My Ex's Ex

TWENTY-FIVE

Charlotte yawned as her legs hit the ground, and she shuffled her feet into her fluffy duck slippers. She was aware of how popular these slippers were, but she found them really cute regardless.

Dinner with her dad was great as usual. Charlotte loved her dad more than anything in the world, even though it may not be obvious to others. She was closer to her dad than anyone in the world. He'd taken up the role of both parents for the longest time, and Charlotte loved him dearly for that.

He was a great dad who loved Charlotte dearly and tried his very best to give her the best. He always encouraged her and made her feel like she could do anything she wanted to. He always made time for her despite his busy schedule and ensured she knew that she was his number one priority. Charlotte couldn't have asked for a better dad.

They saw each other often at the office but didn't really get to talk as much as they used to. This was why they set out specific days to get together for one thing or the other.

When Charlotte was done with school, she didn't think she'd need to move out of her dad's house, seeing as she wanted to go into the police force. She also didn't want to leave her dad alone. She worried about him.

However, her dad knew exactly what Charlotte was thinking, and immediately after she got home, he brought up the topic and told her she had to move out.

Charlotte had protested and even tried to gaslight him, but nothing worked. She was absolutely worried about him, but he strongly believed she needed to go out into the world on her own.

Eventually and reluctantly, Charlotte left home. She made sure to go see her dad twice a week at the start, but eventually, life caught up to her, and the frequency reduced. She eventually settled for leaving a text every morning, which was a ritual she stuck to.

One thing occupied Charlotte's mind this morning as she dragged herself to the bathroom. It was James. She dreamt about him again. Charlotte had never been in this dilemma of unrequited feelings, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

She decided one thing for sure, she would make James fall for her and end her suffering. She knew he was still hung up on Lily, but she was certain that once the killer was caught, it would serve as a sort of closure for James. In the meantime, she would try her best to make him fall for her.

With that thought in mind, Charlotte pulled out her most sexy corporate wear.

.

.

Charlotte strutted into the office, confident in her look. As expected, she turns heads and watches men try their best to remind themselves to keep it professional. She watched the married ones tug on their rings instinctively as if they were reminding themselves that they were married.

She smiled satisfactorily to herself. She loved it when she looked good. On a regular day, Charlotte was an incredibly attractive woman who always turned heads, but on days she put in effort, she always looked like she jumped out of a magazine.

A lot of people try to push out the notion that looks aren't everything, but Charlotte knew what looks could do. She was aware of how good she looked, she wasn't cocky about it, but she was confident in it. She always used her looks to her advantage no matter how anyone felt about it.

"Hey Char," Newt said to her from his station.

"Hey Newt," she responded politely.

She saw a blush creep up his cheeks from the corner of her eye.

"Detective Hutchinson," she heard James say loudly as he made his way over.

She suddenly felt self-conscious and started to fiddle with the buttons on the wrist of her jacket.

"I thought we were on a first-name basis already, Anderson," she tried to joke when he finally got to her. She made that joke to soothe her nervousness and also because she was a bit hurt that he called her by her last name.

He simply smiled brightly and said, "I have found the crack in the Winfield wall."

Charlotte was taken aback by his gorgeous smile for a second. Though she found herself smiling too, his smile was contagious. She liked how nerdy and enthusiastic he got about his work.

"What's up?" She replied casually.

"His family. I checked and saw that a car registered to his only daughter was present on the night of the murder. My guess is that's the car driven by Jamie that night. So we threaten to charge his daughter with murder and see how he reacts to that. I'm certain that will help us break through to him."

The conviction in James's eyes that this would work made Charlotte believe in it too, and before she knew it, she was fired up.

.

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It worked just as James had predicted. Turns out Paul Winfield was a family man who loved his daughter very much. He had forgotten that he had signed that car to his daughter when he gave it to Jamie. The reason was that she had stopped using the car a long time ago and had even moved out, and he'd forgotten who owned it.

This was Paul Winfield's biggest flaw. He knew enough to know that his daughter could be brought in and held in custody simply because of that car. He couldn't afford that for her. It was his cross, and it was time he carried it.

He decided that he wouldn't go down alone but would bring down everyone with him. He didn't even wait to consult his lawyer because he knew what his lawyer would say, and he didn't want to take those chances. He loved his baby girl too much.

James leaned back in his chair, opened his notepad to a fresh page, and let hell loose.