From mere yards away, Charlotte discerned his mood with ease.
Liam carried an air of haughty detachment, his frosty demeanor laced with a hint of mockery.
The woman, fearing an escalation, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Careful, Mr. Parker, the floor here is quite slippery."
Liam spared a cold glance before making his exit, leaving the tension in his wake.
Once he was gone, the woman's arrogance returned in full force.
"Who do you think you are, a wildflower aspiring to bloom among the clouds? Do you think by brewing coffee for Mr. Parker, he'll favor you? Dream on!"
Charlotte absorbed the insult and turned back to her task.
She knew better than to harbor fanciful dreams.
Money was all he would give her and all she could accept.
…
"Charlotte, are you okay? It's not like Mr. Parker to visit the break room. I thought he came specially to back you up," a colleague remarked.
At that, Charlotte hesitated, a few drops of coffee spilling over and scalding her hand.
"Why would Mr. Parker come to my defense? You're all reading too much into it."
"True, he's never been particularly kind to you, but he's known for his strict management. It's surprising he let the deputy manager's behavior slide."
In reality, such incidents were commonplace in the executive office, with many newcomers subjected to the deputy manager's whims.
It's just another unwritten rule of the workplace: endure if you can, and certainly don't expect anyone to speak up for you.
Especially for Charlotte, with her modest educational background, many believed she landed the job through an improper relationship with Liam and looked down on her.
To everyone's surprise, Mr. Parker seemed utterly indifferent to her.
Gradually, the office's attitude towards Charlotte shifted, with the hostility towards her noticeably waning.
"That afternoon, as usual, Charlotte went to deliver coffee to Liam. She knocked and entered, catching him in conversation with the HR manager.
"Dismiss her immediately. I don't want to see her again."
"Yes, Mr. Parker."
Liam's face flickered with something unreadable when he saw Charlotte.
"What did you hear?" he asked.
"I..."
Before she could respond, he cut her off sharply, "This is about company governance, nothing to do with you."
Charlotte bit her lip in acknowledgment, stepping out with the coffee. She couldn't help but wonder, who was being dismissed? Who did Liam no longer wish to see?
She saw the usually brash deputy manager packing up her desk dejectedly in the secretarial office.
Through office chatter, Charlotte learned that the deputy manager was terminated for workplace bullying.
So, it was the deputy manager whom Liam had dismissed.
Was it for her sake? Charlotte stared at her burned hand, lost in thought.
Then she remembered Liam's words: it's just company governance, nothing to do with you.
Indeed, he was a man who ran a tight ship, never tolerating bullies to linger in the corridors of the company.
For the company's sake, not hers.
Charlotte thought with a self-deprecating smile. How could she ever think that Liam was concerned about her troubles with the deputy manager?
——
After navigating through the day's barrage of tasks, Charlotte clocked out and spent over twenty minutes just to squeeze onto the bus.
She made a detour to the bank, withdrew all her wages, and handed the cash to Maria at home, saying, "This is the last time I'm giving you money, and the last time I'm asking you, Mom, are you coming with me or not?"
Maria accepted the money, nodding in agreement.
But Charlotte read through her mother's half-hearted assurances, another stalling tactic.
"The last time Robert gambled with fury, he gambled away my innocence, Mother. You know very well where I scraped up the money from. If you want to ruin my life for good, then stay here."
Maria's face froze, her fingers anxiously wrinkling the cash.
"Your father mentioned... he said that gentleman is tall and handsome, and you like him a lot. You two get along so well... Lottie. Just marry him, and you'll live a good life! Then I'll make sure to stay away from your father. I won't be a burden to you anymore!"
Maria's voice was tinged with guilt and hope.
Charlotte took a deep breath, "Do you think I'm well-matched with him?"
Would Liam cherish a woman bought with money?
Would Liam's family ever accept a woman with such a background?
The answer was clear: it was absolutely impossible.
"Lottie, don't say that..."
"I know you resent your father; it's all his fault; he deserves to die! But didn't he do everything for you? He spoiled you, sent you to Parker Group, offering you such a bright future..."
Charlotte felt like laughing but instead found herself crying.
There she was, waking up in Liam's bed, and he was just casually dropping a cool half a million into Robert's account right in front of her. The next thing she knew, she was working at Parker Group as his assistant.
She turned to her mom, her voice soft but heavy, "Mom, wasn't handing over my sister bad enough? Now you gotta throw me into the mix?"
The room went quiet, and then her mom, Maria, started crying, "I'm so sorry, Lottie. Bringing you into this world, into this messed-up family... I'm the worst. I've let you down too many times."
Once, they were a seemingly happy family. Although Robert favored sons over daughters, the girls were neglected but never wanted for anything.
But then, Maria finally had a son who was born weak and immediately placed in an incubator.
Robert's mounting debts had turned him into a tempest of fury. Not only did he unleash his rage on Maria with his fists, but in a desperate bid to scrape together funds for their ailing son's medical expenses, he had traded their second daughter's future for a few thousand dollars.
Maria battered in body and spirit, was compelled to toil away to keep the family afloat while Robert squandered their meager earnings on debauchery, venting his displeasure through violence upon his wife and daughters.
Charlotte had often dreamed of rescuing her mother from this den of despair, but her mother's excuses always anchored them there, "Your father will change," "What would people say if I divorced at my age?" "What about your brother if we leave?"
Hearing her mother's sobs, Charlotte battled with the urge to walk out.
Then her mom, through her tears, hit her with a bombshell, "Lend me a hundred grand, Lottie. That's all we owe on the house. Think of it as a loan. I can't take this life anymore. Help me this one last time, and when I get the house to your brother's name, I'll leave with you."
For the first time, Maria was willing to leave, and after much deliberation, Charlotte agreed.
With the additional hundred thousand that Maria requested, Charlotte faced a shortfall of four hundred thousand.
A sum she could only hope to obtain from Liam.
That evening, Liam returned early, flinging his coat at Charlotte so abruptly that she flailed to free herself from its heavy folds.
She routinely checked his pockets before they went for laundry, ensuring nothing important was accidentally taken.
A cool, unexpected object met her fingertips. In surprise, she pulled out a tube of burn ointment from the pocket.
Was it for her?
Unsure, Charlotte approached Liam with the ointment in hand. "Mr. Parker, what should I do with this?"
He barely looked up. "Daniel put it there. Keep it if you want."
Daniel, Liam's rich buddy, was all about the high-end stuff.
Charlotte found out the cream was worth a ton—over two grand.
She couldn't just take it, but she couldn't say no, either.
So, she gave Liam the money before she used it.
But as soon as she opened the cream,
Liam grabbed it and stomped it flat.
"Two grand, really?" He was all up in her face. "You think I care about the cash?"
"Charlotte!" His words were like ice. "Do you price out everything?"
She wanted to set things straight, but he was already out the door.
——
Liam didn't come back all night.
The next morning, Charlotte was bringing in his coffee and heard him on the phone, talking all soft, "We'll sort it when you're here. Whatever you need, it's done."
He saw Charlotte and got snappy. "Drop the coffee and get out. How long you gonna stand there?"
She left without a word.
As she was leaving, she bumped into Daniel entering the house. His gaze fell on her hands. "It works, doesn't it? I only gave it because Liam asked. I wouldn't bother for anyone else..."
Just then, Liam yelled from inside, and Daniel got why he was mad. He looked at Charlotte, confused. "You didn't use the cream?"