Chapter 26-2

Chase had just finished trying to make her relax when the doorbell rang and her heart started beating quickly. She watched as Chase got up from the couch and Charlotte held her breath as he went to answer the door. Her hands became sweaty, her breathing quickly increased as she tried not to allow herself to panic. She listened as the door opened and for a split second she thought it was Landon when she heard nothing. She thought he had used the bodyguards to grab Chase, and he was about to enter the house and take her back. Her stomach twisted as she felt her breakfast rise to her throat when Chase called out. "Charlotte, Nathan has arrived." She didn't allow herself to relax as she slowly turned her body as the front door closed and she saw Chase walk in with Nathan next to him. She felt herself sigh in relief as she watched Nathan freeze taking her in. He was as handsome as she remembered with his dark hair, tan and sharp jaw line. "What did that bastard do to you?" He questioned as he slowly walked over to where she was sitting on the couch and sat on the one opposite her. Chase came and sat next to her and gently placed his hand on her knee for support. Charlotte could feel Nathan taking her in and she turned, her eyes downcast at his evaluation of her destroyed face. "Fuck. When did this happen?" He whispered and Charlotte kept her head down, embarrassed that she looked this way. "A few days ago." Chase answered for her and when she looked up from under her eyelashes, she saw Nathan looking at Chase and gave him a nod. "After the charity, I had been keeping tabs on Landon. Seems I needed to pay better attention. I knew he treated you like crap Charlotte, but this. This goes beyond my wildest imaginations. I wish I knew sooner." Charlotte slowly lifted her head to look at Nathan. He was sitting on the couch with his legs spread out and was leaning his forearms on his thighs. It was a position she had seen Landon sit in before he would lunge across the chair or couch to attack her. "Charlie said you could help her. She wouldn't say how, but if it puts her in any form of danger, then you can see yourself out." Charlotte felt her heart skip a beat as she looked towards Chase who was starring Nathan down being her protector. "I would never put her in danger. Let me open up my laptop and I can tell you how I can help. Since the charity, I have had people keeping tabs on Landon. He approached me about a business deal after the event and I have been digging further into his background. I have found out a lot I don't like and refused his deal, but I still kept tabs on him. I need you to tell me what you need Charlotte and ill be able to get it for you." Nathan spoke in a stern voice as he opened up his laptop and started punching buttons on the keyboard. "I have nothing. He has all my passports, birth certificates, and all my identification. I have no money because all the cards were under his name. I have everything at the house and the only thing I have were the clothes on my back when I left. I don't even have shoes." She heard Nathan stop typing and lower his laptop screen so she could see him. "Do you own any bank accounts?" He questioned her and she shook her head. Landon made her give over her bank details, saying she wasn't stable enough to handle her own money. She believed him and gave him everything and the next thing she knew he had cancelled all her bank accounts saying he would take care of her. "That's okay, Charlotte. I can ring up my bank and get them to set up an account. Don't worry about identification, we can give it to them later. I'll do that in a few minutes and I'll set up a temporary password you can change for online banking. Now do you know where Landon kept your identification?" Charlotte looked towards Chase, who gave her a encouraging smile and nodded his head at her. "Yes, in a safe in his office but I don't know the password. I don't want to go back to that house." She whispered, scared for what she would find if she had to go back. "It's okay. I'll have some men go in, grab your documents and anything else you need. You write me a list of everything that you want, and I'll have them take it without him ever knowing they were there." Charlotte felt tears well up in her eyes and she nodded her head, already knowing what she wanted. "Nathan, I'm happy to give you my bank details to put some money into her account so you can open it." Charlotte was about to tell Chase no when Nathan chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it Chase. Now Charlotte, how much money would you like? 10? 12 million." Charlotte opened her mouth and closed it again when she found she was speechless. She looked towards Chase who was looking at Nathan with a look of shock on his face. "No, I can't take money from you, Nathan. My wallet in the house has $5 in it. Use that to open the account." She said still shocked. She couldn't take his money. She would refuse to take that money. That was money he worked hard for, and she would refuse to take it. She listened as he chuckled and shook his head again. "No Charlotte, the money wouldn't be coming from me. It would come from Landon. I told you not everything I do is legal. I transfer money around people don't want to be found. I have access to all of Landon's bank accounts and I can take out as much as you want and set up monthly instalments without him ever noticing the missing money." Nathan chuckled to himself as Charlotte tried to wrap her head around what Nathan was trying to tell her. She leaned back into the couch and rubbed her hands over her face letting out a whimper of pain as her hands rubbed over swollen and bruised skin. "So you launder money around. That's what Charlotte meant when she said what you do isn't legal. Won't Landon be able to trace the missing money when he finds out?" Chase questioned and listened as Chase and Nathan talked back and forth about offshore accounts in different countries as she tried to think as a stabbing pain started at the front of her head. She felt her emotions bubbling to the surface, and she wasn't sure how to react. The last few days she had barley time to think aside from rest that she started giggling. She heard both Nathan and Chase stopped talking as giggles spilled out of her mouth. She wasn't sure why she was laughing as her emotions reached its peak and she was falling off the edge.