The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 486

Anthony stood under the cold water for what felt like forever, letting it wash over him until his mind finally cleared. He leaned onto the sink, hands braced, his eyes wet and intense as he stared at himself in the mirror. The veins on the back of his hands stood out, tense and strained.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the images of Charlotte suffering. They looped in his head, relentless. So that was why. Her sleepwalking, her restless nights, it all traced back to the trauma she’d endured. And every time she found her way to him in her sleep, it was because he’d given her a sliver of hope that night on the rooftop. He was her safe place, her last lifeline.

Anthony’s eyes stung with the threat of tears. A dry, bitter laugh slipped out as he muttered at his own reflection, “Anthony, you really are an idiot.”

He splashed another handful of cold water over his face, chasing the anger away. At least she was back with him. At least this hadn’t turned into a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

Later, Anthony came downstairs, hair still damp and a robe draped over his shoulders. Charlotte was curled up on the couch, a plate of cookies beside her and a thick stack of papers in her lap. She was frowning in concentration, lost in whatever she was reading.

Jackson, Adonis, and Hans stood in front of her, all three usually intimidating but now oddly subdued in her presence.

“Anthony.”

The three men greeted him in unison, respectful and a little stiff.

Anthony nodded and handed his towel to Hans, then settled next to Charlotte, his arm sliding easily around her waist. He glanced at the papers in her hands and realized they were the documents he’d asked Hans to dig up. Trust Hans to get everything done perfectly, not a single wasted page.

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