Page 23 of Don’t Fall for the Billionaire
Chapter Twenty-Three
Charlotte
After lunch, I headed back to the townhouse.
“Hi, Sylvia.”
“Hi, Charlotte. Did you have a nice day?”
“I did. Where’s Eloise?”
“She’s up in her room playing her DS.”
“How was she today?”
“She’s good. I’ve taken her temperature every hour, and it’s still normal. She said she’s feeling better.”
“Good.” I grinned. I grabbed the folder from the school and took it upstairs.
“Hey, you.” I walked into her room.
“You’re back.” She hugged me. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. Sylvia told me you’re feeling a lot better.”
“I am. No fever and my throat feels better.”
“That’s good to hear. You need to get dressed. Dominic will be here soon to take us to the doctor.”
She opened the folder and picked up the flyer for the talent show.
“What’s this?”
“Your school is having a talent show. How fun, right?”
“Nah.” She set the flyer down.
“What do you mean? You can do a little hip hop and show everyone how good you are.”
“I’ll do it if you do it with me.” She grinned.
“Me.” I jammed my finger into my chest. “You want me to dance with you?”
“Yes. Please, Charlotte. You can teach me a dance routine, and we can practice. It’ll be fun.”
“Huh, that’s a good idea. Okay.” I grinned. “Let’s do it. I’ve been meaning to ask you. Do you know who Kitty Corner’s daughter is?”
“Yeah. Her name is Maisy and she’s mean. She thinks she’s better than everyone else. They go through a lot of nannies.”
“I’m not surprised.” I went into her closet and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt. “Get dressed and then I’ll put your hair up.”
“There you two are.” Ashton appeared in the doorway with a smile.
“Ashton? What are you doing home?”
“Yeah, Dad. Why are you home in the middle of the day?”
“I decided we’d all drive together to the doctor instead of me meeting you there. Are you almost ready?”
“Yeah. Charlotte just has to put my hair up.”
“Okay. Charlotte, can I speak to you for a moment?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back, Eloise.” I stepped out into the hallway where Ashton stood. “What’s up?”
“Did you apologize to Kitty Corners today?”
“Jesus Christ, Ashton. Did she drop by your office again?”
“No. She called this time. She said your attempt at an apology was nothing more than an insult wrapped in sugar, and you humiliated her in front of the office staff.” He smirked.
I let out a short laugh and folded my arms. “First of all. There was no office staff in there except one secretary, and she was down in Eloise’s classroom getting her homework, so she wasn’t present for ninety percent of the conversation.
Second, she is a narcissistic bitch wrapped in venom.
She wouldn’t recognize sincerity if it bit her in the ass.
I apologized for my tone, but I didn’t apologize for having a backbone.
She’s just pissed that I didn’t get down on the floor and grovel at her feet. ”
“So, you admit that your apology was an insult wrapped in sugar?” An amused expression crossed his face.
“No. I will not let her twist my words into something they weren’t. She heard what she wanted to hear.”
“It seems you have a talent for making enemies, Charlotte.”
“Or maybe I just don’t let socialite bullies walk all over me, insult me, and demean me. That is not who I am. If you’re rude to me, you’re getting it right back.”
“Well, be careful. Kitty Corners isn’t the kind of woman you want as an enemy. I’ve seen her destroy lives. She’s a major grudge holder.”
“So am I, and she’s messing with the wrong nanny. But unlike Kitty, I don’t fight dirty. I fight fair. If that’s going to be a problem for you?—”
“It’s not a problem for me. I can handle Kitty, and obviously, you can too. So, I’m staying out of it.”
“Good. Who does she think she is running to you every time we run into each other? What is she? Five years old?”
Ashton chuckled. “Just be careful, please.”
“I will.”
“I’m ready to have my hair put up,” Eloise said, standing in the doorway.
“I’ll see you two downstairs.” Ashton walked away.
“Come on. Let’s get your hair done. We can’t be late for the doctor,” I said, grabbing the hairbrush and a rubber band.
“I overheard you and my dad talking. Is Maisy’s mom being mean to you?”
“I’m water. She’s oil. We don’t mix. That’s all.”
“She got Bella kicked out of the school last year,” Eloise said.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Bella and Maisy got into an argument. Maisy punched herself in the face and went to the office, crying, and told the principal that Bella had punched her. But we all knew that wasn’t true because Brielle saw Maisy in the bathroom doing it when she was in the stall.
But the principal wouldn’t listen to Bella’s side, and Maisy’s parents made a huge donation to the school after Bella got expelled. ”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
We took Eloise to the doctor, and he advised Ashton to consider having Eloise’s tonsils removed. I had mine out when I was a child, and I told him it was no big deal, and I barely got sick again after having them out.
We stopped at a diner for an early dinner after we left the doctor’s office. Eloise ate well, and it made me happy that she was feeling so much better. When we arrived home, she went upstairs to take a bath and do her homework.
“Eloise’s school is having a talent show. Eloise wants me to dance with her.”
Ashton looked up from his phone. “Are you going to?”
“Yeah. Why not? It’ll be fun. Besides, I know we can knock that little bitch Maisy, out of first place.”
“Ah, Kitty Corners again, eh?” He smiled.
“She made it a point to tell me that her precious little Mozart wins first place every year with her piano skills. Not this year. Just like she’s not winning the bake off either.”
“I thought you didn’t fight dirty?” A smirk crossed his lips.
“I don’t.” I smiled. “Oh my God. I have so much to do. I have to bake the pies this week for the bake-off and the school fall fundraiser. I have to mix music and plan out a dance routine. Then I have to teach it to Eloise, and there’s a lot of practicing. Oh my God.”
“Charlotte, breathe.”
“I will when it’s all over. I’ll be up in my room if you need me.” I flew up the stairs.