The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1110

“That’s right.” Anthony held Charlotte’s hand, pulling her gently into his arms. He looked over at Newell with a half-smile, then leaned close to Charlotte and murmured, “Just ran into him once.”

“Oh.” Charlotte didn’t really care. She turned to Newell, but suddenly a memory flashed through her mind, the way he’d looked at her when they’d bumped into each other outside the gene research institute.

“If you keep staring at me like that, aren’t you worried your boyfriend will get jealous?” Newell teased, giving a little cough and a crooked smile when he noticed her studying him.

Charlotte wasn’t surprised he recognized her. Honestly, she’d suspected he figured out who she was the moment they met at the institute. If he knew, why hadn’t he called her out? Why had he even helped her get away? The Churchill family supplied a ton of chemicals to the institute. They were basically partners in all that genetic mutation stuff.

Charlotte didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped closer and looked Newell up and down, her eyes sharp and cool. “Have we met somewhere else before?”

Newell’s heart skipped. Did she already know? He managed a light, easy smile, playing it off. “If I look familiar to you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Was she just overthinking things? Still, talking to Mr. Churchill gave her a strange feeling, like she’d known him forever.

“I’ll have someone take care of the car accident,” Anthony said, frowning the whole time. He looked like he wanted to protect Charlotte from the world, his guard up and ready. “Goodbye.”

“No need for that,” Newell replied, smiling as he lowered his voice. “The Churchill family and the Hawk family have always been close, after all.”

Something about the way he said it felt loaded, like he was hinting at something more.

“True enough.” Anthony’s eyes were dark and unreadable as he looked at Newell, his smile edged with something almost teasing. “If you think about it, that kind of makes you Lottie’s big brother.”

Big brother? Newell pressed his lips together, forcing a smile. On the inside, he was cursing Anthony out.

***

On the drive back, Charlotte rested her chin in her hand, staring out the window. The meds were starting to kick in, leaving her feeling a little lightheaded.

“What’s on your mind?” Anthony asked, his voice soft.

“Mr. Churchill,” Charlotte said honestly, not bothering to hide anything. “He looks really familiar. I’m pretty sure we’ve met more than twice. Back at the institute, it felt like he let me go on purpose.”

Anthony’s mouth was set in a hard line. He didn’t say anything, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened as he remembered the way Mr. Churchill had looked at Lottie.

“This isn’t working.” Charlotte pulled out her phone, her voice low. “Newell knows the Isle of Veil well. He has to know something.”