It looks like Charlotte really got to Liam the other day; he's been MIA for three days straight.

Charlotte heard from Vincent that their work project is chugging along without a hitch. Liam's been super accommodating, doing pretty much whatever Blackwood Group asks of him, and going out of his way to please.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

On top of that, Charlotte noticed that the stuff they were eating and using at home was way nicer than usual. After some snooping, she figured out Liam had swapped out the Blackwood family staff who took care of her and her kid-on the down low.

All those fancy snacks and swanky household items? That was all Liam's doing.

Charlotte couldn't help but feel grossed out by how sneaky he was.

But what really made her stomach turn was the news she got this morning.

"Chloe's baby is a mess without her won't eat, won't sleep. The Parker family's big shots saw the kid in that state and, over everyone's objections, they brought Chloe back to be with her little one. Now they're both at the Parker family's old mansion."

"Liam let this happen?" That was the first thing that popped into Charlotte's head.

Vincent shook his head. "Liam was a no-show at the office yesterday. Henry said he's sick, resting at home."

Charlotte couldn't care less about Liam feeling under the weather. She was worried about Chloe.

So, in the afternoon, Charlotte took Ethan and headed over to the Parkers'.

Ever since Kenneth died, Liam and the Parker family had split ways. The Parkers were all over the place until Dylan stepped in and took advantage. Now he was calling the shots.

When Charlotte showed up at the Parker family's old mansion with Ethan, Dylan was the first one out the door to meet them.

"Mrs. Blackwood, what's up? You're here?" Dylan came running over, panting, stopping in front of them. "And Ethan's with you too!"

Ethan was all polite, "Hi, Uncle."

"Hey, buddy." After goofing around with Ethan for a bit, Dylan turned to Charlotte. "Mrs. Blackwood, what brings you..."

"Vincent said Chloe's staying here now, right?" Charlotte didn't beat around the bush.

Dylan was caught off guard for a second but quickly got his cool back. "You really keep tabs on Chloe, huh?"

"Why wouldn't I? She went all out on me the other day. We Blackwoods are well-known around here. She hit me, and you think we're gonna let that slide?"

Seeing that Charlotte was here for this, Dylan looked a bit relieved.

It'd been four years since Charlotte had been to the Parker family's old mansion. Coming back now didn't faze her one bit.

But her arrival sure shook things up for the folks inside.

"You... you little home-wrecker! Got the nerve to come back here!"

As Charlotte walked into the main hall, she ran into a familiar face.

"This is Pamela, " Dylan tried to introduce her, but Charlotte covered Ethan's ears, cutting him off cold, "Pamela? More like a dirty mouth that needs washing out!"

"Oh, it's you!" Pamela couldn't hide her anger. She had her fair share of trouble because of Charlotte, and Liam had even banished her from the Parker family, only to be brought back from a nursing home when Dylan took over.

She resented Charlotte and Liam deeply, sneering, "You think you're something special just because you've got a foxy face that men fall for? Do you actually believe that Blackwood boy likes you for who you are? Yeah, right! He's just into your looks!"

Charlotte just laughed it off, "So he likes my face, that's still liking me, isn't it? Old lady, are you insinuating my husband actually prefers you?" "You crazy!"

"I'm not fond of anyone casting doubts on my relationship with Vincent."

"What?"

Pamela was taken aback by Charlotte's unexpected response, and before she could react, Charlotte's hand had already made contact with her cheek. The slap rang out, and everyone's jaws dropped.

"Mrs. Blackwood!" Dylan was panicking, "Pamela is Liam's aunt!"

"She insulted me," Charlotte said coolly, brushing off her hands and looking around with a hint of indifference. "If you've got a problem, go complain to the Blackwood family."

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Then she took Ethan by the hand and walked forward with purpose, "Where's Chloe? I want to see her now!"

"Mrs. Blackwood!"

Dylan was in a bind. Without Liam, the Parker family was no match for the Blackwoods, and he wasn't about to pick a fight over an old woman.

As Dylan tried to keep up with Charlotte, his worry turned to astonishment.

He realized that this Mrs. Blackwood, who bore a striking resemblance to Charlotte, was surprisingly familiar with the Parker family's old mansion. "Charlotte."

In a moment of impulsiveness, Dylan called out the name.

But Mrs. Blackwood didn't react as he had hoped; she continued to march forward.

Ethan, sitting on her shoulder, shushed him, "Don't mention that name, my mom really dislikes her, says she's dumb."

"Really?" Dylan was left speechless.

Charlotte soon found Chloe's room.

Unexpectedly, Chloe was living in the room that used to belong to Kenneth.

As Charlotte entered with Ethan in her arms, Chloe was trying to nurse her child, Benjamin.

Breastfeeding a three- or four-year-old?

Talk about doing whatever it takes to get by.

"You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel to stay alive," Charlotte said coolly, causing Chloe to jump and look at her with wide, fearful eyes.

"Charlotte!" Chloe hugged her child protectively and backed away, her eyes darting around as if looking for an escape. "Why are you here? Haven't you done enough damage? What more do you want from me?" "Me? Ruin your life?" Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. "Please, tell me how I've supposedly done that."

As she spoke, Charlotte handed Ethan off to Dylan outside the door and told him to keep an eye on him. Ethan, curious, peeked inside, whispering to Dylan that he wanted the 'little brother' inside to come out and play. Dylan took in Charlotte's expression and then the wailing child in Chloe's arms and agreed to help. "Alright." "Benjamin, come on out."

Dylan reached for the child, but Chloe fought back like a wildcat, clinging to her son as if he were her last lifeline.

"Benjamin is my son! Nobody's taking him from me!"

Benjamin was bawling, scared, and timid, in sharp contrast to Ethan, who stood at the door looking around with interest.

Dylan lost his cool, "Look at what you're turning him into!"

"He's my son! I'll raise him how I see fit! Mind your own business!"

Before they could really get into it, Charlotte cut in, "Let's calm down. You're all family. There's no need for this 'yours' and 'mine.""

She managed to get the child from Chloe and gestured for Dylan to take him out.

Before leaving, Dylan threw Chloe a disapproving look, "You're not fit to be a mother!" Chloe was left screaming in anger.

Once she had run out of steam, Charlotte spoke up slowly, "Imagine if I told you to die today. Do you think anyone would stop me?"

"What are you saying?" Chloe scoffed as if she'd heard the most ridiculous thing ever, "The kid can't live without me! I'm the mother of the Parker family's only heir! You want me to die? That's like wishing death on him! Charlotte, no one would stand for that!"

"And Liam? What about him?" Charlotte put on a worried face. "After all I've done, he should be ready to do anything for me, shouldn't he?"

"What? What are you getting at?"

Chloe caught the underlying threat in Charlotte's words.

It was as if the predator that had been hiding in the shadows was finally ready to bare its claws.