Chapter 27. Guard Down

CHARLOTTE

I honestly didn’t think I could lie to them.

But somehow… I did.

I told Olive and Angela that I didn’t know the man Monalisa accused me of “snatching.” That I had only arrived in the States three days ago. That whatever she was going on about—it wasn’t me.

They looked at each other for a long second, as if weighing the truth behind my words.

And then… they nodded.

They believed me.

Or at least, they chose to.

After that, things moved fast. They took me to get a U.S. SIM card so we could exchange contacts properly. We stood in the store, lighthearted and chatting as if we hadn’t just been wrapped up in drama minutes ago. For a second, I thought that would be the end of the day—that they’d go back to their place, and I’d be forced to return to Leo’s.

Maybe I can use his card to book a hotel.

No. I don’t want his money. After discovering the kind of person he is, I refuse to touch his filthy cash.

Fortunately,