The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 157

Mrs. Austin had finally had enough. Unable to deal with the constant harassment any longer, she decided to call Dylan and tell him everything.

When Dylan picked up the phone, he was sitting in his office, buried in paperwork. The moment he heard his mother’s voice, complaining loudly on the other end, he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he replied with a cold, mocking tone, “Someone’s targeting you? You should just be grateful you’re not the one targeting others. Who’d even bother targeting you?”

Mrs. Austin was stunned. She never expected her own son to say something like that. Her voice trembled with disbelief and hurt. “Dylan, how could you say that? I’m your mother!”

Dylan let out a sharp laugh. “All you ever do is meddle in my life, arranging this and that for me. Maybe now you’ll finally know what it feels like to be annoyed by someone.”

Frustrated and desperate, Mrs. Austin protested, “Everything I do is for your own good. Why are you being so ungrateful?”

He snapped, his patience gone. “For my own good? You mean introducing me to women I have zero interest in? I’ve had enough of it!”

Mrs. Austin raised her voice, exasperated. “I just want you to settle down and give the Austin family a grandchild, is that so much to ask?”

“My life is none of your concern,” Dylan shot back. “Why don’t you focus on your own problems for once?”

Mrs. Austin’s anger boiled over. “Dylan, how can you be so heartless? I’m being harassed to the point my life’s a mess, and instead of helping, you throw these insults at me!”

There was a pause. Dylan’s tone cooled. “So what do you want me to do? Chase those people away for you? You’re the one who brought this trouble on yourself.”

“I did nothing wrong!” Mrs. Austin protested furiously. “How dare you blame me?”

Dylan sighed. “You’re always showing off in public. Maybe you’ve made some enemies without even realizing it.”

“I don’t show off!” she argued. “I’m just being social, like everyone else.”

He was clearly losing patience. “Enough. If you’re really that bored, maybe try reading some self-help books or find something productive to do. Just don’t bother me.”

The intensity of his words stopped her cold. Realizing she’d just become an accidental witness to a deeply personal moment, she panicked, spinning on her heel to leave. As Dylan glanced up and met her eyes, she stammered, “Sir, I’ll come back later.”

She didn’t make it to the door before Dylan’s voice, sharp and commanding, stopped her. “Hold it. Why are you here?”

Linda froze. She turned slowly, her face pale with anxiety. “I—I’m here to drop off some paperwork,” she managed, clutching the files to her chest.

Dylan’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the documents in her hands. “Just leave them there.”

She rushed forward, carefully placing the file on his desk, head bowed, not daring to meet his gaze.

The air in the office was almost suffocating, thick with Dylan’s lingering anger. Linda could feel her heart pounding wildly, as if it might leap out of her chest at any moment.