Henry had heard everything Charlotte had said just then.
He hadn't heard Merry and her colleague badmouthing Charlotte.
But when Charlotte had ridiculed Merry, Henry had heard it all.
Only then did Charlotte see Henry.
She felt her heart skip a beat.
"Come with me." Henry turned around and left.
...
In the President's office, Henry stared at Charlotte.
He could see that she was still as arrogant and domineering as ever.
"Do you usually insult your colleagues like this?" Henry's voice held a touch of displeasure.
Charlotte understood that Henry probably hadn't heard Merry speak ill of her.
She didn't explain it clearly, either.
Many people did not know how to be empathetic.
Her only way out was to make the matter about him.
If she did that, he might buy it.
Charlotte appeared full of righteous indignation. "That's because Merry lusted after you, Mr. President!" she said. "As a member of the Stevens Corporation, I must protect the President's interests. I said all that so Merry would see reality and so others wouldn't tarnish the President's reputation!"
Henry said nothing.
He didn't know whether Charlotte's words were true or not, but inexplicably, his displeasure disappeared.
When he considered that she might have been defending him, he even felt pleased.
Henry narrowed his eyes slightly.
Looking at Charlotte, he suddenly thought of Old Master Stevens' ridiculous tantrums.
Old Master Stevens had insisted that he marry the daughter of the Anderson family.
He had no interest in that woman at all.
Unfortunately, Old Master Stevens was very stubborn.
If Henry had a decoy...
Henry's eyes, fixed on Charlotte, became darker and darker.
This woman could be a good decoy.
She was shameless enough.
She was bold enough.
More importantly, if he found someone to be his decoy, he would inevitably have to do some acting in front of his family. He might even have to have some intimate contact with her.
He felt disgusted whenever he had intimate contact with other women.
Only with this woman could he accept it.
"Charlotte, you want a promotion," Henry said slowly.
Charlotte was stunned for a moment.
Huh?
Hadn't Henry already rejected her promotion request?
Since he was talking about it again, was there hope for her?
She nodded immediately.
Henry's gaze slowly fell on Charlotte's lower abdomen.
He had come up with an idea.
"Help me do something," Henry said.
Charlotte felt over the moon.
As long as Henry gave her a promotion, she didn't care if he made her do ten things,let alone just one.
"Mr. President, you can speak."
"Get pregnant with my child," Henry said after a pause.
Charlotte took a step back in fright.
She wanted to say, "Mr. President, are you kidding me?"
Having eight children was not enough, so he still wanted her to conceive another baby for him?
His fertility was simply amazing!
This was not giving birth to children. This was growing rice fields!
"Mr. President, I don't sell my body," Charlotte said.
She still had to retain some integrity.
Henry snorted. "Sell your body? Wishful thinking."
Charlotte stared at him.
"Pretend to be pregnant with my child," Henry said.
...
The clock read five p.m.
Yolanda was stir-frying food at home.
She was exhausted from all the cooking she did.
After all, eight children ate a lot.
It had taken her two hours to cook this dish for them.
While Yolanda was desperately wielding the spatula, Charlotte called.
She said that she had something to do tonight and wouldn't be home for dinner.
"Oh," Yolanda said weakly.
"Mom, you don't always have to sound so dejected," Charlotte said.
"I feel so sad whenever I think of Lily." Yolanda had nothing else to say.
Helplessly, Charlotte said, "I'm hanging up now."
After Charlotte hung up, Lily walked out of the house across from Charlotte's.
She wore high heels and the latest designer dress. She looked like a trendy socialite."Remember what I said," she told the neighbor.
The neighbor nodded and bowed. "I'll remember, I'll remember."
Lily glanced at the door to Charlotte's house, and wicked delight appeared in her eyes.
...
After Lily left, the neighbor knocked on Charlotte's door.
Yolanda was putting the fried dishes on the table when she saw the neighbor coming.
"Yolanda," the neighbor said, "come over to my house, and let's chat."
"I can't now," Yolanda said. "Charlotte won't be home as early as usual tonight. I have to make sure the children eat first."
"Charlotte is working part-time again?"
"No," Yolanda said. "She now works at the Stevens Corporation, where her salary is high, so she doesn't have to work part-time every day."
Hearing this, the neighbor felt nervous.
If she wasn't coming home early or working part-time, could it be that she had a boyfriend and was on a date?
The neighbor immediately asked Yolanda, and Yolanda sighed. "It would be great if she had a boyfriend and fell in love," she said. "You see, she gave birth to eight children, eight!"
Yolanda gestured with eight fingers. "Which man would dare want her?"
The neighbor laughed.
She hoped Charlotte wasn't on a good date, or else she wouldn't be able to do what Lily had instructed her to do.
After all, Lily had offered her $100,000 with a snap of her fingers. She had to help Lily.
"Wait for the kids to finish eating. Then you come to my house to chat," the neighbor said mysteriously. "I have something good to tell you."
...
At the same time, Charlotte was sitting in Henry's car.
The car was driving to the Stevens family's villa.
Charlotte looked at the villa in front of her, only to feel that it looked like a castle.
It was luxurious and magnificent.
Suddenly, a thought came to her mind.
If her eight babies lived here, they would be much happier than they were living in her tiny house, right?
