Darren’s breath caught, his dark eyes locked on her face, searching for answers, as if trying to bore straight through her.
She lifted her hand and pointed at the now-cold hearth at their feet, her voice light and unruffled. “The Charlotte you’re looking for… she’s right there.”
He blinked, confused. “What?”
Something inside Darren seemed to snap, exploding in his chest. In a flash, he closed the distance between them.
Charlotte hardly had time to react before his hand closed around her slender throat.
His words hissed in her ear, low and dangerous. “You dare play games with me? My patience is gone. Tell me—where is she?”
Forced to look up at him, Charlotte managed to choke out, “Charlotte’s dead. Ten minutes ago, she was burned to ash.”
Darren’s grip tightened, his knuckles white. “Lottie, you really do have a death wish.”
She stared back, unflinching. “Go ahead. Try me.”
“You—!”
The air between them froze, a breath from shattering.
But Charlotte knew Darren. For all his brutality, he wasn’t the type to actually kill her. No matter how hard he squeezed, she refused to give in. Then—
A shrill ringtone shattered the standoff.
He shoved her aside and fished his phone out of his pocket. Charlotte caught a glimpse of the caller ID: [Xena].
He answered, and Xena’s trembling voice spilled through the line. “Mr. Harrington—Noah… he’s gone…”
“What did you say?”
The shock on Darren’s face was plain to see.
Charlotte couldn’t make out the rest of the call. She coughed, clutching her sore neck, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Looks like Mr. Harrington has more pressing matters. I’ll excuse myself.”

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