It was hard for Charlotte to take her eyes away from Edward as he walked around mingling with guests with Mary at his arm. But she didn't want to look desperate trying to catch Floyd's attention, so she didn't go directly towards him, and instead sat in the dining room close to the food, where most of the guests came through from time to time.  Her high school classmates greeted her politely yet with a distance that Charlotte knew was because of their very thinly veiled dislike for her. The only reason they were even there was because they also happened to be friends with Edward. Everyone knew everyone in the small, elite, old money Atlantian society.  Still, Charlotte was never alone. Some of Edward's pals from high school and a group of people she hardly talked to at the office were all gathered close to her, laughing at her jokes. A lot of them asked about Mary, and Charlotte was happy to talk about her; tonight she had to look like she was the happiest

Charlotte saw Mary and quickly pulled back from Edward. He stiffened, breaking the spell, even if he hadn't seen Mary yet.  "Mary, Edward came to find me," Charlotte said. Edward turned and put his arm around Charlotte's shoulders in a brotherlike protective manner. "I thought she'd need some cheering up. Logan Hamilton was the one stirring up some trouble back here," he said. "They're working together."  "Oh, darling," Mary said, pushing away the hanging sheets to get to where Charlotte and Edward stood. "Don't worry about that man. The party was lovely, and I can't thank you and your mom enough. I'm so happy to be here surrounded by the closest people in my life, that short of a fire or a disaster of calamitous proportions, nothing could spoil my happiness." Charlotte smiled at her, not knowing what to say. Had she walked in two seconds later, she would have probably seen Edward and her kissing. The way he had touched her cheek...

Edward soon joined the table where Charlotte sat, talking to a couple of interns who were very interested in a case she had handled a few months ago. Truth be told, that had been the case that had encouraged Charlotte to ask for a promotion just because the odds against her client had seemed insurmountable. Yet, due to Charlotte's intense cross-witness questioning, her client had walked free, and the person responsible ended up confessing. "And that was it," she said as a final note. "Sometimes litigating in court depends entirely on how you drill a witness and how much you can get them to say, though you should never rely on that. Court is unpredictable." "Don't sell yourself down. You're great at getting people to talk," Edward said all of a sudden, surprising the guys around her. He hadn't been part of the conversation, yet it was clear he had been clinging to Charlotte's words. "Thank you?" Charlotte replied shyly. She wasn't used to gettin

Mistress? Charlotte was surprised and felt a little silly for being caught off guard like that. Of course he'd have mistresses. His wife was having an affair. Maybe Mrs. Hamilton started the affair because he was already having one with the maid? Logan had never pretended to be an upstanding puritanical person, so it really shouldn't have been surprising to Charlotte.But murder? That she had a hard time believing, even if Logan seemed to be the kind of person who could punch someone out of the blue. Given what she knew about him, though, this was probably going to be a tough case. "Thank you," Charlotte said to Detective Fontaine. "May I speak to my client, please?""This way, Miss Astor," he said, gesturing for her to follow. Charlotte was familiar with the station, but Logan was being held in an area she had never been in. It looked to be more secure than the places where they held other prisoners, but when Detective Fontaine opene

It was almost 12pm by the time they finished eating the food Logan prepared. Logan had insisted they eat on the rooftop where he had a private pool and an outdoor dining area, and Charlotte certainly enjoyed the cool breeze up there. The food was unexpectedly good too, made even better by the second bottle of wine they opened up. This time they were actually able to drink it instead of mop it from the floor. Now that she had some food in her, the wine didn't make Charlotte dizzy, though it did loosen her tongue a bit. "Thank you for dinner," Charlotte said. "But I think it's time we discuss what I came here for." "What is there to discuss? I understand you enjoy my company and want to spend time with me.  I do too. With you, that is," Logan said, smirking at Charlotte. "Can you stop with the jokes for ten minutes?" Charlotte said, a little annoyed. "I wasn't joking.""Mr. Hamilton." Charlotte stood and pull