CHAPTER 6_Real Parents

It didn't take long for her to reach her parents, who wore expressions of seriousness.

'They're going to scold me for sure,' she thought. 'They're going to ask why I refused to go with them previously.'

Her father glanced down at her, and she felt so small, but his lips broke into a smile after a few seconds, stunning her.

“Thank goodness you're back,” Laura cried out, pulling her daughter into her arms.

The action startled Charlotte. She tried to pull back, but the hug was just too tight.

“I thought you were never going to come back,” Laura said, then burst into tears.

Charlotte was so stunned she had no idea how to respond. She didn't understand why they were acting that way because she was home.

Although it felt weird to her that she was being hugged by a motherly figure, it felt so warm, too, that she wanted more.

“Lotte,” her father called. “Welcome back.”

It took an hour for Laura to let go of Charlotte. It would have taken longer if it wasn't for dinner.

The family sat at the dining table for the delayed meal, having waited for Charlotte and because Laura had cried during the time meant for dinner.

“Did you divorce him, Lotte?” her father, Jason, asked for the eighth time since they sat for dinner. He wasn’t fully convinced she had decided to leave Milton.

“Yes, I did.” She nodded for the seventh time. “Father, I see no reason why you should ask me that anymore. I already divorced him.”

Jason's lips curled into a satisfied smile. “That’s what I have been waiting for all these years.”

Seeing that he had finally believed her, Earl sighed in relief.

“Now that Charlotte is back, I should give her the position that was meant for her. You know how much Charlotte loves fashion, movies, and dancing,” Earl began. “I will no longer work at the company; I have mine to take care of.”

“Let Luther be the president,” Jason replied. “Lotte has just come back…”

“No, Dad,” Luther said. “I have my own business.”

“Same with me.”

“Me too.”

All the brothers claimed to have businesses and were unwilling to keep taking care of what Charlotte should have.

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. He had nothing to say since his first son Ralph had taken over his business. The rest had their pursuits, and the only one left with nothing was Charlotte.

“Fine,” Jason stated. “Charlotte will be the president of the company.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Why?”

Everyone glanced her way. She had a panicked look on her face, mingled with guilt. If only she had gone back with them three years ago, she would have been getting used to taking care of a company.

“I mean, I know nothing about running a company. I am unable to make the right choices. I have always made mistakes that don’t end well,” Charlotte claimed.

“That’s not true,” Laura chimed in. “You are the most intelligent girl I have ever met, and you are the same as your brothers. If they can take care of the company, then you can too.”

Charlotte shook her head, not believing anything they were saying. “I don’t think that is possible. I don’t think I am even a quarter as good as them.”

It felt weird that her mom was saying she had the capabilities of her brothers. Her brothers were rumored to be cold and ruthless, having created assets for themselves without their parents' fortune.

All she had been all that time was a doormat—a servant for her foster family. Her foster sister had always been good at everything while she was considered the bad seed, the evil one, and the villainess.

Charlotte felt her siblings were too good to be compared to her, after all, that was what she had been told all her life.

“Who told you that?” Carl demanded, his fist tightening. “Don’t tell me you have always been looked down on and that you do it to yourself?”

“Who dares say such a thing to you?” Luther said, rising to his feet and startling her. “Just say the name and I will deal with the person.”

“Luther, don't be too impulsive,” Ralph muttered. “That’s not a way to take revenge for them taking good care of our sister for years.”

Earl grinned. “That’s right. We will have to repay them slowly.”

Although it sounded like they were going to truly repay the Wilsons, their aura suggested otherwise. It was more like they were going to destroy the Wilsons.

“Sweetie, you are just the same as your brothers. No one is above the rest. You all are equal, and we love you all the same,” Laura began. “Don’t look down on yourself. Take it as a way of making up for all that happened to you.”

Charlotte lowered her gaze from her mother’s. “Can I do that?”

“Yes, sweetie, you can,” Laura stated, a bright smile appearing on her face. “If you are nervous that you can’t do it, I can teach you all you need to know.”

“That’s right, Charl,” Ralph muttered. “Mom is a great business tycoon.”

“You don’t need to worry. You will be running the company like a pro in no time,” Earl added.

“Really?” Charlotte asked, overwhelmed by the support she was getting, and she cried.

“Of course, you are our family.”

“I will be rooting for you.”

“This is your time to rise from being the housewife of Milton to the president of one of the largest companies.”

They were right. Her fist tightened. They were right—she had divorced him, and there was no reason to be a pushover anymore.

Being a pushover hadn’t given her anything in the first place. Now she wasn’t going to throw away the chance of becoming a new version of herself.

“I agree to be the new president!” she announced. “I hope you take care of me!”