CHAPTER 1596: CHAPTER 1596: WE’RE NOT THAT CLOSE

Charlotte Thompson was originally standing by the counter, waiting patiently.

But after a long time, Annie Anne still hadn’t returned, leaving Charlotte somewhat absent-minded as she glanced in the direction Annie had left.

As a result, while lost in thought, Charlotte accidentally cut her fingertip on the metal edge of the cake box. Staring at the bead of blood swelling up, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

It wasn’t until the nearby waiter handed her a band-aid that Charlotte was pulled from her thoughts.

"Why is Annie taking so long..."

Charlotte murmured softly, asking the waiter beside her to keep an eye on the cake, then immediately strode towards the bathroom.

From afar, Charlotte spotted Annie Anne’s silhouette, but standing next to her was someone unexpected to Charlotte.

Why was Leon Battleson in a place like this?

Seeing Leon extend his hand towards Annie, Charlotte’s heart rang with alarm bells. She quickly stepped forward, pulling Annie back to her side.

Her urgent action startled Annie Anne, who almost lost her footing as she stepped back.

"Charlotte?"

Annie Anne was momentarily stunned upon seeing it was Charlotte by her side.

However, Charlotte’s gaze warily fell upon Leon Battleson’s face.

Leon remained in the posture of reaching his hand towards Annie, his palm suspended in mid-air before slowly lowering it after a few seconds.

Then Leon turned his head, his light gaze landing on Charlotte’s face, and his clear eyes sparkled with joy.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"What are you doing here?"

But Charlotte’s reaction was quite different from Leon’s.

"Charlotte, with that look, others might think I’m some kind of terrible criminal."

Leon’s pretty face took on a slightly sad expression as he said this, then glanced briefly at Annie Anne before explaining plainly:

"I just have a liking for their cakes here. I thought running into you would mean fate between us, but now it seems I’ve been misunderstood by you. So... what kind of image do I have in your mind?"

Watching Leon casually refer to her as Charlotte, she frowned slightly in inexplicable discomfort.

Just when she was about to say something, Leon sighed sadly, opened his palm, and said:

"I just wanted to greet Miss Anne earlier."

Leon’s words surprised Charlotte, making her look at Annie Anne. Judging by Annie’s reaction, she indeed seemed to know Leon.

Reading Charlotte’s thoughts instantly, Annie Anne squeezed her palm gently.

"Mr. Battleson is collaborating with Oliver Hudson; we met once before."

Although Annie Anne provided a reasonable explanation, Charlotte still didn’t want to get entangled with Leon any further.

Just as she was about to leave with Annie Anne, Leon suddenly stepped beside Charlotte.

"Charlotte."

Leon called her gently with a familiar tone, as if they had an intimate connection.

Almost instinctively, Charlotte immediately distanced herself from Leon.

There was always something uncanny about Leon that unsettled Charlotte, and she didn’t wish to have much contact with him.

"Mr. Battleson, please mind your words; I don’t think we are that close."