"Yo, Liam."
Charlotte stood tall, her face etched with disappointment. "You're thinking I'd stab you in the back over some med mix-up, huh?"
She waved her phone at him, shaking. "What were you up to while I was fighting through it, huh?"
"I..." Liam is at a loss for words.
His mind was fuzzy about last night; he had no clue what he had done.
Charlotte didn't wait for an answer.
She just headed out to the break room to whip up some coffee.
"Hey! That's Mr. Parker's coffee maker. What're you touching it for?" came an angry voice.
Charlotte looked over, spotting a young, pretty girl.
Hadn't Liam said no more new assistants? Who was this?
"And who might you be? First time seeing you," said the girl, nudging Charlotte aside and wiping down the coffee maker like it was tainted. "You're not some obsessed fan sneaking in to pull a fast one, are you?" Charlotte just laughed it off.
It seemed like the role of general assistant was a hotbed for ambition, with everyone wanting to climb the social ladder and seeing threats in anyone who might jeopardize their position. The last one was like that, and now this one too. "I'm not," Charlotte clarified with a head shake.
"Then spill it-who are you? No badge, no nothing. You're telling me you're not here on the sly?"
The girl was mid-interrogation when Sophia noticed the fuss, took a quick look, and recognized Charlotte. She dashed over.
"Everything cool, Charlotte?"
"All good," Charlotte replied with a smile, unbothered by the girl's antics.
Sophia pulled the miffed girl away, clearly giving her a piece of her mind.
Charlotte got back to her coffee mission.
"You're messing it up," the girl reappeared, much less fiery now. "Mr. Parker's picky about his coffee."Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
"I know." Charlotte had been making Liam's coffee for the better part of a year; she could do it with her eyes closed.
And she knew he wouldn't be into this batch.
"He'll drink it."
With the girl giving her a complex look, Charlotte picked up the coffee and knocked on the door to the CEO's office.
Liam wasn't expecting her to return, and his face flickered through a whole show-nervousness, guilt, awkwardness-before he tried to play it cool.
"Why'd you come back?" he asked, trying to sound tough.
Charlotte stayed quiet and just handed over the coffee.
It was like an unspoken truce. If Liam took a sip, they could get back on track.
And Liam?
He wasn't about to refuse. He took a sip of the coffee and immediately frowned, but he took it all the same.
Charlotte knew the coffee was off. She couldn't not know.
But she brewed it anyway and gave it to him, eyes locked on him as he took a drink.
Liam let out a mental sigh and finished the revenge coffee.
"I can't stand coffee anyone else makes," but even though it tasted awful, he drank it all.
He was hoping Charlotte would get the message that he was trying to make peace.
Charlotte didn't play along. "Guess what, Mr. Parker? I'm not your assistant anymore. Let's make my quitting official. Like, now."
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"You!"
The words were like a lump in his throat, as Liam looked down, his back shaking.
Charlotte didn't stick around, just left the office without a word.
Outside, Sophia was waiting, worried she might have ticked off Charlotte. "That new girl doesn't get it..."
If Sophia had been playing both sides before, now she was all in for Charlotte.
Chloe might have that Beaumont family clout, what with her engagement to Liam and all, but that's just because she was born into a fancy family. Charlotte?
She clawed her way out of a family of gamblers and debt.
They meant more because she earned them.
"It's all good," Charlotte brushed it off. "She just showed me something clear as day. If I'm just Liam's assistant, I'll never get the respect I deserve."
She needed a fresh start at the company.
She hung out in the secretary pool for thirty minutes until HR showed up to talk about her quitting. They were bending over backward, offering to talk salary, benefits, and a better title.
It was like they'd do anything to keep her around.
But Charlotte wasn't having it.
Some small-time perks weren't going to wash away the mistrust and betrayal. Not by a long shot.
Liam was super cranky because of both Charlotte quitting and because of being drugged last night.
That evening, Charlotte caught Liam and Chloe in the middle of a heated argument in the study.
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She couldn't hear them through the soundproofing, but she could definitely see Liam's aggressive gestures - he even slapped Chloe, not caring that she had just been discharged from the hospital. Charlotte watched the drama unfold with a detached interest.
When Chloe, in the midst of her tearful tantrum, happened to see Charlotte, their eyes clashed, sparking an unspoken challenge.
Charlotte became even more agitated, gesticulating wildly at Liam, who dismissed her with a simple hand wave, and then a bodyguard escorted her out.
Chloe was still yelling something at the window on her way out, and then suddenly, Charlotte found herself staring into Liam's eyes through the glass.
Charlotte broke off the stare-down and went inside, missing the dark look that crossed Liam's face.
She tried to avoid Liam, but he seemed keen on hanging around her-she drinks water, he wants water.
She's watching TV, he plops down right next to her.
She moves away when he gets close, and they end up in this weird silent game of cat and mouse, with her dodging and him following.
Overwhelmed, Charlotte escaped to the backyard, and Dylan followed. At least that stopped Liam from tailing her.
"What happened? I heard Liam hit Chloe," Dylan asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
Charlotte sensed something odd in his worry but played it off. "Chloe was spreading lies about me and Vincent. I cleared my name, and she still tried to get credit from Liam. If anyone deserved a slap, it was her." Dylan visibly relaxed at her response.
Charlotte pushed a bit further, "Chloe got taken away by the bodyguard. Looks like she's in for a lockdown."
At that, she noticed a flicker of change in Dylan's expression.
She eyed him, feeling a twinge of suspicion.
Dylan was a schemer-could he be making deals with Chloe behind her back?