At that very moment, across the narrow road, a familiar figure slipped into Ethan's line of sight. The woman was dressed in casual athletic wear, a large travel backpack slung over her shoulders, standing at the crosswalk waiting for the light to change. As Ethan noticed her, she seemed to glance over as well. Their eyes met briefly. Almost at once, the woman turned and hurried away along a detour. Ethan's gaze followed her without pause until he saw her disappear into a small private hospital nearby.

Charlotte ran straight into the hospital elevator before finally letting out a breath. She hadn't been mistaken. The man across the street had been Ethan-and beside him was another woman, her profile oddly familiar. Though she had no real connection with him, an uneasy feeling churned in her chest, as if she had witnessed something she shouldn't have. Charlotte pushed open the door to a shared ward in the inpatient area. Her mother and younger brother were squeezed together on a narrow hospital bed in the corner. "Charlotte," Christopher Xander said as soon as he saw her.

Charlotte immediately raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Their mother was asleep. She didn't want to wake her. After unpacking the daily necessities she'd brought, Charlotte quietly led Christopher outside the ward and handed him a thick wad of cash for living expenses. Her family had always struggled. When Charlotte had just started college, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and lost the ability to work. Her brother, Christopher, had been only twelve at the time and was sent to board at school.

had been kind to her. Early in her career, she'd worked under Khloe, earning a decent salary at the Fox Group. After moving to the Morrison Group, money was even less of a concern. Still, her mother's medical bills were a bottomless pit, and the pressure never truly eased. Christopher was returning to school the next

he needed to watch out for, Charlotte went back into the ward to check on her mother. By the time she finally left the hospital, the streetlights along the road had already gone dark. "Charlotte!" A low, icy male voice suddenly called out to

corner of the street. "I heard you've been making good money lately," her father snarled, the stench of alcohol and cigarettes rushing straight into her face. "Give me five thousand." Charlotte frowned desperately and shook her

know that?" His eyes were bloodshot, his voice low and vicious. Charlotte knew he wasn't joking. She secretly reached behind her back, fumbling for her phone, trying to call the police. Her parents had divorced when she was very young-because her father drank, gambled, and racked up

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