The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 145

Rebecca tensed for a split second, but Dylan glanced down coldly and snapped, “Had enough fun gawking? Get back to work.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Yes, sir.” Clutching the lunchbox, she hurried off.

With Rebecca gone, Dylan lost his appetite. He turned on his heel and headed back to his office, burying himself in paperwork.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Dennis. “Mr. Austin, Ms. Crystal was here. She just started at Austin Enterprises, couldn’t find you, and kept pestering me. I told her you were at Frost Incorporated…”

Dylan paused, pen in hand, brow furrowing as he finally recalled, “Crystal, the Thomsons’ adopted daughter?”

“Exactly,” Dennis replied quickly. “She chased after you for five years overseas. Don’t you remember?”

There was a short silence.

Dennis instantly realized his mistake and smacked his own forehead. “Sorry, sir, I forgot—you’re face-blind.”

Dylan’s expression darkened, his voice icy. “From now on, don’t divulge my whereabouts without permission. If you slip up again, there will be consequences.”

Dennis’s heart skipped a beat. “Understood, sir.”

After a moment, Dennis ventured hesitantly, “Sir, when will you be back?”

Leaning back in his chair, Dylan rubbed his temples, thinking for a second before replying, “Not for a while. Handle things there for now. If anything comes up that you can’t solve, then call me.”

Dennis felt a wave of despair. It was bad enough having to play nanny to the boss’s wife and kids, and now he had to run the company too?

He recalled the chaos at the Austin household—the wild, unruly kids, the endless complaints from Jack the butler. He always felt caught in the middle: everyone’s expectations, no easy answers. Now, with the company added to his plate, the pressure felt suffocating.

Dylan answered first, “Dad, how’s Mom feeling?”

Jacob snorted. “So you do remember to ask about your mother?” His voice was thick with reproach.

Dylan said nothing.

Jacob continued, “She’s fine. Rested up for a couple of days and she’s back to normal. Still, after that scare, she refuses to be left alone. She’s afraid to even go to the bathroom at night—keeps thinking she’ll run into a ghost…”

He paused before going on, “But honestly, I have a bad feeling about what happened that night. It was too much of a coincidence: someone playing tricks, the security cameras just happened to break. I don’t buy it—there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

Dylan’s expression grew grave. “I’ll have someone look into it further.”

Jacob nodded. “Good. Make sure you get to the bottom of this. Your mother’s been anxious ever since, and it needs to stop. By the way, why did Dennis tell me you were at Frost Incorporated?”