Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 43: Damon Know The Truth

Charlotte couldn’t stop smiling when she saw the stars in the sky. The waiters gradually filled their table with a variety of delicious food and fine wine.

Under the table, Charlotte tapped her fingers, hesitating for a moment, wondering whether she should eat or not. Damon had ordered all these expensive dishes for her, so it would definitely seem rude if she didn’t touch her food at all.

But she had already eaten a granola bar for dinner, and she didn’t want to overfill her stomach late at night.

"Do you not like the food?" Damon asked when he noticed that Charlotte had barely touched her meal.

She quickly came up with an excuse. "No, it’s not that. I already ate at the studio, so I’m not that hungry right now."

Damon didn’t say anything for a moment, which made Charlotte feel relieved—at least she wouldn’t have to feel guilty about not eating.

However, just as she was about to take a sip of wine, Damon dropped a bombshell. "But Ms. Chloe said you didn’t eat at the studio."

Charlotte’s hand froze mid-air, and she held her breath. She hadn’t expected Damon to ask Chloe about her meals.

She means, who would go through the trouble of asking her manager about something so trivial?

Charlotte pretended to cough. "I ate when Ms. Chloe wasn’t around, so maybe she just didn’t see me."

"Is that so?" Damon dropped another bomb "I specifically asked her to prepare your meal and make sure you ate. If that’s the case, then maybe Ms. Chloe didn’t do her job properly. Should I call her now?"

No, it would be bad.

Charlotte didn’t want to get her new manager in trouble just because she didn’t feel like eating. If she had known that Chloe would check her meal box, she would have thrown it away instead of just leaving it on the table.

"No!" Charlotte grabbed Damon’s hand just as he was about to reach for his phone. "It’s my fault! I’m the one who forgot to eat, so it’s not Ms. Chloe’s fault." She quickly added, "I ... I’ll eat my food now. I’ll finish everything!"

No, Charlotte didn’t actually want to eat all of it. She really didn’t.

If she forced herself, she would just end up starving herself the next day or... maybe even trying to throw up her food.

"You don’t have to do that." Damon gently held her hand when she reached for her utensils. "Just eat as much as you want. Even if it’s just a little, that’s fine. I won’t force you."

Charlotte blinked in confusion.

Whenever people found out that she was constantly starving herself, they would force her to eat without considering her feelings at all. So, why was he saying this?

"Why?"

"Haven used to hate eating vegetables. Do you know why he hated them?" Damon suddenly asked.

Charlotte didn’t understand why Damon suddenly brought up Haven, but she still answered, "I don’t know. Why?"

"She hated vegetables because her parents used to force her to eat them. Every time there were vegetables on the table, she would cry and run to her grandmothers.

"Louis and Vera eventually decided not to force her anymore, but they still left vegetables on her plate."

"At first, Haven wouldn’t touch them at all, but over time, she started eating them little by little. Eventually, she even asked Vera to put vegetables on her plate, even though no one forced her."

Damon lifted his head, locking eyes with Charlotte. "But you don’t just hate vegetables, Charlotte. You hate everything on your plate."

"Haven still wanted to eat meat, even if she hated vegetables. But you... you don’t have much of a choice here. If I force you to eat, you’ll hate your food even more, and I know that won’t end well."

Charlotte fell silent for a moment before finally asking, "How ... do you know so much about me?"

She had always been careful when it came to starving herself at home. She would play with Haven or chat with others at the table, making sure no one noticed how little she ate.

After everyone finished eating, Charlotte would immediately take her plate to the kitchen herself, throw away the food, and then place the empty plate in the sink.

If someone handed her food directly, she would eat it—but afterward, she would go out and pretend she had already eaten elsewhere, so she could skip having lunch or dinner at home.

No one ever seemed to notice because people had seen her eat the desserts Haven made or heard her mention having a meal outside.

So how did Damon notice? He even had only ever eaten with her during breakfast.

Damon said, "I’ve noticed that you only eat a little during breakfast—barely eating at all, actually. And the trash can in your room is mostly filled with food."

Charlotte had asked the maid to empty her trash every morning—before everyone else woke up—because she didn’t want anyone to find out. However, it seemed like the maid had reported it to Damon.

She sighed. She should have known better than to trust anyone working under Damon.

"You don’t have to explain anything to me right now." Damon gently held her hand. "But just so you know, you can always talk to me if you need help."

"So, please, even if it’s just a little, you have to eat," Damon pleaded.

Charlotte looked down at the steak on her plate. If she ate all of it, her mind would automatically tell her to starve herself the next day. However, if she only ate a little, maybe she would be fine.

She didn’t have to pretend in front of Damon.

"Just a bit. That’s okay, right?" Charlotte asked softly.

Damon nodded. "Yes, it’s fine. I won’t ask you to keep eating if you don’t want to."

Charlotte took a deep breath, then picked up her utensils. "Okay." She tried to reassure herself. "I will eat."

That night, she only ate three small bites of steak. It wasn’t much, but for the first time, Charlotte felt like she was eating without pressure.

She didn’t have to pretend, nor did she have to stress about where to throw away her food later.

She simply ate less, and Damon didn’t say anything or judge her.

It actually made eating less scary for her.

As the night grew darker, Damon took her somewhere else. The main road had disappeared, and the only things Charlotte could see were trees and a rocky path.

"Are you sure you’re not planning to kill me and hide my corpse in the woods?" Charlotte asked.

Damon chuckled softly. "Why do you keep saying I’m going to kidnap you? Do I really look like someone who could kill a person and dispose of their body that easily?"

Charlotte silently shifted her gaze toward him. Even though she didn’t say anything, her expression screamed that Damon definitely could be someone like that.

Damon let out a sigh. "No, Charlotte, I don’t want to kill you. Diana just called and told me that rogue werewolves are attacking someone in the middle of the night. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you—or my car—so I decided we should stay here for the night."

Charlotte frowned. "You mean... we’re going camping?"

"No, we are not going camping."

Charlotte blinked in confusion as Damon parked the car in front of a secluded wooden cabin, located deep within the wood.

The place was surprisingly well-maintained, with a stone pathway leading up to the porch and warm lights glowing through the windows.

"You have a private cottage in the middle of nowhere?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Damon lifted the corner of his mouth as he stepped out of the car. "It’s not in the middle of nowhere. It’s just ... away from everything."

Charlotte scoffed. "Yeah, that’s literally the definition of ’middle of nowhere.’"

Damon chuckled but didn’t argue. Instead, he opened her door and gestured for her to follow him inside.

The moment she stepped in, she was hit with the scent of pinewood and something faintly like cinnamon. The interior was cozy, dark wooden walls, a large stone fireplace, and plush leather couches that looked way too comfortable.

"Wow," she muttered, looking around. "This is ... actually nice."

Damon’s eyes followed Charlotte around. "Did you expect me to take you to some creepy abandoned shack?"

She laughed softly, joking. "To be honest? Yes."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Sit down. I’ll make you something warm to drink."

Charlotte hesitated but eventually sat on the couch. "Don’t you think the woods are more dangerous than the city streets?"

"It may seem that way, but in reality, we’re actually safer here. This cabin was built near the border of Northbridge City and another city. The Nocturnal Order in every city always tightens security at the borders."

Damon concluded, "So, we’re safer here than driving in the middle of a big city road."