Charlotte Thompson hung up the phone, her spirits finally lifted from rock bottom. With great effort, she staggered out of the bed like a broken marionette and groggily went to wash up.
After freshening up, she sat on the couch, and her phone on the table started to vibrate like mad again.
With pursed lips, she picked up her phone.
More DMs on the Weibo, a barrage from Internet users; her inbox was bursting with nothing but insults.
Though not the first time dealing with such a situation, the abusive comments from the haters this time carried not an iota of mercy, the words grotesquely unpleasant.
It even triggered some of Evelyn Curtis’ fans who had previously calmed down.
Charlotte rubbed her aching eyebrows, re-checking Justin Battleson’s Weibo post from the night before.
As expected, the clarifying statement from the person involved had garnered exponentially more attention than the original Weibo post, moreover, it came from a verified account.
She pursed her lips again, and dialed Justin’s number.
On the other side, a villa.
In the quiet room, an irritating vibrating noise rang out. The man in the bed finally stirred, reaching for the phone buzzing on the bedside table. Without a glance, he answered the call.
The familiar voice came through.
"Justin Battleson, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Her words woke him up instantly. He sat up in bed, the covers sliding off to reveal his dishevelled shirt and the visible top of his collarbone.
He squinted slightly, leaning back with a residual hangover headache.
"What happened?" His voice was hoarse. "I’ve already posted a clarification on Weibo."
At his response, Charlotte’s grip on her phone slightly tightened. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back, stating, "It’s precisely because of your Weibo post, the situation has escalated instead of de-escalating. Your handling method has caused me great distress."
If the online backlash was targeted only at her, perhaps the situation wouldn’t be as bad, but it had now implicated Henry Hudson.
She already owed Henry Hudson too much, she could not let him be caught in a dilemma because of her.
After calming herself, she continued, "Justin Battleson, I’ve decided to resign, no longer working for the Riley Group."
Upon hearing her, Justin looked up in surprise, seemingly finding it hard to believe. He said into the phone, "What did you say?"
"The purpose of my returning to work was to seek the truth." Charlotte paused, her voice steady. "Now everything has been revealed. Evelyn Curtis has received her deserved punishment. Even Chad and Jack finally know their biological father. Besides, Annie’s memory is almost fully restored."
She closed her eyes, her voice strained, "Everything has settled down, I have no reason to stay anymore."
As her words faded into silence, the line remained quiet. Justin was silent for a few seconds, his voice trembling.
Panic flitted across his eyes, barely noticeable. As he got out of bed, he said into the phone.
"Not enough reasons to stay?" A dull ache clutching his heart, as if a piece has been gouged out, his voice low, he whispered, "Can’t you... stay for me?"
His voice was so soft, Charlotte couldn’t quite catch it.
She was slightly taken aback, instinctively asking, "Huh?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel[f]ire.net
Justin, buttoning his shirt, picked up his jacket and hurriedly left, a complex storm brewing in his eyes.