Mr. Norman, She's Out of Your League Now novel Chapter 80

Roxanne and Lydia stood frozen, staring at Charlotte in disbelief.

Charlotte, on the other hand, frowned sharply as a single thought flashed through her mind. What terrible luck! The Perry family meant nothing to her anymore—not Roxanne, not any of them.

Six years ago, there had still been a sliver of attachment in her heart toward Roxanne, who had once raised her. After the accusations and after being slandered so viciously, she had still gone to look for Roxanne in private, hoping for some kind of explanation.

What she had received instead was a slap across the face. She was even met with a threat.

Roxanne had told her to divorce Brian as soon as possible and give the engagement back to Lydia. Otherwise, she would make sure Charlotte paid the price.

The nightmare had not ended there. After the divorce, Charlotte had struggled to find work in Marindale, running into one roadblock after another. For a long time, she could not understand why.

It was only after the Howard family took her in and helped investigate that the truth came to light. It had been Roxanne and Louis working behind the scenes, blocking every chance she had. Driven by guilt toward Lydia, they punished her for it as if the mistake of switching the children had been her fault.

Their actions were sickening. And that was the moment Charlotte finally gave up on the Perry family completely.

Years ago, the Howard family handed over two business projects to the Perry family as compensation for raising her. The debt between them had long been settled.

There was no need for greetings. Charlotte was ready to walk past them without so much as a second glance.

But Roxanne was not about to let her go so easily. The moment she saw Charlotte step forward, she snapped, her voice sharp with anger. "Charlotte, what are you doing here?"

She spoke loudly enough for the entire private room to hear. Several people turned their heads, startled, thinking they might have misheard. Then, they caught sight of her face—familiar and unmistakable.

Charlotte had not realized the room was so full until she felt the weight of their stares. She paused for a brief moment, then straightened her posture, her gaze steady as she replied, "Why wouldn't I be here?"

Her words carried strength and calm, leaving Roxanne momentarily speechless.

Charlotte heard every word, and her stomach churned with disgust. The false concern in Lydia's voice was enough to make her want to spit out the dinner she had just eaten.

Lydia was as good as pretending as ever. It was absolutely revolting.

Forcing down her nausea, Charlotte met Lydia's smile with a voice as cold as ice. "If I remember correctly, Ms. Perry, you were born a whole two hours before me, were you not? Calling me your big sister sounds a bit nauseating."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And for the record, my mother only gave birth to one daughter. I don't have such a sweet little sister."

The words landed like a slap across the face.

Lydia's smile froze. The flicker of rage behind her eyes was hard to miss, though she struggled to keep her expression soft. She spoke with a trembling voice, her words carefully laced with wounded innocence.

"Charlotte, why would you say something like that? I was just worried about you. After your divorce from Brian, you vanished. I've truly missed you all this time. Not just me, Grandpa often talks about you as well. We've all been worried."