Chapter 9

Anouk was genuinely looking out for Charlotte.

Being a woman herself, she totally got the struggles Charlotte was facing in her marriage.

If Charlotte cut ties with the Percy Family, no matter the reason, things would get really tough for her.

"Grandma, you don't need to worry about me. I've really thought it through."

Charlotte didn't believe she couldn't support herself without Frederick.She had paused her own career after getting married, but now she was ready to pursue it again.

Even though Charlotte made her stance clear, Anouk wasn't having it.

"Give each other some more time and think it over seriously. No divorces before the end of this year."

Anouk made the final call, then stood up. "I'm tired. You two go back and think it over."

The butler came over to help Anouk, and they slowly went upstairs.

Only Frederick and Charlotte were left in the living room.Charlotte turned her head slightly to look at Frederick, seeing his gloomy expression. 'Frederick must be super annoyed he can't get rid of me.' He couldn't shake her off as a burden, so he couldn't marry Serena. Charlotte felt a bit sad.

When Frederick married her, it definitely wasn't with the urgency he felt now.

Their years of marriage were ultimately just a farce.

Frederick's expression was dark, and no one could read his thoughts.

But he clearly felt a sense of relief when Anouk decided against the divorce.

He silently walked out, and Charlotte quickly followed.

Since they couldn't divorce for now, she didn't need to keep her distance from him. Besides, this was a wealthy area, and it was impossible to get a cab. She couldn't get down the hill without him.

As soon as Frederick started the car, his phone rang.

Charlotte sensibly turned her head towards the window.

No need to guess who was calling.

As soon as he answered, a soft voice camne from the other end. "Frederick,why didn't you reply to my messages? Is it because your family doesn't agree with us being together?"

"Don't overthink it. Leave it to me," Frederick's voice was low but gentle. "So they don't agree,right?" Serena's voice quivered with tears, sounding very pitiful, "Frederick, if I hadn't had that car accident, would we have been able to be together?" Hearing Serena mention the past again, a hint of sadness flashed in Frederick's eyes.

"I will fulfill my promise to you."

Frederick's gentle tone was something Charlotte had never heard before.

Serena nodded tearfully. "Frederick, we've already missed one chance.I don't want to miss a second."

After he reluctantly ended the call, Charlotte touched her chest, feeling a dull ache.

She adjusted her breathing, trying not to show her emotions.

Charlotte turned to Frederick and said, "If you have any thoughts about the divorce, you cana tell me. I will definitely cooperate. I had never expected Grandma's opposition to our divorce. In any case,I won't make trouble for you."

Charlotte thought she had made herself clear, but Frederick's face darkened even more.

'What is wrong with Frederick?'

She had clearly been accommodating, yet he still gave her a hard time.

"Are you so eager to leave me?"

Frederick suddenly spoke, questioning Charlotte.

He felt really unsettled. Charlotte's words made it sound like she was more eager to divorce than he was.

"What do you mean? Isn't it you who wants the divorce?" Charlotte frowned, feeling super exasperated.

Frederick's ability to twist things was truly something else.

"So you mean that if I hadn't brought up divorce, you 'wouldn't have thought about it,right?"

There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Charlotte rolled her eyes hard secretly.

She said impatiently, "Is there any point in discussing this now?"

"Of course,there is."

Frederick pressed on, gripping Charlotte's wrist in his agitation,seeking her answer.

He now suddenly felt that his decision to file for divorce was a huge mistake.

Because every time he saw Charlotte eager to leave him, he felt a complex emotion that he was very unfamiliar with-regret.

"Let me go!" Charlotte struggled a few times but couldn't break free. She had no choice but to say, "I hadn't' thought about divorce before, but after you brought it up, it made me realize that my life shouldn't be wasted on just you. So now, I'm not speaking out of anger. I agree to the divorce." Charlotte's tone was very sincere, but it deeply made Frederick panic. If Charlotte were still jealous, acting spoiled, or even crying, he wouldn't be too worried. But now, her calm and peaceful demeanor meant she was truly disappointed.

Frederick, unwilling to give up, deliberately said, "After we get down the hill, you can get a cab yourself. I need to go to the hospital to take care of Serena."

After speaking, he waited for Charlotte's reaction, hoping she would be jealous.

Unexpectedly, Charlotte nodded naturally.

She pointed ahead. "Then you can stop here. I'll get a cab back."

They had already left the villa area, so it wouldn't be hard to get a cab.

Frederick was very dissatisfied with her reaction, gripping the steering wheel with a dark expression. He suddenly braked hard, causing the car to stop abruptly.

Charlotte was almost thrown forward by the sudden stop. She secretly glared at Frederick.

Since returning to the Percy Estate today, Frederick had been acting strange,completely unreasonable.

With a bit of anger, Charlotte got out of the car without saying a word.slamming the door to express her displeasure.

As soon as the door closed, the car roared away like an angry beast,leaving behind a cloud of exhaust. "Crazy man!" Charlotte angrily punched the air and took a cab back to Taylor's house. After a simple meal, Charlotte and Taylor started working on company matters.

Their jointly founded perfume company, JXL Company, had recently encountered some trouble. Their flagship perfume was suspected of having its formula leaked.

This perfume, named "Crush," was personally formulated by Charlotte and was a gift for her eighteenth birthday.

Later,when she and Taylor founded the company, she generously contributed the formula.

The perfume sold out as soon as it hit the market, becoming a favorite and maintaining its popularity.

But last month, the old perfume brand EX Company launched a new product, "Sweet Romance," which had the same scent as "Crush" but was priced at less than half. They even collaborated with several online influencers to smear JXL Company.