“Are you alright?” asked Zachary. He had walked over to help Charlotte up.
“Fifi had always been an obedient pet. It has never behaved this way before.” Charlotte frowned. She later complained, “You must’ve frightened it.”
“I saved you. It’s bad enough that you’re not thanking me, but now you’re even blaming me?” challenged Zachary with his brows raised. “Isn’t that a little too much?”
“It won’t have acted this way in the first place if it hadn’t been for you!” insisted Charlotte, who looked furious.
Zachary turned speechless. He examined the bird and quickly found the cause for its rampage.
“This eagle is the most aggressive type of eagle. It may look like it has been tamed, but it would revert to its aggressive self if it saw human blood.”
“You’re right. My brother mentioned that it can’t be exposed to human blood,” blurted Charlotte as revelation hits. “It must have been acting so wild because it injured you and some of your blood got onto it!”
“You would’ve gone blind if it wasn’t for me,” reminded Zachary as he examined her wrist. “Go treat your injury once you get back. Don’t let it get infected.”
With that, Zachary spun on his heels and left.
Charlotte tilted her head down and checked her own wrist. That was when she realized that Fifi had clawed her and left a few deep cuts on her.
“Ms. Lindberg!” shouted Lupine and Morgan while hurrying over. “Are you alright?”
“Take Fifi home.”
As Charlotte instructed her people, she heard a car engine starting. Zachary had left with his men.
Zachary was still staring at Charlotte from the car. The truth was that he was still worried, but he had suppressed his emotions. He understood that some things took time.
“Ms. Lindberg has such a terrible temper,” commented Ben. “You rushed over just to save her, but she never even thanked you. She even put the blame on you.”
“She is so different from Ms. Windt,” said Marino who, at that moment, found Charlotte’s former self to be much sweeter.
“Both of them are equally shameless and coquettish, though,” said Zachary.
He recalled how Charlotte looked when she went back on her words all those years ago, and that got him to smirk.
Just then, Zachary suddenly thought of something and instructed, “Drive slower.”
“Understood.”
Charlotte and the others got into their car with the eagle. They were heading to the villa as well.
The forest’s routes were confusing, and the navigation system couldn’t get any signal. Morgan almost lost her way as she drove, but the Nacht family’s car was right in front of them, so she simply followed them right out of the forest.
“Thank the heavens that the Nachts’ car was right in front of us. We would’ve been lost otherwise,” said Morgan. “Did they come all the way over just to help us?”
“Or maybe they’re there to watch the show,” scoffed Lupine. “Zachary was fooled by Ms. Lindberg, after all. Not to mention Fifi injured him. I bet he came all the way over to seek vengeance on Fifi. Yes, that has to be it.”
“Uh-huh…” murmured Morgan. She didn’t dare to say another word, so she simply glanced at Charlotte from the rearview mirror.
Charlotte had her eyes tilted down as she caressed Fifi’s injured wings. No one could tell what she was thinking at that moment.
Back at the hot spring resort, Zachary showered and was wearing a robe while towel drying his hair.
His phone suddenly rang, so he picked it up. “It’s two in the morning. Why are you still up?”
“I need you to go to Serene Hospital right away,” ordered Henry anxiously. “Cynthia is in trouble.”
“What happened?” asked Zachary calmly.
“She was in a car accident and is fighting for her life in the emergency room right now,” replied Henry nervously. “She waited the entire night for you and got into an accident while she was on her way back. The Nacht family cannot deny our part in causing the accident, so you are to hurry over right away.”
“Got it,” replied Zachary before he hung up the call and instructed Ben, “Get the car ready. We’re going to Serene Hospital.”
“Understood,” replied Ben before he quickly arranged for everything.
Zachary changed into casual wear and put on his shoes before hurrying down the stairs. That was when he bumped into Charlotte and her people. They were dragging their luggage along and were getting ready to leave.
“Mr. Nacht, what a coincidence!”
Charlotte had changed into a comfortable dress and had her long hair down. All that made her seem more approachable.
“Leaving so soon, Ms. Shameless Liar?” teased Zachary.
Charlotte harrumphed. She raised her brows and put on a grin before saying, “I can’t sleep well knowing that a beast lives in the next room, so it’s better to leave earlier.”
“Ah, so you know that I am a beast,” said Zachary as he approached her slowly. His sexy lips moved past her cheek and whispered into her ear, “Be careful. I might just eat you up.”
