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Charlotte is the daughter of Charles’s late best friend. Her father, a man Charles deeply respected, died when she was just a child. On his deathbed, he entrusted Charlotte’s safety and future to Charles, making him promise to protect her no matter what. For years, Charles financially supported her and acting as a father figure, ensuring she had everything she needed.

But now, Charlotte has turned 18, and circumstances force her to step into Charles’s world. No longer a helpless child, she is a beautiful, intelligent young woman, and for the first time, Charles sees her differently. He fights against his emotions, knowing she’s too young, too pure, and most of all—someone he has sworn to protect. But Charlotte, unaware of his internal struggle, finds herself drawn to him, eager to prove that what they feel is real.

Torn between Duty and Desires

Charles had imagined Charlotte's return a thousand times, but the reality was something else entirely.

He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching as she unpacked her suitcase in the guest room—no, her room. She had spent most of her childhood in this house, but now, she looked like she belonged to another world.

The last time he had seen her, she had been a small, reckless teenager, always running, always laughing, always throwing herself at him without a care. Now, she moved with an effortless grace that made it impossible to ignore how much she had changed.

She caught him staring and smirked. "Are you going to hover there all night, or are you going to welcome me home properly?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I let you in, didn't I?"

She gasped dramatically. "Wow. So warm. So heartfelt. I almost cried."

Charles sighed. "You're still annoyingly dramatic."

"And you're still grumpy." She tilted her head, her golden and blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "Guess some things never change."

She had always been small, but now, her delicate frame had a subtle elegance to it. She no longer looked like a fragile little thing that needed protecting—though something about her still felt… untouchable. Her platinum hair fell in soft waves down her back, no longer wild and tangled. Her features had sharpened slightly, her cheekbones more defined, her full lips curving into a knowing smile.

It wasn't just that she had grown up. It was the way she carried herself—confident, self-assured, like she had stepped into a world of her own and never needed him in the first place.

That thought sat uncomfortably in his chest.

Charlotte took a step closer, looking up at him with that familiar teasing glint in her eyes. "You're still staring, Charles."

He scoffed. "You're imagining things."

She grinned. "Right. Because you've been standing there in silence for five minutes, thinking about the weather."

He turned away before she could see the small twitch in his jaw. "Unpack quickly. Dinner's at seven."

She let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ah, yes. The great Charles Williams, avoiding emotions since birth."

He ignored her and started walking away, but her soft laughter followed him down the hall, wrapping around him like a thread he couldn't quite shake.

And that was going to be a problem.

Chapter 2: A Different Charlotte (Charles’s POV)