Chapter 8: Morning Dispute

Charlotte's POV:

I woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping on that expensive yet uncomfortable sofa. Morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the Kingsley mansion, reminding me this wasn't some bizarre dream. I had indeed married Alexander Kingsley.

After washing up and changing into my more presentable clothes, I went downstairs for breakfast. The dining room was impeccably arranged, with Victoria and James already seated at the table. As soon as I took my seat, Victoria seized the opportunity, her meticulously made-up face spreading into a mocking smile.

"Up so late on your first day as a newlywed? Do you have any respect for your elders at all? People from small families just don't understand proper etiquette, so unrefined," she said.

She sighed dramatically and continued, "Didn't your family teach you that once you marry into the Kingsley family, you're expected to follow the Kingsley family rules?"

Listening to her taunts, I clenched my fists under the table. In our family, comfort always came first, and I was used to waking up whenever I pleased rather than conforming to everyone else's schedule. Today I had made an effort to rise early, but hadn't anticipated they would be up even earlier.

I nearly lashed out at her, but thoughts of my family held me back. I swallowed my anger, silently reminding myself not to cause trouble and to temporarily endure this woman's malicious jabs.

Victoria hadn't chosen to let me off the hook despite my silence. She deliberately spoke loudly enough for me to hear: "Compared to Karen, you fall short by miles. I simply cannot believe they ultimately chose someone of your caliber."

James Kingsley seemed to have had enough. He cleared his throat. "Charlotte is still learning, Victoria. As her sister-in-law, you should be helping her, not comparing her to others."

"What, comparisons aren't allowed now?" Victoria grew angrier seeing her husband not taking her side.

She shifted her gaze back to me, her expression full of contempt. "If anyone dared suggest someone like her as a match for my Jason, I'd sooner jump off a building than let that happen."

"Enough!" James roared, cutting through the tense atmosphere. He completely understood what Victoria was implying.

"You're only Alexander's sister-in-law, Victoria. His marriage decisions have nothing to do with you," James said sternly, clearly furious.

Richard Kingsley's arrival interrupted the argument.

"What's all this fighting about?" he asked, looking in better spirits than last night. He took his seat at the head of the table, then looked at the empty chair beside me. "Charlotte, where is Alexander? Go call him down for breakfast."

I stared at the empty seat, silent, unsure how to explain that my husband of less than 24 hours hadn't come home last night.

Fortunately, Morris the butler stepped in to resolve the situation. "Mr.Alexander wasn't home last night, sir. He might be at the company."

Richard's expression immediately darkened. "What? Going to the company on his wedding night? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him? Why wasn't I informed? Is everyone deliberately defying me now?"

Victoria couldn't resist twisting the knife. "Well, when there's someone unpleasant in the house, even a second feels like torture."

"Shut up!" James roared, finally losing all patience as he grabbed Victoria's arm and pulled her away from the table.

Richard was equally angry, slamming his hand on the table hard enough to make the tableware rattle. "Get Alexander back here immediately!"

"Yes, sir," Morris nodded and left, presumably to call Alexander.

While James and Victoria engaged in what appeared to be an explosive argument upstairs, I finished my breakfast and remained in the living room with Richard, waiting for Alexander's return.

I don't know how much time passed before the sound of the door opening caught my attention. Looking up, I saw not Alexander, but a woman who looked like she had stepped right off the cover of a fashion magazine.

I glanced questioningly at Richard, who sat in the main seat. His expression was momentarily serious before quickly transforming into a welcoming smile.

"Karen, what brings you here? Please, sit down," he said, gesturing to the sofa across from me.

So this was Karen Barrett. The name Victoria had mentioned at breakfast. Karen's gaze immediately found me, some emotion flickering across her features before she regained control. She knew exactly who I was, I realized. And she wasn't happy about it.

Karen sat down gracefully and explained her purpose. "Uncle Richard, I came to see Victoria."

"Victoria? Let Charlotte go call her for you," Richard replied casually.

I immediately understood Richard's intention. The second floor was only open to family members. Richard was helping establish my status in front of outsiders.

"Dad, I'll go upstairs and call her down," I said, the word "Dad" still feeling strange on my tongue.

This term of endearment seemed to please Richard. He nodded approvingly. "Go ahead, Charlotte."

I found Victoria in the upstairs hallway, her eyes still red and swollen from crying. I pretended not to notice.

"Victoria, Karen Barrett is downstairs looking for you," I said politely.

At the mention of Karen's name, Victoria's eyes lit up, gleaming with something that looked suspiciously like triumph.

"Karen? She's probably looking for Alexander," she said with feigned casualness. "After all, she and Alexander were once... never mind. Alexander is married now. I suppose she'll have to put aside those years of deep feelings."

Hearing Victoria's insinuation, I realized Karen was likely Alexander's ex-girlfriend. I understood again why Richard had insisted I go upstairs—he was emphasizing to Karen that regardless of her past with Alexander, I was now his wife.

I smiled breezily, genuinely unconcerned about Alexander's romantic history, but remembering Victoria's mockery at breakfast, I still wanted to get even.

"Everyone has their unforgettable experiences. It's truly unfortunate when there's just no destiny connecting people," I said with a dimpled, innocent smile.

Victoria's expression darkened. I had won the first round.

Victoria brushed past me to go downstairs. I maintained my distance, following behind, curious about what would happen next. When we reached the living room, Victoria deliberately clung affectionately to Karen.

"Karen, are you here looking for Alexander? He wasn't home last night," she said loudly, clearly intending to embarrass me.

Karen fully understood Victoria's game. She stood up gracefully and said with a smile: "I know Alexander wasn't home. Last night we were together at his house in Marin County."

What followed was complete silence. I could hear the ticking of the antique clock from across the room.

I carefully maintained a blank expression, though I was furious inside. Not because I cared about Alexander, but because someone had come to provoke me on just the second day of my marriage.

Richard's face darkened dangerously, but Victoria looked smug. "You were together last night? Why didn't you come back together this morning?" she asked, pretending to enthusiastically hold Karen's hand as they sat together on the sofa.

She casually dropped a photo, appearing to do so unintentionally. In the picture, Alexander was wearing the same clothes he had on when he left last night, carrying Karen into his Marin County home.

None of us knew what had really happened last night, but from Karen's statement, everyone in the room now believed that while I slept alone in the Kingsley mansion, my newlywed husband had spent our wedding night with his ex-girlfriend.