SWNOVELS Chapter 19: She's already apologized
Chloe collapsed to the floor, her sobs echoing through the silence.
The commotion quickly roused the household, and to their astonishment, they found the Beaumont family's delicate flower on the receiving end of Mr. Parker's assistant's wrath, which kindled a blaze of indignation among them. "Mr. Parker, this is unacceptable! An assistant, no matter the circumstance, should not resort to violence!"
"How could you? Miss Beaumont's skin is as tender as a peach; what if she were gravely hurt? How would you explain such a mishap to the Beaumont elders?"
"An assistant so reckless is bound to spell disaster. In my opinion, you should dismiss her posthaste!"
Only Daniel spoke up, taking a more balanced view, "Let's find out what really happened first. It takes two to tango. Maybe the assistant is innocent, you know?"
Only Daniel sought to temper the rush to judgment with a word of fairness, nudging Liam covertly with his elbow, signaling him to come to Charlotte's defense.
With a look as heavy as lead, Liam surveyed the scene: Chloe was cradling her face in tears, and Charlotte was standing defiantly. Taking a deep breath, he commanded, "Charlotte, apologize."
As the words left Liam's lips, a sly smile crept across Chloe's tear-streaked face, her eyes taunting Charlotte as if to say, "See, he's asking you to apologize. He's not protecting you at all."
But Charlotte, with a clenched fist and bowed head, ignored the provocation and muttered a remorseful, "I'm sorry, Miss Beaumont."
Surprisingly, Chloe responded with a dismissive, "It's fine."
"I remember you. Just days ago, you said Liam and I were a match made in heaven. I trust this wasn't intentional," she said.
Her words hang over Charlotte like a sword of Damocles.
The onlookers, shrewd as they were, could decipher the undercurrents between Charlotte and Liam.
Knowing this was a battle of female rivalry. The elders refrained from intervening, simply took Liam, and withdrew from the fray.
Only when the crowd dispersed did Chloe drop her facade, rising fluidly to her feet.
"Charlotte, you're out of your depth," she sneered. "How could someone of your lowly stature, who's barely touched money, grasp the chasm between us?"
She circled Charlotte like a predator, adding, "You think you're competing with me? No, you're pitting yourself against the entire Beaumont dynasty. Do you truly believe you stand a chance?"
Her laughter, sharp as glass, cut through the silence. "You struck me, and by the laws of the Beaumonts, you should pay by losing a finger."
Charlotte matched her mirth with a cold smile, "And for your deeds, my rules would have you flayed a thousand times over."
Chloe, taking her defiance for bravado, made a call to her family.
The Beaumonts, ever protective, arrived en masse, pushing through the door, surrounding Charlotte.
"Mr. Parker may not approve of this union, but he ought to give us the courtesy due between our families, not sanction his assistant's attack on a Beaumont lady!" Chloe's aunt demanded of Liam. "By all accounts, Mr. Parker, we deserve an explanation from you!"
As tensions mounted, an elder statesman among the business partners present called for peace, "It was the young assistant who acted out of turn, not Liam. Let's not let this mishap sour the long-standing harmony between our families." He proposed a solution, "Let the assistant be dismissed, and let Miss Beaumont retaliate in kind, and we shall consider this matter resolved. With the impending alliance of our houses, we must avoid public scandal."
The aunt snorted disdainfully at Liam, "If Mr. Parker can bear to part with the assistant, then we shall let this go."
"Just an assistant." came a voice from the crowd.
"Let's not allow an assistant's misdeed to mar the friendship between our families," another chimed in.
"Liam, heed your uncle's advice, and let's put an end to this matter," they urged in unison.
Around the table were all business partners, each taking turns trying to convince Liam to back down.
Chloe whispered a taunt to Charlotte, "Do you think Liam will agree to these terms?"
"He will," Charlotte replied with resolute certainty.
Just now outside, Liam demanded an apology from her without even asking for her side of the story. She no longer hoped that Liam would stand up for her.
"Do you feel betrayed?" Chloe gloated. "You surely didn't think a few nights with him would earn you his favor or protection? Let me tell you, he's the most rational man alive. To him, your actions were an affront to his reputation, to the Parker family's name! He will not shield you."
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Charlotte merely glanced at her coldly, "Miss Beaumont must be mistaken if she thinks I acted relying on his favor."
He'd never stand up for her; she knew that much the day he walked away from her in the break room.
"Just be stubborn!"
As the business partners' attempts at persuasion were winding down, Liam, with a cold expression, finally made a move.
His gaze swept over Chloe and Charlotte's faces.
Chloe was crying pitifully, looking quite the sorry figure.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had a rigid expression, looking unrepentant.
"Tsck."
He kicked Daniel's chair slightly: "Take Charlotte outside."
Daniel, not quite understanding the situation and perhaps wanting to offer more advice, said, "The Beaumont family going after Charlotte isn't going to be just a slap on the wrist. They could beat her to death, you..." "Take her out."
"Alright." Daniel got up, hesitantly pulling Charlotte out to be watched by the bodyguards.
"Don't worry, Mr. Parker won't just leave you hanging." He didn't even believe his own words.
Charlotte just gave him a smile, saying nothing.
Why did she have to hit Chloe in the first place? In the world of the wealthy, physical altercations couldn't just be resolved with a few words.
Daniel went back to the room where the partners' attempts at mediation had ended. The aunt sat there arrogantly sipping her tea, urging Liam to make a decision quickly.
"Mr. Parker surely isn't considering risking a break with the Beaumont family over a minor assistant, is he?"
"She's already apologized," Liam said slowly.
The Beaumonts thought they'd heard wrong, and the aunt was incredulous: "What do you mean?"
Lifting his gaze, Liam's eyes were placid pools. "She's said she's sorry. What more do you want from her?"
He reclined leisurely in his chair, the picture of relaxation.
Chloe's face contorted, ready to interject, but her aunt intervened, "Liam, our Chloe has been pampered all her life. She just wanted to see you, and this jealous woman slaps her. Do you think a mere apology is enough? Who will compensate for the pain my Chloe has suffered?"
Liam was nonchalant. "If she is a jealous woman, she has apologized. The torment she feels inside is no less than what Miss Beaumont endures."
The room fell silent, stunned.
Even Daniel couldn't help but surreptitiously tug at Liam's sleeve. "Mr. Parker, have you lost your mind?"
Liam spared him a glance. "If the Beaumonts cannot protect their precious daughter, that's their failure. If I fail to protect Charlotte, that's my failure." "Then why did you send Charlotte out? Wouldn't it be better for her to see your support for her?"
Liam stiffened, then replied indifferently, "Why should she see it? So she can grow arrogant with favoritism?"
Dismissing the astonished crowd, he stood up. "This matter is closed. Let's speak no more of it."
"No more of it? Easy for you to say!" Aunt Beaumont continued to protest, but Liam had already left, treating her complaints as if they were beneath him. Chloe stood frozen, her swollen cheek cradled in her hand, disbelief etched on her face.
Liam had dared to defend Charlotte so boldly before their elders, flouting convention for a mistress, casting everything else aside!
"The Parker family must give me an explanation!" Aunt Beaumont's voice boomed with a loss of control as she reached out to the Parker family elders.