Loading Audiobook Player...
Married Before Midnight - Married Before Midnight by Sienna Quinn - Chapter 54
Author: Novels Audio
[audiohtml]https://st42066.ispot.cc/audiobooks/2025/7242.mp3[/audiohtml]
Married Before Midnight
Chapter 54: The Scandal and the Savior
Charlotte Carter adjusted the strap of her bag as she strode across the Maplewood University campus, the crisp autumn air biting at her cheeks. Rehearsals for the fall play had run late, and exhaustion clung to her bones, but she refused to slow down. She had a reputation to uphold—sharp, untouchable, unshaken.
That reputation, however, was about to be tested. As she turned the corner toward the theater arts building, whispers followed her like shadows. Heads turned. Eyes darted away when she met them. A freshman she barely knew dropped a flyer, scrambling to pick it up before Charlotte could see it.
She snatched it before the girl could hide it. "Charlotte Carter: Sleeping Her Way to the Lead Role?" The headline glared up at her in bold print, accompanied by a grainy photo of her leaving the director’s office late one night—cropped to look far more scandalous than it was. Her stomach dropped. "Who the hell—?" she muttered, flipping the flyer over. More accusations.
More lies. A crowd had gathered, murmurs rising like a tide. "Guess she’s not as untouchable as she acts." "Always knew there was something off about her." Charlotte’s fingers tightened around the paper. She could feel the heat creeping up her neck, but she refused to crumble. She lifted her chin, ready to fire back— Then a familiar voice cut through the noise. "Wow. You people really have nothing better to do, huh?" Jamie Blackwell leaned against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, looking far too amused for the situation.
His smirk was infuriating, but the way the crowd stiffened under his gaze was… unexpected. Charlotte arched a brow. "Here to gloat, Blackwell?" "Nah."
He pushed off the pillar and plucked the flyer from her hand, scanning it with exaggerated interest. "Just admiring the terrible Photoshop job. Seriously, who even prints these anymore?" A nervous laugh rippled through the onlookers. Jamie crumpled the paper and tossed it aside. "Look, if you’re gonna trash-talk someone, at least be creative. This is just lazy."
Charlotte should have been grateful. Instead, irritation flared. "I don’t need you to defend me." "Didn’t say you did." He shrugged. "But if you’re gonna take down whoever did this, you’ll need help." She scoffed. "And you’re volunteering?" "Call it professional curiosity." His grin widened. "Plus, I owe you for the coffee incident."
She hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to owe Jamie Blackwell anything. But the whispers were still there, the damage already spreading. And as much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. "Fine," she muttered. "But this doesn’t mean we’re friends." Jamie’s laugh followed her as she stormed off, but she didn’t miss the way his steps matched hers—steady, unshaken. For the first time in years, Charlotte wasn’t facing the storm alone. And that terrified her more than the scandal ever could.