Twelve hours after the news exploded, Charlotte faced a sea of cameras and went to see Vincent.

Vincent had already gotten some info on those phone numbers and would soon let Charlotte know what was up.

After they finished talking, Vincent glanced at the paparazzi outside and couldn't help but joke, "Well, my dad would have lost it over this scandal." Charlotte knew he wasn't seriously whining. She promised, "I'll clear this mess up, just hang tight."

"I get that, but are you really cool with just letting the rumors run wild? Watch your back, don't let it get out of hand."

"It's under control. Liam's got it covered."

She had skipped out on a presser earlier, and even though Liam didn't say much, she noticed her security detail had doubled.

That was Liam's way of telling her, "Do what you gotta do, I'll deal with the fallout."

Charlotte wasn't sweating it.

The first trashy pics that tried to make it look like she and Vincent were a thing probably came from Pamela of the Parker clan.

The dirt on Robert and Sophia that came out after was likely Chloe stirring the pot.

And the nasty rumors about her and Thomas? That had the Beaumont elders written all over it.

Aren't these messes something Liam should handle?

After she left Vincent, Charlotte had Dylan come get her, and they hit up a bakery.

"We're being tailed. Us being seen together's gonna hit the net fast and we'll get hammered again," Dylan guessed what the crowd would say.

Charlotte didn't mind and went to see Thomas with Dylan to say sorry for the day's drama.

Thomas, who had been through hell and back with his daughters, didn't give a rat's about the gossip.

He was worried for Charlotte though, "People forget fast. If you don't clear things up quickly, they'll keep that bad picture of you in their heads forever. You need to set the record straight, fast." "I'm on it," she said, not worried one bit.

She didn't dodge meeting with Vincent, had Dylan come to pick her up from there, and then brought him along to see Thomas. She was even planning to go to the Parker Group with Dylan. If she was really the wild child the leaks claimed she was, these four wouldn't be chilling together like this.

But she knew she needed to do more to clear the air.

Once she got to the Parker Group with Dylan, Charlotte cut to the chase, "I want to know who put out that video."

Liam swamped with work and looking beat, gave her a tired look.

"You've probably got a hunch who did it," he said, not jumping to help right away.

Pamela had really screwed up, joining forces with outsiders to trap Charlotte.

She probably hadn't seen Chloe's antics coming, which dragged the Parker's younger son into the mess too.

But at the end of the day, Pamela was still a Parker, and having her schemes exposed was a bad look for the Parkers.

Liam wasn't keen on more Parker family laundry being aired in public.

"I could just squash this whole media circus," he admitted, having the means to do so. He'd been holding off because it looked like Charlotte had her own game plan.

Charlotte knew what Liam was hinting at. If she kept on trying to drag Pamela into their mess, Liam was going to lose it.

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"She could be behind it, or maybe it's someone else," Charlotte hinted, trusting that Liam would catch on.

And just as she thought, Liam shot her a look that said he understood and waved Henry off to do whatever needed to be done. "Come here," Liam said, not caring one bit that Dylan was right there, and took Charlotte aside into the break room.

Liam was usually all about keeping work and private life separate, so Charlotte rarely stepped foot in his office break room.

The last time she was in here was when Liam flipped out after catching her with Vincent and practically dragged her in. The bed even had the same sheets from that time.

"Mr. Parker is too busy to even change the sheets, huh?" Charlotte joked.

Seeing the sheets brought back bad memories for Liam, and he looked away, trying to avoid them.

"Why can't I help out?" He grilled Charlotte.Content © copyrighted by .

"Aren't you helping right now?" Charlotte said with a light tone.

"You know I could put an end to all this media circus with a snap of my fingers, Charlotte. Don't you trust me? What do you think I'm up to?"

"I want the Beaumonts and Chloe to feel what they've put me through. I've been hassled all day, and they should get a taste of their own medicine."

"You think I'd get in your way?" Liam found that ridiculous, "Why would I do that?"

"It's because of you and Chloe," Charlotte let out a weary sigh, "let's not forget there's a child in the picture."

"Nope."

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! Liam shot back quickly, "That kid's not mine, and he's not going to be born."

"But for now, he's yours in everyone's eyes, and if you step in, Chloe could use that to throw us both under the bus."

"Charlotte," Liam exhaled heavily, the frustration clear on his face, "You just don't trust me."

"That's the situation," Charlotte said, touching his face, trying to ease the tension, "Ever since you and Chloe got engaged, you and I have had to keep things under wraps." "Are you blaming me?"

Charlotte couldn't really blame him. He was the kind of guy who, if she even hinted at blaming him, would kick her out without a second thought.

"I blame myself for not being born a Beaumont, for not being able to offer you the support and power to stand with you."

Charlotte's voice dropped, filled with a sad kind of acceptance, "If I were the one pregnant, would you be happy?"

Liam was thrown off by her sudden question. He hesitated for a moment.

He looked at her belly, remembering the doctor saying she'd have a tough time getting pregnant, and his emotions got all tangled up.

"If you were the one," he said quietly, in the hush of the room, "yes, I'd be happy."

Charlotte's eyes were full of what-ifs, but she didn't say a word.

To Liam, a child with her wouldn't be a blessing, but just another problem.

Even as Thomas's adopted daughter, she wasn't Liam's equal.

Charlotte knew all too well-if Liam wasn't all in with her, he wouldn't be all in with a child they had together either.

"Don't stop me."

Charlotte wrapped her arms around him and laid her hands on his strong back. "You can't let me keep getting pushed around like this."