Chapter 139: Strings

Damian Sensing that Charlotte was pulling back, I decided it was high time I met her younger sister. I flew Anna in, but not before telling her not to mention my wealth to Charlotte. I wanted Charlotte to get to know me, not the lifestyle I could provide. Anna and Charlotte hit it off, only briefly mentioning their remaining siblings. I could feel it—a subtle shift in Charlotte’s demeanor. It was like on a warm summer day when suddenly a bucket of ice-cold water is dumped on you. It was very hard not to notice the change. She was pulling back, her warmth toward me fading ever so slightly. I didn’t want to believe it at first, chalking it up to stress or something unrelated to us, but the signs were clear. The way she hesitated when I touched her that morning, the way she withdrew from me and stepped away toward her desk without barely paying me a glance—everything was too clear. Was this perhaps about my apartment? I asked myself. Hadn’t I offered sufficient proof? I refused to belie