Chapter 101: Chapter 101

Morgan didn't know why he was there. Or rather, the truth was, he shouldn't be there. And that in every sense.

There was a lot of work to be done and a lot of paperwork to be signed in his office, like every other day of the year... But still, perhaps for the first time in his life, he had found it difficult to concentrate. That's because the image of Charlotte Manson jumping into a fountain across from him the day before wouldn't leave his mind. The more rational side of him tried to argue that it was just because she was a poor young girl with clearly terrible parents that she couldn't stand up for herself and needed help. Therefore, as soon as he finished work, he could visit her in the most proper way possible, like any normal person would. But not.

Instead, he had left the office early for the first time in years "maybe, again, for the first time in his life", just so he could see Charlie again and get rid of that nagging feeling that had been plaguing his chest all morning. Which was completely inappropriate, of course, as he had no business with Anthony and no father would be happy to see his daughter being visited by a man of legal age, no matter how bad that father was. Yet still, there he was, pulling up in front of the Manson mansion once more.

This time, however, figuring he could avoid Samantha if she didn't come through the front door, he circled the property, figuring there must be another driveway nearby. And, indeed, there was. However, it was along that path that Morgan realized how much the Manson mansion was, in fact, decaying. There had been hints of this at the party the day before, of course, but now he realized that the Mansons had obviously gone into an extra debt to be able to mow the lawn in the garden and clean up the area where the guests would be staying. There, in the back, where no one could see, the grass was tall as a wheat field and the white walls of the mansion were stained with rain, creating an almost abandoned look.

Of course, Morgan had studied Anthony's financial situation for weeks before deciding to become his partner, and knew perfectly well that he was deep in debt. However, he had always imagined that that money was being reverted to things like the maintenance of the mansion, the payment of the servants and similar things. But apparently the Mansons cared more about keeping in good looks only what others could see and ignoring what no one would ever see, no matter how decayed.

And something told him that was exactly how they acted with Charlie.

With a sigh, he parked the car, not really surprised that he had to wait a long time until the grumpy-looking gentleman sitting nearby, who was clearly an employee of the mansion, decided to open the gate for him, although he did so quickly and with ease. clear dissatisfaction. However, knowing that he was probably being underpaid, or perhaps not paid at all, Morgan couldn't blame him for his lack of courtesy.

Entering the mansion alone and with no one to announce to the residents that he was there " something atypical for a theoretically luxurious place like that ", Morgan spent some time just walking around, looking for a path that would take him to one of the parts of the mansion that had known yesterday. Finally, he found himself in a hallway that he recognized as Anthony's office, hopefully from there he could find Charlotte's room again. Of course, it was inappropriate to want to be alone in a room with her again, but if he was honest with himself, he'd rather imitate Charlie and jump off the first floor than have to waste time talking to Anthony or Samantha.

He was still trying to recognize the path that could lead him to Charlotte's room, when he passed the door to Aro's office, which was clearly closed. However, his relief only lasted for a second, until the sound of loud voices was heard very clearly, stopping him in his tracks immediately.

“What do you think you were doing? “ Samantha's voice, although muffled by the door and the distance, was a scream very easy to understand “ Wetting a man as important as Morgan Sullivan and then letting him touch you like that?! No decency?!

“First, Mr. Sullivan only did it because I was hurt, and he was the only one who seemed to care about my ankle...! “ he recognized that growl as Charlie's, although a new scream interrupted her almost immediately.

“Don't make a fool of yourself! “ Anthony exclaimed, possessed “ If you didn't want to get hurt, then you shouldn't be careful! Now, you have to deal with the consequences of your mistakes yourself, instead of involving my partner. Oh, what he must be thinking of me!" he wailed “A rich and refined man like me to be the father of a savage with no manners like you… That's why I told you to hide in your room and not let anyone see you! So I don't have to go through that kind of embarrassment!

“I bet she did it on purpose, to try to sabotage your partnership! “ Samantha accused, cutting.

" How do you dare...! Anthony shouted, excited.

“Why are you yelling at me? I would never do that! It doesn't even make sense! “ Charlie defended herself, offended “ Why would I want to undermine the only way you have to put food on the table in this miserable place?

“It's good that you remember that! “ Anthony snarled “My partnership with Morgan Sullivan is the only thing keeping us from starving right now! And, unfortunately, I'm still being forced to support you and waste precious food in that ungrateful mouth of yours!

“ Don't worry…” Charlie snapped, scornfully “Next year I'll finally be able to go to college and I'll make sure I go as far as possible from here!

“Oh honey, do you really think we're going to waste our hard-earned money on something as useless as college for you? “ Samantha laughed, as if she had just delivered the best of jokes. “Pity!

