"I believe in her too." Stella couldn't take her eyes off Charlotte as she walked away, pride written all over her face. "Charlotte just knows so much. I’ve never met a girl smarter than her."
Andrew wiped the sweat from his forehead and swallowed, still a little shook. "Is there anything Charlotte can't do?"
Parrish glanced over, his tone lazy. "Yeah. She can’t fall for you."
Andrew went quiet.
***
Everyone in the room tracked Charlotte as she headed for the stage. Nobody had a clue what she was about to do. Her gorgeous face was set in a look so icy it almost took your breath away. Gorgeous, sure, but with an edge that said she wasn’t someone to mess with. She looked ready for a fight.
"Charlotte, you..." Mr. Lane’s face had gone totally pale. He stared at her in shock, his voice low and shaky. "What’s going on? Are you really Dr. Cole?"
"Yeah, that’s me." Charlotte shrugged and gave him a careless smile. "Why? Do I not look the part?"
Mr. Lane pressed a hand to his forehead and staggered backward. Only his assistant kept him from toppling over. "Wait, hang on. I need a second to process all this."
"Take your time." Charlotte’s lips curled into a small smile. "I’ll wait."
She turned back to the audience and walked toward the center of the stage, all eyes glued to her.
"You..."
The host, who’d come out to try and smooth things over, clutched the mic and just stared at her, completely lost.
"Mind if I use that?" Charlotte reached out, one eyebrow lifted.
"Sure." The host handed it over without a second thought, probably because Charlotte’s stare was so intense.
"Thanks." Charlotte took the mic and walked over to the three winners. Her eyes paused on Shirley’s shocked face, then landed on Beck.


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