Chapter 4

My tears fell quietly.

I turned away, my voice icy.

"If Mrs. Brooks doesn't agree, why don't you call her and ask what she really thinks?"

After all these years as childhood friends, I still wanted to give Edward an option to save face.

I was pretty sure he hadn't actually called his parents.

Edward was the only son in the Brooks Family, pampered his whole life.

He'd stormed out after a fight with his family, living on his own out of spite.

He was just waiting for them to reach out and make peace.

Otherwise, there was no way he'd ever swallow his pride and apologize.

But Edward just thought I was being clingy.

"Charlotte, you don't trust me?" he said.

"Why would I make something like this up?" he added.

His face turned cold.

"My mom's busy. She doesn't have time for this kind of thing," he said.

"You never used to be this clingy. What, now that you're bankrupt, you think I'm the only one you can latch onto?"

I personally gave him the chance to hear the truth from me.

But he didn't want to take it.

Fine, if that was how he wanted it, I had nothing more to say.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm as I spoke.

"I get it.

"This villa was a gift from me to you. Consider it a breakup gift as we go our own ways."

Edward scoffed.

"Charlotte, you're still pretending to be generous when you're broke? Relax, I'm not gonna freeload off you. When my mom begs me to come back, I'll hand the villa right back to you.

"But for now, you need to move out. Sophie's moving in.

"Sophie got a job nearby, but she can't afford rent, so I let her crash here."

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"You always said you couldn't stand her, didn't you?" I asked.

Edward's expression turned impatient.

"Charlotte, your family's broke. Who I like or hate is none of your business anymore," he said.

"I only put up with you before because of our families. Now, you can stop meddling in my life."

He pressed me, "Just get out already, I'm throwing a party with my friends."

*****

I was in my room, packing up my things.

I could hear the noise outside; Edward's buddies had all shown up.

Sophie was there too. Her long, straight hair flowed down her back, and she wore a simple white dress.

Her face was bare of makeup, but had a natural rosy glow, and her vibe was something else, pure and innocent, but with a hint of mature confidence that made her stand out in any crowd.

The moment she walked in, she instantly became the center of attention.

Edward didn't care who was watching as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

His friends couldn't help but crack jokes.

"Sophie, you finally made it! If you'd taken any longer, Edward would've died missing you."

"Compared to Charlotte, Sophie really looks like a true heiress. Charlotte was always spoiled and bossy, running wild because her family let her do whatever she wanted. Guess this bankruptcy finally humbled her."

"Charlotte's not even worth a finger compared to Sophie. If she was, Edward wouldn't even look at her."

I clenched my fists, listening to their conversation.

Those people sure knew how to change their tune.

Back then, everyone was all smiles around me.

They'd all call me "Miss Turner" and treat me like I was some kind of queen.

Besides, literally everyone knew Edward had a thing for Sophie.

I was the only one left in the dark.

I heard Sophie speak up.

"Is Charlotte okay? Edward, she's my friend. You've got to help her out."

Edward snickered. "Wouldn't you get jealous if I helped her out?"

Sophie froze, her cheeks flushing bright red.

She ducked her head, nestling up to Edward's shoulder.

They were basically using me as an excuse to flirt, just to make things hotter between them.

Seeing Sophie all shy, everyone started teasing her.

"Even when she's shy, she's still a goddess."

"Honestly, Charlotte's pretty cute too. She's got that playful rich girl charm."

"Charlotte's so broke now, she'd probably sell herself at a nightclub just to survive. Heiress? If she's still an heiress, I'll wash my hair upside down."

Just as they finished, I came out with my suitcase.

I stood upstairs, quietly watching them.

Suddenly, the whole room went quiet.

Sophie clung to Edward, shrinking back like she was scared, like she'd just been picked on.

I came downstairs with my suitcase.

The crowd burst out laughing.

"Edward, look at Charlotte, she's a total mess now. Don't go soft on her. Better take back all those luxury items before she sells them off."

"Miss Turner, you didn't swipe any of Edward's stuff from upstairs, did you?"

Edward slowly walked over to me.

He looked me up and down with that arrogant, cold stare, like I was just some stranger he didn't even recognize.

Before he could say anything, someone piped up, "Charlotte, open your suitcase and let us see what you've got in there."

"Yeah, just in case someone's desperate enough to make off with Edward's stuff!" another snickered.

When they tried to grab my suitcase, I hugged it to myself, refusing to let go.

"Everything in here belongs to me. It has nothing to do with Edward," I said.

They lunged for it like a pack of thieves, completely ignoring me.

There was no way I could fight off four or five people by myself.

I thought, after all these years growing up together, Edward would have my back.

I turned to Edward for help.

"Edward, say something!" I pleaded.

Edward barely curled his lips into a cold smirk, just calmly watching as I got pushed around.

"Edward, so you really think that too?" I asked.

Furious, I flung my suitcase aside.

Everything inside spilled out all over the floor.

Even the music box Edward gave me when he was ten, now broken among the mess.

Edward's eyes flickered, and he almost reached for it before stopping himself.

But he held back.

He said, "Charlotte, you know what's worth something, yet you chose to take the most worthless thing. That's just sad."

There was nothing valuable in my suitcase.

Just my clothes and the gifts I'd once given Edward; now I was taking them all back.

Once everyone was done picking on me, Sophie finally came over, pretending to care.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry," she said.

"They were just messing around. Don't let it get to you."

I shook her off.

I quickly gathered my things and turned to leave.

But before I could even reach the front door, I was stopped by some officials who'd just arrived.

"Is this Mr. Edward Brooks's residence?" one of them asked.

They were already here to seize the place.

It looked like the Brooks Family's parents couldn't raise any money overseas. They were completely bankrupt by then.

There was no turning back now.

Hearing the commotion outside, everyone came out to see what was going on.

Edward was the first one out.

When he saw it was the court officials, he immediately blamed me.

"Charlotte, look at the mess you've made! You've even brought the court here."

Sophie clung to his hand, her voice pleading, "Edward, please help Charlotte. What if they take her away?"

Before she could even finish, someone cut in.

"Let them take her. So what?

"The Turner Family used to run half of Kingston. Getting arrested is just karma; serves her right.

"Go ahead and take Charlotte away! She's the one who's bankrupt and owes all the money!"

The officials stepped up to Edward and flashed their badges.

"Hello, Mr. Brooks," one of them said.

"Harmony Villa has been seized. Please gather your belongings and leave immediately," he added.

Those words landed on Edward like a slap in the face.

Edward's face fell instantly.