Chapter 1
* * *
Numerous media outlets constantly published articles about Ines every day.
At least, it was Elton who published articles in the most neutral way but no one paid attention to Elton.
Either way, because it wasn’t interesting.
Among all kinds of stimulating articles, Elton magazine, which published articles that were not biased towards either side, just felt boring.
‘Okay, I think I did well in the interview today.’
On the way back from the interview.
Charlotte was soaked in the thrill of victory.
A situation where everyone doubted Ines’ intentions and looked at Ryan with reprimand.
And Charlotte was the perfect pitiful victim in her midst.
‘I finally got my revenge on Ines and Ryan!’
Ines buried Charlotte in the social world and Ryan coldly abandoned her (Charlotte) as soon as she fell into the abyss.
‘I finally gave the two of them a shot of their own medicine!’
As Charlotte was moving her joyous steps.
“Long time no see, Charlotte.”
Someone suddenly spoke to her.
For a moment, Charlotte froze in place.
That voice….
“… Ryan?”
Charlotte turned to Ryan with a hard face.
Ryan smiled and continued.
“We have a lot of issues to talk about, don’t we?”
It was a relaxed smile that made her want to hit it once.
Charlotte turned her body around with a straight face.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
It didn’t do any good to Charlotte by mixing her words with Ryan anyway.
So, it would be better to avoid Ryan as much as possible.
With such judgment she made, Charlotte quickened her steps.
“Do you really have nothing to say?”
A crooked voice grabbed Charlotte’s ankles.
“Why do you keep bothering me?”
Charlotte frowned.
“I have nothing to say to you. How many times do I have to say it for you to understand…!”
“Manipulation of gift contracts.”
What?
Charlotte stood still on the spot.
At the same time, a sinister laugh mingled between Ryan’s voice.
“Is there really nothing to talk about?”
“Rah, Ryan!”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I won’t force you…”
Charlotte turned around.
She became contemplative and clung to Ryan.
“Looking back, I think we have something to talk about. Shall we talk inside?”
“Why? It doesn’t matter if we talk here, right?”
Ryan took a leisurely look around.
Then he narrowed his eyes and asked Charlotte again.
“Ah, are you worried about other people’s eyes?”
‘This son of a b*tch!’
Charlotte’s eyes lit up with fury.
All this time, Charlotte insisted to the yellow press that she was just a victim between Ryan and Ines.
If she was seen talking out here with Ryan, she would be in trouble.
Besides, that statement that the gift contract was fabricated…
‘How on earth did Ryan notice?’
She was so confused but she couldn’t keep talking to Ryan outside like this.
Charlotte smiled twitches at the corners of her lips seductively.
“Ooh, let’s go to my house. Yes?”
“Yes, if you really say so.”
Ryan nodded his head as if he were doing her a great favor.
* * *
So they arrived at Charlotte’s house.
Charlotte had Ryan seated at a table, served him tea with trembling hands.
Ryan leisurely savored the tea.
Then.
“I guess your household has gotten better these days. I know this tea leaf is quite luxurious.”
“…..”
Seeing him suddenly evaluating the scent of tea, Charlotte was annoyed.
However, in this situation, the disadvantaged side was Charlotte.
‘Let’s be patient. For now, I have to be patient.’
Charlotte suppressed her rising irritability.
After that, she tried to look at Ryan with a smile on her face.
“Ryan, you said earlier that you had something to say about gift contracts being rigged, right?”
“That’s right. I did.”
“But I have no idea what you’re talking about……”
Charlotte blinked her eyes innocently as if she didn’t know anything.
But in her head, she had already calculated everything.
‘First of all, I don’t know why the gift contract is a fabrication, so I’m going to try to deny it.’
But unfortunately, Charlotte’s plan was already wrong from the beginning.
“Really? You have no idea what I’m talking about?”
Ryan asked with a grim smile.
“That’s strange. Then why did you bring me to your house, Charlotte?”
“That’s…..!”
