The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes-Chapter 41- stronger

Charles also knew about Terrence’s relationship with Zoey, and that vulgar woman—he never really paid her any mind. Only Terrence treated her like a precious treasure in the palm of his hand, and Charles somewhat felt sorry for him.

Watching the two men with bloodshot eyes, Janet feared they might come to blows. Carefully, she stepped behind Charles and grabbed his arm.

"I won’t lose to you. Never..." Terrence shoved off Charles’s hold with effort and staggered toward the exit. Seeing this, Janet hurried after him, supporting him. She couldn’t bear to let him leave like this alone.

"What should we do? Should I call Elvira to come pick him up?" Janet looked back at Charles uncertainly. She didn’t want to go back to the Louis family again but couldn’t just leave Terrence like this.

Charles said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward and helped Terrence into his car. Janet dialed Elvira’s number. Elvira was clearly surprised to hear from her; Janet had never called anyone from the Louis family on her own before.

"I’m busy. Take him back yourself!" Elvira refused bluntly. She hated how Terrence favored Janet. Now that trouble had come, she didn’t care whether he was her brother or not.

"You..." Janet was caught off guard by Elvira’s refusal, struggling to catch her breath.

"Twenty minutes. I’ll wait for you at the Dark Night Bar," Charles said coldly as he took the phone from Janet’s hand. Hearing Charles’s voice, Elvira was already excitedly grabbing her car keys and rushing out.

Elvira arrived much faster than Charles expected. Seeing Terrence holding Janet’s hand, murmuring softly, annoyed him. Even knowing the man was her brother, it made him uncomfortable. Just like the day he saw her acting intimately with Manfred, he lost control and did something reckless to her!

"Charles!" Elvira stepped down from her red sports car, smoothing her hair, and called out to Charles with admiration as he leaned against the car door.

Charles toyed with Janet’s white phone in his hand, clearly displeased by Elvira’s sudden change in attitude. He could easily imagine the kind of life Janet had endured at the Louis household all these years. A secret child—he still remembered how strange and guarded she was the first day he met her at Black Rock Co. Surely, it had something to do with this woman before him.

The jealousy of women made him uneasy, and he didn’t want to waste time guessing. As long as they didn’t cross his bottom line. But Elvira and Zoey—these two women had already pushed him beyond his limits. Sooner or later, he would settle them.

"Take him away," Charles said, pointing to Terrence in the back seat. Janet was already helping Terrence toward Elvira’s car. When Charles moved closer to Elvira, she smiled brightly and reached to hook her arm around his neck, but Charles suddenly pulled back, his thin lips curving into a cold smile, eyes flashing with a deadly warning she had never seen before. "If I hear you trouble Janet again, you’ll learn what consequences really mean."

Charles pushed her away, and Elvira staggered back several steps, almost falling awkwardly. She hadn’t expected that his attention was completely on that little bitch Janet.

"What do you mean by this, Charles? What is Janet to you that you protect her so fiercely?" Elvira was angry, never before had anyone dared treat her with such disrespect. Yet here, again and again, this man had rejected her, crushing her pride.

She couldn’t stand Janet stealing what she wanted. All her life, Janet had lived in her shadow. Now, with Charles, Elvira would do whatever it took to take him back. She believed she had the advantage—after all, she was already married, Charles’s sister-in-law. If she had known Janet was already Charles’s, she would never have let her off so easily.

"Remember my words. You know I have the means," Charles said, his threatening gaze locking onto Elvira. She immediately panicked—not doubting Charles’s power, but seeing in his eyes the special place Janet held. Their relationship was no longer as simple as she had imagined.

"He’s drunk quite a bit. Go home and make him some sobering soup," Janet said as she approached Charles from behind. He had already opened the passenger door for her. Janet glanced at Elvira, but was met with cold indifference. "Hmph, he won’t die."

Her brother favored Janet, and now Charles did too. Elvira’s prejudice against Janet only grew stronger.

"Get in the car. It’s time to go," Charles said sharply, slipping into the driver’s seat. Once Janet was seated safely, he started the engine, leaving Elvira stomping and cursing behind them.

She had come all this way for Charles, but he hadn’t even glanced her way before walking off. Clenching her fists, rage filled her face as her hatred for Janet deepened.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Janet couldn’t help but ask as she stepped out of the car.

Charles parked the vehicle, the dim streetlights casting a faint yellow glow on the ground. He looked at Janet, their eyes briefly meeting. She seemed a little flustered but simply nodded and said, "Okay," then walked toward the North Garden.

"Janet!" Charles’s deep voice called out, unable to hold back.

She stopped and turned around. For a moment, Charles thought he saw a fairy lost in the mortal world. The soft light framed her delicate porcelain-like profile, her translucent skin glowing under the moonlight, and her slender figure stretched in the shadows. Her lips parted slightly, her white dress shimmering like a wedding gown—ethereal and unreal.

Despite his roughness toward her earlier that day, Charles still felt a pang of unease. Janet held her breath, waiting for him to say more, but all she got were two simple words: "Good night."

Her heart was filled with a strange mix of surprise and disappointment. Just those three words, and yet no explanations. But what was she expecting anyway?

Charles watched her silhouette fade into the distance before turning toward the villa. At this hour, he had no energy to argue with Derrick and quietly went upstairs.

Janet felt exhausted but pushed herself to give Philip a leg massage—something that had become routine. Seeing her struggling, Philip gently took her hand and stopped her.

"You’re tired. Rest. Robert can help," he said kindly.

"Okay. And don’t forget to take your medicine!" Janet replied without hesitation.

Philip dialed a number, and within two minutes, Robert arrived. Janet picked up her pajamas and went to the bathroom. When she came out, Philip was already lying down.

She curled up under another thin blanket beside him—two souls sharing the same bed but worlds apart. Though living together at Derrick’s insistence, Philip still treated her with polite distance.

The next morning, Philip was alarmed by the sounds of Janet vomiting in the bathroom. Remembering her pale face over the past two days, he hesitated but finally said, "You look terrible. Maybe you should see a doctor—or have doctor come here?"

"I’m fine," Janet waved him off. The discomfort was fleeting, just some stomach trouble. Maybe she should get checked eventually, but after Cornelia’s tragic death in the hospital, Janet was terrified of hospitals.

That fear lingered deep inside her subconscious—the memory of Cornelia’s painful passing haunted her like a wound that wouldn’t heal.

Pushing past her anxiety, Janet made her way to the villa’s front. Outside, Charles’s black car was already waiting. When he saw her, he rolled down the window and beckoned her inside.