From Desk to Altar: The CEO's Irresistible Bargain

"Come inside," Charlotte said, her voice eerily calm despite the anger piling up inside her.

She stepped back a few paces, making room for Liam to open the gate and come in.

Liam's expression went through a quick succession of changes before he finally stepped through the gate. "Charlotte..."

"I don't like this house; it's too plain."

"Huh?" Liam was caught off guard by her sudden complaint. "What do you mean?"

Before he came, he had imagined all sorts of reactions from Charlotte, hysterical accusations, heartbroken disappointment, perhaps even a stubborn hunger strike to force him to let her go...

What he hadn't expected was for Charlotte's first comment to be a critique of the house.

"What kind of house do you like, then?" Liam asked.

Charlotte looked at him with a half-smile. "You really don't know what type of house I like, Mr. Parker?"

Liam honestly had no idea.

Even after all these years of knowing Charlotte inside out, he couldn't tell what kind of house she'd prefer because she never seemed to care about houses at all-or, rather, she never thought about having a house, having a home. That modest two-bedroom was probably the only place she'd ever called 'home' in her life.

But Liam didn't dare bring that up.

He was afraid that mentioning it would shatter the calm she was holding onto.

"I'll have someone bring over some listings later, and you can pick out whatever you like, okay?"

Charlotte looked at the man in front of her, struggling to connect him with the same Liam who'd been so cold he wouldn't even let her speak to him at the office.

Even during the time she lived with the Parker family when Liam had begrudgingly given in to her coaxing and demands, he had shown resistance and a hint of helplessness.

Nothing like the compliance and even eagerness he was showing now.

Had Liam really changed?

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Or was this just a fleeting indulgence in a moment of pent-up emotions?

"Do you even remember who I am, Mr. Parker?" Charlotte asked.

Liam looked up at her with a complex expression, then quickly looked away.

"Mrs. Blackwood," he said with frustration.

Charlotte hadn't expected him to acknowledge the title and couldn't help but laugh. "Did you ever think about the consequences of locking me up here?"

"The only consequence is you'll hate me more."

Liam frowned. "As for anything else, I don't care."

"Not even about my reputation?"

He was the same old Liam, she thought; completely indifferent to those he didn't care about.

"No one will blame you."

Liam spoke gravely. "All the mistakes are mine. I'll fix everything. They'll only blame me."

"They'll blame the one who seems weaker..."

"How are you weak?" Liam pressed his lips together, turning his face away so Charlotte couldn't see his expression. "You're the strongest one there is."

Charlotte was at a loss for words against his stubbornness.

She just walked away, her mood quickly turning to irritation.

"Liam, are you crazy?"

Charlotte turned back, ready to slap him, but for some reason, her hand just hung in the air, unable to come down.

She was too angry, breathing heavily, her angry gaze fixed on Liam's face.

Liam's brows were furrowed, his normally cool and dignified face now looked a bit wronged.

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"You want to hit me." His voice was hoarse, "You hate me that much."

After speaking, he bent down and brought his face closer to Charlotte's raised hand, lightly touching it.

It was like a tiger lowering its noble head, baring its belly, willing to be an obedient cat.

The shock of this moment was so strong for Charlotte that she was momentarily stunned.

They were right, Liam had changed too much.

Her palm felt like it was burning, and Charlotte instinctively pulled back her hand, still furious.

"Mr. Parker, you haven't lived these years in vain," she said sarcastically.

Liam didn't care about her tone and muttered, "People have to grow up."

Charlotte really didn't want to see his face any longer.

She knew that now was when Liam was most on guard, so she didn't even bring up letting her go.

Charlotte settled into the villa comfortably.

Liam also moved in, and Charlotte didn't object to this.

So for a while, Liam thought she was plotting something bigger, like knocking him out one day and sneaking away, or threatening suicide to get him to let her go. Charlotte thought his ideas were laughable.

She wasn't blind; she could see how closely the villa was monitored. Even if she managed to knock out Liam, there were dozens of guards both hidden and in plain sight ready to act. Was she supposed to knock them all out? And suicide was even more ludicrous.

She'd have to be out of her mind to hurt herself just to get at Liam.

If she had the chance, she'd rather hurt Liam.

Anyway, the time to leave hadn't come yet, so Charlotte figured she'd wait a few days before having a real talk with Liam.

Liam's current obsession was simply because Charlotte had saved his life in a car accident.

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Feeling indebted and fixated on your savior is pretty normal.

But that's not love, and she hoped Liam could see the difference.

But after living there a few days, Charlotte noticed something was off.

Liam... Liam was getting worse.

"What did you buy all this stuff for?" Charlotte felt a wave of darkness looking at the decorations of all sizes in the living room.

"Are you okay, Liam? Don't you have better things to do? Doesn't your company need running? Why do you have to act like a madman, messing around with these decorations at home every day?"

"I wanted the house to look nicer," Liam said, holding a photo frame and looking confused. "I asked you before, and you said I could do whatever I wanted."

"I thought you'd just get a few vases!" Who knew he'd go out and buy a whole bunch of stuff, claiming it was all to decorate the villa?

"Then you should've been more specific."

Typical of someone who's been in charge for too long, Liam's authoritative demeanor surfaced involuntarily after being chastised. "And not call a halt when everything is about to start."

"Should I apologize then?" Charlotte didn't get it, why did Liam suddenly turn so weird?

"No need."

He put down the photo frame, clearly not happy, but he didn't refuse either, letting the bodyguards come in and take all the stuff away.

But even after the stuff was moved, Liam's mood didn't get any better; if anything, it got worse. Charlotte didn't pay him any mind.

To put it plainly, she just didn't care about Liam's feelings.

But just because she didn't care, doesn't mean Liam felt the same.

During dinner, sitting at the table together, Charlotte felt indifferent about everything, but she rarely ate with Liam because it made her feel like the food was stuck in her throat. Tonight, Liam had asked to eat together.

When they finished eating, the usually silent Liam finally spoke what was on his mind.

"You don't want to have a home with me."