Charlotte was taken aback by the sudden question. The little girl smiled broadly at her, looking adorable with a big orange bow in her hair.
"Haven! Don't be so rude!" Her mother, Vera, told the little girl to behave. She held her shoulder and forced Haven to sit well in the chair. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte. This girl has been dying to meet you since yesterday."
Instead of feeling offended, Charlotte waved back at Haven and gave her a sweet smile. "It's been a long time since I've met you, Haven."
Charlotte had only seen Haven at her wedding when she was only a year old, and without realizing it, time had flown by so quickly and the baby had already grown into a cute toddler.
"Mommy, she's waving at me!" Haven jumped up and down in her chair, making Charlotte wonder why she was so happy to see her.
"I'm sorry, Charlotte. She's been a fan of yours since she saw your movie, The Little Hearts, which airs every holiday." Vera smiled. "She really loves Ms. Harper."
"Really?" Charlotte couldn't help but smile at Haven. "That movie came out nine years ago. I'm not even sure I look the same as I did in that movie."
Little Hearts was a family movie about a kindergarten teacher at the orphanage, Kate Harper, who wanted to help her orphaned students find families before Christmas.
At the end of the movie, the orphans end up celebrating Christmas with their beloved person, their own teacher, Ms. Harper.
This movie touched the hearts of many viewers and is shown every holiday season. Unfortunately, Charlotte didn't get the royalties because Julian had taken over all access to her property and wealth for five years.
Charlotte wasn't even allowed to have her own bank card all this time.
"Are you kidding? You look as young as you did nine years ago." Vera said, "What's your secret? I want to keep my youthfulness too."
Charlotte also didn't know how.
Maybe being cooped up in the house and not being exposed to sunlight for so many years was the key to staying young.
"All right, enough talking in the dining room." Louis put Haven on his lap, preventing his daughter from disturbing Charlotte any further. "You have to respect your favorite actress's private life, Haven."
"But, Daddy, my favorite actress is going to be my aunt! Her private life is my private life too!" Haven paused for a moment as she realized something, "Wait! Isn't Charlotte married to my cousin Julian? That means we've been sharing a family from the beginning!"
"But why would she marry Uncle Damon?" Haven held her head, confused by her broken family tree. "Daddy, can I also marry two men in the future?"
"Hell, no." Louis cupped her cheeks. "No man deserves my precious daughter."
Charlotte laughed softly as she watched the father-daughter interaction. She was happy for them but jealous at the same time.
Before she married Julian, Charlotte had dreamed of being a mother. She dreamed of living with her adorable children and her loving husband, but she failed to achieve all of those dreams.
She couldn't get pregnant despite years of trying, and her husband was such a jerk.
Perhaps she shouldn't have had a dream in the first place.
"I'm not going to marry two men at the same time," Charlotte explained in simple words. "Julian and I are no longer together, so I can marry your uncle. Wouldn't you like me to become your aunt?"
Haven freaked out when Charlotte spoke to her. "Will you live here if you marry my uncle?"
Charlotte smiled. "I think so."
"Then I'd like to be your niece!" Haven turned to Damon. "Uncle! Uncle! You're finally not a lonely Alpha anymore!"
Louis immediately covered his daughter's mouth. "I never taught her those words!"
Vera giggled and pointed her finger at her husband. "He calls you that at least twice a week."
Louis gasped. "Honey, you should defend your husband!"
Damon sighed, too tired to deal with his brother's nonsense. "Let's just have breakfast."
The dining room fell silent as they picked up the utensils. The food looked delicious and tempting, but Charlotte didn't eat much.
She counted the calories in her head before picking at the food on her plate. Her movements were slow and hesitant as if she was forcing herself to take even the smallest bites.
Damon's eyes caught the way she barely touched her food, her fork hovering over the plate before withdrawing without actually eating.
"Is the food not to your liking?" he asked, his deep voice soft but firm, cutting through the silence.
Charlotte was taken aback. She lifted her head. "No, it's perfect," she replied quickly, "I'm just ... not very hungry."
Damon started to say something but Charlotte spoke first, "Are you going to your office today?"
"Yes. I will leave after breakfast."
Charlotte asked hesitantly. "Can I go with you?"
She still felt uncomfortable staying at Red Moon Manor when Damon left. Maybe because her relationship with him was not official yet, Charlotte didn't think she deserved to live with his pack.
"If you want to, of course." Damon continued, "Actually, I also was about to ask you to come with me today."
Charlotte looked at him confused. "Why? Do you need something from me?"
"You'll see."
Charlotte thought that Damon wanted to introduce her to some of his important employees, but it had never occurred to her that he was also going to give her some movie scripts.
When they arrived at the twenty-story building, Damon took her to a private conference room. There were about three people sitting there, Charlotte didn't know them, but she could guess that they were important people.
But why did Damon want her to follow him into the conference room?
Her confusion only deepened when she saw several neatly stacked folders and scripts waiting on the long glass table. Damon gestured for her to sit down and she complied, though she was still unsure of what was going on.
"I wanted to talk to you about this." Damon began as he picked up one of the scripts, flipping through it casually before setting it down in front of her. "These are some projects I've been funding through my media company. I think you're good enough to make a comeback with one of these movies."
Charlotte's eyes widened as she stared at the script. "Wait, what?" Her mind suddenly became fuzzy because she wasn't able to digest this extraordinary information quickly. "You ... want me to be in one of your movies? Mr. Sullivan, are you insane?"