“Charlotte, if you didn’t care about the gift contracts. Wouldn’t it be better to just pretend you didn’t know what I was saying?”
At that sharp point, Charlotte’s face turned white.
‘I got caught!’
Ryan was right.
In the first place, unless the gift contract was really fabricated, there was no need to fuss over Ryan’s few words.
So, the best thing Charlotte could do was…
‘No matter what Ryan says, I just pretend not to know!’
But it had already spilled water.
Ryan looked at Charlotte with sly eyes.
“I heard that Ines personally signed the gift certificates.”
“That, that….”
“Did you forge Ines’ signature?”
“……”
Charlotte felt speechless for a moment.
‘How on earth did he know?’
Caught off guard, she stared blankly at Ryan.
Then Ryan asked sarcastically.
“Charlotte, you are not good at lying, aren’t you?”
“What, what are you talking about! I just don’t know what you’re saying……!”
Startled, Charlotte belatedly protested.
“Oh, really? If it were me, I would have tried to appease myself at such a time of difficulty.”
The initiative had already completely passed to Ryan.
Ryan took a sip of the cold tea, looked Charlotte up and down with mean eyes.
“The situation is obvious. A forgery signature that even the signature checker couldn’t properly verify, there’s no way you could make such a forgery alone.”
Every word Ryan said pierced her ears like a knife.
“Then there must have been a helper but I have a rough idea of who that helper is.”
“Don’t be mean, Ryan!”
Charlotte raised her voice convulsively.
Then Ryan tilted his gaze and stared at Charlotte.
“Marquis Usher. Am I right?”
“…….”
Charlotte had been stabbed in the head, bit her mouth shut.
“I thought that Marquis Usher, the head of the Art Association hated Ines and that’s why he was trying to help you to discredit Ines…..I guess I’m right from the look on your face.”
Ryan was talking about his guess in a relaxed tone, shrugging his shoulders proudly.
“Think carefully, Charlotte. I’m only speaking in front of you now but depending on your behavior, I can speak carelessly in a place where many people gather.”
“What….!”
“Of course I have no proof. So far, it’s just speculation.”
Ryan had a mischievous smile on his lips.
“But isn’t that enough to overturn public opinion?”
“You!”
“Don’t just scream like that. What are you going to do?”
After asking that question, Ryan arrogantly leaned back in his chair.
“Do you want me to shut up? Or would you like to talk a little more freely?”
“Ryan, I….”
“If I’m just going to make a lot of noise.”
Ryan was completely in the mood for victory, had a relaxed face.
“Maybe I accidentally noticed the forged signature with someone’s help…I might be getting my guess out of my head when I’m drunk?”
“…….”
“If that speculation spreads to the people around you, the helper will be quite displeased. Don’t you think so?”
Charlotte glared at Ryan, bit her lips until her lips to draw blood.
But that was only for a short moment.
She tried to put a big smile on her face.
“Yes, Ryan. Is money what you want?”
“Money? What… Money is good too.”
Ryan nodded his head, as if to humiliate Charlotte’s words.
Instead, Charlotte was rather sweet and quickly brought out the checkbook.
She wrote a large amount on her check and quickly put it into Ryan’s hand.
“Let’s get this first. Huh?”
Ryan took the check in an arrogant manner and frowned.
“Is this all you can give me?”
The amount Charlotte wrote down was objectively a considerable amount of money, but his reaction was dismissive.
Charlotte groaned inwardly but she struggled and spoke softly.
“Things have been difficult. Ryan, if you understand…..”
“Understand? Do you want me to understand?!”
Ryan glared fiercely at Charlotte.
“My reputation has been ruined because of you when you talk as you pleased to the yellow press!”
‘To be honest, your reputation has been the worst even before!’
The protest rose to the top of her throat but Charlotte smiled once more.
“Yes, I understand your anger. As for your reputation, I will try my best.”
“Your best? Haa…….”
Ryan angrily swept up his bangs, snapped furiously.