“ Your hard earned money?! “ Charlie screamed, mad “ All the money you have and that you spent every penny, if sunk in debt over the years, belonged to my whole family: the Fosters! Therefore, the least you can do is pay for my education and provide for my needs, as the law determined, after my grandfather died...!

“Yes, that damned old man…” Anthony grumbled “Not even after he died he was able to do anything good for me! He left me a useless and uneducated teenager, but he didn't want to leave me even a penny to help me raise you...

" Help in what? Spending more money on useless things? “ Charlie roared “ You know what? Fuck it! I went to get a job or something and I'm going to pay for my own college!

" Good luck finding a job that not only covers the expenses of a college for several years, but also the materials and, mainly, a rent of your own... " Samantha commented, full of venom in her voice.

" Exactly! “ Anthony amended her sentence, sounding as if he himself wished he had thought of that argument before “ Your grandfather's will clearly says that you have to stay under my care until you are 21 years old and so it will be!

“I can go to the judge and tell you all these threats you're making right now! she growled, but it didn't seem to faze either of them.

“ Good luck with that, Charlotte... “ Samantha sneered, laughing “ After all, I don't know if you noticed, but now who will have money to hire the best lawyers is your dear father. And, you, what money do you have? Besides, do you really think any judge in the world is going to believe the claims of a spoiled little girl, who will be paid millions when she turns 21, and ran away from her own father's house just because she couldn't accept that he didn't have enough money to do it? more than support it? But I bet you haven't thought about that, have you? Just like you didn't think about the welfare of that disgusting little animal you brought into this house...

“You wouldn't dare touch him again! “Charlie snapped “I know damn well he was running away from you when he jumped off the balcony, the first time!

“Wouldn't we dare? “Her father chuckled, looking perversely pleased with her reaction. “Think again then, Charlotte. If I were you, I would remember that I am the hand that feeds you! “ Anthony commented authoritatively “ Do you think your life is bad enough, having a roof over your head and hot food? Imagine what it would look like if I decided to take all of that away from you, including your nasty little pet, for the next 4 years...

" Enough! “ Unable to bear hearing her threatened like that any longer, Morgan burst into the office, furious “Are you even listening? What do you think you're doing, talking to your own daughter that way?

“Mr. Sullivan... " Anthony stammered, in despair, going to hide behind Samantha, like the coward he was " What are you doing here...? It shouldn't be...

“Don't give me excuses, Anthony! “ Morgan snarled “Were you threatening Charlotte that no judge would believe her allegations? So what do you think would happen if I testified myself, telling all the things I heard from my own partner?

"I-I..." Charlie's father stuttered, panicked, but his wife cut him off, her voice calm and seductive, as if, moments before, she hadn't been attacking her stepdaughter in the rudest possible way.

“Don't get excited, Mr. Sullivan. I understand that you don't understand the phase that our beloved Charlotte is going through, since she doesn't live with teenagers, so let me explain: she had already told us the university she wanted to go to and it's very expensive. As you know, my husband was forced to give up of many assets of our patrimony on account of the debts. And now that we finally have the chance to get back on our feet, thanks to the partnership between the two of you, of course you can understand, as a businessman, that we can't afford to give in to her whim for now...

“ Whim?! " Charlie gasped, disgusted " I never said which college I wanted to go to, because, you barely talk to me, if it's not to offend me. What opportunity would I have to talk about my dream with you?

“ My dear little girl…” Anthony smiled through his teeth, in a way that wouldn't fool even a child “Don't say such a thing or Mr. Sullivan might end up thinking the worst of me and Samantha. Remember our situation...

“If you're trying to remind her of your threat to let her live here without the basics, Anthony, then I'm thinking the right thing about you two! “ Morgan interrupted him, making him swallow hard “ And, since you are so fond of imposing punishments on your daughter so that she behaves as she wants, then I will do the same: if they dare to do any of the things they said to Charlotte, I'm going to cancel our partnership and put my lawyers on the case, to make sure that every judge in the world convicts you two to compensate your daughter for this unhealthy environment you force her to live in!

“Y-you can't…” Anthony whimpered, panicked.

“Do you really think Anthony? “ Morgan raised an eyebrow “ Think about it, I would pay a fine and you would have the next few years with no one wanting to even hear your name in the investment market, after knowing the reasons why I ended our partnership. Tell me: who do you think would be more harmed?

“I'm sure we can think of a solution to all of this, Mr. Sullivan…” Samantha offered, clearly full of ulterior motives, but Morgan wasn't in the mood to listen to her litany.