But Charlotte quickly pushed that thought away.
Children needed company and love more than they needed a large mansion.
If they lived here, how much time would Henry spend with them?
After Henry married, how good would the stepmother be to them?
Therefore, it would be best if they stayed with her.
And...
Charlotte was excited again.
Henry had agreed to give her a promotion after she did him this favor.
A big promotion.
The salary would be double!
Her darlings would have a much better standard of living.
"Do you remember what I said?" Suddenly, Henry's low voice sounded in her ear.
Charlotte nodded immediately. "I remember," she said. "I will definitely remember what my boss told me."
Henry didn't hear her clearly. "What?"
Charlotte immediately hid her face. "I will remember what the President said. As an employee of Stevens Corporation, I will do whatever the President says!"
The corners of Henry's lips twitched slightly.
This woman was acting very obedient.
The car stopped suddenly.
They had arrived.
After getting out of the car, Charlotte acted ill at ease and awkward.
Henry glanced at Charlotte. He furrowed his brow and said, "Are you having a seizure or something?"
Charlotte stared at him.
She wanted to say that he was the one having a seizure.
She said, "I'm not used to wearing these clothes. They feel too formal and mature."
She liked to wear looser, more casual clothes.
This long, close-fitting skirt always felt like it was sticking to her skin.
Before coming to the Stevens family's house today, Henry had asked her to put on along skirt so that she would look more like an elegant, refined socialite.
"Don't you women like to wear this stuff?" Henry said. "Or are you not a woman at all?"
He thought of Charlotte's shy, awkward behavior just now. She didn't look ladylikDidn't this woman care about her image? Didn't she care about her appearance?
Charlotte took something out and showed it to him.
Henry saw that it was her ID card.
He didn't understand. "Why are you showing me this?"
"My gender is written on it," Charlotte said, deadpan.
Henry just stared at her.
...
Charlotte walked up the white jade steps and entered the interior of the villa.
Everything she saw screamed "money."
Medieval oil paintings hung on the walls, thick cashmere carpets lay on the ground, and various antiques were on display.
Charlotte gave a "tsk."
The lives of the rich were so decadent.
Soon, they entered the hall.
Charlotte saw two people.
There was an old man and a woman.
At first glance, she could tell that the old man was no ordinary old man.
And the woman was drop-dead gorgeous.
She was beautiful!
She was so elegant!
Just like someone who had walked out of a portrait, she was breathtakingly graceful and lovely.
Charlotte was dumbfounded until there was a soft cough in her ear.
It was Henry, who had noticed her staring straight at his mother.
Charlotte returned to her senses and stepped forward. She had just been in a daze, so her legs and feet were unstable, and she fell straight down.
Fortunately, there was a cashmere carpet on the ground, so she would be fine even if she fell.
However, her fall was undignified.
The corners of Henry's mouth twitched.
He had said she wasn't ladylike, and he was right.
Displeasure flashed across Madam Lydia's face.
For socialites and heiresses, every move and gesture mattered, and they absolutely couldn't make even the slightest mistake.
This woman was simply unacceptable.
Old Master Stevens was also stunned.
After a while, he spat, "This is our first time meeting, so you don't need to make such a big show of respect."
Charlotte got up from the ground.
She looked slightly embarrassed.
She was about to explain that she had sprained her ankle when she heard Henry say, "She is just showing respect for Old Master Stevens. She always pays big tributes to people she respects."
Charlotte said nothing.
Yes, this matter was settled.
Looking embarrassed, Charlotte touched her nose.
Madam Lydia was not happy with Charlotte. Without any more politeness than was necessary, she cut right to the chase. "Are you my son's girlfriend?" she asked.
Charlotte nodded a little guiltily.
"Then which prominent family does this young lady come from?"
Charlotte did not say anything.
Henry had not told her how to answer that.
Charlotte glanced over at Henry.
Madam Lydia immediately understood.
She wasn't a socialite or heiress.
No wonder her every move was so ungraceful.
"Charlotte is not a socialite or heiress," Henry said. "I don't need a socialite or heiress. I, Henry of the Stevens family, am already the most distinguished blue blood, so I don't need a lady to add icing on the cake!"
Ah!
Although Henry was under pressure to marry and had asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend, Charlotte wanted to say, "Mr. President, your words are so arrogant!"
Madam Lydia disagreed with Henry.
"Even if the Stevens family doesn't need the 'icing on the cake,'" she said coldly, "this woman also needs to be of the right caliber. I don't think your girlfriend is a good match for the Stevens family."
"I think she is very suitable," Henry said assertively, "because she is pregnant."
Suddenly, both pairs of eyes swept toward Charlotte.
Charlotte chuckled and touched her belly. "Yes, I'm pregnant."
She had to make them believe she was pregnant.
Madam Lydia's eyes were full of doubt.
Yesterday, she had told Henry to marry the Anderson family's young madam. Henry had said that he had no interest in women.
But today, he suddenly had a girlfriend, and she was pregnant?
Madam Lydia felt that Henry had probably brought this woman here to fool her and his grandfather.
After all, such a daring thing wasn't something her son would do.
"Since you are pregnant, you should get a test," Madam Lydia said thoughtfully.
"After all, pregnancy is not a trivial matter. It must be confirmed."