Chapter 10: Midnight Confrontations

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Charlotte stepped out of the noisy club, the cool night air a welcome relief from the chaos inside. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she paced back and forth, trying to calm the rage burning inside her. She clenched her fists tightly, nails digging into her palms. She had never felt this embarrassed in her life. And the cause of it all? Charles Goldberg, she thought bitterly. That arrogant, entitled jerk!

The club's heavy doors swung open, briefly letting out the sound of laughter and music before slamming shut again. Charlotte barely registered the people going in and out as her mind raced. Her chest tightened every time she thought about the scene that had just unfolded. Charles, in his usual fashion, had flaunted his wealth and charm, drawing the attention of every woman in the room. But this time, he had gone too far. He had made a spectacle out of her, his own PA.

Who does he think he is? she fumed, kicking a small stone across the sidewalk. He had no right to embarrass me like that. She replayed the moment in her head: Charles laughing with some model draped over his arm, making a snide comment about how "his PA should learn to relax and let loose." The crowd laughed. She had wanted to disappear right there and then.

She leaned against the cold brick wall, glancing up at the city lights. New York never slept, and yet here she was, stuck waiting for a man who didn’t even care that she had her own life, her commitments. Midnight had already come and gone, and there was still no sign of Charles wrapping up his “business” inside.

Does he even care that I have to be up early for work tomorrow? she thought, checking her phone again for the time. Her apartment was on the other side of the city, and the subway would soon stop running. She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. Mr. Lucas’s words echoed in her head. He had warned her about Charles. "My son is... difficult. He’s not someone you can easily control, Miss Kingsley." But she had laughed it off, confident that she could handle anything thrown her way. How wrong I was, she thought bitterly.

The minutes dragged on, and her frustration grew. She couldn’t keep standing outside like this. With a determined breath, she straightened her back and marched back into the club, weaving through the lingering crowd. The flashing lights and pounding music gave her a headache, but she was on a mission now. Charles couldn’t just keep her waiting like this.

She spotted him easily, sitting in a private corner, a drink in his hand and a smug expression on his face. The dim lighting cast shadows across his sharp features, and for a brief second, she hesitated. There was something about the way he held himself, the confidence that oozed from him, that made her stomach flutter. Snap out of it, Charlotte, she scolded herself. He’s your boss, and he just humiliated you.

She approached the table, her heels clicking on the polished floor. Charles didn’t even bother to look up, his attention still on the glass he was swirling lazily in his hand.

“Sir,” Charlotte began, her voice steady but laced with irritation. “It’s late. I need to leave now.”

Charles glanced up at her, one eyebrow raised in amusement. “Is that so?” His voice was smooth, but there was an edge to it, like he enjoyed watching her squirm. “And why would that be my concern?”

Charlotte’s jaw tightened. Stay professional, she reminded herself. “Because I have to be at work early, and my apartment is quite far from here. The Subway—”

He cut her off with a wave of his hand as if dismissing her concerns entirely. “That’s why you're my PA. You stay with your boss until I’m done.”

The arrogance in his tone made her blood boil. How dare he? She stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. Her mind screamed at her to fight back, to tell him that she wasn’t his servant, that she had a life outside of his whims. But before she could gather her thoughts, Charles stood up abruptly, his towering figure casting a shadow over her.

“Besides,” he added with a smirk, “I thought you said you could handle me.”

His words were like a slap in the face. She had, hadn’t she? She had confidently told Mr. Lucas that she could deal with Charles’ “flirting and difficult nature.” Now, it felt like she was sinking under the weight of her own pride. Charlotte swallowed, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

“I can,” she replied, her voice stronger than she felt. “But there are boundaries, Charles.”

He chuckled a low sound that sent a shiver down her spine. “Boundaries?” He stepped closer, his eyes locking onto hers. “You’ll have to learn something about me, Charlotte. I don’t do boundaries.”

Before she could respond, a figure appeared behind Charles, tall and imposing. Charlotte hadn’t even noticed him approach, but the sudden tension in the air was unmistakable. Charles stiffened, his smirk fading as he turned to face the man.

“Charles,” the stranger said, his voice cold and sharp. “We need to talk.”

For the first time that night, Charlotte saw something flicker in Charles’s expression—uncertainty, maybe even fear. The stranger's presence was overpowering, and she could sense that whatever this conversation was, it wasn’t good.

“Not now,” Charles muttered, trying to wave him off, but the man didn’t move.

“This isn’t a request,” the stranger growled, his eyes dark and unyielding. “It’s about your father.”

At the mention of his father, Charles went rigid. His eyes darted to Charlotte, then back to the man in front of him. “We’ll talk outside,” Charles said quickly, his tone now serious, devoid of its earlier arrogance.

Charlotte stood frozen, watching the exchange. His father: What could be so urgent that it had shaken Charles like this? And why did she suddenly feel like she was caught in the middle of something far bigger than just being his PA?

As Charles and the man headed toward the exit, Charles threw a glance over his shoulder at her. “Stay here,” he commanded, but there was a hint of something else in his voice—something that almost sounded like concern.

The door shut behind them, leaving Charlotte alone in the now-empty corner of the club. She glanced at her phone, her fingers trembling slightly. What just happened?

But deep down, she knew

that whatever was going on was only the beginning.