Chapter 113
The cold antiseptic touched the wound, bringing a slight sting.
Alexander watched Charlotte's focused profile, and somehow the rage in his heart began to slowly ease away.
"Charlotte." He suddenly spoke, his heart a little uneasy.
"Yeah?"
"That man — you really don't know him?"
There was a faint, barely noticeable vulnerability hidden in Alexander's voice.
As if sensing the emotion behind his repeated questions, Charlotte stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, speaking slowly and clearly.
"Alexander, I don't know him."
"If I knew who he was, I would never let him come and go as he pleased."
Her tone suddenly turned dark as she said this.
Those words instantly put Alexander at ease.
He stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly reached out and pulled her firmly into his arms.
"Don't let this happen again."
"I really can't take it."
His words were vague, but Charlotte easily caught the two meanings hidden inside them.
"I... I understand. Don't worry, I won't take risks like that again."
Charlotte took a deep breath and spoke with sudden sincerity.
The moment those words reached Alexander's ears, his eyes went wide.
After all, Charlotte had always been distant with him — this was the first time she had ever responded to him on her own.
He wanted to kiss her, but was afraid of hurting her if he got too carried away...
In the end, he just held her tighter. "From now on... don't push me away."
His voice was a little rough, but carried a rare forcefulness and just a hint of pleading.
"Okay." Charlotte smiled softly, looking down.
Maybe it was because they had finally talked things through, but the atmosphere in the office grew warm. Neither of them said anything more.
One carefully applied the medicine. The other watched her closely.
When everything was done, Charlotte let out a quiet breath of relief.
But when she looked around at the mess, the headache came right back.
"What do we do about all this?"
"I'll handle it." Alexander didn't hesitate, taking it all on himself.
He pulled out his phone and called his assistant.
"Bring two people you trust to the Langley Group. Get the floor-to-ceiling windows and walls fixed. Lock down the security footage too — don't let anyone notice anything."
In just a few words, the man had everything arranged.
Hearing this, Charlotte felt herself relax too.
But the next moment, Alexander crouched down right in front of her.
Caught off guard by the sudden move, Charlotte blinked, confused. "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you home."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he pulled her onto his back and walked out of the office.
Resting on his broad shoulders, breathing in the faint scent of cedarwood on him, Charlotte's eyes softened.
She stopped resisting and just lay against him.
The moonlight washed over them both, casting a silhouette of two people leaning close together on the ground below.
......
The next morning.
In the plaza outside the Langley Group building, a large crowd had gathered early.
They held all kinds of banners with bold red letters reading things like "Shameless Langley Group — give us answers!" and "Charlotte, get out of Imperial City!"
Charlotte stepped out of the car and frowned at the chaotic scene.
She had planned to walk straight past, but someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
"Look! Charlotte's over there!"
The moment those words rang out, every pair of eyes snapped to her.
The crowd exploded like a lit powder keg.
They broke through the security line and surged toward Charlotte like a wave.
The reporters were even more aggressive, shoving microphones and cameras right in her face, firing off the sharp questions they had clearly prepared in advance.
"There are rumors that you used dishonest means to get where you are and pocketed money from the project. Is that true?"
"Victims' families are accusing you of being the one responsible for all of this. Do you admit to it?"
"You still haven't given any clear answers. Are you planning to just wait it out and hope this blows over?"
Watching Charlotte get swarmed by reporters, Nora couldn't help but let a smug smile creep across her face.
Charlotte, let's see how you get out of this one.
Those family members driven by grief and anger aren't going to be brushed off so easily.
Even with Alexander protecting you, you're still going to end up as the scapegoat!
Nora crossed her arms, waiting for the show to get even better.
But what she didn't expect was this — suddenly, from somewhere in the packed crowd, an elderly woman in her sixties clutched her chest, her face going pale.
"I... I can't catch my breath... oh..."
With that, her body went limp and she crumpled toward the ground.
The middle-aged man beside her panicked the moment he saw it, crying out in desperation.
"Mom! Mom, what's wrong! Don't scare me like this!"
Everyone around them froze for a split second at the sudden turn of events.
While everyone stood there at a loss, a clear, calm voice cut through the chaos.
"Move back, everyone. Stop crowding — give the patient some space."
People turned toward the voice. There was Charlotte, who had somehow steadied herself at the center of it all.
Her eyes were sharp. She called out orders while pushing through the people around her, reaching the collapsed woman in just a few steps.
"I know first aid — let me take a look!"
She dropped to one knee, quickly undid the buttons at the woman's collar to keep her airway clear, then pressed two fingers to her neck to check her pulse while examining her eyes.
"Weak pulse, rapid breathing — this could be an acute heart attack!"
After a quick check, Charlotte made her call and turned to the middle-aged man who was standing there in shock. "Now! Call an ambulance! Tell them you're at the entrance of the Langley Group building — an elderly woman is having a suspected heart attack and needs emergency help right away!"
The man snapped back to reality and fumbled for his phone.
The crowd went quiet.
The anger and agitation on people's faces slowly gave way to something more complicated, and for a moment, no one made a sound.
When Nora saw this completely unexpected turn of events, the smile on her face froze solid.
What was happening? Charlotte knew how to save someone's life?! How did she not know that?!
This sudden development threw a wrench in Nora's whole plan and left her feeling completely thrown off.
But reality didn't give her much time to think.
Before long, an ambulance came wailing toward them.
It pulled to a stop and the paramedics rushed forward, getting the elderly woman onto a stretcher.
The ambulance sped away, and the woman's other family members exchanged a look before turning to thank Charlotte.
"Thank you, Ms. Johnson. If it weren't for you, who knows what might have..."
"Yes, Ms. Johnson — we're truly sorry."
The atmosphere at the scene, which had started out so tense, shifted into something harder to read.
People glanced at each other. No one pressed further.
Charlotte seized the moment and spoke up right away.
"I know why you're all here today. The project ran into problems, and your family members are still in the hospital — I completely understand why you're upset."
"But before everyone starts making accusations, do you actually know the full story of what happened?"