Chapter 3

The party was winding down, and guests were slowly trickling out.

Patricia let go of Calvin's shoulder and smiled warmly. "Thanks."

Calvin shrugged with a grin. "For what?"

"For asking me to dance," Patricia replied.

"A lot of folks wanted to ask Ms. White to dance. I just got lucky," Calvin said cheerfully.

Despite Calvin's casual tone, Patricia felt genuinely grateful.

Earlier, many people had been eyeing her, wanting to ask her to dance, but no one dared because she was Charles's wife.

If Calvin hadn't stepped up, she might have had to dance with Charles, which would have been awkward since Charles wouldn't have chosen her.

Lost in her gratitude towards Calvin, Patricia didn't notice that he addressed her differently than others.

"Anyway, thanks again," Patricia said.

Calvin, unfazed, extended his hand like a gentleman. "If you really want to thank me, how about letting me take you home?"

Patricia was about to respond when she heard Paul's anxious voice behind her.

"Oh dear, Miss. White, be careful."

Turning around, she saw her adorable daughter Emily, holding up her princess dress and running towards her. "Mommy!"

Emily threw herself at Patricia's leg, her round eyes sparkling as she looked up. "Mommy, hug!"

"Emily, what are you doing here?" Patricia asked, surprised.

"Miss Emily woke up and started calling for you, so I brought her to find you," Paul said, his face full of worry.

"Where's Charles?" Patricia asked, gently picking up Emily and patting her back.

"Mr. Anderson, he..." Paul scratched his face awkwardly and glanced back.

Charles, reeking of alcohol, finally appeared.

"Daddy's back there," Emily said, wrapping her arms around Patricia's neck and giving her a kiss.

"Mommy smells nice, Daddy smells yucky." She made a cute nose-pinching gesture.

Paul wiped the sweat from his brow, worried about getting caught in the middle.

Patricia's eyes turned cold. "Drinking while taking care of a child?"

Paul tensed up, fearing an argument. Why did it have to be his shift today?

He felt so unlucky!

"It's late. I wanted to take Emily home to sleep, but she insisted on finding you. She wouldn't let me hold her, so I told her you were dancing with another man and couldn't be with her."

Charles said nonchalantly, his words uncharacteristic of his usual demeanor.

Paul was stunned. Was this a sign of discontent?

Or had he misheard? Otherwise, why did it seem like his boss was showing emotion?

Patricia sneered. Was he starting to blame her now? But he had chosen someone else first.

Charles continued, "If you're not going to take care of Emily and want to be with someone else, I'll take her home."

Charles reached out to take Emily, but Patricia dodged him without hesitation, giving him a disdainful look.

"Emily can't stand the smell."

Charles stepped aside, subtly blocking Calvin and giving Patricia and Emily space.

"Ms. White," Calvin said at the right moment, his face showing a gentle smile. "Since you have something to attend to, I won't disturb you. Let's meet again another time."

Patricia nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'll treat you to dinner next time."

Charles's lips curled into a barely noticeable smile when he heard Patricia decline Calvin.

Calvin gave them a meaningful look and said, "Ms. White, let's meet again."

As they spoke, Emily fell asleep again. Patricia asked Paul to lead the way and carried Emily to the car.

Charles followed for a few steps, then stopped and turned to Calvin.

After a long pause, he said, "Mr. Scott, you just returned to the country and might not know the situation."

His long fingers slowly buttoned his cuff, showing no sign of his earlier drunkenness.

"But I hope Mr. Scott remembers that she is Mrs. Anderson, not Ms. White."

"Next time, don't get it wrong."

With that, he walked over to join Patricia and Emily.

The car was silent, the atmosphere tense.

The only sound was Emily's steady breathing as she slept.

Patricia adjusted Emily in her arms, laying her down on her lap and gently removing her hair tie to make her more comfortable.

Charles watched her quietly. Since getting in the car, Patricia had been silent, her attention entirely on their daughter.

Tonight, Patricia seemed different, nothing like the timid woman who had been brought into the Anderson family a few days ago.

On the day they registered their marriage, she had kept her head down, as if trying to make herself invisible, not even daring to look at him.

But at tonight's party, she seemed like a different person. Charles's eyes flickered with surprise as he saw Patricia getting tired of holding Emily.

"Let me hold her."

"No," Patricia refused without thinking. "You smell too much like alcohol. Emily won't sleep well. Don't drink in front of her again."

Charles's eyes flashed, but he said, "Fine, but next time, don't dance with other men in front of Emily."

Patricia wasn't angered by his words. She stretched her arms to relax. "You accepted Irene's invitation to dance. Didn't you enjoy it?"

In her previous life, she hadn't attended the party. When Charles found her, he had a dark expression and told her to wait in the car without a word of concern. The incident of Irene locking her in a room was brushed aside.

"Tonight's party was full of business people. Every move is watched," Charles said, looking at his watch. "Since you're Mrs. Anderson, you should fulfill your responsibilities."

"What responsibilities?" Patricia felt inexplicably angry. "I didn't choose to be Mrs. Anderson."

Charles raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as if waiting for her to continue.

"Believe it or not, I don't care about such things."

Four years ago, Patricia had graduated from college and received an offer as an assistant to a high-end fashion designer.

She had gone out drinking with her friend Nicole Clark to celebrate, only to be drugged and end up in bed with Charles, resulting in an unexpected pregnancy.

But to Charles, it was all a setup, leading to Emily's birth.

Four years later, on her way back to Silverpeak City with Emily, the Anderson family had intercepted them, forcing Emily back into the family.

The Anderson family's status and domineering atmosphere were overwhelming, and for her daughter's sake, Patricia had no choice but to comply.

The Anderson family valued bloodlines above all, and under William Anderson's pressure, Charles had registered their marriage.

In her previous life, their relationship had only improved when Emily turned five.

They had even had a period of mutual affection, but she later discovered that Charles had always had someone he loved.

He could love, but not her.

Patricia's eyes darkened. In this life, she didn't care who Charles loved. She only cared about Emily's future.

Charles glanced at her twice, silently pondering her words.

He didn't dismiss his suspicions about her. The one-night stand had never been fully explained. If what Patricia said was true... Charles's eyes turned icy.

Back home, Patricia handed Emily to the maid, Ellie Smith, and went to the master bedroom to shower.

The party had exhausted her. After a quick wash, she changed into a comfortable nightgown and came out to find Charles half-lying on the bed.

"What are you doing here..."

Charles made a shushing gesture, pointing to the sleeping Emily beside him.

"Don't wake Emily."

Patricia glared at him, angrily pointing to the door. "Get out."

Charles slowly raised the hand Emily was holding, mouthing silently, "Emily won't let me go."

Patricia stepped forward, pried Emily's hand off, and pointed to the door again. "Out."

Emily's hand seemed to have eyes, immediately grabbing both their hands. Her little eyelids fluttered open briefly before closing again. "Daddy... sleep... together..."