“Of course there is a solution, Mrs. Manson! “ he narrowed his eyes at the two “ And it starts with you two apologizing to Charlotte for the way you treated her!

" What? “ Samantha gasped, for the first time losing her composure.

“You choose: Either you apologize or you can kiss our society and all the money I invested in your failing businesses goodbye. “ he threatened, furious.

“But of course, Mr. Sullivan! “Anthony stepped forward at once, servile, though his gaze was shooting daggers at his daughter, as he turned to her. “I'm so sorry, my beloved little daughter. I promise this will never happen again!

“ Mrs. Manson? “ Morgan called, when a long moment of silence ensued. “I think I made myself clear when I said that you two should apologize to your stepdaughter. “ he said each word slowly, menacingly “ Or, perhaps, as Charlotte was reminded that my partnership with Mr. Manson is the only thing that still puts food on her table, she should remind herself too...

“ Samantha, for God's sake! “ Anthony growled under his breath, although everyone could hear him clearly “ Apologize at once or you will be thrown out of this house!

"Charlotte…" she began, her expression contorted with rage as if she was straining to say those words "I'm sorry…

" Whereby? Charlie raised an eyebrow in her direction, seeming to be enjoying the moment deeply.

“For being rude, honey. “ Samantha opened a big forced smile “ I promise that this will never happen again, from now on.

“ That's true, because I'll make sure you don't! “ Morgan swore, determined “ Now get out of here! I want to speak with Charlotte alone!

“Mr. Sullivan, she's still my daughter... " Anthony looked like he wanted to protest, but his scared voice made that sentence absolutely pathetic.

“The same daughter you were mistreating a moment ago! “ Morgan snarled, making him flinch immediately “Now get out!

“Of course, Mr. Sullivan... " Samantha nodded, her blue eyes cold and angry " Why wouldn't we, as parents, leave a defenseless teenager with an unknown man, right? Come on, Anthony…" she called to him, starting to walk confidently out of the office, while Anthony threw startled glances at Morgan, clearly afraid that he had taken offense at her comment "He was supposed to be our savior and now you're siding with that stupid, unbelievable brat…” Samantha growled softly, though Morgan could still hear every word. “Congratulations, Anthony! Apparently your little daughter is an excellent fortune hunter, like you in your youth...

“What does she think she's talking about…“ Morgan was ready to teach them one more lesson, when a hand grabbed his arm, making him turn his attention to Charlie again.

" Not worth it. It will happen again, anyway. “ she shrugged, looking resigned " Don't waste your saliva on those who don't deserve it...

“But they don't have the right to treat you like that…” he tried to argue, but she remained indifferent.

“It's okay, Mr. Sullivan. I appreciate what you've done. And don't worry, I'm sure it will make a small difference. Nothing affects them as much as money, you bet. “ Charlie rolled her eyes, full of contempt “ But, if I may ask... Why did you do that? “ she looked at him shyly, uncertain “ I mean, not that I'm not grateful. I really am, but... We've only known each other since yesterday, you know?

“I did it because…” he swallowed hard, knowing that this awkward situation would only get worse if he told her the incomprehensible way he was feeling about her, wanting to protect her in an almost irrational way “I don't like injustices. . “ Morgan ended up completing, thinking that explanation would be logical enough, besides not being completely untrue “ And you're just a helpless young woman who is being intimidated by the people who should be taking care of you. I couldn't live with myself if I just watched, silent.

“Oh…” she stared at the ground, looking even more embarrassed “That's… Very kind of you… Especially since we're talking about the same girl who ruined her clothes yesterday. “ Charlie teased nervously “ I thought by this time you might be thinking of me as the crazy girl you'd never want to meet again...

“But of course not, Charlotte. I wasn't bluffing yesterday when I said I wanted to be your friend. “ he approached her, watching her blush even more closely “ How's your ankle, by the way?

“Oh… Huh…” she moved her leg slightly, as if she barely remembered her own injury. “It's much better. Her bandage helped a lot, thank you.

“ I am happy. But I want to help even more. “ he told her, very seriously “ I didn't say those things just to make you afraid. If you want, I can turn my lawyers against them right now and take you somewhere else. Do you have any relatives, even distant ones, that you can stay with if you leave here?

" Unfortunately not. Anthony is my only living relative. “ she sighed, sadly “I really appreciate it, Mr. Sullivan. But as much as I want to, I can't leave here, at least not until I'm 21. You know, Anthony and Samantha aren't doing all this just because they're terrible people. For that too, of course, but the truth is, they want to drive me crazy, so I'll do something big, like run away from home or something, and they can go to court and say I can't take care of them. myself or money, so I could get my hands on the inheritance my grandfather left just for me. “ she snarled, furious “ And I will never allow that to happen!

