Chapter 47

The door opened. Charlie waited, hoping to see Lauren's face, even proudly thinking, "I know you care about me!" Instead, he saw Daphne.

He immediately collapsed, his eyes hardening with shock, anger, loss, and a hint of hurt as he stared at her.

Daphne was confused. She thought, "Why is Mr. Frank looking at me like that? Did I make a mistake?"

Charlie suppressed his irritation. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"Miss Bennett asked me to take care of you," Daphne replied carefully.

"Really? Did she say that?" Charlie pressed.

Daphne nodded vigorously. His irritation instantly shifted to cheerfulness; she still cared about him. He stretched his legs, then, resuming his cold demeanor, nodded at Daphne. "I don't need your help right now. I'm fine."

Cathy was accustomed to Charlie's coldness. To others, he was aloof, rarely speaking and seemingly unwilling to waste time on trivialities. Yet, he was a sharp, decisive businessman.

Daphne had been with the Frank family for over ten years, initially serving Charlie's grandparents, then Leo. She had witnessed profound changes. The Frank family had always been powerful and influential, but other families surpassed them. That changed when Charlie took the reins.

Last year, the Frank family hosted a banquet for Charlie's mother's birthday, attended by celebrities Daphne only saw on television—all invited because of Charlie.

Lauren waited downstairs until Leo arrived, trotting in with his small schoolbag. The garage wasn't far from the main entrance, but it took Leo a while to reach her. The moment he saw her, his eyes lit up.

"Lauren!" he exclaimed, running toward her and clinging to her side. He wouldn't let go. "When did you come? Were you waiting long?"

Lauren lowered her head, touching his forehead and wiping his sweat with a tissue. Leo, beaming, stared at her without blinking.

"Are you hot?" she asked, helping him remove his bag.

"I'm okay," he replied, his happiness evident. He grabbed his schoolbag and tried to open the zipper, but struggled, looking at Lauren with a cute expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

A little shy, he lowered his head. "I have a gift for you," he said, pulling a pink box from his bag.