From Desk to Altar: The CEO's Irresistible Bargain
Chapter 79: Isn't that what family is for?

Charlotte furrowed her brows. "Madam, you don't know the whole story..."

"Enough! I trust my own eyes, and they see a daughter failing in her duties!"

"Ridiculous!" Charlotte thought, indignant.

Charlotte rejected the demand with icy detachment, "He doesn't deserve an apology from me."

"You! How dare you! We Parkers do not condone such conduct! I'll chalk up your lack of manners to your less-than-refined upbringing. But today, I'll take it upon myself to school you in propriety. Guards, escort her to the eaves to contemplate her impropriety behind closed doors!"

"Madam, wait!" Dylan burst onto the scene just as the servants were about to lead Charlotte away. "It's all a misunderstanding! Charlotte had an accident and fell into the water yesterday, she's still recovering. Let's reschedule, and I'll personally bring her over to apologize later."

"Tsk, young love makes you forget your manners, huh? Is this what your grandpa taught you? No wonder he had more faith in Liam than in you."

Pamela dismissed Dylan with a wave of her hand. "Remember, I'm your grandpa's sister. Think twice if you really want to defy me over a girl!" Dylan's expression was a mix of bitterness and resignation as he shook his head at Charlotte.

With gritted teeth, Charlotte managed to hold back her frustration. She shrugged off the servants and walked to the eaves to take her "time-out."

After all, a little bit of suffering can sometimes garner even more sympathy, right?

"Tsk! No manners at all!" Pamela glared disdainfully at Charlotte's retreating figure, her dissatisfaction growing as she turned to Dylan, "Teach her properly, so she doesn't embarrass the Parker family in public!"

Dylan simply nodded, his gaze following the old woman as she and a nodding, pliant Robert faded into the distance.

"Looks like your dad's gearing up to badmouth you to Pamela," Dylan said, a note of worry in his voice as he stood beside Charlotte beneath the eaves.

Charlotte stood ramrod straight, her eyes tracing the dance of flowers in the yard.

"It doesn't matter." Let Robert talk. The Parkers is Liam's. If Liam doesn't buy into it, then it's just noise.

"She's away; no need to keep standing; she won't replace out," Dylan tried to reassure her.

But Charlotte was firm, "And give them something to hold over me? How would I ever make a comeback?"

Dylan, unable to persuade her otherwise, cracked a smile, "You really are something else."

Charlotte had tuned out his wild talk.

A full day under the eaves, and as Liam came home, Charlotte watched the rain begin to trickle down from the gray sky. Her tears, as if encouraged by the gloom, slipped silently down her face. At that moment, Liam froze just inside the doorway.

Standing alone under the eaves, Charlotte looked like a scene from a sad movie.

Raindrops laced her cheeks with a misty veil.

Liam approached and called out to her, "It's raining."

Charlotte glanced back, her nose red from the chill, and replied softly, "Yeah, I see it."

"Come inside." He reached for her hand, but Charlotte pulled away.

"What's this about?"

Charlotte, tears brimming, turned away and exhaled a deep, weary breath.

"Pamela said I needed to think about what I've done."

"Pamela?" Liam couldn't understand why Pamela would impose such a thing. "What happened?"

Charlotte explained the whole ordeal from the morning, how she had stood there until her legs turned numb. When Liam tugged at her, her strength failed her, and she fell, crumpling to the ground. Lucky for her, Liam was quick to catch her, and she found herself in the safety of his embrace instead of tumbling to the wet ground.

"Thanks..." She glanced up, only to be taken aback by the dark clouds on Liam's face, which sent a shiver through her. "It wasn't that long, I'm okay."

Liam's gaze was sharp as he looked at her. "All day, Charlotte. You've been on your feet since the morning. She says 'Stand' and you just do it?" "Respect for our elders," Charlotte whispered, a tear defiantly escaping as she hung her head.

Their silent stand-off was interrupted by the entrance of an elderly woman, flanked by followers, including Robert with his ingratiating grin.

"Liam, why such an embrace?" Pamela's sharp voice filled the room as she caught sight of Liam holding Charlotte close, her disapproval immediate and palpable.

"Stay away from that disrespectful woman, don't let her corrupt you!"

"Exactly! She's my daughter, I know best how rotten she is. Mr. Parker, you better keep your distance from her, or she'll just try to leech off your money and power, ruining your reputation!" Robert added, "I should've cut ties with that disobedient thing long ago!"

Liam coldly asked, as if he hadn't heard them, "So disobedient people deserve to be punished like this?"

Robert retreated under the chill of Liam's glare, and Pamela, seeing this, advanced a step, berating Liam. "Are you challenging me? Liam, you've always been the sensible one. Are you really going to cross me over this disrespectful girl?" Liam's response was breezy yet sharp. "Ridiculous."

Pamela's face contorted with shock and anger. "What did you just say?"

"Someone can't tell right from wrong. Isn't that ridiculous?" Liam steamrolled over any chance for her to respond. "Yes, I'm opposing you, I'm the unfilial one now. What will you do, punish me too?"

Pamela was livid, her hand flying to her chest. "She's your cousin's girl, and you have the gall to defy me for her sake!"

"Isn't that what family is for? To stand up for each other?"Finishing this sentence, Liam waved for the servants to escort Pamela out.

Pamela was visibly affronted, departing with obvious unwillingness, all the while insisting that Kenneth should weigh in on the matter.

Liam, preoccupied, barely registered her departure when he turned to see Charlotte, stifling a giggle behind her hand. His frustration and anger found a new focus. "And what exactly is amusing you?" Only after her laughter subsided did Charlotte respond: "I'm just thankful, Mr. Parker, for you putting me under the 'family' umbrella."

Liam was speechless.

It took a moment before his voice broke the silence again. "What if I handle Robert for you?"

Her nod was casual, almost carefree. "I'd like that, thanks, Mr. Parker."

Liam asked Charlotte if she needed help for the second time. The first time around, she had declined, pridefully insisting on settling her own scores without troubling him. But her perspective had shifted now.

With a guy like Robert, and Chloe backing him up, trying to take him on alone would be a long, drawn-out affair. She figured it'd be quicker and easier to let Liam handle it. Brushing away the raindrops from his jacket, Charlotte's voice was gentle, "So, did you drop by to check on your poor fiancée at the hospital today?"

"Looking forward to hearing what I did?" Liam shot her a sidelong glance.

Charlotte shook her head, her tone frank. "If you did, you'd miss out on seeing me in distress."

Her hand grazed past his eyes gently, "Only got place in there for one, huh? And it's me, isn't it?"

"You-" Liam was about to say something when Dylan's voice suddenly came from behind.