Claimed by the Powerful Billionaire (Charlotte and Matthew) novel Chapter 5

Moon Garden sat in the most prime stretch of Sunriver, built right along the river—quiet in the middle of the city, beautiful scenery, a perfect layout, sunlight and airflow running straight through from north to south.

Before construction was even finished, every unit had been snatched up.

Matthew had bought one, too.

One thousand six hundred eighty square feet, luxury finishings, fully move-in ready.

He didn’t care about money, and he hadn’t rented it out, so the place had been sitting empty all this time.

Seeing Matthew hesitate, Charlotte spoke calmly, unhurried. “You don’t live there anyway, and you’re not going to sell it. So why not give it to me as a birthday gift?”

Matthew frowned. “What do you want that apartment for?”

Charlotte smiled faintly. “I don’t know. Maybe… I just want a little security.”

“Back when I married you, the bride price your Russell family gave… my mom took all of it. I didn’t get a single dollar.”

“And these past three years, I haven’t worked. Every month you give me only a little spending money.”

“So deep down, I’ve never felt steady.”

Matthew’s heart softened. “With me here, what’s there to feel unsteady about?”

Charlotte sneered inside, but she only let out a quiet sigh. “You have your own son now. I’m afraid you won’t want me anymore.”

Matthew froze for a beat. Then one hand reached over and caught hers.

“Never.”

Charlotte glanced at that hand—long fingers, sharp knuckles.

“If you can’t bear to give me the jade pendant, fine. But don’t tell me you can’t even bear to give me one apartment.”

Matthew hesitated a few seconds. “Fine. That’s the deal.”

Charlotte didn’t let up. “Then you need to sign a gift agreement with me.”

Matthew’s gaze sharpened. “You don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Charlotte’s tone stayed light. “I just think a gift only counts as a gift if there’s an agreement. Otherwise, back and forth, it’s all marital property anyway. What kind of present is that?”

This time, Matthew agreed without dragging it out. “Okay. In a couple days, we’ll get the gift contract notarized, then handle the transfer.”

Only then did Charlotte loosen her breath, her smile blooming sweetly. “Okay.”

Matthew looked at her smile—warm, almost like sunlight—and he couldn’t help smiling back.

“You seem in a pretty good mood today.”

Charlotte only smiled, saying nothing.

She was.

Three years.

It was time for it to end.

For loving Matthew, Charlotte had given up her career, willing to be the quiet woman behind him. She’d wanted to travel with him through this world, to see every mountain and river, everything beautiful.

She’d worried about his business dinners, always stepping in front of him without hesitation—even if it meant drinking until she vomited violently.

For him, she’d forced herself to do things she didn’t even like.

And in return, she’d never gotten a shred of tenderness.

Instead, he made her endure three years of nothing but ice and snow, stuck in a never-ending winter.

He tossed her aside like trash.

So she, Charlotte, wasn’t going to be stupid anymore.

That afternoon, Charlotte returned to No. 1 Mansion.

The moment she walked in, she heard Margaret and Anthony arguing.

Margaret snapped, “Then tell me what we’re supposed to do! She’s part of the Smith family. At a time like this, if she won’t help, who will? Your little drinking buddies?”

“Every last one of them is a greedy, two-faced leech. When the Smith family was on top, they stuck to us like they couldn’t breathe without us. Now that we’re in trouble, they’re hiding as far away as possible, like we’re the plague!”

Anthony coughed twice. “Enough. Stop talking. Let me have some peace.”

Margaret didn’t care that his face looked off.

“This is so urgent, but you still want peace, Anthony? Let me tell you, the Smith family getting where we are today is all because—”

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