Charlotte was arguing with Vincent just this morning, saying there's no way Liam could be called 'paranoid'.

Then, in just a short four hours, she finds herself 'captured' by Liam in a fancy 'prison'.

"Mr. Parker had originally picked out a different villa by the sea - great climate, perfect for a honeymoon. But thinking you might be scared of the ocean, he switched it up last minute to this place," Henry explained as he led Charlotte through the villa, telling her about its design and history.

Charlotte wasn't really listening; she found the whole situation kind of hilarious.

"Decorating a villa in such a short time, is that even possible? Or is it some secondhand place you guys bought? Since when is Mr. Parker so... budget?"

"No." Henry stopped and corrected Charlotte seriously, "Miss Perry, you might have misunderstood. By 'last minute', I mean after Mr. Parker woke up from the coma after the car accident." Charlotte frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You might not believe it, but before the accident, Mr. Parker had everything planned out. From how to deal with Chloe to bringing down the Beaumont family, and even shutting up those old hardheads in the Parker family. He even had several plans ready for when you'd want a kid, offering you the best options."

Charlotte was even more confused about what Henry was getting at.

"Why would he prepare all that for me?"

"He wanted a future with you. You have health issues, and difficulties getting pregnant, these plans were all to ease your mind."

Henry went into detail, "But you know Mr. Parker. He doesn't show his emotions, and he's a bit stubborn. It's not appropriate for me to judge my boss like this, but it's true. He planned everything without really thinking about how you'd feel." If Charlotte just stayed quiet and didn't make a fuss, Liam would have sorted it all out in a year, tops.

But Charlotte wasn't the type to stand behind a man and let him shield her from the storms.

They were both too stubborn.

Charlotte thought Liam was holding her back.

Liam thought he had it all planned out and she just needed to wait quietly for him. Why did she keep questioning him?

"Mr. Parker thought he had everything under control, so he bought that villa as a wedding house. But everything stopped with that car accident."

"The villa you see now, Mr. Parker bought it after he woke up, even when everyone said you wouldn't make it, he still believed you'd come back."

Henry, who had worked with Liam for so long, couldn't keep up his professional facade by the end.

"Charlotte," Henry said with a complex look, "your return was what kept Mr. Parker going. Even if you stood by Vincent, even if you looked at Mr. Parker with cold eyes, as long as he could see you, he could keep living. But you shouldn't have, at this time, suggested going abroad."

When Henry received the order to keep Charlotte in the villa, he risked being scolded to advise against it, but Liam's pent-up emotions over the years made him deaf to reason.

"Now look what's happened. You've driven him mad, and he says he won't let you leave, no matter what," Henry sighed.

The world has gone mad.

Why does everyone around Liam think it's her fault?

Charlotte was so angry that she actually calmed down.

She walked into the villa on her own, "Tell Liam to come see me. He wanted to talk, right? Let's do it now."

As Henry left, Charlotte added, "And let Vincent know what's happening to me, make sure Ethan's okay."

Henry was surprised. "How can you be so calm?"

"Why shouldn't I be calm?" Charlotte scoffed. "What can Liam possibly do to me?"

Anyone else who kidnapped her would scare her, but Liam... she really didn't see what there was to be afraid of.

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"You should tell him yourself. Miscommunication can lead to misunderstandings, and we wouldn't want that affecting the partnership between our families," Henry advised. Charlotte thought it over. Vincent had helped her out a lot, and she didn't want to cause trouble for the Blackwood family, so she decided to call Vincent herself. "What's up? When are you coming back?" Vincent's voice was gentle.

Charlotte replied coolly, "You were right, Liam is a bit paranoid. I won't be coming back for a few days. He's got me locked up."

Vincent was silent for a long time before finally responding, "Then take care of yourself. I'll tell Ethan you're on a sudden business trip."

After a brief exchange, Charlotte hung up.

"Why is Vincent so calm too?!" Henry was utterly surprised.

Charlotte actually found Vincent's reaction to be the most normal.

Between the lines, Vincent's message was clear, she needed to settle things with Liam properly.

So Liam's lack of cooperation was already expected by Vincent.

Nothing surprising there.

Henry carried the incredible news back to Liam.

"Did she really say that?"

Liam's heart was pounding so hard that the pen he was holding snapped, leaving a blot of black ink on the paper.

"Because it's you, Miss Perry isn't scared or angry," Henry said.

A flicker of confusion passed through Liam's eyes. "No... she's lying. She's trying to trick me into letting her go."

He didn't want to face Charlotte's wrath and questioning.

"Let's wait a few days until she's in a better mood."

Henry went to pass the message but returned pale-faced a few minutes later.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

"Miss Perry wants you to go now, immediately, right away."

That kind of wording clearly showed Charlotte's anger.

Liam still didn't want to go, but he was afraid that in her anger, Charlotte would do something irrational.

She was never one to control her emotions.

Silent on the journey, the car stopped in front of the villa. Liam was still hesitating about whether to leave when he looked up to see Charlotte standing with her arms crossed in front of the locked iron gate. "Get out," Charlotte said flatly.

Liam couldn't tell whether she was happy or angry.

After hesitating for a moment, he got out of the car. But instead of going in, he just stood there, looking at Charlotte through the iron gate.

That made Charlotte burst out with a mix of anger and laughter, "So, you lock me up here just to keep me like a monkey in a cage?"

"No, that's not it," Liam shot back right away.

"Then what?" Charlotte didn't really get his attitude. "Liam, you're the one who did this. You're the one who won't come closer. What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm afraid you'll hate me even more."

"Well, you shouldn't have dragged me here in the first place!"

"But I'm even more afraid of you leaving," Liam admitted.