From Desk to Altar: The CEO's Irresistible Bargain

"No, but, Lottie. I'm not lying when I say there's not a dime left for groceries."

"Then starve," Charlotte replied, her voice as cold as ice, her eyes betraying no sympathy for Maria's desperate pleas, not even when Maria was on her knees.

But someone couldn't stand by and watch. Axel stormed in from outside, his blood boiling at the sight of Maria on her knees.

In a few strides, he was upon Charlotte, fists poised to strike.

"You heartless wench! Can't you see mom is begging?"

Charlotte dodged, but Axel was relentless, hurling insults as he lunged to grab her.

"You're nothing but a tramp, Charlotte! Clambering into Liam's bed and yet you bring back nothing, letting Mom and dad suffer! And here I am, laughed at in school because of you. What's the point of your existence? You might as well be dead!"

Slap.

With a swift backhand, Charlotte's slap left Axel stunned and reeling.

He tried to retaliate, but she was quicker, her kick sending him sprawling.

"Lottie!" Maria cried out, throwing herself at Charlotte's legs. "Your brother's just a boy; he doesn't understand. Don't stoop to his level!"

"He's an adult!" Charlotte roared back, the cold indifference of her family rendering her incapable of any sympathy for this woman called mother.

Maria begged, "We're family, Lottie! Remember how hard it was for me to raise you all?"

Charlotte's heart turned to ice. Family? Where do some suffer and others thrive? She glared at Axel who was shivering on the ground.

"Give me Annie's old clothes. I know you kept a set hidden," she demanded coldly.

Maria flinched, a sense of dread washing over her. "What do you need those for? What are you planning, Lottie?"

"There's no need for you to know. Just understand that you won't get another cent from me. Whether your husband or your son starves or freezes, it's none of my concern."

Charlotte stepped over her and walked towards the master bedroom wardrobe.

Pulling out a cheap pink dress from the very bottom, she caressed the coarse fabric, recalling how Annie used to trot behind her in that dress, the two of them chattering away while scrounging for coins dropped by others. "Lottie," Maria's voice was tentative as she followed, clutching at Charlotte's hand. "Tell me, what are you going to do? You've never cared about this dress, why now..."

"Here's a piece of advice - leave now while you still can, or Robert and Axel will bleed you dry," Charlotte said as she packed the dress, her expression steely.

Without Maria's protection, it would have been difficult to grow up safely under Robert's thumb. She never forgot that kindness, but it was also the leverage Maria used to exploit her time and again.

Charlotte handed Maria a bank card. "There's twenty thousand in this card."

Maria could use the money to escape or to buy Axel a computer. The outcome, good or bad, was entirely up to her.

"This settles any debt of gratitude I owed you."

With those words, Charlotte walked away.

Maria followed, frantic. "Lottie, where are you going? What are you going to do? I'm scared, Lottie... your words sound like a final goodbye..."

But Charlotte's pace quickened, leaving Maria behind with her choice and her fallen son.

Charlotte spent the entire day cocooned in the comfort of her hotel bed, the world beyond her room a distant blur.

A call from Sophia, her head manager, pierced the silence, her sigh of relief audible when she learned her absence was simply a refusal to work. "I'll sort out your leave; make sure you're here tomorrow," she insisted. Charlotte puzzled over her eagerness for her return, suspecting Liam's hand in this.

Perhaps he was plotting payback for Chloe's scar, wanting Charlotte under his watchful eye for easy retribution.

As dusk painted the sky, she met Thomas, who escorted her to the hastily arranged engagement party of Liam and Chloe.

The venue lacked decoration but still shimmered with opulence.

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The guest list was exclusive, family only, no outsiders.

The arrival of Charlotte and Thomas was like a stone dropped into still water, rippling attention throughout the room.

"Charlotte?!" Chloe's aunt charged over, her fury barely contained as she turned to Thomas, "Brother, do you realize you've brought a siren to Chloe's engagement? Has she bewitched you too?" "Lady," Charlotte's voice was a blade of ice. "Liam invited me. If you seek someone to blame for his choices, look to him."

With a poise that belied the storm around her, Charlotte glided to her seat.

Patricia had to hold back her anger. The whole Beaumont family was in the dark about Liam inviting Charlotte — it was like he didn't even consider the Jin family important at all! Charlotte hit Chloe once, and the second time, she ended up scratching Chloe's face. Would she have dared to do such a thing if Liam wasn't backing her up?

Patricia's eyes locked onto Charlotte, resplendent in a crimson dress, her slender waist, and long legs drawing the room's gaze, shining bright against Chloe's bandaged-faced shadow. The contrast was a slap to Chloe's already wounded visage.

Patricia's fists clenched. Charlotte must not be allowed to overshadow Chloe, especially not in Liam's presence.

"Come," she whispered to two trusted servants, her instructions a venomous secret.

They nodded and slipped away.

"Liam's here."

Thomas's voice pulled Charlotte from her reverie. She lifted her gaze, finding him across the room, a stark figure against the white drapes.

Charlotte didn't want to keep looking at him, but as she tried to look away, she noticed he had turned his face towards her at some point, staring at her without blinking.

His gaze a hunter's, hers the prey.

Charlotte's head dropped.

Thomas noted her shift, murmuring, "Such modest decor; perhaps Liam's heart isn't truly in it."

It was his second hint.

Charlotte knew what he meant. Thomas always believed she should stay close to Liam, using Liam's interest in her to take Chloe down a peg.

But she wasn't willing.

She wouldn't use Liam.

Seeing her silent, Thomas understood her thoughts. "I used to think what's mine would come to me without a fight, didn't want to compete or struggle. But after Annie passed away, I realized that even if I don't fight for it, others will come and try to take what's mine."

His eyes met hers, a silent challenge. "You're brave. Live without regrets."

Charlotte wanted to thank him, but her voice was a prisoner in her throat.

She had been brave, shed her dignity for courage.

But he chose Chloe.

It wasn't regret; it was fate.

A sourness touched her heart. Fearing her emotions might betray her, she excused herself to the restroom.

"Be careful," Thomas warned. "The Beaumont family would devour you if given the chance."

She nodded, exiting the restroom composed. Reaching for a paper towel, she noticed a note stuck to her waist.

With a cautious touch, she unfolded the mystery.