Chapter 180
At this moment, chaos reigned inside the Johnson Mansion.
Several suitcases lay open in the living room, and the servants rushed around in a frenzy of activity.
Susan stuffed documents and jewelry into one of the cases, barking orders nonstop.
"Hurry up, hurry up! It'll be too late!"
Henry sat on the sofa, phone pressed to his ear. After several failed attempts to get through, he slammed it down onto the cushions in frustration.
"Damn it! Useless when it actually matters!"
Susan's anxiety spiked. "There's no point complaining now! We can't count on Chloe anymore. If we don't leave soon, we're finished!"
"Leave? Where exactly are we supposed to go?"
A cold, cutting voice rang out from the doorway.
Henry and Susan both froze, their bodies stiffening before they turned around in disbelief.
The moment they saw Charlotte, their faces drained of all color.
"Charlie... you... how did you..."
Charlotte glanced at Susan's panicked expression and let out a cold laugh, her gaze sweeping over the luggage scattered across the living room.
"What? I'm not allowed to drop by?"
"Where are you two headed? Overseas?"
Henry's expression turned ugly at her words.
"We... we're just... just going away for a bit. You know, to clear our heads. So much has happened lately."
"Clear your heads?" Charlotte's smile dripped with mockery as her eyes landed on several documents detailing offshore asset transfers. "You've already moved your assets abroad. Doesn't look like you're planning to come back."
"Of course we are!" Henry stammered.
But then he straightened up, pulling out his fatherly authority. His face darkened.
"I know why you're here. Chloe made mistakes, and we won't cover for her."
"But you can't pin everything on us!"
"I never mistreated you growing up, so you can't do this to us! We're family!"
Hearing him use the family card to manipulate her, Charlotte's mocking expression only deepened.
"So now you're playing that tune."
"When Alexander and I were trapped in that factory—nearly killed because of Chloe's scheming—where was this 'we're family' speech then?"
"Bringing it up now? That's rich."
Henry's face turned completely dark at her words.
Susan, sensing the tension, tried to smooth things over.
"Charlie, Chloe is young and naive. She's easily manipulated. Maybe—"
"Young?" Charlotte looked like she'd just heard the punchline to a bad joke. "Bribing people, passing information, setting traps—where exactly did her youth and innocence show up in all that?"
"Save your excuses. You can tell them to the police."
"You—"
Henry's face twisted in rage, but before he could explode, several officers stormed into the mansion.
The moment Henry saw those stern-faced cops, terror flooded his features.
Even as they led him away, Henry kept shouting that he was Charlotte's father—but it made no difference.
Watching his pathetic, retreating figure, Charlotte's expression turned ice-cold.
Honestly, she'd done more than enough for Henry.
What Charlotte didn't expect, however, was that when she left the Johnson Mansion, Jason called to say Nora had disappeared.
The instant she heard the news, Charlotte's eyes sharpened.
"When we got to her apartment just now, the place was already cleared out." Jason's voice was tight with urgency. "Boss, what do we do?"
"Don't panic. Nora's got nothing left. My guess is she's going for one last desperate move. We just wait for her to show herself."
Charlotte thought for a moment before responding.
After all, they held all the cards now. The one who should be panicking was Nora.
After hanging up, she headed back toward the Langley Group.
Now that most of the mess was cleaned up, it was time to deal with the rot inside the company.
Over the next two weeks, she conducted a ruthless purge throughout the Langley Group.
Those with real talent stayed. Those without—especially Nora's cronies—were shown the door.
By the time the dust settled, it was almost time for Alexander to be discharged from the hospital.
On the day of his release, Charlotte arrived early at the hospital entrance, flowers in hand.
She hadn't been waiting long when Alexander walked out through the main doors.
He wore a long trench coat that billowed in the autumn breeze. He'd lost a little weight, but his complexion looked good.
The moment he spotted Charlotte, his eyes lit up, and he hurried toward her.
But just then, someone lunged out from the crowd, charging straight at Charlotte. The object in her hand flashed cold and deadly in the sunlight.
Seeing this, Alexander's face changed in an instant.
"Charlie—"
But just as the attacker was about to strike, Charlotte—as if she had eyes in the back of her head—spun around and caught the assailant's wrist in one swift motion.
"Ahhh!"
A scream tore through the air as Nora's arm twisted into an unnatural angle, the knife clattering to the ground.
Seeing Charlotte's calm—almost unnervingly composed—expression, even Nora finally understood.
"You... how did you know..."
Looking at her disbelief, Charlotte smiled coldly, a hint of derision flickering in her eyes.
"I knew you'd make your move today. It was your best chance."
"Crowded hospital, easy to blend in. If you'd managed to land the hit, you could've slipped away in the chaos."
"Too bad for you, though—on your own, you were never a real threat."
Charlotte leaned in close and whispered that last sentence directly into Nora's ear.
Sure enough, the moment those words registered, Nora's face contorted with rage, her eyes burning with venom.
"Charlotte! You bitch! You'll get what's coming to you!"
Hearing the curse, Charlotte's eyes narrowed. With a sharp flick of her wrist, she sent Nora sprawling to the ground.
Bodyguards and officers who had been blending into the crowd immediately swarmed in, snapping handcuffs onto Nora's wrists.
Charlotte turned around—and was immediately pulled into a tight embrace.
She could even feel him trembling slightly.
"You scared me to death. That was way too risky."
Sensing the lingering fear in Alexander's voice, Charlotte pressed her lips together and gently patted his back.
"It's okay. I had it under control."
Hearing that, he frowned, then pulled back and cupped her face in his hands.
"Don't ever take a risk like that again."
Looking into his worried eyes, Charlotte was silent for a moment before nodding.
"Okay. I won't."
With her promise, Alexander seemed to relax. He took her hand and flashed her a mischievous grin.
"Do you remember what you promised me before?"
Seeing that look on his face, Charlotte immediately caught on. A faint blush crept across her cheeks, and she shot him a glare that had zero bite.
"I remember."
But the next second, she felt something slip onto her finger.
Charlotte froze, looking down to see a perfectly fitted diamond ring. Surprise flickered across her face.
"This... where did this come from?"
"I've had it ready for a while." Alexander smiled, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to it.
"We've got a lifetime ahead of us. You can tell me your story slowly."
"Then you have to tell me yours, too."
"Of course. For you, I'm always willing."
The End.