“What are you saying? I can’t hear you,” Roger said at the other end. “Charles—I just saw Charles—”The line went dead.Roger hissed and tossed his phone back in his pocket, switching it to Do Not Disturb. This woman shouldn't ruin his carefully planned evening. He looked around and spotted Sadie two tables away.“Man, take your eyes off that woman for once,” one of his friends chuckled.Roger poured himself a drink. “I need that woman.”“She’s way out of your league, bro. Most men here can’t get past business talk with her,” another added.“You never can tell until you try,” Roger said, glancing at them.They laughed.“What?” he asked, seeing the ‘you don't know what you are saying’ look on thurt faces. “Don’t bother. I tried. She canceled me on the spot. Wanna know the worst part?”“She told you she had someone?” Roger guessed.“Nah, worse. Told me to do somethin

Damn. Maybe this was all a bad idea. What type of friends does Sadie even keep? This was the third one checking him out tonight. Charles took another sip of wine. Damn.“Ladies and gentlemen!” the MC's voice suddenly blasted through the hall, slicing off the smooth music like a blunt knife.“The birthday boss is coming on stage now,” he announced, way too close to the mic. “He has a wish!”Charles winced. Damn, bro, you trying to eat the microphone or what? Give it some space, man.“And the wish? He’ll tell us now!”Cheers erupted as the birthday guy swaggered onto the stage. Loud applause, mostly from the ladies—which, to Charles, was just irritating noise.The guy acted like some D-list celebrity, waving like he was on tour or something, eating up the attention until the crowd simmered down.“My wish,” he said, voice too soft for someone with such bulldog features, “is to have a one-minute dance with Sadie Wy

Back inside the hall, Emmy was the most stunned. That voice speaking over the phone—it was obviously Charles’ voice. It was. But… how? How were these things even happening?The Charles she knew could never have made all this happen.The president of the YT company? A Rolls-Royce? A chopper? No way. Then it hit her.Charles must have done all this to show her something again. To prove he was still capable of being her husband. She chuckled. What a cunning guy.Sadie. It had to be Sadie. She must have been the one who called in all those men at Charles’ request. Damn. She knew it. She knew Charles still had a thing for her.She stood up and picked up her bag. No matter how hard Charles tries, he can never win her heart again. He’s probably regretting divorcing her now. That explains all this drama. He must be so desperate.“This is just the beginning,” she muttered to herself as she walked out of the hall. No matter what he do

“I’m really sorry if I did something wrong,” Charles said, voice low. “Just tell me what it is. I swear, if I can fix it—I will.”Sadie just stared at him.Charles let out a heavy sigh, then stepped back, defeated. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, turning to leave.“The guy who helped us,” Sadie suddenly said, her voice light—too light. A smile curved her lips, but it wasn’t a happy one. If anything, it made Charles feel worse. “Can I get his number? You must’ve gotten it. Or something.”Charles bit his lower lip. “Sadie…what are you doing?”“Oh, I get it,” she said with a sigh, tilting her head. “He just left. No number. How forgetful of him. And let me guess…he didn’t tell you his name either?”Charles didn’t respond. He couldn't. What was he supposed to say? Had she caught on his lies? No way of knowing yet. “I could’ve thrown a charity gala in his honor,” she added. “Really. It would’ve been the least I could do to sh

Later that night, Charles lay on his bed, mind replaying the day’s chaos. His phone buzzed quietly on the table beside him — his godfather calling.Shit.He answered, voice steady but wary. “How are you doing today, sir?”“Kid, you nearly gave me a heart attack seeing your name all over the internet. What the hell were you thinking?”“I don’t let any man make advances on my woman. Besides, I kept my face hidden.”His godfather chuckled, excitement clear on the other end. “Lost cause, kid. That’s what I’ve been telling you. When you’re in love, you do crazy things. Don’t you love how it feels? No booze can top that kind of intoxication.”Charles shook his head. Sadie was cool, but the last woman he’d want to fall for. Marriage to her? Hell no. He’d rather be a bachelor at 100.“So, is she pregnant already? I’m coming to check on you two if anything’s wrong,” his godfather pressed.“Nothing’s wrong. You’re ju