From Desk to Altar: The CEO's Irresistible Bargain
Chapter 52: Who might I be?

"No, no!" Malcolm quivered like a leaf caught in a tempest, his exhilaration betraying his novice status in such treacherous games.

"Charlotte, Chloe has set her sights on scarring your beauty, but I'll spare you the ordeal. Just plead my case to Liam, and I'll set you free as a bird." His voice was a mix of desperation and hope. With that, he thrust his phone into Charlotte's hands, demanding she call Liam with an urgency that brooked no refusal.

Charlotte furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "Do you truly believe Liam will heed my plea?"

"He will, he must!" Malcolm's certainty bordered on fanaticism.

"But when I was falsely accused of stealing the ancestral jade pendant just now, Liam watched from the balcony above, unmoved, his inaction speaking volumes." Charlotte recounted the events with tranquility, though inside, the injustice seared her.

She had caught a glimpse of Liam and Chloe on the balcony, spectators to her plight, their indifference as sharp as daggers.

Malcolm, caught in his own frenzy, refused to believe her. "Excuses! You simply don't wish to help me! If you don't help me, Charlotte, I'll show no mercy!"

His words were a prelude to danger as a sharp knife, drawn from behind his back, lunged at Charlotte's face.

"Strike me, and you'll shatter your future, banishing any hope of reclaiming your status!" she warned, a calm veneer masking her racing heart.

The knife cut through the air with lethal intent, and with her back against the wall, Charlotte knew it was do or die.

Malcolm had kidnapped her, but he didn't do what Chloe told him to and scarred her face. He wanted her to plead with Liam first.

Charlotte understood that for Malcolm, the position of general manager was the crown jewel, above everything else.

And as the knife's point threatened to pierce her skin, Malcolm's ragged breaths halted its advance.

His hand trembled, the blade grazing her skin in torturous anticipation.

"What do you think? Is there a chance for me to reclaim what once was mine?" Malcolm roared.

Charlotte forced herself to remain collected. "Do years of dedication get erased by a single act of folly fueled by deceit?"

"Don't you think that's kind of ridiculous?"

"So, what got you into this mess today? Did you do something wrong, or did you just back the wrong horse?"

Charlotte's probing words made Malcolm quake even more violently.

Observing his dilating pupils, Charlotte sensed she had won the gamble.

Her tone softened, "Malcolm, a gun commands respect only when aimed outwards. If you turn it upon yourself, wouldn't you rather let it go?"

Malcolm's body shook violently, his fingers losing their grip, and the knife clattered to the ground.

"Malcolm, you just had some ideas about me you shouldn't have had, and you got the boot before you could even make a move. Think about it, what do you think would happen to you if you actually went through with hurting my face today?"

"I may lose my beauty and with it, my value. But you, have you not lost your worth as well?"

Charlotte looked upon him with pity. "To those who manipulate you, destroying me is your sole value."

Malcolm collapsed, his eyes void of life, his body a picture of desolation.

Blinded by the agony of lost power, and at a dead end, Chloe had found him, promising him his old job back if he would scar Charlotte's face.

But as Charlotte had pointed out, would Liam ever let him off the hook? Would Chloe truly safeguard him?

Alive, he was a thorn in Chloe's side, a constant source of worry that he might reveal the truth and betray her.

If he harmed Charlotte today, he was signing his own death warrant in the days to come.

Malcolm swallowed hard, his eyes locking onto Charlotte with newfound resolve. "What do you think I should do?"

Charlotte watched him silently for three long minutes, measuring his sincerity. Only when she was convinced of his epiphany did she speak, "Shift the blame, and with it, the responsibility." "What?" Malcolm pressed.

Charlotte's expression chilled. "I'm sure you understand, Mr. Blackwell."

She couldn't be frank; Malcolm was an unpredictable player, the kind who might stab her in the back when it's least expected.

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And if he did, everything he did could be twisted to seem as if she had pulled the strings.

Malcolm, grasping the implications, didn't push further.

After a tense pause, Malcolm raised the knife again, "Miss Perry, I need to pacify Chloe first."

Charlotte edged back warily.

Malcolm gave a bitter chuckle, "No, don't fear. I won't hurt you again. I'll wound myself and claim it was in self-defense against you. My feigned resentment will be the perfect disguise in front of Chloe."

He wasn't even trying to hide that Chloe was calling the shots.

Since he wasn't coming at her with a knife, Charlotte obviously had no objections. She just gestured for him to do as he pleased.

With a determined grimace, Malcolm raised the knife towards his thigh, but just then-

A loud "thud" echoed as a spade appeared from the darkness, striking Malcolm on the head.

He crumpled to the ground without a chance to scream.

Charlotte, stunned by the sudden turn of events, instinctively thought to flee.

She could handle Malcolm but not some unknown variable.

"Miss Perry, I mean you no harm," a soothing male voice emerged from the shadows, "Stepping in to right a wrong is a virtue I've always admired."

Charlotte, feeling this person was a bit off-kilter, cautiously responded with gratitude, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Consider it payment for the show I just witnessed," the silhouette in the dark quipped.

Charlotte thought he was referring to Malcolm's threat, "You saw everything?"

"No, Miss Perry, I don't take pleasure in violence. I'm talking about a different kind of drama," the man said softly, "That night in front of the blaze, you and Liam stood side by side, the flames casting a hazy veil over you. The subtle, lingering intimacy was utterly enchanting."

Suddenly, Charlotte felt a chill creep up from her toes to her scalp, sending shivers down her spine.

"Who are you?"

"Did you write the note that night?"

"Or was it Chloe's doing, and you took charge after?"

Charlotte fired off three questions in quick succession.

The man chuckled approvingly, "You're as sharp as I expected, Miss Perry. Why don't you guess who I am?"

"You are..." The words nearly escaped Charlotte's lips, but she clamped her mouth shut.

The man persisted, "Who might I be?"

"I don't know," Charlotte's brow twitched with tension.

She had her suspicions, but they were too dangerous to voice just yet.

The unknown is dangerous, but sometimes, the unknown person is the safer one.

"If Miss Perry can't guess, then let it be," the man said, a tinge of regret in his voice. "Still, I genuinely hope you and Liam replace happiness."

"It's both a heartfelt wish and a sincere plea."

With that, the man vanished quietly into the darkness.

Only when his figure had completely disappeared did Charlotte let out a sigh of relief.

Glancing at Malcolm, now unconscious on the ground, she prepared to leave this ominous place when her phone rang.

It was Henry's call.

"Henry?" Charlotte, thinking Henry was calling on Liam's behalf to hold her accountable, preemptively began to explain, "I didn't take her jade pendant, she was in..."