Chapter 152
"And Ms. Johnson, there's your uncle Charles—he came to the company today too! After he arrived, he called an emergency meeting with all the directors and executives. They're still at it right now."
Hearing the news Mireille shared, Charlotte's expression instantly darkened.
She'd thought that after Alexander taught him a lesson last time, Charles had finally learned to behave. But apparently...
A cold laugh escaped her lips, her eyes glinting with fury.
"Perfect. Just perfect."
"The moment my mother's away, he can't wait to make his move."
"Ms. Johnson, what do we do now?"
At Mireille's anxious question, Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
With that, Charlotte quickly changed clothes, grabbed her car keys, and headed straight for the company.
Half an hour later, she pulled up to the Langley Group headquarters.
Her face set in a cold mask, she strode toward the entrance.
But before she could get close, two burly security guards stepped forward, blocking her path.
"Sorry, Ms. Johnson. We've been notified from upstairs—you don't have clearance to enter the building."
The head guard's expression showed discomfort, but his tone remained firm.
Charlotte stopped in her tracks, her expression growing even colder.
"Notified from upstairs? By who? Charles?"
"Who the hell does he think he is? He has no authority to give me orders at the Langley Group."
Feeling the pressure radiating from Charlotte, the head guard's face stiffened, but he pressed on.
"This is... this is a directive from Mr. Langley and several board members."
"We're just following orders. Please don't make this difficult for us, Ms. Johnson."
"Make this difficult for you?" Charlotte's anger morphed into bitter amusement. "Can't you tell who your real boss is? Get out of my way!"
"Ms. Johnson, please calm—"
Before the guard could finish, Charlotte's patience ran out. She was done wasting time.
As the guard reached out to stop her, she shifted her weight, her right hand flashing out like lightning to catch his wrist. One sharp twist—
"Agh!"
The man's face contorted instantly, his body curling in on itself.
Charlotte seized the opening, shoving him hard into the other guard.
With both men dealt with, she charged into the lobby.
The head guard's face changed at the sight. He immediately started shouting.
"Stop her! Someone stop her!"
The employees in the lobby froze at the commotion, stunned by what they were witnessing.
By the time they snapped out of it, Charlotte had already made it into an elevator.
Watching the numbers climb on the display, Charlotte's fury burned hotter, her expression growing darker.
Finally, the elevator chimed, arriving at the top floor.
The moment the doors opened, Charles's men stationed outside the conference room spotted her. Their expressions shifted to panic as they rushed forward to block her.
"Ms. Johnson... you can't go in! There's a meeting in progress!"
"Ms. Johnson..."
Charlotte ignored them. She walked straight to the conference room doors and kicked them open.
"BANG—!"
The doors slammed against the walls with a deafening crash.
Inside the conference room, everyone stared at Charlotte as she stormed in. The room fell dead silent.
The person sitting in Victoria's seat at the head of the table—the one who should have been her mother—froze when he saw that figure radiating fury. A flash of undeniable panic crossed his eyes.
"...Charlotte?" Charles shot to his feet, his voice shrill with false bravado. "How... how did you get in here?! Who let you in?! Where's security? Security!"
Watching him shout and carry on like he was terrified, Charlotte let out a cold laugh and walked forward, step by deliberate step.
Her heels clicked against the floor—tap, tap, tap—each sound carrying an overwhelming pressure that seemed to strike at everyone's hearts, making them tremble.
The executives who'd been eagerly agreeing with Charles moments ago now kept their heads down, not daring to meet Charlotte's eyes.
Charlotte swept her gaze over them in a slow circle before finally landing on Charles's shocked and furious face. She smiled coldly.
"This is my mother's company. Why wouldn't I be able to come in?"
"But you, Uncle—shouldn't you be at home instead of the Langley Group?"
"And that seat belongs to my mother. What makes you think you have any right to sit there?"
Charlotte's aggressive tone made Charles take a step back, panic flashing across his face.
But in the next moment, he remembered his purpose—and the people backing him. His spine stiffened again.
He stared at Charlotte for a long moment, then turned to address the executives at the table, putting on a pained expression.
"You see? This is the 'wonderful daughter' Victoria brought back!"
"No respect for her elders! No sense of propriety! Shouting at family!"
"Besides, I came here today because the company is in a state of chaos with no one at the helm."
"As a member of the Langley family, it's only natural that I step up at this critical moment to ensure someone's in charge—so that generations of the Langley family's hard work doesn't go down the drain!"
He turned to Charlotte, his eyes filled with malice and contempt.
"And you, Charlotte—you've been wandering around for over a decade. You know nothing about company operations or running a corporation. What makes you think you're qualified to control the Langley Group? To lead it toward a better future?"
"Furthermore, I have serious doubts about whether you're even Victoria's biological daughter!"
"After all, you were missing for so many years. Your identity still needs to be confirmed."
"So you have no right to be here!"
Hearing the undisguised venom in Charles's words, Charlotte's eyes darkened dangerously.
But soon enough, she calmed down—even let out a soft laugh.
"Whether or not I'm my mother's daughter is something she knows perfectly well."
"You keep bringing this up—what's the matter? Do you think my mother lacks the judgment to recognize her own child? Or do you think I never should have appeared at the Langley Group, never should have returned to the Langley family... because it ruined your plans?"
That light, casual statement made Charles's face change instantly. The executives clearly caught the sharp edge in Charlotte's words too—their gazes toward Charles suddenly grew complicated.