SWNOVELS Chapter 45: She wouldn't go for a dude like Malcolm
Charlotte's face was her target.
With no room to dodge, she braced herself for a brawl with the furious women.
Outnumbered, she quickly found herself on the receiving end of a few punches, her already weary body screaming in protest.
"Enough!" The command roared from nearby, silencing the crowd momentarily.
Seizing the chance, Charlotte broke free and stumbled behind her unexpected savior.
"There's a file on the nightstand. Fetch it," came the stern instruction.
It took a moment for Charlotte to realize Liam was addressing her, and she hurried to retrieve the file.
The women balked at her departure. "Mr. Parker, you're reputed to be impartial. How can you defend this... bitch today?" one of them sneered.
"And what did you call her?" Liam's icy retort silenced the accuser.
But the woman's jealousy flared anew. "This assistant, Charlotte-she seduced my husband, Malcolm. The whole company's talking about it!"
Hearing this, Charlotte halted, her mind racing. She couldn't recall the previous night's events, but she knew herself well enough to dispute the accusation.
It was far more likely that Malcolm, in a moment of lust, had been the instigator.
Yet, Charlotte held her tongue. She remembered all too well how Liam had reacted to past allegations-no matter her innocence or the evidence she possessed, he wouldn't believe her. With a silent sigh, she turned to continue on her mission.
Right then, from behind her came Liam's voice, trying hard to keep his anger in check.
"She wouldn't go for a dude like Malcolm."
"What?" Both Charlotte and the woman were taken aback. The woman's anger surged. "Mr. Parker, your biases are clear. Is she your mistress? Is that why you protect her?"
"Mrs. Blackwell's domestic issues should be settled at home, not here," Liam countered, his posture nonchalant, his disdain for the woman obvious.
"You've gone too far." Liam continued.
"Have I? You think because you're young..."
"Shut it!" A roar burst out from the elevator. Malcolm came scrambling over, a complete mess.
He hadn't even steadied himself when he slapped his wife across the face, "Can't you just stay at home? You're out here making a fool of yourself!"
After the slap, he immediately bent over to apologize to Liam, "Mr. Parker, I'm sorry about my wife; she doesn't know any better."
Liam scoffed coldly.
While Malcolm was frantically trying to figure out how to fix the mess, the woman he hit looked up in disbelief, charged at him, and started tearing into him. "Liam's out here standing up for his mistress, and I'm your wife! You don't defend me, fine, but you hit me? Malcolm, we're far from done!"
"mistress?" That's when it clicked for Malcolm. No wonder Liam, who's always so no-nonsense, brought such a knockout to be his PA this time to Leiventale. It all made sense now-a mistress!
Malcolm broke out in a cold sweat. Chloe had set him up! She'd really done him in!
Charlotte wasn't sure what happened to those women; by the time she came out with the file folder, Liam and Malcolm had already taken off. Only Henry was still there, waiting for her.
"How are you feeling? Can you make it to work tomorrow? Mr. Parker's really picky about his coffee - can't stand anyone else making it," Henry asked.
Charlotte hastily assured him she'd be up to the task, then cautiously ventured," Henry, did I step out of line last night?"
"Why do you ask? No, you did nothing wrong," Henry said, giving her a meaningful look. "The CEO from the other company harassed you, and Mr. Parker intervened. You then came down with a fever, and he took you back to the hotel to personally look after you."
"What?" Charlotte was floored.
Could Liam possibly be that considerate?
Henry didn't linger on the subject and quickly left with the files.
By afternoon, the hotel-bound team was a hive of activity. Charlotte learned that Liam had axed the collaboration and they were now scrambling to court new allies.
"I heard Mr. Parker had a falling-out with the Beaumonts this morning," a colleague gossiped on the balcony.
Charlotte, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't help but interject, "Why?"
The colleagues clammed up at her approach and quickly dispersed, shrouded in secrecy that only deepened her confusion.
No closer to the truth, Charlotte gazed out at the view below just as Liam's car pulled up.
Glancing at the clock-nearly three-she remembered her duty and went to prepare his coffee.
Yet, as she approached his door with the freshly brewed coffee, a heated argument spilled through.
"Mr. Parker, I'm still your elder, and today you owe me an explanation! Are you really willing to forget decades of friendship over a woman? To terminate the partnership?"
It was Chloe's aunt, Patricia.
Charlotte recognized the voice and paused, waiting at the door to let the conversation conclude.
From the chat between Patricia and Liam, she figured out that Malcolm was with the Beaumont family. Basically, Liam's deal with Malcolm's company was actually doing business with the Beaumonts. Liam's foray into Leiventale had been akin to throwing a juicy steak into a wolf pack-everyone wanted a piece.
The Beaumonts had secured an early lead through Chloe's connections, dispatching Malcolm to handle the delicate negotiations to avoid any gossip.
But now, with Liam pulling the plug and securing a new deal within half an hour, he had not only ground the Beaumonts' pride into the dirt but also snatched the lucrative opportunity right out from under them.
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"Liam, you can't possibly-"
"It has nothing to do with her," Liam cut Patricia off, his voice icy with contempt. "A bunch of incompetents-what right do you have to negotiate with me?"
"You!" Patricia was livid.
Liam totally ignored Patricia's tantrum and said icily, "Stirring up trouble as soon as I hit Leiventale, How dare you!"
Without granting Patricia a chance to retort, she was ushered out-right into Charlotte, who stood with coffee in hand. "Mrs." Charlotte greeted, "watch your step, wouldn't want you to slip."
"Are you mocking me?"
"With the partnership over, surely my little jests are the least of your worries," Charlotte replied with a curtsy and a smile. "Take care." Patricia, fuming with indignation at the overt sarcasm, could only kick the wall in frustration as Charlotte slipped inside with the coffee.
"Mr. Parker."
After setting down the coffee, Charlotte didn't just take off. She was really confused about what went down last night, but since everyone was keeping mum about it, she figured she had no choice but to ask Liam. Liam sampled the coffee, then returned to his screen.
Unlike usual, he didn't scold or dismiss her; instead, he acknowledged her presence.
This sudden change left Charlotte unsettled, her curiosity about the previous night's mystery intensifying.
Twiddling her fingers, she stood there, soon drawing Liam's attention.