Chapter 18

Charlotte sat in the passenger seat, watching Frederick shrink in the rearview mirror.

It wasn't until the car turned a corner and he was out of sight that she stretched and finally relaxed. "I'm starving. Let's grab some food."

"Sure thing."

Taylor agreed right away but still looked a bit shaken. "Charlotte,did you see the way Frederick looked at me just now? It was like he wanted to kill me."

She ran a hand through her short hair, her forehead already sweaty.

"No way. You two don't even know each other."

Charlotte thought back carefully, figuring Frederick had no reason to give Taylor a hard time, but Frederick was always unpredictabe,so who knew.

"I don't know what his deal was. If he gives you any trouble next time,just let me know," Charlotte advised.

"Okay."

Taylor agreed quickly, then asked, "You didn't come back all night yesterday. Where were you? And today you asked me to pick you up at the Percy Estate. Could it be that last night... you two..." Taylor gasped dramatically,eyeing Charlotte with suspicion.Charlotte knew exactly what she was thinking. Even though Taylor's suspicions were spot on, she already knew about the divorce. If Taylor found out she was with Frederick last night,she'd definitely get grilled, so Charlotte had to lie.

Charlotte cleared her throat and said, "Don't overthink it. I was trying to figure out how to deal with the media yesterday. Things got messy,so I got frustrated and went to a bar to drink. I got drunk and crashed at the bar."

Most of what Charlotte said was true, except she left out the part where Frederick showed up after she got drunk.

"Really?"

Taylor eyed her suspiciously.

Charlotte tried to appear as calm as possible. "Of course. I have no reason to lie to you."

"Charlotte, if I find out you're lying to me and secretly, getting involved with that unfaithful jerk Frederick again, I'll definitely give you a piece of my mind. He's not worth it!"

Taylor got really angry whenever she thought about how Frederick had hurt Charlotte.

In her anger, Taylor momentarily forgot how Frederick's look had just scared her.

"Let's not talk about him." Charlotte coughed awkwardly, not daring to tell Taylor that her divorce with Frederick wasn't finalized yet.Charlotte changed the subject, asking, "How's the situation with the online? I couldn't find a solution yesterday. If things get out of control, I mnight have to ask Frederick for help."

Hearing this, Taylor immediately disagreed; she slammed on the brakes.

She said with strong disapproval, "I'd rather go bankrupt today than have you beg that jerk Frederick! Don't even think about it."

Charlotte was deeply moved by her words.

But this company was the result of years of hard work from both of them,especially Taylor.

She had handled most óf the company's affairs from the beginning,putting in more effort than Charlotte.

Charlotte said seriously, "Compared to the survival of the company,my pride is nothing. If we don't resolve this PR crisis, our brand's reputation will be ruined."

Taylor knew how serious things were.

If they couldn't prove the perfume formula was their patent, EX Company might even accuse them of stealing trade secrets.

A few longtime agents had already requested returns, and orders for next month were significantly below average.

Thinking about all this gave Charlotte a headache. "As for the formula, I'm willing to accept an investigation by the association. If necessary, I can even make the formula public." If EX Company really wanted to push them to the edge,she wouldn't hesitate to take drastic measures. Taylor looked at Charlotte in disbelief;she felt deeply sorry for her.

The internal leak of the formula hadn't been fully investigated yet.

If it weren't for someone Taylor hired leaking the information, Charlotte wouldn't be forced to reveal her beloved perfume formula.

"I will catch this traitor. I want to see if they have any conscience!"

Taylor was agitated.

Charlotte patted Taylor's back to calm her down.

At that moment, Taylor's phone rang.

She put it on speaker and said to the puzzled Charlotte,"It's a call from the factory."

As soon as the call connected, an anxious voice came through.

"Ms. Johnson, a bunch of officials suddenly showed up at the factory,saying they're here to shut down our production line. We need your help right away."

Charlotte and Taylor's expressions instantly turned cold.

They hadn't expected EX Company's power to be so great.

Previously, they had only created online rumors. Now they dared to send people to shut down their production line. "Take me to EX Company." Taylor had never seen Charlotte's eyes so cold before. Taylor asked, "Aren't we going to the factory?" "Drop me off at EX Company, then you go to the factory to calm the workers. I need to meet their boss."

Charlotte was resolute.

Taylor was worried but still took Charlotte to EX Company's domestic headquarters.

Charlotte walked into the building with a fierce aura.

After Charlotte introduced herself, the receptionist, who seemed to have been expecting her, led her upstairs.

"Mr. Jones has been waiting for you, Ms. Russell."

Charlotte was taken to the top floor.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

"Ms. Russell, I've finally met you."

Charlotte didn't bother with pleasantries and didn't shake his outstretched hand.She got straight to the point. "Lucas Jones, right? Since you knew I would come. I'll be blunt. If you and your company continue to pressure us, I will take extreme measures to retaliate." Lucas awkwardly withdrew his hand and continued to smile warmly. "Ms.Russell, there's no need to be so aggressive. We're all businessmen. Let's make friends."Charlotte immediately understood that Lucas was someone who appeared kind and friendly on the surface but was actually ruthless and cunning.