Halfway through the welcome banquet, a tipsy man stumbled out. Charlotte peered closer and recognized him as the man who had earlier praised her beauty at the company. "Call you... Charlotte, right? Miss Beaumont mentioned you're single, am I correct?" he slurred.

Maintaining a safe distance, Charlotte replied softly.

"Enjoy your youth while you're single; don't rush into romance too soon," he lectured, sliding next to Charlotte with a didactic air.

His fingers, lacking propriety, began to wander onto Charlotte's thigh, "How's the salary? Enough to cover your expenses?" Charlotte backed away again, "It's enough."

"Why the evasion? Miss Beaumont told me about your family's tough spot. Consider me a mentor of sorts, no need to shy away." Suddenly, the man lunged at her.

Charlotte intended to dodge but was betrayed by a sudden headache, and within seconds, she found herself being pushed into a room by the man covering her mouth! "What's with the struggle? Miss Beaumont said you'd sleep with someone for a few hundred thousand; I'm offering you three million for one night, Charlotte. How about it?"

A scoff echoed in Charlotte's mind.

Three million?

She marveled at her unexpected market value.

Shaking her head to clear the dizziness, she seized an unguarded moment to stomp on the man's foot with all her might.

"You... don't play hard to get!" the man burst out in frustrated anger. "Miss Beaumont has gifted you to me. Make a scene now, and we both lose face. You wouldn't want to ruin your boss's business, would you?" Charlotte replied icily, "No, which is why I only stepped on your foot."

If not for the fear of jeopardizing Liam's deal, she would have knocked this beast out cold!

And to think, this beast claimed Chloe put him up to this.

Chloe was not one to let Charlotte suffer in silence; there had to be another twist coming.

Charlotte wanted to escape immediately, but the persistent middle-aged man clung to her.

Drunk as he was, he was surprisingly strong, and Charlotte, feeling unwell, momentarily fell into his clutches.

She struggled fiercely, no longer caring about Liam's business, thrashing and pushing in a tangled fight.

"Ah! Charlotte! What are you doing?!" A woman's shocked cry came from behind.

Before Charlotte could react, a crowd poured in, surrounding the room tightly. She turned to see Liam's grim expression at the forefront, with Chloe beside him, smirking triumphantly. This must be Chloe's follow-up move.

"Mr. Parker! Get your assistant out of here! I'm a family man; this is crazy!"

The middle-aged man had the audacity to turn the tables, accusing Charlotte of seduction!

"I merely complimented her in the morning, and she thought I had improper intentions, offering herself for three million a night!"

Liam's expression darkened further amidst the murmuring crowd.

Chloe approached, draping a coat over Charlotte and whispering in her ear.

"Charlotte, How dare you! you've wrecked the deal."

"I haven't done anything wrong, and I didn't ruin any deal," Charlotte said coldly.

Her clothes were a mess, her face flushed with a feverish glow, and she looked more wobbly and out of it than Malcolm Blackwell did when he was drunk.

In the full view of the audience, Charlotte delivered two sharp slaps to Malcolm's face, who was in the midst of accusing her.

The sound of the slaps echoed, silencing the onlookers.

"Do you really believe you can paint me as a whore?" Charlotte laughed in fury. "Since the moment you stepped out of that room, my phone has been recording everything. Shall I play it for all to hear?" She had always been one step ahead, ready for deceit.

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Malcolm's face contorted with the revelation, never expecting Chloe to summon an audience, much less that Charlotte would dare to strike him.

All his unforeseen circumstances were now igniting under him like a bonfire.

Yet, the slaps didn't satisfy Charlotte's indignation; she landed two more on his cheeks.

By assaulting the CEO of a partner company, she had effectively drawn all the swords against herself.

Even if the partner company sought retribution or an edge in their dealings, Liam could easily dismiss her to placate them.

Hence her claim, she hasn't done anything wrong, and she didn't ruin any deal.

Her four slaps deepened the hush of the room until Liam finally spoke.

"My oversight; Mr. Blackwell, no offense intended," he said, sparing Malcolm the humiliation of the recording being mentioned.

Everyone dispersed tactfully, leaving just the four of them in the room.

"Liam..." Chloe started trepidatiously, "Charlotte shouldn't have struck Mr. Blackwell, perhaps we should offer some sort of compensation?" Compensation?

Charlotte's inner scorn bubbled up.

Did Chloe truly understand Liam?

A man of his pride, swallowing such a slight was already a stretch; would he even entertain thoughts of compensation for Malcolm? Chloe was practically slapping Liam's face on Malcolm's behalf!

Charlotte looked at Liam, her fever clouding her judgment, momentarily forgetting his past reactions to misunderstandings involving her. And how he had never once stood by her side.

"Mr. Parker," she said, barely holding herself together, her eyes hazy as she looked at him, "I didn't try to seduce him, he tried to force himself on me, but I fought back."

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"Charlotte," he said with a touch of disdain.

Sick of her cold heart, sick of her ugly soul.

With a wave of his hand, he signaled for Chloe to escort Malcolm out, but Chloe hesitated until his icy stare sent her scurrying away.

As they left, Charlotte's tension melted away.

She thought she'd been rescued, that Liam was her savior.

Little did she know, he was the most merciless of them all.

"Assault is a serious offense, Mr. Blackwell's generosity in not pressing charges doesn't absolve you from consequences."

At his words, Charlotte's muddled brain hit a moment of blankness.

Stumbling towards Liam, she clutched at his clothes, demanding, "What did you say?"

"I said," Liam brushed her hands off, his voice cold, "stand outside until you realize your mistake. Only then can you come back in."

"Why?" Charlotte's disbelief was palpable. "On what grounds? He was the aggressor! I have recordings to prove it, Liam. How am I in the wrong?"

Her usual demureness had always met with compliance, and Liam had never seen her this fiercely articulate.

His brows furrowed in disapproval, "An assistant who dares strike the head of a partner company-How dare you?"

Charlotte grasped his insinuation, "You think I've grown arrogant, assuming I could get away with assaulting Malcolm because of my intimate history with you?" No answer was needed; the skepticism in Liam's eyes spoke volumes.