Chapter 165: The Confession

No one answered immediately.

Phoebe reached for Charlotte’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You’re not going to lose him," she said gently.

She shot Shania a fleeting glance.

The corner of Shania’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly before she leaned forward and took Charlotte’s other hand.

"Think about it," Shania said in a soothing voice. "We’ve watched Kristoff spend years devoted to you."

"He chose you."

"He proposed to you."

"One argument isn’t enough to erase all of that."

Charlotte closed her eyes.

She wanted to believe them.

She truly did.

But no matter how hard she tried, Kristoff’s frigid gaze continued to haunt her.

For the first time in years...

She was no longer certain she was the woman who held the most important place in his heart.

...

Phoebe and Shania stayed with Charlotte until late afternoon.

They listened patiently as she cried.

They handed her tissues, refilled her tea, and whispered words of comfort whenever another wave of tears overtook her.

By the time they finally left Viridian Heights, Charlotte looked utterly drained.

As the elevator doors slid shut, the sympathy vanished from Phoebe’s face.

"What a mess," she muttered.

Shania let out a quiet laugh.

"I almost started crying with her."

Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"You deserve an award for that performance."

The two exchanged amused smiles.

The moment they stepped into the underground parking garage, Shania pulled out her phone.

"You recorded everything?"

Phoebe patted her handbag.

"Only the important parts."

Charlotte’s sobs.

Her confession that Kristoff had been cold to her.

The mention of a fight.

More than enough to stir public curiosity.

Shania’s fingers flew across her phone screen.

"Perfect."

"Let’s give everyone something to talk about."

Less than an hour later, entertainment accounts began posting the same explosive headline.

The Dalton Heir and Supermodel Charlotte Harris in a Cold War? Relationship on the Rocks After Heated Argument.

Anonymous insiders claimed the couple had suffered their biggest fallout since their engagement.

The story spread like wildfire.

Within minutes, it climbed to the top of the trending topics.

Neither Charlotte nor Kristoff had any idea...

The source of the leak had just comforted Charlotte over tea.

...

Back at Aioryx Tower, an oppressive silence hung over the president’s office.

The early afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in warm light. Yet the temperature seemed to plummet.

Kristoff sat behind his desk, his fingers tapping slowly on the mahogany table.

His expression was unreadable.

Only the slight tightening of his jaw hinted at the fury simmering beneath his composed exterior.

Across from him, Lucinda, Alexander’s former nanny, could barely keep herself together.

Her clothes were wrinkled, her hair disheveled, and dark circles shadowed her bloodshot eyes. She looked nothing like the composed nanny who had once cared for Alexander.

She looked like a woman who had been running for her life.

"Sir Kristoff...."

Her voice quivered.

"Please... save me."

She fought back tears.

"I’ll tell you everything that happened that day."

Kristoff’s gaze remained fixed on her.

Cold and unwavering.

"Are you negotiating with me?""

His deep voice echoed through the spacious office.

"You expect my protection in exchange for information?"

Lucinda hurriedly shook her head.

"N-No."

She lowered her eyes.

"I know I have no right to negotiate with you, Sir."

A bitter smile flickered across her lips.

"But... I truly have nowhere else to go."

Her shoulders trembled.

"If I leave this building..."

She paused, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I’ll be dead. I just wanted to survive."

The confession lingered in the air.

Slowly, she slid off the sofa and dropped to her knees with a muffled thud.

Her hands clasped together in desperate prayer.

"It was Miss Charlotte."

Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.

"She sent people after me. They wanted to silence me."

"I only escaped because I got lucky."

Kristoff’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

For the first time since she had entered the office, a flicker of emotion crossed his face.

"Charlotte?"

His tone was dangerously calm.

"Why would she want you dead? Charlotte is gentle and kind..."

Kristoff paused. He remembered the things Charlotte had done.

Lucinda’s breathing turned ragged.

She hesitated, as though merely speaking the answer would place a noose around her neck.

Finally, she gathered the courage to lift her head.

"Because she’s afraid..."

"...that I’ll expose what really happened to baby Alexander."

The room fell deathly silent.

Even Owen, who had remained quietly standing near the door, stiffened at the accusation.

Kristoff’s gaze grew sharper.

Sharper than a drawn blade.

"And what," he asked, each word slow and deliberate, "exactly is she trying to hide?"

Lucinda’s fingers dug into the carpet. She had crossed the point of no return.

There was no taking back what she was about to say.

Before opening her mouth, she searched Kristoff’s face one last time.

"If I tell you the truth..."

Her voice cracked.

"You have to promise to keep me safe.."

Kristoff didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he rose from his chair.

"I don’t need to make a promise to fulfill my words." Kristoff said.

The soft click of his polished leather shoes echoed across the office as he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

For several long moments, he stood with his back to her, looking out over the city.

When he finally spoke, his voice was calm.

"If Charlotte truly tried to have you killed..."

He slowly turned around.

"...then the moment you walked into this office, your life became my responsibility."

Lucinda froze, then she bowed to thank him .

"Thank you ...Sir."

Kristoff’s expression remained cold, but there was an unmistakable authority in his voice.

"No one touches a witness under my protection."

His gaze locked onto hers.

"Now..."

"Tell me everything."

Lucinda closed her eyes.

She inhaled deeply, but the air still felt too thin.

Opening her eyes, she looked directly at Kristoff.

"It was Miss Charlotte."

Every word trembled as it left her lips.

"She instructed me to place that stuffed toy beside baby Alex."

The office became so quiet that the ticking of the wall clock seemed deafening.

Lucinda’s shoulders slowly slumped.

A single tear slid down her cheek.

The burden she had carried this past few days hadn’t disappeared...

But speaking the truth had finally loosened its grip around her heart.