When they first overheard the remarks from Thomas and his wife, they were convinced Charlotte was out to use Liam for revenge. But Charlotte had done nothing but dutifully serve as an assistant, brewing coffee and keeping things running smoothly. Later on, they suspected that Charlotte, in pursuit of wealth and status, might cozy up to Thomas and exploit Mr. Parker's project. But then again, Charlotte hadn't actually done anything.

"Looks like Charlotte wasn't playing you," Daniel admitted, feeling a bit awkward for Liam. "About that little spat, you guys had... maybe I should smooth things over with her, huh?" The thought of Liam saying sorry himself was almost laughable. It looked like it was up to Daniel to step in and fix things up for his buddy.

Liam waved off the idea, "Don't bother."

Turns out, she hadn't been using him at first, but now she seemed to be walking all over him without a care in the world.

And then there was the issue with that ring...

When he thought back to when Charlotte asked him for jewelry... Liam gulped, leaned back into his chair with his eyes shut, and threw an arm over his face, letting out a long sigh. Daniel didn't get what was going through his head, so he just picked up the folder and slipped out quietly.

The whole point of the party was just for Chloe to meet the family's ladies; it wasn't anything formal.

After Charlotte had explained where the ring came from, she took a stroll by herself in the garden. It wasn't long before Chloe managed to shake off the crowd and, fuming, she caught up with Charlotte. "Liam's been under my watch since he left the bedroom this morning, and he headed straight to the office after breakfast. When on earth did you ask him for that ring?!" Chloe demanded.

The garden pond was home to some fish, and Charlotte was there, casually tossing in food pellets one by one.

Hearing Chloe's accusation, she replied coolly, "Well, I doubt you weren't tailing him to the bathroom, right?"

"Bathroom?" Chloe's expression twisted uncomfortably. She remembered she was fixing up some fruit in the kitchen while Liam was supposedly in the bathroom- a moment she hadn't witnessed herself. Charlotte tossed another handful of food to the eager fish, watching them scramble.

"I knocked, and he let me in. He was washing his hands. I told him mine were dirty too and asked if he could help me wash them. He didn't want to, so I sat on the counter and wouldn't let him continue."

She relayed the morning's happenings in a matter-of-fact tone, "He had suds all over his hands and couldn't really get away from me, so there we were, washing up together. It was a bit of a stretch, sitting on that washstand, and I didn't fancy a fall, so naturally, I just held on to his neck for balance..."

"That's it!" Chloe erupted, sending Charlotte's container of fish food tumbling into the water with a slap.

"Charlotte, do you even have a conscience? Making moves on a man who's already engaged, you're shameless!"

Charlotte's laugh was languid and mocking, "Can't handle that? I've only taken your man, haven't gone after your family's lives yet."

Chloe was left seething, a deep sense of helplessness washing over her.

She had racked her brain for plots and staged countless mishaps, yet Charlotte still stood firm, unvanquished.

With Thomas backing her and a newfound legitimacy in her social standing, not to mention her charm that seemed to captivate Liam, Charlotte had fortified her position. Chloe was running out of options to orchestrate another 'accidental' downfall for Charlotte.

As Chloe's mind swirled with devious plans, an unexpected shove struck her from behind. She spun around just in time to see Charlotte's foot retreating from a forceful kick. In an instant, Chloe's surroundings whirled into a blur as she was sent crashing into the fish pond with a splash.

"Gasp-ahhh..."

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Chloe floundered in the pond, but it was shallow enough that after a couple of splashes, she was standing again, drenched, with strands of pondweed draped over her jewelry like a bizarre accessory.

"Charlotte!" she seethed, ripping the weeds from her necklace and flinging them at Charlotte. "Push me into the water, will you? Didn't think about what comes next, did you?"

"And what's that? No prying eyes here, no cameras."

Charlotte was unfazed, her attention briefly on the ripples causing the fish to scatter. "Looks like you've given them quite the scare," she noted with a hint of amusement.

"Seriously?" Chloe was incredulous, rage bubbling up as Charlotte seemed more concerned about the fish. With old wounds reopened and fury mounting, she waded with purpose towards Charlotte, reaching out to drag her into the pond as well.

But Charlotte dodged with an almost prescient agility, twisting to avoid Chloe's grasp.

In one fluid motion, she snatched Chloe's wrist and sent her tumbling back into the pond with a decisive push.

Chloe, unbalanced and unprepared, found herself once again submerged in the chilly embrace of the pond water.

"How does it feel to be drowning? That sense of being utterly alone, helpless, waiting for the end-do you get it now?"

Charlotte bore down on Chloe with relentless force, as if subduing her was the only salve for the agony of losing her sister.

"That lake was far colder than this pond, and Annie she suffered a thousand times more than you when she was flailing in those waters!"

"Mmph! Help-glub_"

Chloe thrashed about, her struggles and splashing sending out loud echoes that quickly drew attention.

As the main character of this party, Chloe was under the watchful eyes of many, and even though there were no cameras, it wouldn't be long before someone would come looking. Come on, someone, come quickly!

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By the time they arrived, with Chloe drenched and in distress while Charlotte remained unscathed-even without evidence the Parkers would never forgive Charlotte.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, signaling that help was imminent. Just as Chloe felt the grip on her loosen and the weight above her shift, something heavy seemed to drop beside her...

"Ah! Someone's in the water! Quick, we need help here!"

"Chloe and Charlotte have fallen in! Save Charlotte! She looks like she can't swim, lift her face up, or she'll drown!"

Chloe, finally breaking free from the struggle, scrambled out of the water at once.

It was then that she saw Charlotte, facedown and sinking, her splashing growing weaker as moments slipped by...

The scene could easily be misconstrued Chloe standing, Charlotte floundering-it had all the makings of a guilty act.

In an instant, Chloe's face drained of color as she realized the implications. She lunged forward to help Charlotte, but by the time she got there, bystanders had already pulled her to safety. As Chloe's hand reached out, Charlotte shrank back, gasping and spluttering, her eyes wide with fright and fixated on Chloe.

Frozen in place, Chloe was a silent witness to the aftermath, the cool sting on her neck and face a harsh contrast to the warmth of her rising embarrassment and confusion.

But Chloe couldn't register the sting of her wounds, her senses were overwhelmed by a singular realization - she'd been played by that wretched Charlotte! holds this content.

"Chloe... cough, cough!" It took a while for Charlotte to gather the strength to speak. She was ashen, sitting weakly on the ground, her body shaking. With trembling hands, she pulled off a ring and offered it to Chloe.

"This ring, my dad bought it for a high price from Liam - it wasn't me who went to Liam for it."

A single accusation from Charlotte was enough to paint Chloe as the embodiment of envy and spite.

Yet, this wasn't the final act Charlotte had in mind.

The ring was given to her by Liam.

But here it was on Chloe's finger, framed by the story that Chloe had attacked her, thrust her into the pond, and wrested the ring from her by force.

Charlotte's plan was clear - she would bide her time until Liam appeared.