Chapter 2: It's Up to You

Charlotte felt a bit awkward. Frederick stepped out of the car like a gentleman and opened the door for her.

The golden Bentley slowly drove away. A gust of night wind blew by, and Charlotte realized she was still wearing Frederick's coat. Just as she was debating whether to run after him, her phone rang.

It was Maria Scott, her voice urgent and tearful. "Charlotte, your dad's in trouble. Come back quickly."

Charlotte quickly hailed a cab and rushed home. As soon as she opened the door, a heavy atmosphere hit her. In the living room, Maria was sitting on the couch, staring blankly with red, swollen eyes, clearly having just cried. Charlotte glanced around, anxiety creeping in, and asked, "Maria, what's going on? Where's my dad?"

Maria was Charlotte's father's second wife.

Maria took a deep breath, her eyes welling up with tears again. "Your dad's been reported. They say there's a huge deficit in the company, and now the police have taken him away for investigation."

Charlotte felt a wave of dizziness. "How could this happen? Dad's always managed the company so well."

Maria suddenly became agitated. "It's all because of Ethan! A few years ago, when the Cooper Group was struggling, you stood by him. Now that he's successful, not only did he break up with you, but he's also trying to send your dad to jail."

Hearing Ethan's name, Charlotte felt a sharp pain in her heart. This was the man she had been with for four years, who had left her for the wealthy Chloe Hawkins. They had announced their engagement last night, which led Charlotte to drink herself into a stupor at the bar and end up in bed with Frederick under the influence of alcohol and temptation. She had never expected Ethan to go after her father. She thought that even if they couldn't be together, there would still be some past feelings left, and Ethan wouldn't go to such extremes.

"Maria, don't be mad," Charlotte tried to calm her down. "I'll talk to Ethan."

Charlotte took out her phone and dialed Ethan's number. He picked up quickly, his voice cold. "What's up?"

"Ethan, I want to talk to you," Charlotte said, trying to stay calm. "About my father."

There was a brief silence on the other end, and then Ethan said, "Someone has to be responsible for such a huge deficit."

Charlotte took a deep breath and pleaded softly, "Ethan, we've already broken up. Please, let my father go. He always treated you like his son."

Ethan put down his coffee cup and sneered, "Charlotte, I can let Mr. Russell go, but it depends on you. Be my lover for three years."

Charlotte's eyes widened in disbelief. "How can you make such a shameless demand? You disgust me!"

He not only wanted his bright future but also wanted her body!

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. "So what? Just remember, a massive corporate deficit means at least ten years in prison and the confiscation of all personal assets. Are you sure you want Mr. Russell to face that?"

Charlotte gritted her teeth. "I won't be your lover! Ethan, dream on!"

Ethan chuckled, "Then get ready to hire a lawyer for Mr. Russell."

Charlotte sneered, "I'll get the best lawyer!"

"You mean Frederick?" Ethan smiled calmly. "Charlotte, did you forget he's my future wife's brother? Do you think he'll help you?"

Charlotte was stunned!

Ethan casually added, "Charlotte, I'll be waiting for you to beg me."

Then he hung up.

"He's dreaming! Even if we go bankrupt, we won't let him humiliate you," Maria said, tears streaming down her face. "Mr. Hawkins is his future wife's brother. How can we hire him? Charlotte, think of something."

Charlotte lowered her eyes. She decided that no matter what, she had to try, even if there was only a glimmer of hope.

She comforted Maria, saying, "I've met Mr. Hawkins once. I'll give it a shot."