, “Do you like that bracelet?”

When he asked, Teresa instinctively hid the bracelet in her hand.

The day Troy won the bracelet at auction, Charles and Naomi were both there.

She wasn’t sure if Charles even remembered the bracelet, but to avoid any unnecessary trouble, she replied calmly, “It’s alright.”

Charles noticed her covering the bracelet and frowned slightly, but he didn’t press the issue.

Today, they were here to file for divorce

‘Better stick to the main thing, Charles told himself. But even with that thought, he still felt uneasy. Why do I feel so weird about this?”

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11.27 AM

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Chapter 129

He couldn’t even tell what it was.

Once they were inside the local court, Teresa stepped up to the window and said to the clerk, “Hi, we’re here to file for divorce.”

The clerk glanced at her and Charles before saying, “Please submit the required documents.”

Teresa turned to Charles and said, “Passports, the divorce agreement, and our marriage certificate.”

Charles paused for a moment before asking, “Didn’t you bring the marriage certificate?”

Teresa frowned, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “The marriage certificate is at Joyacre Villa. Seriously, you didn’t know?”

The clerk, noticing the tension, quickly cut in, “Sorry, but you need all the documents–passport, divorce agreement, and marriage certificate. If anything’s missing, we can’t help you.”

Teresa tried to see if the clerk would make an exception, but the clerk just sighed and said, “Sorry, these are the rules. Come back tomorrow when you’ve got everything together.”

Left with no other option, Teresa and Charles could only walk out together.

Outside the local court, Teresa was visibly frustrated, letting out several exasperated sighs.

Charles, meanwhile, looked as cool and collected as ever, like nothing in the world could shake him.

Seeing him so unbothered made Teresa even more irritated, though she knew there was no point in arguing.

She said, “I only took an hour off for this. I need to get back to the hospital. As for the marriage certificate, just look for it at Joyacre Villa tonight. Once you find it, we’ll come back tomorrow.”

Seeing Teresa so frustrated and anxious about not getting the divorce done, Charles couldn’t help but find his mind wandering to some strange thoughts.

Someone who loved him so much—now suddenly wanted a divorce. He’d asked, and she’d told him it wasn’t about Troy.

But he wondered if there wasn’t any reason, and things were

going well between them, why she wanted to end it.

Later that afternoon, Teresa was still working when Hector showed up.

As soon as he walked in, all the nurses in the department started swooning, resting their chins in their hands and gazing at him like lovesick fans.

Hector flashed them a polite smile, then went straight to the doctor’s office for Teresa.

Teresa had just finished up when she saw him. “Hi, Hector,” she called out.

Hector naturally took her bag without a second thought and said softly, “Want to grab something to eat together?”

Teresa hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, my treat, Hector.”

Hector just gave her a gentle smile, saying nothing.

When they got to the restaurant, Hector passed the menu to Teresa. “Go ahead, you pick.”

Teresa was looking over the menu and had just ordered two dishes when she heard footsteps coming her way.

Instinctively, she glanced up and spotted Charles and Naomi walking in together, Naomi holding onto Charles’s arm.

Naomi had set that accidental run–in tonight up on purpose. She was still stuck without a research topic for her Ph.D.

Charles had even pulled some strings to get her in touch with top experts, but none of their suggestions were a good fit. If her research went south, she’d have to go back to square one.

That could mean putting off graduation, or worse, never finishing her Ph.D. at all. So, Naomi figured she’d hit up Hector for advice again

Last time, she had totally gotten the cold shoulder from him, but Naomi thought maybe it was just because she was with Jason that day,

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Chapter 129

and Hector was being harsh.

After all, rumor had it that Hector was into Naomi back then.

Maybe that was actually true; Hector probably just got annoyed seeing her with Jason and decided to ignore her. So today, Naomi dragged Charles along for backup.

As they got closer, Naomi flashed a big smile and greeted Hector, “Hey, Hector.”

Hector glanced up at her, his expression cool and distant. “Hi,” he replied.

Seeing him actually look at her, Naomi thought to herself, ‘Looks like I was right after all.

Naomi softened her tone, putting on her most polite smile. “I have a few questions I’d like to ask you, Hector.”

Charles stood quietly beside Naomi the whole time. He didn’t say a word, but just being there was enough to show he had her back.

1

”

Teresa’s fingers quietly tightened around the menu, her grip betraying her unease.

Hector had already refused Naomi once about this, but he hadn’t expected her to bring it up again.

Hector looked up at Naomi, his face completely blank. “If you’re asking about research topics, I’m not the one to help. This is literally the first lesson of your Ph.D…

“If you need someone else to choose your topic, maybe medicine just isn’t for you. Honestly, you might want to consider quitting while you’re ahead.”

Sure, he wasn’t wrong, but Naomi couldn’t take that kind of bluntness. Getting called out like that in front of Charles made Naomi’s cheeks burn with embarrassment.

But before Naomi could even tear up, Charles cut in, his face turning icy, “Mr. Reed, Naomi just said she wanted to ask you a few questions.

“She never said it was about research topics. You’re being way too arrogant. Standing tall doesn’t mean you see further; the higher you stand, the harder you fall.”

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