Chapter 7: Charlotte's Offer

Charlotte sat in a daze while staring at the man who was with her before she died. 

Liam Wright. 

He was undoubtedly handsome. His features were accentuated by prominent, chiseled jawlines that added a touch of ruggedness to his face. His suit spread nicely against his broad shoulders and chest. His mesmerizing green eyes easily held her gaze. 

The memory of Liam crying on her deathbed almost made her weep. Charlotte held the urge to walk up to him and simply hug him. She figured she would find a suitable opportunity to do that later. 

Instead, she smiled at him and said, “Liam, thank you for your time  - for seeing me.”

Liam had welcomed her in one of the hotel’s mini-conference rooms. He ordered tea and some snacks for Charlotte. Inside, Liam’s bodyguard stood behind Charlotte, watching them as they chatted. 

“Charlotte, I’m rather surprised that you came to see me. What can I do for you?” Liam asked, his voice exuding authority as he crossed his legs. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. 

How Liam carried himself did not look like he was affected by Charlotte’s presence. However, she knew this man still loved her. He was just hiding it. 

“Liam, I need help. I don’t know why I chose to ask you for help, but I felt like, you are one person I could trust,” Charlotte began. 

Raising a brow, Liam asked, “What can I help you with that your husband cannot?”

“My husband absolutely cannot help me because he is the source of my problem,” Charlotte said before taking a deep breath. Her hands trembled as she drank from her tea, then she returned her attention to Liam. 

“Tell me. How so?” Liam asked. 

“Liam, let me get straight to the point.” She strengthened her voice and revealed, “My husband is cheating on me with my best friend, Victoria Walton, and they are plotting to kill my grandparents in order to take the CEO position of Strauss Asset Investments, as well as to acquire the wealth of my grandfather!”

“They plan to destroy me  - pin their crimes on me,” she added before clenching her jaws. 

“Unfortunately, I have no proof of their plans or solid material to prove their affair. I only overheard their conversation as they had sex in our marital bed, thinking I was fully asleep,” she resumed. “They had added sleeping pills to my drink and thought I was completely knocked out.”

Charlotte saw how Liam’s eyes widened. Her eyes caught how his knuckles turned white as he clenched his hand on the table’s surface. His lips twitched as he coldly answered, “When did you find out?”

“Last night. They did it last night in our bed,” she admitted. 

Liam leaned back in his seat. He asked, “If they had drugged you as you say they did, then -”

“I spilled my drink last night. They were unaware. They thought that I drank everything,” Charlotte explained. Technically, this happened in her past life when she walked in on Timothy and Victoria having sex. If it were not for the fact that she spilled her wine on the floor, she reckoned, she would not have awoken to find out about their affair. 

Silence stretched between them following her revelation. Soon, Liam suggested, “Charlotte, this is your husband we are talking about. Are you sure -”

“I would not!” She nearly lost her control, thinking about her previous suffering. “I would not just spout any nonsense, Liam. I know what I heard and had long suspected my husband was cheating. They plan to destroy me, Liam!”

“Then, just ask for a divorce. I can help provide security for you and your grandparents,” Liam suggested. 

“I’m - I’m afraid that won’t be enough,” Charlotte declared. “If security is all my concern, I could do it myself, but I need your help.”

Liam’s brows met. With a hand gesture, he encouraged, “Elaborate.”

Charlotte covered the terms of her prenuptial agreement. After which, she strongly voiced, “I refuse to give him anything! Why would I? He betrayed me!”

‘He even killed my grandparents and left me to rot in prison!’ That was a piece of information she could only keep to herself.

“So I plan to catch them in the act, take a recording, get more proof of their affair, and then surprise Tim with my demand for divorce, but it doesn’t stop there,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she described. “You see, I made the grave mistake of helping my husband acquire company shares in the past through other board members. So I can’t get rid of him that easily - Yes, I plan to kick him out of the company.”

“In fact! I want to compete with him in the CEO position, but given my gender, I feel that the board of directors will doubt my capacity to run the business,” she said. “That’s where you can come in and help me. With your influence, I can certainly get more clients, making me the more competitive CEO.”

“I guess you have had this all planned out already,” Liam remarked, and the smirk on his face suggested he was amused. 

“Yes, and of course, while I do this, I will work on my best friend’s downfall,” she said. “She isn’t going to get away for betraying me.”

Liam drew in a deep breath. He answered, “Connections won’t get you to the end. You need to prove -”

“Oh, I am confident about where to put the company’s money in the coming years. I will prove myself worthy. I simply need to get through the gender bias treatment that has gone on for years,” she proclaimed with certainty. 

There was a strange silence between them. Charlotte could tell that Liam was thinking hard. Soon, he said, “Charlotte, I’m sorry that your husband is cheating on you and if he is plotting to ruin your life. He is a scum. You deserve someone… so much better.”

Liam’s suggestion took Charlotte aback. She wondered if he was already offering himself. Clearing her throat, she asked, “How I wish this someone would miraculously appear before me and be my knight in shining armor.”

“You - don’t - need to look very far,” Liam suggested. 

“Oh,” Charlotte raised. “Do you know who this might be, Liam?”

“Someone,” Liam answered, making Charlotte smile inwardly. 

Following Liam’s reply, Charlotte heard Liam’s bodyguard coughing violently behind her. She turned to the big guy who looked like that famous former wrestler, ‘The Rock.’

She realized she had seen this man before, at the hospital where she died and at this same hotel, during her husband’s appointment. This man was Chadwick, Liam’s head of security. 

“Sorry, Miss Charlotte. I did not mean to interfere in your conversation with the boss,” Chadwick said. 

“Anyway, Charlotte,” Liam called her attention. “I will help in any way I can, but honestly, I find it rather troublesome. What do I get from this in return?”

‘What do you get in return?’ She thought. Charlotte fixed her posture and looked Liam straight in the eye. She said, “I’ll give you half of my shares at Strauss Asset Investments -”

“Give me?” Liam clarified. 

“Yes, I will give it to you,” Charlotte answered. “Happily, willingly, and freely.”

‘Liam, you deserved so much more after the help you gave me in my past life,’ she said to herself. 

“But before that, I will find a way to buy shares from the other investors and give them to you. That will automatically make you a major shareholder in my family’s business,” she replied. “Then you will have authority in the major decision-making in the company.”

While Charlotte left him confused, she wasn’t done offering yet. She lifted her chin and confidently said, “And after I have formally divorced my husband, I will… marry you, Liam!”

Chadwick coughed loudly again!

Liam, out of nowhere, slid off his seat. His chair fell to the floor sideways. Thank goodness his long legs managed to save his ass from falling. 

‘Oops! I might have… shocked him a little,’ Charlotte thought.