Malcolm looked at her disheveled appearance, his emotions a tangled mess.

"If I had known what kind of person you were, Charlotte, I never would have messed with you that night," he said. Charlotte struggled to sit up and made sure to record everything that had just happened before she collapsed in relief. Chloe was always careful to cover her tracks.

But Charlotte's near-death experience had made Chloe let her guard down for just a few seconds - but it was enough.

That footage was solid proof that Chloe had hired someone to kill.

Malcolm sat down too, feeling his age. "I'm not gonna hand over this evidence; it's too risky. Chloe's bad news. I can only get back into the company if I have something on her."

"But if she finds out about the video, she'd rather take you out than let you hold it over her," Charlotte said.

"I know, which is why I'm giving you a copy. Even if she gets rid of me, it won't help her. Charlotte, you can do whatever you want with it."

Malcolm looked at Charlotte seriously. "I think Liam really cares about you. If you show him the video, he'll see justice is done for you." Justice?

Charlotte watched the video of herself struggling and let out a wistful laugh.

Would he?

After splitting from Malcolm, Charlotte took the stairs to avoid people, soaking wet as she returned to her room.

Unexpectedly, Liam was lying on her bed, fiddling with a wooden Maneki-neko charm she'd brought over.

Hearing the door, he didn't get up but instead asked, "Where have I seen this before?"

"I used to keep it by the bed," Charlotte said, shivering from the cold.

It was then Liam noticed she was drenched and quickly got up, his eyes cold and fierce. "What happened? Did someone push you into the lake?" Charlotte fell silent for a moment.

Malcolm had said she could do what she wanted with the video, but in reality, she couldn't use it for anything.

Malcolm was in the video, too. If she revealed it, he'd be implicated as well.

Malcolm probably thought that because she and Liam were close, Liam would let him off the hook for her sake.

But that's not how things worked. Past events had shown that Liam wouldn't change his mind just because she asked him to.

She and Malcolm were in the same boat now, and since she couldn't save Malcolm, she couldn't betray him either.

"Charlotte!" Liam's anxiety grew more intense with her silence. "Who did this to you?"

Charlotte shook her head gently. "I just fell into the lake by accident."

"Bullshit! You're terrified of the water. Would you go to the lake by yourself?" Liam paced the room like a caged animal, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her. Charlotte, though, was momentarily lost in thought.

She used to not be afraid of the water.

Charlotte became afraid of the lake after hearing about Annie's death in its waters.

How did Liam know that?

Did he already know about Annie's death?

Did he know that Chloe pushed Annie into the lake?

Charlotte didn't want to think about it too hard and forced herself to change the subject.

"Mr. Parker, quit twirling around, you're gonna spin right through to the other side of the planet!" She even threw in a joke for good measure.

Liam turned around, his face so angry that Charlotte was momentarily stunned.

"Is this funny to you?" he said as he walked over quickly, yanking off her wet clothes and wrapping her in his own.

His kiss on her lips was both angry and resigned. "Stubborn," he muttered.

Charlotte couldn't figure him out.

His urgency didn't seem fake, but why?

"Liam."

Just a heads up: is the only place to read the complete version of this book for free. Don't miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey!

She looked up at him. "Seeing me in the water, does it hurt you?"

"Did the water scramble your brains?" Liam was clearly not in a good mood. He told Charlotte to wait and went to run a bath.

While the bath was filling, he also ordered some soup to warm her up.

Charlotte, like a pet, let him take care of her. She took a hot bath and drank the soup.

Then, wrapped in blankets, she watched him leave.

"Liam!" she called out before he closed the door.

Liam turned back, his face dark. "Yeah?"

"Where are you going?"

"You don't need to know." With that tough response, he disappeared from Charlotte's sight.

Charlotte didn't know what he was up to. Falling into the water was not pleasant, and she fell into a drowsy sleep. When she woke up, Liam had returned.

But he had brought Chloe with him.

When Charlotte went out, Chloe was knocking on Liam's door, tears streaming down her face, repeating 'It wasn't me, I didn't do it'.

Seeing Charlotte approach, Chloe instantly shut up, her tears gone, replaced by a look of arrogance and spite.

"Charlotte, you're still alive. He lied to me."

The 'he' was obviously Malcolm.

Charlotte didn't bite, but instead said with a sardonic smile, "Miss Beaumont, what were you saying just now? That Mr. Parker caught you hiring someone to kill, and you came to beg for forgiveness?" "You!"

Chloe inhaled deeply, quelling the rising storm within her. "I won't stoop to arguing, Charlotte. All you're good at is flapping your gums anyway." holds this content.

"Miss Beaumont's moves are vicious, aimed to kill, but they always miss. Kind-hearted, in a way," Charlotte mocked.

Chloe wanted to argue back, but the door suddenly opened and Liam stepped out, quickly shutting down the argument, "What's all this noise about?!"

Chloe played the victim, "Liam, Charlotte's picking on me!"

"Why are you picking on her?" Liam asked Charlotte, frowning.

Chloe's smug smile hadn't fully formed when she heard Liam tell Charlotte, "Stay away from her from now on."

"Liam, what do you mean by that?!" Chloe panicked.

"You know exactly what I mean," Liam shot her a frosty glance, his hand firmly on Charlotte's shoulder, almost protectively steering her into the room. Chloe watched, her face draining of color.

Ever since they had arrived in Leiventale, Liam's attentiveness towards Charlotte only seemed to grow.

This wasn't the situation Chloe wanted to see, and she wouldn't allow it!

"What were you up to just now?" Charlotte asked urgently as they entered the room.

Liam didn't answer, just urged her to pack quickly; they had to rush back.

Charlotte didn't ask why the rush, but there was one thing she had to know, "Is Chloe coming too?" "Yeah."

With Liam's confirmation, Charlotte quietly started packing.

Chloe had been causing trouble for the Beaumonts, and Liam was probably taking her back for her protection.

On the flight back, Liam was in a bad state, anxious and irritable, snapping at everyone.

As soon as they landed, Liam headed straight for the Parker family home with Chloe.

Normally, Charlotte would follow, but after Liam gave her a long look, he decided against it.

"Don't you want to go home? Then go see your family."

"..." Charlotte thought he was talking nonsense.

She didn't go back to the Perry family's messy situation but went straight to Thomas to confirm the identity of the man from the other night.