Chapter 74
Early the next morning, Charlotte went to the office as usual, sitting in the back seat flipping through this quarter's financial report.
"Charlotte, just the topic of 'Queen's real identity' alone has already gotten over 20 million views! Wow, that's crazy!"
Jason chattered away while driving.
"Several international brands sent collaboration invitations last night. I've organized them all for you. Should I send them to your email later?"
Charlotte hummed in acknowledgment. "Sure, I'll take a look later."
"By the way, how come I don't see this month's sales report?"
As soon as she said this, Jason immediately realized, slapping his forehead with a regretful look. "Oh no, I forgot! I left it in the other car, and I drove this one today."
"I'll go get it when we arrive at the office."
Hearing his answer, Charlotte nodded without saying anything else.
Soon, the car stopped in the company's underground garage.
Jason jogged off in another direction to get the documents, while Charlotte headed toward the elevator alone.
The garage was dimly lit and very quiet. As she walked, the only sound was Charlotte's high heels clicking crisply on the cement floor.
Just as she reached the corner, her steps suddenly stopped, and her expression became serious.
In the half-lit corner ahead, several large men stood blocking the path to the elevator.
"You're Charlotte, right?"
One of them, a burly man with a scruffy beard wearing black clothes, stepped forward with a grin, his eyes flashing with ill intent.
As he dragged a steel pipe on the ground, making a harsh scraping sound, the group slowly closed in on Charlotte, who had stopped in place.
"Don't be nervous, we don't mean anything else."
"Someone paid us to do a job. Just stick out both your hands nicely, and we'll break them and leave. We absolutely won't hurt you anywhere else. How about it?"
Hearing this negotiating tone, Charlotte let out a mocking laugh.
She didn't answer. Instead, she casually tossed her bag onto the hood of a nearby car and rolled up her sleeves.
"Just you guys?"
Those few light words made the bearded man's face darken instantly. "What, the few of us aren't enough to deal with one woman? You think way too highly of yourself!"
His answer came in the form of a sharp side kick. Charlotte's expression was fierce as she kicked the nearest man's wrist.
The steel pipe flew from his hand, clanging to the ground, immediately followed by a cry of pain.
"My hand..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Charlotte's elbow had already struck his neck, knocking him straight to the ground.
This all happened in a flash. By the time the bearded man reacted, his companion was already lying on the ground groaning.
In an instant, his expression changed dramatically, and he immediately shouted.
"Quick! Everyone attack together!"
The remaining men, having received the order, rushed forward together, their steel pipes making sharp whooshing sounds.
They were fast, but Charlotte was faster. She dodged a pipe swinging from the left with a sidestep, while simultaneously grabbing the attacker's forearm.
With a twist and pull, she used that momentum to throw him out. He crashed into a cement pillar with a dull thud, then slid down like a puddle of mud.
Another man closed in from the right, his punch fast and vicious, aimed straight at Charlotte's face.
But she dodged by tilting her head, her right hand gripping his wrist and twisting it outward, while her knee drove up into his abdomen.
The man let out a muffled grunt, his body curling like a shrimp as he staggered back several steps, knocked over a trash can, and fell into it.
Seeing his companions fall, the last man also looked shocked. He chose to circle around to Charlotte's back, trying to lock her from behind to create an opportunity for the bearded man.
But Charlotte saw through it. She ducked low, threw a back elbow that struck hard against his ribs, then spun around with a kick that sent him flying.
The bearded man watched helplessly as all his men went down. His expression changed from initial arrogance to seriousness, with even a hint of fear hidden in his eyes.
But the next moment, he gripped his steel pipe and charged violently at Charlotte, the pipe whistling through the air toward her right hand.
Seeing his fierce momentum, Charlotte chose not to meet force with force, instead taking a step back.
Her high heel happened to step on a loose screw, and her body swayed.
The man seized this momentary opening, sweeping the pipe across.
Hearing the whooshing sound, Charlotte took a left side step. As the pipe grazed past her forearm, she used the momentum to spin, kicking him in the back of the knee.
With a "bang," the man's knee hit the ground hard with a loud sound, his face contorting briefly in pain as he swung back at her.
But Charlotte chopped down on his wrist with her hand. As the pipe hit the ground, she kicked him down too.
Five men down in less than two minutes.
Charlotte stood in place, breathing slightly rapid, her cheeks flushed.
She bent down to pick up a nearby steel pipe, walked a few steps toward the bearded man, and pressed it directly against his neck.
"Who sent you?!"
Hearing her question, the man was covered in cold sweat, but his eyes kept darting around, stammering without speaking.
Seeing him like this, Charlotte's patience ran out completely. She raised the steel pipe high and brought it down with a "thud" right in front of the man's nose.
"I'm only asking once."
The girl's voice was exceptionally cold, mixed with the rising dust that obscured the man's vision, making it hard for him to see clearly and causing him to shiver uncontrollably.
"I..."
"Mommy..."
At that moment, a childish cry suddenly came from the garage entrance, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
Charlotte's head snapped up. The instant she saw it was a five-year-old boy, her pupils contracted.
Meanwhile, the man in black she had kicked near the cement pillar was now struggling to his feet.
His face twisted with malice, he pulled out a folding knife from his pocket and charged at her.
He didn't see the child running in this direction, or perhaps he simply didn't care about the child's life!
The instant the blade thrust out, Charlotte rushed forward.
She scooped the boy into her arms, and as she turned to shield him, she raised her left arm to block.
"Rip"—her sleeve tore, her skin felt intense pain, and blood instantly stained her clothing.
Charlotte let out a muffled grunt, but her right foot immediately kicked out, hitting the man square in the jaw.
He fell backward, his head hitting the ground, and stopped moving completely.
The boy was probably terrified, crying his heart out in Charlotte's arms.
"I'm scared..."
She wanted to hold him tight to comfort him, but her injured arm had no strength, hanging limply at her side as blood dripped from her fingertips.
"Charlotte!"