âAll right. Thank you. Youâre the best!â Charlotte said with a smile.
After taking her shoes off, Charlotte leaned back on the couch. She was giggling the whole time when she was talking. But when she thought of something, she suddenly stopped laughing.
She immediately asked earnestly, âHey, Karl, I remember that you told me earlier that Wayne has a girlfriend. Is she the lobby manager named Anna Gabriel?â
âOh, nothing. I happened to see her at the hotel today. Sheâs pretty gorgeous, I thought. Well, I have to hang up now, sorry. Iâll take you to dinner in a few days, okay?â
After Charlotte hung up the phone, she put the phone aside. Then, she sat down on the sofa and wrapped her hands around her legs. She leaned back on the cushion and then began to ponder.
She thought to herself, the woman I saw this morning is Wayneâs girlfriend. I think she is young and pretty. But sheâs not as beautiful as me. Also, I feel that she is a pushâover and has nothing special. I thought Wayne did not like that kind of woman. Did Wayne make a random woman his girlfriend because he thought that he had to get married? Well, I donât care what kind of woman she is. As long as she is Wayneâs girlfriend, she is my rival in love.
Charlotte laughed contemptuously. She came back to England for one purpose only, to win back Wayne and get back together with him.
Anna was working as usual at noon the next day. As she cruised through the lobby, she saw a familiar car pull up in front of the hotel. And her eyes immediately lit up, and then she quickly walked over to the door. However, she had barely taken a few steps when she saw two people step out of the car.
They were Wayne and Charlotte.
âI think you need to buy me lunch, Wayne. You see, I got you such a big order! You know, I did it just for you. There will be a lot of guests staying in your hotel, whether itâs low or high season for tourism.â
âOh, thank you. What do you want to eat?â
âI really want to eat the local food. Iâve been in France for so long, and Iâve never had British food.â
Just as they were talking, they both saw Anna, who was in front of them looking at them.
Charlotte frowned and said unhappily to Anna, âGee, itâs you. Iâve already told you that your manager can punish you all he wants. But I canât say nice things to him for you. Besides, youâre an irresponsible employee, and I donât want to see you right now.â
Annaâs face immediately darkened after hearing Charlotteâs words. She clenched her hands into fists.
She walked over to them because she wanted to say hello to Wayne. However, she The Necklace Is Lost immediately realized that if she spoke to Wayne, she would embarrass him. Anna felt so angry and ashamed that she wanted to disappear from the world instantly âOh, sorry. Iâm really sorry.â Anna said and immediately left. Wayne looked at her back and frowned. He asked Charlotte, âWhat happened?â
Charlotte laughed, and then briefly told Wayne what happened yesterday. She then said, âYou know that if people are severely allergic to pollen, they can have respiratory failure. Youâve seen cases like this, havenât you? Miss Gabriel is the manager of the lobby. How can you let a careless person like her be in such an important position? I think itâs time for you to fire her.â
Wayne glanced at her and said, âOh, itâs not a big deal. And Charlotte, I remember that in the past, you didnât care about details like that.â
Charlotte blinked and said, âGee, I used to be just a regular employee. But now Iâm the president of a big company. You know, my job is a tough one, and I canât make mistakes.â
Wayne nodded and didnât say anything. He looked at Annaâs back and then got a mixed feeling in his heart. He said, âWell, Charlotte, youâve certainly grown up. But letâs drop it this time.â
âDrop it? What are you talking about? Why should I let this go? Wayne, you used to be very strict. When you saw such irresponsible employees in the past, you would fire them immediately. Oh, well, I see. Maybe itâs because you think sheâs pretty that you canât bear to fire her.â
âSheâs my fiancée,â Wayne said briefly. Charlotte stopped laughing immediately after hearing his words.
At night, a banquet was held at the hotel to celebrate that the hotel passed the examination smoothly. Anna was also there because she was invited.
Sitting next to Wayne, she felt uncomfortable because of what happened between Charlotte and her before.
Charlotte lifted her glass and said to Anna, âPlease allow me to start by giving a toast to Miss Gabriel. Iâm sorry, and I didnât know you were Wayneâs fiancée before. I shouldnât have spoken to you like that.â
Charlotte was very shrewd. By saying that, she meant a lot of things. She apologized to Anna to show how forgiving she was.
She also seemed to mean that she was apologizing to her for Wayneâs sake. Not only that, but she implied that Anna was not capable at all. In her opinion, Anna could be a manager only because she was Wayneâs girlfriend.
âItâs okay. After all, I was the one who made a mistake at work.â Anna said and then forced herself to give Charlotte a toast. In fact, she was actually angry Just as Anna was about to drink, Wayne stopped her. Then, he said to Charlotte, âLet me drink this for her, okay? Sheâs not very good at drinking.â
He took Annaâs glass and then finished all the wine. Anna felt less depressed when she saw Wayne drinking for her.
I canâs always get what I want. Although Iâm not doing so well at work, Iâm doing very well in dealing with relationships. Anna thought to herself.
However, neither of them noticed that Charlotte became very upset when she saw Wayne drinking for Anna.
Wayne drank a lot of wine at the dinner, and he had rarely done that before. When the party was over, Wayne went to the restroom.
Anna sat in the lounge and waited for him. However, she waited there for a long time and found that Wayne hadnât come out yet.
Anna guessed that he might have thrown up in the restroom because he drank too much wine. Then, she went to the front desk and asked for a glass of hot water and a hot towel.
Anna walked towards the restroom to look for him. But, just as she reached the restroom door, she heard a woman talking.
Anna immediately stopped and stood in the doorway. Then, she glanced at the sign on the door and confirmed that it was the menâs room. Next, Anna realized who the woman was and then froze.
âWayne, Iâm sorry. Iâm here to apologize to you for all the wrong things I did six years ago. You know, I was only twenty at the time. I was young and naive. At that time, I didnât know what love was, and I just wanted to cancel my familyâs engagement for us. So, I didnât even think about whether I loved you or not before leaving you.â
Anna stumbled at the door. She looked inside and saw Wayne standing there with his back to her. Also, Charlotte leaned against his chest and whimpered in a low voice. Wayneâs tall body blocked her so that Anna couldnât see her face.
âWayne, I know you love me. And you wonât abandon me. Karl told me about the necklace. Your grandmother told you to make a necklace for your future wife from her emerald necklace. And, I know you made one for me. I regret it so much now, Wayne. I shouldnât have left you. Iâm sorry.â
At that moment, Anna suddenly felt her mind go blank. She could hear her ears ringing and the sound of her rapid heartbeat.
She thought she had lost the ability to think. She wanted to escape, but she felt like she couldnât move her legs as if they were out of control.
Then, Wayne raised his hand and embraced Charlotte. âCharlotte, the necklace is lost.â He whispered.
His low voice echoed in the large bathroom. He spoke softly and clearly as if he felt very sorry for that Anna found that she could not stand it any longer. Then she immediately turned around and fled.
She kept running. After a while, she ran out of the hotel and onto the road nearby. Eventually, Anna stopped and stood on a random street. As she gasped for air, many cars were driving past her.
Standing by a streetlight, Anna bent over her knees and panted heavily. At that moment, she realized that the glass in her hand was already empty and the towel had long been cold.