The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 173

After Dylan hung up, he opened his laptop and clicked on the video that had caused such an uproar.

On screen, the front gate of the old mansion was swarming with reporters and all sorts of men, all shouting over each other in a chaotic frenzy, each one loudly professing his love for Mrs. Austin. The footage was shaky and messy, but there was no mistaking the greed and desperation etched across their faces.

Dylan’s expression grew darker by the second. Mrs. Austin had always been one for theatrics—who knew what kind of trouble she’d stirred up this time? He drew in a long breath, picked up his phone, and dialed Director Porter’s extension.

“Tell Raina to come in. I need her for something.”

Director Porter hesitated. “Sir, did you forget? It’s the weekend. Raina’s off today.”

Truth be told, he himself should have been enjoying the day off, but since Dylan insisted on working overtime, he’d been forced to come in.

Dylan frowned, suddenly realizing it was, in fact, the weekend.

He’d been so swamped with work lately that the days were all starting to blur together.

Director Porter’s voice came again, “Sir, if there’s anything you need, just let me handle it.”

Dylan paused, then shook his head. “No, that’s all right. Take care of your own work.”

With that, he hung up, grabbed his coat, and strode out the door.

***

It was Saturday, and Rebecca had taken the four little ones to the amusement park. As they wandered along, they spotted a crowd gathered by the roadside, where a man was calling out for people to try their luck at the “Ring the Goose” game.

A flock of plump geese waddled around inside a pen, honking noisily, their feathers ruffled in the commotion.

The kids’ eyes lit up the moment they saw the scene. Instantly, they tugged Rebecca toward the pen.

“Mommy, let’s try! We want to win a goose!” they chorused, faces aglow with excitement.

Finally, it was Evan’s turn. He took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and with a gentle flick, sent the ring flying. It landed perfectly around a goose’s neck.

“I did it! I got one!” Evan jumped up and down with delight.

His brothers crowded around, part jealous, part excited.

Rebecca smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry, there’s still time. You’ll all get another shot.”

After a few more tries, Noah and Aiden each managed to snag a goose, leaving only Ethan empty-handed. By now, he was starting to panic, his cheeks flushed red, eyes fixed intently on the geese.

Without hesitation, he bought up the rest of the rings from the vendor, clutching the whole bundle in his little hands. Then, with a determined look, he hurled them all forward at once.

The rings whistled through the air—time seemed to stand still as everyone held their breath, watching.

A beat later, a chorus of honks erupted—multiple geese were caught, each with a ring hanging around its neck. The crowd gasped, then burst into cheers and laughter.