Chapter 93
"Where's Charlotte?! Tell that ungrateful daughter of mine to get out of here!" Henry's face was red with rage, spittle flying everywhere. "I raised her from nothing, put food on her plate and clothes on her back, and this is how she repays me?!"
"Not only has she gotten too big for her boots, but she's gone off to work as someone else's lapdog! She doesn't even acknowledge her own father anymore!"
"She's nothing but an ungrateful, cold-blooded traitor. I honestly don't know why your company would keep someone like that around!"
The man's voice was grating, echoing through the lobby again and again.
The people nearby started buzzing with chatter after hearing his words.
"Is this guy really Ms. Johnson's father? He doesn't quite look the part..."
"Hey, those of you who've worked with Ms. Johnson before — is she really like that?"
"Hard to say. Who can really tell what goes on in rich families? But one thing's for sure — making a scene like this is just embarrassing. So many people are watching."
As the whispers swirled around him, Henry curled his lips into a small smile, because this was exactly what he wanted.
Once Charlotte's reputation was ruined, she'd have no choice but to leave the Langley Group!
When that wretched girl got kicked out like a stray dog, he didn't believe for a second she wouldn't come crawling back to him.
While he was busy scheming, a sudden commotion broke out at the edge of the crowd.
The onlooking employees turned to look, and when they saw Charlotte walking toward them, expression blank, they wordlessly parted to make way.
"Who's barking like a mad dog on my turf?"
Her voice was quiet, but ice-cold — it cut through every other sound in an instant, and the lobby fell completely silent.
Henry froze when he saw how calm she looked. Then, as her words sank in, his fury surged even higher.
"You insolent girl! What did you just say?! I'm your father!"
"My father?"
Charlotte let out a scornful laugh, her eyes full of contempt. "Oh, so you do remember you have a daughter? I thought Chloe was your only one. Where does that leave her?!"
"After all these years of you completely ignoring me, you probably don't even think about me most of the time, do you?"
"The only reason you're claiming me as your daughter now is because you need someone to clean up your mess!"
Called out without mercy, Henry's face stiffened. "You — you're talking nonsense! When have I ever neglected you?"
"Is that so? Then let me ask you something, dear father," Charlotte narrowed her eyes, a mocking gleam in them. "If you really cared about me, do you know what my favorite food is? What my hobbies are? How I've been getting by on my own all these years?"
The rapid-fire questions left Henry completely speechless.
Because he couldn't answer a single one.
He had never paid any attention to anything about Charlotte.
Seeing him at a loss, the smirk on Charlotte's lips grew sharper. She stepped forward, her voice rising, each word cutting straight to the bone. "If you know nothing about me, how can you claim you ever looked after me? Isn't that a joke?"
"And another thing — you want to call me your daughter now? When your other daughter Chloe plagiarized my work, why didn't you stop her?"
"Don't tell me you didn't know I was Queen, or that everything she stole was mine."
Charlotte paused, her eyes filled with cold disdain.
"So now you're calling me your daughter. Don't you find that a little ridiculous?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the entire lobby erupted. Eyes from every direction landed on Henry.
"I can't believe this. My God, how can a father be like that?"
"Seriously. He couldn't even be bothered with his own daughter, and now he shows up here causing trouble. How does he have the nerve?"
"Like father, like daughter, they say — guess that one doesn't apply here."
The tide of opinion had turned completely, and Henry ground his teeth in fury, his face turning a deep, ugly red.
"You're making things up!"
Watching Henry fall apart, all bluster and no backbone, Charlotte gave a cold smile and crossed her arms.
"You know better than anyone whether I'm making things up."
"I still have the video footage from when Chloe plagiarized my work. Want me to pull it out right now?"
Henry panicked. He hadn't expected Charlotte to go this far — to lay everything bare in front of everyone like this.
Feeling the contemptuous stares from all around him, his face burned as if he'd been slapped over and over again in public.
He tried to say something in his defense, but not a single word would come out.
In the face of solid evidence, any explanation would be utterly hollow.
"I..."
"Mr. Johnson."
Charlotte's lips pressed into a firm line, her tone strictly professional. "This is the Langley Group. It's not a place for you to throw a tantrum."
"I'm warning you for the last time — from now on, don't show up in front of me, and don't come to this company to cause trouble. Otherwise..."
"The next thing you'll be getting won't be a warning. It'll be a letter from my lawyer."
With that, she didn't spare him another glance. She turned to the security guards nearby.
"Please escort him out."
"From now on, this man is not allowed to set foot in the Langley Group again. If he does, it comes out of your pay."
"Yes, Ms. Johnson."
The two guards snapped to attention, nodded firmly, and moved in on either side of Henry, marching him out.
The scene was over.
Charlotte swept her gaze across the lobby at the employees standing around with various expressions on their faces, her voice cool and even.
"Seen enough?"
"It's working hours. Everyone back to your posts."
In an instant, the employees all snapped out of it and scattered, and the lobby settled back into quiet.
With everything handled, Charlotte made her way back up to the top-floor office.
Jason had already taken Frederick to complete the onboarding paperwork, leaving her alone in the office.
She sat at her desk, replaying Henry's words in her mind, her eyes dimming slightly.
But she quickly composed herself and turned her focus to the mountain of files waiting for her.
Just then, her personal phone rang.
The screen showed a string of numbers — no name.
But Charlotte recognized the number at a glance and picked up right away.
"Charlie, I heard... Henry came to find you?"
Victoria's voice came through the phone — gentle, but laced with concern.
Charlotte wasn't surprised she knew. The Langley Group had Victoria's people in it, and with a scene that big, it would have been strange if she hadn't heard.
"Yeah." Charlotte answered simply, flipping through her files. "But it's been handled."
"Did he do anything to you? Are you hurt?"
Victoria's brow furrowed, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice.