SWNOVELS Chapter 21: You'll catch a cold.
Before the question could even take flight, the hurried steps of a masked couple echoed down the alleyway.
They were unseen, tucked away in a covert nook, when the wife's whisper broke through, "Can we truly count on Annie's sister? She swore she'd never let Liam tie the knot with Chloe, but what's her word worth? Did we really do the right thing by sticking our necks out for her today?"
"Didn't Vincent say? She's Liam's mistress, I can tell. She really loves Annie, and what's giving herself to Liam if it means getting revenge for Annie?"
The husband's face was a picture of smug satisfaction. "As long as she keeps Liam on a leash, he won't marry Chloe. Then, avenging ourselves will be a breeze!" "Enough chatter, let's make ourselves scarce."
Supporting each other, the couple vanished into the day.
Behind the hush of the shrubbery, a wooden bench lay hidden, a silent witness.
"Mr. Parker," Daniel croaked, swallowing hard, "they must be jesting, right? Charlotte and Vincent, a chance encounter... it can't be..."
"The one who just passed by is Chloe's uncle, Thomas Beaumont," came Liam's icy response, sealing Daniel's lips.
The unspoken truth hung heavy; the couple's words likely held weight.
But this implied Charlotte was using Liam
A complete and utter manipulation.
"Mr. Parker..." Daniel, who had just defied his entire family for Charlotte, now grappled with the revelation, unable to fathom the depth of Liam's rage and disappointment. He watched Liam anxiously, fearing a violent outburst that might end Charlotte's life.
Liam's face was a calm sea before a storm.
If Thomas's words held any truth, Charlotte would certainly keep this moment under wraps to play her hand better.
Liam hesitated before the final digit on his phone, pondering the possibility of deceit.
Eventually, he dialed the number.
"Where are you?" he asked, his voice a soft veil over the roaring anger within.
"At home," came Charlotte's slightly hesitant reply, freezing the air around.
Liam, glimpsing Charlotte shoulder to shoulder with Vincent in the yard, let out a laugh cold enough to chill bones, his lips curling into a frosty crescent. "She lied to me."
"Liam?"
"Yes," Charlotte pocketed her phone, feeling an odd tremor in Liam's tone but unable to pinpoint it.
"He knew Chloe wouldn't let you off easy after what you did, yet he let you walk away alone. And now he checks in as if he cares?"
Vincent's dissatisfaction was evident. "Had you not tipped me off to convince Mr. Beaumont to back you up, you'd be in the frying pan now!"
Charlotte felt no remorse for Liam's approach. "In his eyes, I'm just another gold-digger. That he didn't slap me right, there is decorum enough."
Vincent's brow furrowed. "Must you go this far? Stopping Liam's marriage to Chloe doesn't require you to debase yourself."
"Don't make it sound so dire," Charlotte paused, a tender glint in her eyes, "being with him is my own fulfillment."
She had always been able to let go, her love once masked by the allure of money, never daring to voice her feelings.
Now, without the need for money and Liam free from engagement, love was love, with no need for hiding.
Besides, a chasm lay between her and Liam.
The time for revenge might be the last journey they'd walk hand in hand.
Vincent was taken aback by her words. "Fulfillment for yourself?"
"I love him," Charlotte confessed, serene with affection, "so it's not about giving in to him. It's about willingly giving myself."
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"But you lied," Vincent struggled to read her, "why not tell him Chloe brought you here?"
"What good would it do?" Charlotte countered, "What good would it do?" Charlotte countered, "Should I seek his protection, have him rally to my side?"
Chloe was right about one thing-it was a matter between the Parker and the Beaumont.
"I brought Annie's foster parents here to keep Liam out of it. Marrying Chloe would only benefit him. By stopping their union, I've already crossed him. I don't wish to trouble him further." Vincent's emotions were a whirlwind."Going to such lengths for Liam, it looks like you really do like him a lot."
Charlotte smiled, her eyes brimming with warmth.
The whispers and disregard of the pair drew the ire of a third party.
Chloe, her hair a tangled mess, sat on the grass, pointing an accusing finger at the person before her. "Charlotte, I underestimated you. In just a few days, you've secured yourself a powerful ally!" "Vincent Blackwood, you knew well that Charlotte was Liam's girl, yet here you are, cozying up to her. Have you no shame?" she spat venomously.
Turning to Charlotte, she sneered, "Don't get too cocky, darling. Hugging and cuddling with Vincent won't guarantee you the title of Mrs. Blackwood!"
Vincent sneered back, "Why don't you just be quiet, you wretch!"
He knew Chloe's game all too well; she was just trying to tarnish his and Charlotte's reputations with her slander.
Stung by his insult, Chloe retorted with a heated temper, "You're nothing but one of Liam's failed lackeys, Vincent Blackwood. What's there for you to brag about?"
Vincent shot back with equal contempt, "And you're just a jilted soul dumped by Liam. What are you shrieking about?"
"You!" Just as Chloe was about to retort, she caught sight of a man approaching from the doorway.
Tall and graceful, every move he made exuded an air of crisp nobility.
"Liam?" Chloe, taken aback to see him, paused, then quickly tried to compose herself.
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"I... I just wanted to clear up a misunderstanding with Charlotte, nothing more," she said nervously, clutching the hem of her dress.
If her plot to scald Charlotte had succeeded, well and good, but now that it had failed and Charlotte's beauty remained unscathed, Chloe knew Liam would be furious if he learned she'd tried to harm her. "Liam, I didn't mean to keep it from you. I didn't mean to..."
"Why are you sitting on the ground? You'll catch a cold."
Liam bent down to help Chloe up from where she had fallen.
This action left Chloe frozen in place.
And Charlotte's brows knitted tighter.
She was in trouble.
That phone call was a test, and she had lied.
Liam must be angry.
Charlotte closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and mustered the courage to look his way.
He had already helped Chloe to her feet, who looked at him in surprise, whispering, "Liam, what are you doing?"
Wasn't he the one who declined the engagement? Didn't he say he wouldn't interfere even if Charlotte struck her? What was he doing now?
Liam's expression was inscrutable, his actions distant.
Yet the words he spoke were fervent, his gaze not leaving Charlotte for a second.
"How could I stand by and watch my fiancée fall and do nothing?"
At that moment, Charlotte felt her face drain of color, her entire body tensing up.
She searched Liam's eyes, hoping for a hint of jest, but all she found was an icy detachment.