Chapter 93 Direct Confrontation
Chapter 93 Direct Confrontation
"Selene, the Rainbow District project..."
Charles spoke up, his gaze sweeping over the tampered design drafts on the table, his voice ice-cold.
"Cut the games."
Selene felt intimidated under his stare, but still forced herself to lift her chin defiantly.
"Charles, what gives you the right to control me?"
"We're still engaged—I'm still your legitimate fiancée!"
"Engaged?"
Charles looked like he'd just heard the world's funniest joke, a mocking smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Your father traded three hundred million in liquid assets for five percent of Green Group shares and this engagement deal. My father already had the lawyers draw up the termination papers."
He paused, tapping his cane heavily on the floor with a dull thud.
"As for those photos you doctored..."
His gaze was like an ice pick, cutting straight through Selene.
"Try posting them one more time, and I'll leak the forensic reports, your team's original editing files, and evidence of how you had your assistant steal Green Group's trade secrets four years ago—to every media outlet in the city."
Selene's face went white as a sheet, her fingers gripping the desk edge so tightly it was the only thing keeping her upright.
"This is Olivia's doing, isn't it? She thinks she can intimidate me?"
"Charles, you—you're making this all up!"
"Whether I'm making it up or not, you know damn well."
Charles turned to leave, but the office door swung open again.
A man in a bright pink floral shirt strutted in.
He had an unlit cigar hanging from his mouth—it was Noah, fresh back from overseas.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Green."
Noah leaned casually against the doorframe, sizing Charles up with a cocky smirk.
"What's all the drama about?"
"Did Selene give you trouble? Worth dragging yourself here when you're sick?"
As he spoke, he strolled over to Selene and squeezed her shoulder.
"Don't worry, babe. I'm back."
Noah's expression hardened, pure hostility flashing in his eyes.
Charles looked up, his gaze lingering on Noah's face for three seconds, like he was looking at a piece of trash.
"Yeah, you really should keep Selene on a leash."
"Don't let her make a fool of herself, pulling these cheap tricks on projects."
"Who're you calling a fool?"
Noah's temper exploded instantly, and he stepped forward to shove Charles.
"I've been overseas for a few years—when did you grow such a pair?"
Charles didn't budge, simply shifting slightly to dodge Noah's hand.
His cane struck the floor again, the sound deeper than before.
"Noah, that shipment you picked up at the dock warehouse four years ago—want me to have Wilder pull the customs records and read them out loud?"
Noah's hand froze mid-air, his swagger instantly crumbling into panic.
He never thought Charles knew about that.
With Noah backing Selene, Charles and Selene couldn't reach any kind of deal.
The standoff ended with Charles delivering his warning and walking out.
But word still spread through the gossip mill at Peterson Group.
Within half an hour, it was all over Harmony City.
#Charles Storms Peterson Group#
#Noah's Back# shot up the trending topics like rockets.
The comment section immediately exploded.
[Where's the happy couple here? Charles looked at Selene like she was his worst enemy!]
[Combined with those photos from before, I'm seriously thinking Selene's forcing this whole marriage thing! I mean, if Charles actually liked her, would he humiliate her like this in public?]
[Wasn't Noah supposed to be running overseas operations? Why'd he suddenly come back? I heard from my dad that he vanished for years. Some say he's got illegitimate kids overseas, others say he bolted after getting into some serious trouble...]
[Let me tell you something. I've got a relative who works at customs—they said four years ago some contraband got seized, and it was tied to the Peterson family. Think that was Noah's mess?"
[No wonder all the big shots in Harmony City's business circle were sharing Green Group's new project this afternoon! They can read the writing on the wall and start jumping ship!]
[That's not even the half of it! I just checked the stock market—Peterson Group's already down five points! Green Group's got too much pull in Harmony City. Those business partners are obviously gonna side with Charles!]
[I feel bad for Ms. Smith, stuck in the middle of all this...]
[But Mr. Green really went to bat for her this time! You can tell he's serious about protecting her!]
Just like the internet was saying, the tide in Harmony City's business world had definitely shifted.
At 4 PM, several real estate heavyweights who'd had long partnerships with the Peterson family started posting Green Group's overseas subsidiary updates on their social media.
At 5 PM, the biggest building materials supplier announced they were cutting ties with Peterson Group and signing a three-year deal with Green Group instead.
By market close that evening, Peterson Group's stock had tanked seven points, with nearly a billion in market cap wiped out. The board's phones were ringing off the hook with furious shareholders.
In the hospital room, Charles had just gotten off the phone with Wilder.
"Dad says over seventy percent of the business association has already thrown their weight behind us."
Wilder's voice crackled through the receiver, barely containing his excitement.
"Several of the Peterson family's major clients are breaking contracts. They won't last much longer."
"Got it."
Charles responded, his gaze drifting to the window where the sunset was slowly disappearing behind the distant buildings.
He pulled out his phone and texted Olivia.
"When are you coming over?"
Right after hitting send, Charles couldn't help but smile.
He wasn't just going to win this fight—he was going to crush them.
So she'd never have to deal with their crap again.
"Why did you have to go?"
Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the room from behind him, laced with barely controlled anger.
The air in the hospital room felt like it had turned to ice.
Charles put down his phone and turned to face Olivia, his face still showing the strain from handling business all day.
"I went to stop her from giving you any more grief."
"Stop her?"
Olivia walked in from the doorway, her smile bitter and mocking.
"Are you making decisions for me now?"
"I told you just yesterday that I could handle the Rainbow District mess myself. You turned around and stormed Peterson Group to fight my battles. Charles, do you think I'll always need you to rescue me?"
"I just don't want to see you get hurt."
Charles's jaw tightened, his tone turning sharp.
"Don't you know what Selene's capable of?"
"If we keep sitting on our hands, she won't back down—she'll just get nastier!"
"That's still my problem to deal with!"
Olivia's voice rose, her chest heaving with emotion.
"Four years ago in Valeria, when partners got in my face and called my designs trash, when colleagues ripped off my projects—I handled all of that by myself! Where were you then?"
"Now I'm back, and you're dead set on protecting me, just like back at Celestial University, making me feel like some helpless woman who can only hide behind a man?"