Chapter 2: Dead End

Charlotte was momentarily stunned upon hearing her name, a name she hadn't heard for a long time. Lifting her gaze, she saw a woman dressed in extravagant attire looking down at her with disdain.

Silvia Hewett had been a good friend, but Charlotte simply frowned and ignored her. She had learned to see through such people clearly after all she had been through. One more didn't make a difference.

Silvia, who once lowered herself before Charlotte due to her own status, now didn't even deign to give her a second glance.

A trace of annoyance flickered in Silvia's eyes as she grabbed Charlotte , "What's the matter? Miss Dawson, don't you want to work anymore?"

"Will you give me a job?" Charlotte asked, startled by the question. She was in desperate need of money.

Silvia picked up the resume and flipped through it with pride, "Let me see, a graduate from a prestigious school with so many awards... It would be a waste for you to take on a minor clerical job."

But in the next instant, she threw the resume into the trash bin, "However, after you were involved in the death of Mr. Chan's grandmother, Mr. Chan has announced that anyone in Luo City who employs you will be his enemy."

"Oh," Charlotte chuckled lightly, her eyes growing dim. No wonder she faced obstacles in her job hunt; Henry would never let her go.

However, the two had grown up together, almost stepping into marriage. Everything changed when she persuaded Henry's grandmother to invest in her father's elderly care finance company. With solid evidence of fraud in the company revealed, the Henry family was ruined. His grandmother died as a result, her father couldn't handle the shock and jumped from a building, and her mother became comatose...

And there she was, caressing her belly gently. If not for the child inside, which had secured her bail, she would still be in the women's prison, subjected to beatings from a gang of inmates.

"Are you still the Miss Dawson of the Dawson family? You're a murderer! Get out!" Silvia didn't notice the look of loss on Charlotte's face; her rage only intensified, and she punched her on her shoulder.

The floor was slick, and Charlotte staggered, clutching her abdomen in fear.

To her, the baby was the most important thing!

"Thud—" Her falling body was caught by a man who had one hand on her shoulder and the other grabbing Silvia's arm, tossing her aside.

Turning her head, Charlotte saw the man's clenched jaw. It was not a gesture to save her.

Hnery gave Charlotte a cold glance. She was still dressed in the same clothes from her time in prison; her white T-shirt had yellowed, and her trousers were wrinkled, making her look disheveled. Yet, her waistline seemed fuller than before. He sneered, "Seems you've been doing well in prison? If I'm not mistaken, you were sentenced to three years. Did you escape?"

The devil's voice rang in her ears; she trembled all over and hastily struggled out of his embrace.

His every move quickened her heartbeat. She clenched her fists tightly, yet she controlled her body, not wanting herself and her son to be caught in Henry's sight. If he truly sent her back to prison and arranged for someone to "look after" her again, she was certain she would not survive.

"Could you help reduce my sentence?"

She remained silent.

In contrast, Silvia, with a face full of excitement, rushed over, eager to prove her loyalty: "Mr. Chan, we have all heeded your words and have not employed Charlotte. A woman as sinful as her deserves to be in prison for life! She brought this on herself!"

Henry let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm: "What, do you expect me to reward you for that?"

Silvia suddenly realized something was amiss and shuddered: "Mr. Chan, I just couldn't help it."

The ones Chan wanted to deal with were not up to others to meddle with.

"Since it was you who told me, I'll let it slide this time."

Henry turned his head and grabbed Charlotte by the scalp, pushing her back: "And you, do you think that by lessening your sentence slightly, you can rest easy?"

Her hair was pulled painfully, and tears swirled in her eyes. In the shifting light, the man who once doted on her had turned into a demon.

The expression on her face was one he had never seen before. Henry slowly released her, a wave of pity rising in his heart, but he suppressed it and lifted her chin, "What are you doing? If you ask me, you should just go back to your cage. It seems they don't treat you very well."

Home, go home... Charlotte's face was ashen.

A malicious look flashed in her eyes, and she bit down hard on Henry's wrist, drawing blood with her teeth.

"Hisss—" Henry's brow furrowed slightly.

Taking advantage of Henry's pain, Charlotte scrambled out of the company and ran towards the streets.

She looked around blankly at the passersby who stared at her with strange looks. She didn't have the luxury to care.

She knew that ever since she had been sent to prison, her mother had been in the hospital, life sustained only by medical equipment. She needed enough money to treat her mother, her unborn child, and her family.

"Stupid woman, if you don't eat, I'll just wait for you to starve!" A curse came from a room.

Charlotte hurried to the door and saw the nurse stuffing food into her unconscious mother's mouth with a mocking laugh. Seized by anger, she dashed forward and splashed a bowl of rice on the nurse.

The thick soup dripped down the yellow-stained quilt.

Charlotte's eyes turned icy as she grabbed the nurse by the hair and slammed her head against the wall. Having taken her share of beatings in jail, she knew when it was time to fight back.

"Ah!" The woman screamed in terror. "What are you doing?"

Seeing blood, Charlotte loosened her grip and threw the nurse aside.

"Get out!" she commanded.

The nurse, unaccustomed to such a scene, hurried away.

Charlotte gently wiped the rice from her mother's face with a cloth, changed her into a hospital gown, her hands trembling.

The bed sheets hadn't been changed in a long time, her mother's body was bruised and smelled of urine.

Charlotte had anticipated her mother's poor condition, but she hadn't imagined it would be this bad.

"Perfect! Charlotte is here!"

The nurse, face covered in wounds, was followed by several bodyguards.

It was... Henry!

She wanted to resist, but her arms were pinned; she couldn't break free, and instead fell to her knees with a thud.

Her fingers scrapped by crocodile leather boots, a hand pinched her cheek, yanking her up from the floor.

"Henry," she said tearfully.

Henry pushed her face away and walked over to the bedside. The IV machine started working; the woman was pale but still breathing. Henry reached for the ventilator tube...

"Don't!" Charlotte screamed desperately and grabbed Henry's leg, risking her arm being torn off to stop him.

Henry's fingers left the ventilator tube as a cold smirk played on his lips. "You want to kill me? Haven't the Dawsons killed enough? Your mother is still alive; what about my grandmother?"

With a kick, he threw Charlotte back.

"It's all my fault, I'll go back to prison, just please spare my mother," she pleaded.

"Enough!" A voice then cut through.

A large hand grabbed her hair and lifted her head.

"Henry, you're shameless," he muttered, his past affection turning into deep hatred.

Charlotte said nothing, her pride shattered.

Submissive and timid, the traits she honed in prison now took over.

"From now on, you better behave, or else..."

Charlotte didn't want to hear any more. Left alone in the room, she stared blankly at the ceiling, her future uncertain, not knowing where to go.