From Desk to Altar: The CEO's Irresistible Bargain
Chapter 59: Have you got no heart or what?

Charlotte was glued to her computer screen, staring at the glaring message, 'How much will it cost for you to shut up?'

Typical.

Liam was totally head over heels for Chloe, always rushing to her defense!

And here she was, foolish enough to double-check that fact.

Just humiliating herself.

She deleted the email, feeling a stack of disappointment in her heart, just numb.

She took a day off, and the next day Charlotte went to work like normal.

But as soon as she stepped into the office, she could tell something was off. Everyone seemed tense like there was a suffocating feeling hanging in the air. "What's going on?" Charlotte asked Sophia.

Sophia glanced in the direction of the president's office and whispered, "Mr. Parker is in a really bad mood today."

"How bad?"

"Like never-seen-him-this-bad kind of bad," the head said. "This morning, the whole company kicked into high gear like something big is about to happen, and Mr. Parker is paving the way for whatever that is." Charlotte made some coffee and took it to the president's office, and sure enough, she saw a bunch of top managers getting chewed out.

"Mr. Parker, your coffee." She set the coffee down and was about to leave when Liam stopped her, "Stay."

Then he told the others, "You, out."

Charlotte watched them scurry out, feeling more and more uneasy. "Mr. Parker, did you need me for something?"

She hadn't done so great on the last business trip and thought Liam was going to scold her.

But he just stared at her without blinking.

His eyes were full of complex emotions. Charlotte could only make out the agitation; she didn't dare guess the rest.

She couldn't keep putting herself through this humiliation.

"Mr. Parker?" He was staring for so long, and she had to speak up to remind him.

Liam snapped out of it and turned to look out the window, "You can go."

Charlotte saw the paper in his hand crumpled up, full of doubt but not daring to ask, and obediently left.

Over the next few days, Liam was wound up tight, visibly restless, and on edge.

Whenever he had a moment, he paced his office like a caged animal.

To deal with it, Liam even started working late, not going home until the early hours.

Because she made his coffee, Charlotte found herself working late too.

But she noticed that whenever they were in the same room, Liam's empty gaze would inevitably land on her.

The longer he stared, the more Charlotte felt creeped out, and it seemed Liam realized something was off too-he told her not to come to the office at night.

Except for the cleaners, she was the only one leaving work on time. Sophia, with dark circles under their eyes, saw her out, "Mr. Parker really cares about you, can't even bear to have you overwork."

"It's just my presence that annoys him," she said as she left the office. She got a call from an unknown number as she walked, the area code from Leiventale-she guessed it was Malcolm's and answered while saying goodbye to Sophia. "Charlotte, has something happened to the Parkers recently?" Malcolm got straight to the point.

Charlotte didn't get what he was saying, "What do you mean by that?"

"You know the whole mess with that family heirloom jade pendant, right? Evelyn has been clinging to Chloe, not letting go, and it looks like they're trying to drag Chloe down with them. But the Beaumonts are turning a blind eye, and Liam's put a stop to it."

Charlotte felt a tightness in her chest, "He's always been on Chloe's side. What's that got to do with whether the Parker family's in trouble or not?"

"Just hear me out," Malcolm said. "Word from the Beaumonts is that Liam stepped in because he's about to get engaged to Chloe in a few days." "Engaged?" Charlotte felt dazed for a moment.

She could tell, Liam and Chloe's last engagement didn't seem genuine, more like they were doing it out of spite.

But what about this time?

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The company going all out, and Liam stepping up for Chloe...

After hanging up the phone, Charlotte's heart sank.

The engagement's for real this time.

No wonder Liam didn't want her staying at the company. Was he afraid she'd make a scene if she found out?

Charlotte was so worked up that she came down with a fever that night. Medicine didn't help, and she felt too weak to move.

Then, as luck would have it, Maria calls.

Maria's voice was frantic, "Lottie, can you come home? I need to see you."

"I made it clear last time. I'm done with you all," Charlotte snapped back coldly.

"I made it clear last time. I'm done with you all," Charlotte snapped back coldly.

Maria went silent for a moment, stung by her indifference.

Just as Charlotte was about to hang up and block her, Maria's voice cracked with tears, "Tell me, Did Annie is dead?"

"Who told you that!" Charlotte jolted upright, nearly falling over in a dizzy spell, "Who said Annie's dead?"

Maria shouldn't have known about Annie's death!

"Don't worry about who told me! Just tell me, is she dead or not?" Maria screamed through her tears.

Charlotte was panting heavily, her mind a mess.

"Does it matter if Annie's dead? When we abandoned her, we might as well have considered her dead, right?" "Charlotte! How can you be so cruel? I had no choice!"

Charlotte hung up sharply.

No choice?

Just a heads up: Narugi.com 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! Every 'no choice' is a decision!

But Maria knew that the news of Annie's death really freaked Charlotte out. She hid the pepper spray and a baton she bought online on her, and despite feeling sick, she went over to the Perry family's place. Luckily, that brute Robert wasn't there.

Maria burst into tears and grabbed her the moment she saw her, "You knew, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Who told you?" Charlotte was ice-cold.

"Somebody gave me this photo. I knew it was her, my poor daughter," Maria sobbed, handing Charlotte a photo.

One glance and Charlotte collapsed to the floor!

The photo showed a bloated, decaying body floating in a lake.

Her Annie... it was her Annie!

"Who gave you the photo?!" Charlotte gripped Maria's arm tightly, "Tell me! Who?"

Maria, terrified by her frenzy, stuttered, "The family that took your sister away... After you came back for her clothes, I felt something was off. I went to them in a panic, and they gave me this photo." "How do they have a photo!"

"It was... Annie's second adoptive father. He said Annie's dying wish was to replace her sister, but he couldn't, so he let that family see Annie one last time, and they secretly took this photo."

Charlotte stood frozen, overwhelmed with grief.

"Lottie, can I visit the place where Annie lived?" Maria asked timidly.

Charlotte looked at her emptily, "The timing of this photo is too convenient. It might be a trap, someone could be out to get me."

"A trap? My daughter died horribly, and I just want to see where she lived, and you're talking about someone hurting you?"

Maria couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Charlotte, you're always going on about how much you loved Annie, but it's like you don't even care. Your sis passed away, and you're not even bothered about her life or shed a tear! Have you got no heart or what?"