Chapter 36
Chapter 36
On the fifteenth day, Teresa finally returned to Brocade Villa.
She had only one reason for coming back—to seek justice for Hector.
A talented doctor like Hector shouldn’t have his future destroyed–especially not because of her.
When she arrived, Charles still hadn’t returned.
Mrs. Davis, seeing Teresa after two months away, couldn’t hide her delight.
“Mrs. Logan, you’re finally back,” she greeted warmly.
Teresa offered a faint smile in reply. “Mm.”
“Mrs. Logan, I bought plenty of fresh ingredients. Would you like to cook dinner?” Mrs. Davis asked.
It was still early, leaving ample time to prepare.
Over the past two months, Charles had been coming home regularly, and Mrs. Davis figured he’d likely do so tonight too.
Aware of the strain between the couple, she gently suggested a nice meal might help smooth things over.
Teresa caught her drift but smiled and said, “Mrs. Davis, why don’t you handle it? You know my preferences and what I can’t eat.”
Mrs. Davis blinked in surprise. “Mrs. Logan, are you sure…?”
“Go ahead and arrange it, but don’t make it too fancy,” Teresa said.
She used to do everything herself, but it had all been pointless–Charles had never appreciated it.
Mrs. Davis frowned, puzzled. ‘What happened to Mrs. Logan? She’s acting like a completely different person.‘
After deliberating in the kitchen, she decided to call Charles.
“Mr. Logan, Mrs. Logan is back. She’s in the kitchen getting dinner ready–just waiting for you to come home.”
It was a small white lie; after all, they were a married couple with a child. Surely they could work through whatever was wrong.
Charles was working overtime when the call came. Hearing Teresa had returned to Brocade Villa, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise.
He’d honestly thought she’d never come back.
Hanging up, he shut down his computer and left the office.
As he stepped into the main hall, he saw Teresa descending the stairs from the second floor.
She saw him too, but there was no trace of joy on her face, nor did she move to take his coat as she always had.
Instead, she walked silently down the stairs and took a seat at the dining table.
Charles removed his coat, hung it on the rack by the door, and sat down across from her
When Mrs. Davis brought out the dishes, she immediately sensed the tense atmosphere. She kept quiet
“Mr. Logan, Mrs Logan, please enjoy your meal,” she said softly.
Tereza looked up at her. “Mrs. Davis, could you step out for a moment? I need to talk to my husband alone.”
Mrs. Davis forced an awkward laugh Of course
Once she was gone. Teresa didut so quch as touch her fork. Turning to Charles, she cut straight to the chase. Did you put Jason up to Targring Hector
Charles recalled the mat Tera had did my a few times this must be Hector
1:06 PM P P.
Chapter 36
A vague memory surfaced of Jason saying, “I’ll take care of this for you.”
Teresa was confronting him now, so Jason must have acted.
But Charles wasn’t sure exactly what he’d done.
“What are you implying?” he asked, neither confirming nor denying.
His evasion only solidified Teresa’s suspicion. She let out a bitter laugh. “You’re despicable.”
“Really? Is that what you think?” Charles replied, unperturbed.
“Aren’t you?” Teresa shot back.
Over something as trivial as Hector refusing to discuss a research topic with Naomi, Charles was willing to ruin a genius.
Charles realized Teresa hadn’t returned for the whole second child thing. She was here for Hector–plain and simple.
What exactly was between them?
Why was she going out of her way to defend him?
A surge of irritation rose in him, and he said coldly, “You should have known the consequences when you let him get close.”
Teresa never for a second thought his anger stemmed from jealousy.
This was Charles–he craved control over everything.
And as his wife, she was supposed to stay within her assigned bounds.
But Teresa wasn’t going to be his puppet anymore.
“Hector and I have been friends for years. Since when do you get to decide how I live my life?” Teresa fired back.
Seeing Teresa looking so self–assured and righteous, Charles felt a surge of irritation.
His voice turned icy, his gaze glacial. “So I should just stand by until you’re in his bed before I react?”
Teresa paused, then let out a bitter laugh. “Before you accuse me, maybe take a long look in the mirror.”
Charles’s eyes darkened. He had never seen her like this–guarded, sharp–edged, bristling with defiance.
Lately, though, this version of Teresa had become unsettlingly familiar.
He had always assumed she was passive, pliant–but now, he saw the fire in her, the unyielding will she’d kept hidden,
After a heavy silence, Charles finally spoke. “So you came back just to say this to me?”
Teresa didn’t falter. “Yes.”
Then, without hesitation, she added, “And what about Hector? Don’t you owe him an apology?”
Charles tilted his head. “What exactly do you want from me??
“Apologize to him,” Teresa demanded. “And end your interference in his career.”
Charles studied her, his lips curling into a humorless smile.
Teresa searched his face for any hint of his thoughts, but his expression was unreadable.
Fine: Charles said, his tone laced with mockery.
With deliberais slowness, he picked up his phone and dialed–right in front of her
Teresa watched, uneqse coiling in her stomach Was he really going to apologize, or was this another one of his games?
The call contested Charles rose, the harsh ligt framing his silhouette, his face obscured in shadong
1:06 PM P P .
Chapter 36
Teresa strained to see him, but his expression remained hidden.
Then, his voice cut through the silence–cold, merciless. “Ruined. I want Hector’s medical career ruined. Ensure he never practices again. No–go further. Make sure he can’t work anywhere.”
Teresa lunged for the phone, but Charles caught her wrist in a bruising grip. She twisted, but his hold was unbreakable.
As soon as he ended the call, Charles yanked her against him, his broad frame swallowing the light, leaving her trapped in his shadow. His breath seared her skin–too close, too hot–and every instinct screamed at her to flee.
But struggle as she might, she couldn’t wrench free.
“Well?” Charles murmured, his lips brushing her ear. “Are you happy now?”
1
Teresa wrenched her head back, eyes blazing. “You’re vile.”
He chuckled, low and mocking. “Funny. I don’t feel vile.”
A careless shrug, as if ruining a life meant nothing.
To Charles, talent was trivial. A genius’s dreams? Kindling.
What others spent lifetimes chasing, he crushed between his fingers like dry leaves.
Teresa’s hand flew before she could think–a crack of skin on skin, her palm stinging from the force.
It was the first time she had ever raised a hand against him.
“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Charles went still. The slap had ignited his rage like gasoline on a fire. Then–Like a switch flipped, he seized her throat and slammed her into the chair, his voice a lethal whisper. “You’ve got no idea what you’ve just done.”
Teresa’s face darkened to crimson, veins threading her bloodshot eyes–but no tears. Only defiance. Gasping, she choked out, “I… pity myself… for ever loving you.”