Years of Longing
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Jaziel and Nolan had made a pact: no matter who Charlotte chose, the other would suppress
any inappropriate feelings and settle for being just friends.
But neither of them had expected Charlotte to choose no one.
How had it come to this?
Why had their plan to push her into making a decision ended like this?
Jaziel and Nolan exchanged glances, a trace of resentment rising in both their hearts.
Why had they come up with such a terrible idea in the first place?
Perhaps if they had acted earlier–or waited longer–the three of them could have continued as friends, better than the current situation where even seeing her was nearly impossible.
The helicopter landed on the rooftop of the lakeside villa.
The two men were unceremoniously tossed out by the bodyguards before the helicopter took off again.
Hearing the rumbling from the rooftop, Sophie hurried upstairs to check.
Seeing Jaziel and Nolan bound hand and foot, her eyes reddened.
“Are you alright?” she asked with concern, hastily helping to untie them.
Jaziel rubbed his bruised wrists, his expression cold, not sparing Sophie more than a glance before heading downstairs.
Nolan, too, was fuming, frustration simmering with nowhere to vent.
Sophie brought over two glasses of warm water and placed them in front of them.
“You went to New Orleans, didn’t you? Did you find Charlotte? How is she?”
She instinctively tugged at her sleeves, nervous yet silently reassuring herself.
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Forsaking the Years of Longing
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Chapter 16
It didn’t go well–they must have failed in New Orleans if they came back like this.
Charlotte already has a perfect family, loving parents and friends. She has everything. She doesn’t need to come back and take Jaziel and Nolan from me!
Grinding her teeth in silent resolve, Sophie maintained a gentle, concerned smile on the
surface.
At her words, Jaziel’s eyes darkened, narrowing with suspicion.
“What did you say? We didn’t tell you we went to New Orleans–how do you know?”
“How much do you really know?”
Hearing this, Nolan’s expression also darkened. He grabbed Sophie’s wrist firmly, his voice pressing with each word:
“What did you do? Tell us! Don’t make us find out ourselves.”
“Did you say or do something that forced Charlotte to leave?”
Sophie’s heart skipped a beat, fear coursing through her.
As always, she resorted to tears. Big, glistening drops rolled down her face as she sobbed and sniffled uncontrollably.
“I… I didn’t! It’s because Charlotte’s parents are in New Orleans–she told me that herself.”
“She’s not in Miami, so I just assumed she was in New Orleans. Why? Is she not there?”
But this time, her tears didn’t soften their hearts.
Jaziel and Nolan weren’t fools.
In the past, they had willingly believed her because they were deceiving themselves, using her to provoke Charlotte’s jealousy.
Believing Sophie’s lies had been a way to make their charade convincing.
But now, everything was different.
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Forsaking the Years of Longing
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Chapter 16
Nolan tightened his grip on Sophie’s wrist, leaving distinct red marks.
“Are you still not going to come clean?” he growled, before glancing at Jaziel. “Jaziel, looks like she needs a little lesson before she’ll talk.”
Jaziel’s face was colder than ever, devoid of emotion.
He tapped his finger lightly on the table, his tone frostier than ice.
“Do you still want to keep your job? If you don’t want to lose everything and end up back in that little mountain village of yours, you’d better start talking.”
His words were a death sentence for Sophie.
