SWNOVELS Chapter 25: Trap
Turning this place into a doghouse?
The area was flush with the well-to-do, so eccentricities weren't exactly a rarity.
Charlotte didn't dwell on it and made for the elevator, intent on home. Yet, just as she stepped out from the elevator, a run-in with a worker hauling a mattress jolted her with a sense of foreboding. On the sixth floor, it was just her and Liam's residence why would a moving company be here, of all places?
Her home was being turned into a doghouse.
By whose decree?
Liam's?
But why?
Charlotte's heart turned to ice, and her breath caught in her throat.
Just earlier, she had spoken of drawing a line, of resigning, but Liam, though angry, had never once suggested she be thrown out.
That very morning, he had even mentioned not wanting sweetened soy milk anymore.
She had thought that meant he saw a future for them.
However, now, in this place that Liam called home, she was being utterly cast out.
Lost in a daze, the sound of a dog barking from the elevator's direction snapped her back to reality.
Wiping away tears, she quickly ducked into the stairwell for refuge.
Peering through a crack, she caught sight of Liam and Chloe walking side by side, with Chloe cuddling a little white dog in her arms.
"Liam, you're too considerate, you know? I just got a puppy, and you've already set up such a cozy nook for it. You're going to spoil us rotten!"
"It's just an apartment," Liam responded, his voice detached.
"Dogs are loyal creatures; they at least remember who their master is."
"Hmm? That sounds like you're hinting at something, Liam," Chloe cooed to the puppy in her embrace. "Hear that, Doodoo? Be a good boy, and don't make Daddy angry, or he might just take back the house and leave you a stray without a roof over your head!"
Each word pierced Charlotte like a needle to the heart.
She clung to the banister, slowly sliding to the floor.
A dog that fails to win its master's favor deserves to be homeless.
That was the lesson Liam wanted to teach her, wasn't it?
The sound of the door opening and the fading voices told her they were gone.
Gripping the banister, Charlotte descended the stairs, one heavy step at a time.
She couldn't concede defeat, even if Liam no longer cared for her, even if he wanted nothing more to do with her.
She couldn't let Chloe, that murderer walk away with a happy ending.
Liam stood by the window, watching her retreating figure from high above. The anger he had managed to suppress flared up once more.
She had tried to use him and couldn't even bother to ingratiate herself to him.
What was she waiting for?
For him to compromise over and over again?
In his dreams.
"Liam, what are you looking at?"
Chloe's voice came from behind, but Liam didn't turn around, his voice laden with distaste, "Don't talk to me with that nauseating tone." Chloe paused, then casually remarked, "But I like you, Liam. When you like someone, you can't help but want to be cutesy with them."
Her gaze flicked briefly downstairs, a sneer in her eyes, "If I didn't like you, Liam, I'd just walk away without a second glance."
Liam's fist clenched tightly as his eyes followed the figure below.
Just walk away without looking back.
Heh.
That's exactly what Charlotte did, wasn't it?
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After a night of makeshift accommodation at the hotel, Charlotte scrutinized her gaunt reflection in the mirror for a long time.
She was still at a loss as to why Liam could turn so cold-hearted.
Masking her weariness with makeup, Charlotte set out for the office.
Liam's warning from the night before still echoed in her mind if she upset Chloe again, he would have her banished from Parker Group. With her two-bedroom sanctuary gone, the company was the last thread tying her to Liam, a thread she was not ready to let go of.
Arriving at the office before Liam, she meticulously tidied up the workspace and then made her way to the break room to brew some coffee. "Miss Perry, this is my task." The young girl was fresh on the job, boasting a finance degree from a prestigious university. Charlotte stepped back apologetically, "Sorry, my mistake."
As a personal assistant, she was supposed to tend more to Liam's personal needs.
But Liam didn't want to see her now.
Memories of her clothes thrown out and her home turned into a doghouse caused her heart to wrench in agony.
She returned to her desk and waited half an hour for Liam to arrive.
"Prepare the documents; we'll have a meeting with the finance and investment departments in fifteen minutes." He briskly set to work as he entered, scarcely glancing at Charlotte by the door. The secretary pool sprung into action, buzzing with activity, while Charlotte stood by the door, unsure of her place.
"Mr. Parker..." she began, only to be silenced by Liam's icy stare.
"What are you doing here?"
Stunned, Charlotte watched as the new assistant passed by her with coffee, a poignant reminder of her demotion. Seven or eight minutes later, the head secretary called her back in, "Charlotte, Mr. Parker is asking for you."
"Is there a task for me?"
Just a heads up: FindNovel.net 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! "You'll find out once you're inside."
Charlotte followed the head secretary back in, immediately sensing the tense atmosphere in the office.
Before she could inquire, some documents hurled from behind the desk struck her face.
"Look at the mess you've made, Charlotte!"
Dumbfounded, she picked up the documents from the floor, their contents blurred and indecipherable.
"These are crucial documents from our new project partner, needed for the meeting. How could you be so careless, Charlotte?" the head secretary scolded.
Charlotte went pale, "I didn't touch the documents..."
"But you were the only one who went into Mr. Parker's office this morning!" the head secretary said sternly. "It's Nancy's job to clean the office. It's bad enough that you took it upon yourself to do it, but to be so clumsy as well!" Nancy was the new office assistant.
Charlotte glanced silently at her, noticing the girl's head bowed, hiding in the back, her lips curling into a secretive smirk.
Ah.
A setup.
But who orchestrated this trap, and who else was in on it?
Charlotte faced the head secretary with a cool voice, "Do you believe I deliberately damaged the documents?"
"You were the only one who entered Mr. Parker's office." The head secretary shot her a meaningful look before addressing Liam.
"Mr. Parker, for security reasons, the electronic files have been destroyed. Each party had a paper copy, and now that our physical documents are compromised, we must request a duplicate from our partner."
She looked troubled as she added, "However, the person in charge on their side is known to be quite temperamental and difficult to deal with."
Silence fell over the office as everyone cautiously observed Liam's reaction.
The document debacle, while attributed to Charlotte, also implicated the entire secretarial team if Liam sought accountability, they were all in for it.
Charlotte looked back at Liam, her heart steady and without a trace of nervousness.