The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 298

Mr. Marshall Ferber lavished praise on Evan, but instead of getting cocky, Evan just waved a hand with a modest smile. “Oh, come on, I’m nowhere near your level, sir. You’ll always be the master.”

The quip sparked laughter all around the table.

Afterward, Mr. Ferber warmly invited everyone to stay for dinner.

During the meal, Fitch, caught up in the cheerful atmosphere, pulled out his phone and snapped a group selfie. He managed to capture himself, Raina, Mr. Ferber, and Evan—all four gathered together, faces glowing with camaraderie.

He quickly captioned the photo: “Family of four. Look, my son’s got quite the appetite tonight.” Satisfied, he hit send.

Of course, his so-called “son” was too busy devouring his food to notice, so all Fitch managed to photograph was the back of Evan’s head, a mess of thick hair.

Not that it mattered. Sometimes, a little mystery made things more interesting.

Anyway, it wasn’t like he’d gotten Raina’s number yet, so he didn’t have to worry about hiding the post from anyone.

Rebecca noticed him fiddling with his phone and turned to ask, “What are you up to over there?”

A flicker of guilt flashed across Fitch’s face as he slid his phone away. “Nothing much—just wanted to capture a happy moment.”

Rebecca didn’t press him further. She just nodded, then reached out and dropped a piece of roast onto Evan’s plate while the boy continued eating with single-minded focus.

As everyone chatted and ate, Fitch let slip a story about something that happened at work earlier that day. He meant to impress the group with his daring, but he didn’t expect Evan to latch onto the details.

The moment Evan heard, his eyes grew wide with outrage. “What? Someone actually accused my mom of stealing? Who would do something so awful?”

Fitch tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry, kiddo. I took care of it for your mom.”

But Evan didn’t relax. Instead, his small face hardened with anger. He made a silent vow: he wouldn’t let anyone smear his mother’s name.

As soon as Garcia’s face popped up on the screen, all four boys froze.

“It’s her again?” Ethan scowled, baring his teeth. “I bet Grumpy Granny’s behind this too. Those two are always in it together.”

Evan chimed in, “Looks like the old witch still isn’t giving up.”

Aiden’s voice was tight with anger. “This is too much. She actually slipped a wallet into Mom’s purse when she wasn’t looking.”

Ethan slammed a fist into his palm. “That’s it. I’m going to make her pay for what she did to Mom!”

But just then, Noah interrupted, “Wait, look at this.”

Instantly, four pairs of eyes turned to the laptop screen...