The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 307

At the same time, Rebecca’s phone buzzed with a message from Joyce Gellar, inviting her out for a shopping spree. Rebecca replied that she was at work and couldn’t make it.

Come the weekend, Joyce reached out again, but as luck would have it, Rebecca had already promised the four boys she’d take them fishing.

She’d given her word, and there was no way she’d let the kids down.

Joyce, however, seemed eager to be friends. She texted, “Mind if I tag along?”

With the invitation already out there, Rebecca couldn’t bring herself to refuse, especially since Joyce was an important business partner.

On Saturday afternoon, Samuel Thomson pulled up at Sunset Villa Estates to pick up Rebecca and the four boys for their fishing trip.

As usual, Samuel brought along a team of bodyguards, just in case.

The four little guys were thrilled. The moment they hopped out of the car, they dashed toward the lakeshore, bouncing with excitement.

They wore matching overalls and brightly colored caps, each of them adorable in his own way.

Every boy carried his own fishing rod and gear, plus a small plastic bucket.

Rebecca and Samuel followed a short distance behind. With Samuel always so busy, he rarely joined in on leisure activities, but fishing was one of his few hobbies. Whenever Rebecca planned a trip like this, she always invited Samuel—not only was he good company, but with his bodyguards around, they had built-in security. Two birds with one stone.

Soon, Joyce arrived too.

She was dressed in laid-back weekend clothes, looking relaxed and at ease.

Spotting the little group up ahead—surrounded by bodyguards—Joyce guessed right away it was Rebecca. She called out from a distance, “Raina!”

Rebecca waved back, greeting her with a warm smile.

As Joyce got closer, she realized Rebecca wasn’t alone. There was a tall, good-looking man at her side, and up ahead, four boys darting around like puppies.

Glancing at Samuel, Joyce blurted out, “Is this the boys’ dad?”

He’d flat-out refused to shake her hand.

Joyce withdrew her hand gracefully, smiling to show she understood. “That’s okay. I get it.”

But inwardly, she thought, This guy is seriously aloof.

Rebecca shot Samuel a glare. When had he ever been a germophobe? She’d seen him change diapers for all four boys without batting an eye, no matter how bad the smell. Now suddenly he had a thing about germs? What nonsense.

Just then, Ethan called out from up ahead, “Uncle Samuel, hurry up! If you’re late, we’ll take all the best fishing spots!”

Samuel replied in his usual unhurried tone, “That’s fine. I’ll give you a ten-minute head start, so you can’t complain that your uncle’s picking on you.”

Ethan huffed and put his hands on his hips. “Are you underestimating us? This time, we’re definitely going to beat you!”

The four boys had always lost to Samuel when it came to fishing, and they were determined to win for once.