Upon leaving the office, Charlotte set her sights on the clandestine meeting spot they had agreed upon.

In the heart of the old quarter sat a quaint café, a relic of simpler times, nestled away from prying eyes and the modern world's digital sentinels. "Sebastian, haven't I made myself clear? Don't summon me unless the heavens fall!"

Chloe's voice, laced with fury, pierced the air as Charlotte approached the café's entrance.

Pausing for a brief moment, Charlotte realized that Mr. Crowe's first name was Sebastian.

With a gentle push, the door swung open, and Chloe's interrogation fell silent, her smartphone frozen in her hand as she stared in disbelief.

"What are you doing here? Sebastian...are you both in this deceit together?"

After all, she's messing with things right under Liam's nose. Chloe didn't want too many people in on it, so she went to the meeting alone and didn't have anyone with her at the moment.

Charlotte's sudden appearance cast a shadow of disdain in Chloe's eyes. "Impressive," she sneered, "with your sly charms, it seems Sebastian was easy prey."

Sebastian's lecherous reputation and his blatant desire for Charlotte were well-known. What wouldn't a man of his indulgent nature agree to in the throes of passion?

Thus, Chloe wasn't shocked to deduce that Sebastian might betray her to Charlotte.

After all, what threat could the daughter of a gambler pose?

"If Liam finds out you slept with Sebastian just for those papers, you think he'd be mad?" Chloe asked with a sneer.

"I didn't sleep with Sebastian, and Liam's not gonna find out what happened here today."

"What?" The panic in Chloe's voice was palpable for a heartbeat.

Charlotte, serene as the dawn, took her seat across from Chloe, propped her chin in her hand, and watched the comedy of Chloe's defenses unfold.

The trap was set; Charlotte had no intention of letting Chloe leave easily.

"I recorded a video of Sebastian trying to assault me, and just when his dad came to the company, I threatened to go public with it. His dad asked what I wanted, and I said I needed Sebastian to do something for me." Charlotte spun a web of lies, deliberately keeping her ace-the head secretary-in the dark.

There was no fear of Chloe confronting Sebastian; the man wasn't a fool. Any further entanglement would only ensnare him deeper.

"The truth, Chloe, is that no one will find you before I make my move."

The flicker of terror in Chloe's eyes revealed a truth Charlotte knew well: stripped of their status, all are equal in the face of fear.

"You... what are you planning to do? I'm telling you, Charlotte, if you lay a finger on me, the Beaumont family won't let you off the hook! Neither will Liam!"

Charlotte remained unmoved and slowly stepped forward, "So if I do nothing, will they just leave me alone?"

Chloe's nerves were fraying, unguarded without her bodyguards, and physically no match for Charlotte's resolve.

Her mind raced for a way to pacify Charlotte, all the while scheming her own vicious revenge.

Chloe said, "What do you want? Want me to back off from you and Liam? Fine, Charlotte, he's not the only marriage candidate for me, he's not a must-have. I can step aside." "No, you still don't grasp what I'm after."

"I do! You want vengeance! You think I caused Annie's death, but I told you, I didn't! I'm not the murderer! Let me go, and I'll reveal the true culprit!"

"Maybe you're not the murderer," Charlotte mused, recalling how Chloe had defended herself before Annie's adoptive father, Thomas Beaumont, without any rebuttal.

It could be a deeper secret or perhaps the entire Beaumont legacy was culpable.

But it mattered little.

Approaching Chloe with a predator's grace, Charlotte's voice was soft but chilling. "Annie's diary was enlightening. Since her arrival at the Beaumonts', you've tormented her: forced her to drink scalding water, sleep in drenched bedding, and even put nails in her shoes. How can one harbor such malice?"

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In one swift motion, Charlotte seized Chloe's hair and brought her face crashing down onto the table.

Chloe's screams filled the café, a symphony of desperation, but no help came.

"My father, the gambler, my mother, the meek-they may not have left me a legacy, but they taught me a crucial lesson: only the ruthless survive."

Again and again, Charlotte's words punctuated each violent crash, until Chloe's consciousness began to ebb. Only then did Charlotte release her grip, her voice as cold as the void. "Annie's foster parents helped me out once, but they can't keep doing it. Vincent has a unique status and can't afford to stand against the Parker family for my sake."

"But you, Chloe, with the Beaumont family's shield and Liam's affection, you could crush me if you truly wished."

Chloe, however, chose to weave plots and schemes.

In a burst of adrenaline-fueled rage, Chloe screamed, "How dare you! I'll end you, Charlotte!" With newfound strength, she overturned Charlotte.

As she grabbed the shattered remnants of a coffee cup, her wild hair a curtain of chaos, she lunged at Charlotte, aiming for her face.

But Charlotte dodged with a furrowed brow.

A slip, a crash, and Chloe's attack turned into a self-inflicted wound as she skidded on the spilled coffee, the ceramic shard tracing a fiery line across her cheek.

The pain elicited a piercing shriek from Chloe, "You've done this, Charlotte! You'll rue the day. I'll have your head for this!"

"It was your own doing, the cup, the fall-all yours," Charlotte countered, her voice calm amidst the storm.

The ensuing chaos was not what Charlotte had anticipated.

She had intended only a small lesson, but Chloe's determination to blame her had escalated the situation.

Gazing at the unconscious form of Chloe, Charlotte's mind raced with possibilities.

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"Charlotte!"

Vincent arrived, panic etched on his face, to find Charlotte standing over Chloe, the floor painted in crimson.

He shook her, desperate for answers, "Charlotte! Is this your doing?"

Her question was a challenge, "Would you believe me if I said no?"

Vincent's face was a battlefield of emotions. If not Charlotte, then who?

Without trust, Charlotte mused, why bother with explanations?

Let them point their fingers.

This could work in her favor, securing Thomas Beaumont's trust once and for all.

Charlotte's resolve returned, "Even without Liam, I have the means to avenge Annie."

"I know." Vincent felt a whirlwind of emotions. With his powerful background, even he didn't dare to confront Chloe like this, yet Charlotte, with nothing to her name, had the guts to go directly against Chloe. Charlotte offered him a wan smile, "Then I'll have to ask Mr. Beaumont to smooth this over for me."

Vincent's surprise was evident, "You've thought this through?"

Mr. Beaumont's trust in Charlotte was shaky, especially with Liam's continued engagement to Chloe. Further protection seemed unlikely.

This was Charlotte's gambit, staking her life to prove her resolve to Mr. Beaumont.

But the question hung in the air, unspoken yet heavy with implication-"Aren't you afraid of the Beaumont family's retribution?"