“So you're just going to stay here, putting up with all this? “ he lamented, feeling a strange discomfort in his chest, imagining her going through situations like that every day, for the next 4 years.

“There is no other way, believe me. I would have found a way if there was. “ Charlie sighed, before offering him a shy smile “ But, you know, I think that now my life in this house will be a little easier, now that I have an ally. Really thank you, Mr. Sullivan.

“I was also serious yesterday when I said you can call me Morgan. “ he smiled back at her, making her blush “Listen, I'll give you my cell number. If they dare do anything like that to you again, just call me and I'll come over here and put them in their place, okay? “ upon noticing that she seemed surprised by her request, Morgan explained “ It's the least I can do to help my new friend. Just because you don't seem to have any choice, for now, other than staying here, doesn't mean you have to put up with their mistreatment. And most importantly, I refuse to allow that to happen. “ he said, determined, making her blush deepen “Now… are you sure there's nothing more I can do to help you?

“Uh… I, uh…” Charlie stammered nervously for a while, until he seemed to remember something “Well… If you really don't mind me bugging you a bit more, there is something I did I need help sorting it out…” She chewed on her lower lip, embarrassed.

“It won't be any trouble. “ he assured, sincere “ What do you need?

" Well... I don't know if you remember Waffles, my bunny..." she started to explain, still looking like she didn't know very well what to say " And, I don't know if you heard that part of the conversation either, but Anthony and Samantha just hate animals of any kind, and especially after what happened today, I'm sure they'll want to do something to him, to get back at me. “ Charlie sniffed, desolate “ That's why I'd like to find him a new home.

“ But, it is your little pet" he argued as it was clear that her heart was breaking at the possibility of separating from the bunny " Maybe that's not necessary, I can talk to those two and...

“It will only get worse. “ Charlie shook his head, interrupting him “ I know your intentions are the best possible and... Yes, I really wish I could have Waffles and I'm going to miss him a lot. “ she sniffed, desolate “ But, it would be very selfish of me to keep him here just because of this, knowing that they will end up finding a way to mistreat him... Or even worse. Therefore, I think the best thing for him is to find a new home, with people who treat him better.

“ I understand…” he sighed, feeling disappointed that he couldn't do anything more concrete about it “I'd love to offer to take care of him, but I work pretty much all day, so he'd be alone a lot...

" Don't worry about that. “She smiled, clearly trying to look more resigned to the situation than she really felt. “Remember what I said yesterday about wanting to volunteer at an animal shelter? There's one three blocks from here. It's not very big, but I've seen the owner there taking care of some strays on my way to school and it's very obvious how much she loves what she does. That's the kind of person I want to take care of Waffles and find him a new family. Charlie said hopefully.

“Then we'll go there whenever you want. “ he offered, promptly.

“Can it be right now? “ Charlie shifted her gaze to the office door, worried “I don't trust Anthony and Samantha not to harm him if I take too long. It's going to be hard, but…” she sighed, her head down “I have to do what's best for him…

“I'm sure the owner of this shelter will find the best possible home for him. “ Morgan comforted her, hesitating for a moment before stroking her hair. “Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be all right. And one day, you'll be able to raise as many animals as you want, in your own home. “ he assured her, trying to console her, especially knowing that as long as Charlie lived there, she certainly couldn't have anything she really loved around her if she didn't want her father and stepmother to use him against her.

“Yes… One day…” she smiled at him, sad but also hopeful “Now, let's go! I need to go up to my room and sort Waffles out and make a list of things he likes to eat for the new family... Oh, and I should sort out some veggies to donate to the shelter in case there are any other bunnies there. ...

“You really like animals, don't you? Morgan chuckled, following her out of the office, towards her bedroom.

“Why do you think those two scoundrels were so disgusted with the idea of paying my college tuition? “ Charlie snorted “It's because they consider veterinary medicine to be idiotic. But damn them, four years from now, I'm going to become a veterinarian, one way or another!

“I could help you with that and pay your tuition. “ he offered, causing her to stop in her tracks, stunned “Think of it like a school credit or something...

" I thank you, Morgan..." she stared at him for a moment and he was afraid he had gone too far in his desire to protect her, but soon she added "But I'm not a helpless child or anything like that. I can take care of myself and work it out myself, even if it takes time.

“ I don't doubt that you can…” he laughed “But what harm would help, right?"

“And what harm would it do to wait?" Charlie snapped, puffing out her cheeks in an adorable way, making him laugh even harder as they approached her room.

It could just be an impression, but something told him that they would still have many discussions like that from now on.