"So he can't offer you anything, and being with him won't benefit you much either," Ben said. "Instead of choosing him, you should choose to be with me! My family background may differ from his, but compared to ordinary folks like you, I come from wealth, don't I?"
"Who do you think you are? I've never seen anyone as conceited and shameless as you!" Sherry, who was standing nearby, overheard Ben's words and walked over, furious, her arms crossed as she sneered at him.
"I heard you at least resemble a man, and rumor has it your family isn't lacking in resources. Did your parents forget to give you a brain when they brought you into this world? How dare you compare yourself to Kingsley? How dare you pursue Charlotte like this?"
Charlotte, still a little angry, found herself amused by Sherry's outburst. Sherry's sharp tongue was refreshing.
Ben, however, turned red with anger.
He had always been revered everywhere! Now Sherry dared to mock him? And worse, she did so in front of Charlotte!
Ben was seething, itching to confront Sherry, but some semblance of reason restrained him.
With a forced calm, he addressed Charlotte, his eyes dark with irritation. "Charlotte, for your sake, I'll spare her for that."
"I understand your desire to ascend to higher social circles. I can even assist you, something you won't get with Kingsley at present," Ben added.
"You!" Sherry began to retort, but Charlotte intervened.
Instead of getting angry, Charlotte regarded Ben with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Ben, I'm puzzled by your sudden change in attitude. You used to carry yourself like a gentleman, and I nearly considered you a friend. What prompted this sudden unveiling and made you think that I'm that type of girl?"
"Aren't you that type of girl?" Ben's agitation resurfaced at her words, his tone tinged with anger.
He had once believed her to be the kind of innocent girl who made life seem worthwhile.
But he never expected Charlotte to get together with Kingsley so quickly! And just a few days after taking a leave of absence, it was obvious she was going on vacation with him!
Someone had sent him a bunch of sneak peek photos, one of which showed Charlotte and Kingsley hugging intimately at the airport.
But that wasn't all! Kingsley wasn't the only person Charlotte was involved with.
Even before she got together with Kingsley, she was seen with other guys. There were photos of her getting into a rich kid's flashy car in front of the theater. There was even one where she was seen leaving her apartment with a man!
Ben was furious when he received these pictures!
He couldn't believe that the woman he had his eye on, the one he wanted to pursue with all his heart, was behaving so badly in private!
He couldn't even bring himself to look at her directly, which was why he missed the afternoon rehearsal.
But despite everything, he couldn't help but still want Charlotte after dwelling on it for a long time.
She was so stunning and captivating that even Kingsley fell for her, let alone him.
Ben had wanted to possess her ever since he first laid eyes on her.
Since Charlotte was someone who wanted to climb the social ladder, why couldn't he use his own interests to win her back?
There was no way Kingsley's family would truly accept someone like her anyway.
Ben's face twisted with a sneer as he said, "Wondering how I saw through your disguise? Fine, I'll show you!"
With that, he passed his cell phone folder directly to Charlotte.
Charlotte clicked into the folder, her expression turning cold.
Sherry couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Oh my god! All these photos?"
She then looked at Ben with a mix of vigilance and anger, accusing him of being a pervert and stalking Charlotte. "I'm calling the police! You're insane! This is invasion of privacy and a violation of portrait rights!"
Charlotte flipped through the pictures, realizing that she had been under surveillance almost from the moment she joined the cast.
Her meetings with Aaron, her brief interactions with the crew, and even casual encounters with passersby of the opposite sex were all captured in detail.
There was even a photo of her conversing with Ben earlier during break time, accidentally stumbling, and being helped by him.
The photos were captured from such elaborate angles that it was easy to start speculating about her relationships with different men.
Charlotte lowered her eyes, halting Sherry's movement, and glanced up at Ben with a hint of sharpness in her gaze. "Who sent you these photos?" she inquired.
Ben had mentioned "that person" just before, and his own presence was evident in these photos. It was obvious that Ben hadn't taken the photos himself, but rather someone else was behind it.
That someone was clearly targeting her.
"You don't need to concern yourself with the source of the photos; you just need to understand that whether or not these photos are exposed depends entirely on me," Ben asserted, his originally handsome face now obscured by gloom, appearing somewhat hideous.
"How dare you! Do you think we'll be intimidated by these photos? Let me tell you, once you're exposed, you'll be the one facing dire consequences!" Sherry shouted angrily.
Although she wasn't aware of Charlotte's true identity yet, she had met Charlotte's siblings and was certain they were individuals Ben couldn't afford to antagonize.
Not to mention, behind Charlotte stood Kingsley, who regarded her as a treasure. If Ben dared to harm Charlotte and use this evidence, which wasn't even considered "incriminating," he would be courting disaster.
Unlike Sherry, Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she were being cornered, and asked, "What do you want?"
Ben's expression turned smug as he chuckled, "I want you to leave Kingsley and be with me."