Mr. Norman, She's Out of Your League Now novel Chapter 5

"Alright, sit down. I already ordered your favorites. You must be starving after such a long day," Ivy said, pulling Charlotte into a seat before plopping down beside her.

Charlotte nodded and quickly dug into the food.

"I am starving. I even skipped lunch because of that surgery!"

Even though putting Susan in her place had felt good, Charlotte felt tense throughout the entire surgery. It had dragged on for hours, and there had been no way to switch surgeons midway. Lunch wasn't even an option.

Ivy felt her heart ache upon hearing that. "You poor thing. Eat more," she said, piling Charlotte's favorite dishes onto her plate.

Charlotte devoured the food heartily.

It wasn't until she had eaten her fill that they settled in for a proper conversation.

They had met four years ago while studying abroad and had been inseparable ever since.

Ivy asked, "How long do you think you'll stay in Marindale for that project?"

Charlotte shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe two or three months if I'm lucky. If not, maybe half to a year."

Projects like these were highly unpredictable. Besides, the new drug they were developing this time was quite tricky.

Ivy perked up at that. "Good! That means I'll have you around for a while. By the way, I'm taking you to meet a few of my friends after dinner. Remember those two rare herbs you asked me about? I tracked them down through the Lambert family here in Marindale. Mr. Lambert will be there too. You should talk to him."

Charlotte was exhausted. She planned to head home after dinner and rest, but Ivy's words changed her mind.

"Definitely. I've been searching for so long. I can't miss this chance."

So, after dinner, Charlotte and Ivy went to a private club.

As they pulled up, another car happened to stop at the entrance.

It was Brian, who was there to meet a client for business talks.

But just as he exited the car, he caught a flash of a familiar silhouette. It was Charlotte again.

He wondered if he might've been mistaken once more.

Henry got out after him and noticed Brian standing still.

"Mr. Norman, are you okay? Is something wrong with your eyes?"

Brian shook his head and said calmly, "No. Let's go."

"Yes, Mr. Norman," Henry replied and quickly hurried after him.

Charlotte, unaware of any of this, followed Ivy into a private room where several people were already waiting.

Judging by their refined manners and tailored clothes, it was clear they all came from impressive backgrounds.

Ivy called out to them.

Upon seeing her, they greeted her warmly, "You're late! We've been waiting for a while!"

"You'll have to drink in compensation!" someone teased.

"No problem!" Ivy laughed, grabbing a cocktail and downing it in one go like a champ.

After setting the glass down, she waved a hand toward Charlotte.

"Almost forgot! Let me introduce you. This is my best friend, Charlotte. She's a doctor."

No one there knew Charlotte's true identity, but everyone was more than welcoming once they heard she was Ivy's friend.

"Wow! She's gorgeous!"

"Hi, Charlotte! Mind if I get your phone number?"

"Relax, we're all friends here. You don't have to be so polite!"

They greeted her enthusiastically, and Charlotte smiled and responded kindly in return.

"Alright, you guys keep doing your thing. I have some stuff to talk about with Char," Ivy said, waving her friends off before hooking her arm through Charlotte's and dragging her to sit beside a refined-looking man.

"Matthias, this is the miracle doctor I told you about!" Ivy said.