Billionaire's Match (by Tangy Candy) novel Chapter 1201

"It's fine," Charlotte said. "I can handle this on my own. Lucas will be in Jayelle City. I was really just letting you know. You could just drop me off."

Ethan didn't look at her, his voice flat. "What I said back there was out of line. Forget it. This is serious, and I'm coming with you."

"There's no need. I can protect myself. You don't have to"

"It's not only about you. I want to do something for Khloe too. She's the only family I have left, and now that I already know what's going on, whether I get involved is my call to make."

Ethan cut her off, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Charlotte's mouth opened, the words she'd spent so long considering rising up, only to be swallowed back down again.

She really had no grounds to stop him, and pushing the point further would only come across as overly precious about it.

The two of them said nothing more the rest of the way.

By afternoon, the moment the plane touched down, Charlotte pulled out her phone at once.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan caught her logging into her old game account.

She'd been waiting, all this time, only for word from Noah.

But if Noah really had reached out to her, did that mean she also knew about the time Ethan had posed as Noah to chat with her through that same account?

Something in Ethan's chest sank.

She knew, and yet, she hadn't asked him a single extra question about it.

Of course. To her, he was nothing more than a joke.

...

Jayelle City, a large home goods mall.

Winnie walked arm in arm with Michael, browsing through a well-known bedding store.

"This one's pretty, and the fabric feels nice too. What do you think?"

Winnie spotted a pale green bedding set and pointed it out to Michael, brimming with excitement.

Michael smiled. "It's nice. Get it if you like it."

Winnie studied him for a few seconds. "What about you? You don't like it?"

"If you like it, I like it." Michael's voice was soft.

His words were as gentle as ever, but to Winnie's ears, they sounded strangely hollow.

She could tell his mind was somewhere else entirely.

They'd stayed in these past two days, and though everything looked warm and affectionate on the surface, Winnie kept catching Michael drifting off, again and again.

Maybe finding things to keep them busy would help, or at least give Michael something to focus his mind on.

That was why Winnie had dragged him out shopping for home goods in the first place.

She meant to redecorate their little apartment, then find things they both enjoyed doing together afterward.

The puzzle was too large to carry, so they arranged for home delivery. With their first actual purchase of the day settled, Michael finally felt comfortable suggesting they head home.

They were both hungry by then. Winnie had wanted to eat out, but Michael pointed out that they still had plenty of groceries left from the day before and suggested cooking at home instead.

Tired as she was, Winnie agreed without a second thought, since it was rare for Michael to bring up anything on his own. "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything, as long as it's home cooking, as long as it tastes like you." Michael smiled faintly, the words carrying more than a little suggestion.

"Then I'll just throw something together, since I'm a little worn out today."

"Don't worry. I won't let you or the baby get worn out. You direct, and I'll cook."

Winnie couldn't help but laugh at that.

But then, catching each other's eyes, they both went quiet for a moment, a little dazed.

Even Michael found it hard to believe.

He'd only meant to tease Winnie, but somehow, the gloom hanging over him seemed to lift, most of it gone in an instant, the bitterness draining away, his whole body feeling lighter than it had in weeks.

They were in the elevator now, the space quiet around them. Michael studied Winnie for a few seconds, watching her press her lips together, a flush rising in her cheeks, and he found himself leaning in closer.

Just as his breath grazed the edge of her ear, the elevator suddenly plummeted, throwing them both hard to one side.

Luckily, Michael reacted in time. He pulled Winnie tightly into his arms and took the fall on his own back.

"Michael!"