The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1397

Helen’s heart skipped a beat as the footsteps drew closer. She was just about to warn Charlotte when Anthony appeared right in front of her.

“Anthony… you’re here!” Helen straightened so fast it almost hurt, slapping a wobbly smile on her face and pitching her voice just a little too high.

Anthony caught it immediately. He stopped walking, slipped his hands into his pockets, and lifted his chin, his eyes squinting just a bit. “Where’s Charlotte?”

“She’s inside,” Helen replied. It was strange, lying to Anthony, especially since she’d never even tried in the twenty-something years she’d worked for him. Her voice wavered, and she couldn’t keep her face from twitching awkwardly.

He studied her for a long second, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Is something wrong?”

Helen felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “No, nothing’s wrong. Really!” She kept smiling, hoping it looked relaxed, even though her legs had suddenly gone weak and her eyelids started blinking a mile a minute. This was her best “totally not hiding anything” face. It was a disaster.

Anthony turned slightly and glanced at the door to Charlotte’s room, the corners of his mouth pulling up just a hint. “Go on downstairs.”

She nodded way too fast, shooting panicked looks over her shoulder as she hurried away. Charlotte had promised to cover for her. Right now, hiding sounded like the best idea ever.

Once Helen finally disappeared, Anthony gave the door his full attention. He twisted the handle. Nothing happened.

Locked from the inside. His eyes narrowed. Something was definitely up.

“Lottie, open the door.”

He tried the knob again. Still locked. He was just about to test if a little force would help when the lock finally clicked and the door cracked open.

As soon as he stepped inside, his senses were hit by a cloud of strong, greasy, spicy air. Chili, artificial seasonings, the works.

He flicked on the light and spotted Charlotte sitting on the sofa, looking about as innocent as a puppy caught raiding a trash can. She was still in her bathrobe, soft hair falling over her shoulders, with a totally guilty smile that did nothing to hide the bright red of her mouth.

“A snack?” His frown only got deeper. He was pretty sure he’d never stocked the house with snacks that left a smell like this. Oily, spicy, way too strong…

He glanced over at the trash can. Right there on top, two empty bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos?

“You…”

Charlotte jumped in before he could keep going. “I didn’t want to eat them… It was the babies. They had a craving.” Without missing a beat, she snuggled onto his lap, arms winding around his neck, her voice all sweet and soft.

Anthony stared, not saying anything, his expression growing serious.

This again. She’d barely been pregnant a little while and already, the babies were the perfect scapegoat for everything Mom wanted.