Chapter 3
James being reborn wasn't part of my plan, but once I found out, I accepted it pretty quickly.
I told him that once he got the investment, I'd hand over the referral slot to Emily.
After checking in with Logan, I rounded up the rest of the college guys and moved everyone into Shaw Manor.
The very first day we moved into Shaw Manor, James came looking for me.
He asked, "Why are you leaving?"
I stared out at the moonlight outside and shot back, "Why are you still here?"
James kept fumbling for words, but never managed to say anything.
So I decided to say it for him, "You think I should stay by your side, don't you?
"After everything you put me through last time—your lies, your betrayal—and now, once again, you pick Emily.
"But I did say I'd only ever marry you. So now you think I'm the one breaking my word, huh?"
I shut the window, my voice calm as I spoke,
"Mr. Sterling, a promise only means something the moment it's spoken. After that, it's just about whether you have a conscience."
Just like that time I nearly worked myself to death trying to make ends meet, and when I finally came to, he told me he'd always stick by my side.
Those were just empty words, too, weren't they?
All those years of giving everything—maybe I got a flash of genuine affection, but it was gone before I knew it.
All that was left in the end was just cold disregard.
That day, James walked away, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior.
The very next day, I heard the news that Sterling Holdings and the Shaw family were joining forces.
At the press conference, Emily stood beside Logan, being interviewed by the media and showered with praise.
In the audience, James, all smiles, appeared briefly on camera.
My phone chimed quickly.
Sure enough, it was a message from James: [The slot—you promised.]
I read his message over and over, then finally just forwarded him the referral email.
And that was it. Not a single extra word.
Watching that "typing..." bubble flicker on and on, I couldn't help but smirk.
I turned off my phone and made my way down to the basement.
*****
Before I knew it, the design competition was just around the corner. In the meantime, Emily had become the hottest topic in Metropolis City, with every major media outlet fighting to cover her.
Everyone was singing her praises—kind, capable, helping out a bunch of underprivileged college guys, and now she was the next in line to run Shaw Group.
When it came to all this, Emily stayed humble as ever. For the first time in front of the cameras, she finally brought up my name.
"Honestly, my cousin Charlotte Shaw is the true successor of the Shaw family. Sure, I managed to pull in some investments, but I'm not Mr. Shaw's real daughter, so please don't spread any rumors," Emily said, her voice sweet and humble.
With just that one line, she put me right in the spotlight.
Emily instantly became the tenacious girl with real talent who was being held back, while I got labeled as the spoiled rich girl who only made it because of her family name.
Overnight, the internet was flooded with stories about me—on the surface, they were all compliments, but underneath, they were full of shade.
I couldn't care less about all that drama. Honestly, I never had any interest in Shaw Group to begin with.
But then Emily showed up at my door, with James trailing right behind her.
She was still acting all meek, but every word was a power move, trying to box me in.
"Charlotte, everyone's really curious about you. They want to invite you to do an interview.
"Are you reluctant because I've been stealing your spotlight lately? I'm sorry, I was just thinking about what's best for the Shaw family.
"If you don't want me to, I'll disappear from everyone's view right away."
Under the glare of the cameras, Emily spoke through her tears, putting on a dramatic show for the crowd.
Before I could even open my mouth, she'd already left me with no room to respond.
James stood right beside her, silent, his eyes fixed on me, unblinking.
He was silently warning me not to say anything out of line.
I glanced around—all the reporters here were from Sterling Holdings.
Already thinking about my next move, I smiled at the cameras.
"Sure, I've got a lot to say to everyone," I said, sounding casual.
Consider this my farewell present to him.