Charlotte's eyes were red-rimmed.
Her voice trembled with emotion.
"Later...they spread vicious rumors about me for a long time."
Sophia Sullivan grasped her hand firmly.
"Ignore those rumors."
"As long as your conscience is clear, treat them like trash."
Sophia's tone was resolute.
She remembered the rumors that had swirled about her and Ethan Sullivan.
The people in this company always resorted to such despicable tactics.
"Actually...it wasn't completely unfounded."
Charlotte's voice was feather-light.
She feared Sophia might misunderstand.
Her head bowed so low it nearly touched her chest.
"That night, the client invited me for drinks."
"I was drugged."
Sophia's pupils contracted sharply.
Fury churned in her chest.
"What happened next?"
Her voice tightened with concern for the young woman.
"He didn't succeed."
"But Caleb and the others walked in on us."
"They took photos."
Charlotte's voice cracked with suppressed sobs.
"They used those photos to blackmail the client."
"And to threaten me."
Sophia's brow furrowed deeply.
The cruelty of their methods sickened her.
They always targeted people's weakest points.
Charlotte was stronger than she'd imagined.
To endure such trauma and still retain her kindness.
"You could leave Breeze Perfumes."
"With your skills, you could find a better position elsewhere."
Charlotte shook her head.
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
"My family is poor."
"Mr. Sullivan is very kind."
"He sponsors employees' family members for education."
"My younger sister got one of the spots."
Charlotte's voice quivered.
"If I quit, she'd lose that support."
"She's so young. She'd have to start working."
"I can't let her suffer like I did."
Sophia's heart ached sharply.
Like being pricked by a needle.
She had always valued family deeply.
Now she understood Charlotte's dilemma completely.
"What's past is past."
"I'll make sure justice is served for you."
Sophia gently patted her back.
"A woman's true worth lies in her character."
"Not in some outdated notion of purity."
The words gave her pause.
They sounded familiar.
Ethan had said something similar back in Potter's Town.
Looking back, perhaps he wasn't the heartless man rumors made him out to be.
He quietly funded employees' families without fanfare.
Charlotte finally broke down.
Soft sobs wracked her frame.
"Thank you, Miss Sullivan."
"I'm here for you."
Sophia's quiet assurance unleashed a flood of tears.
Charlotte wept openly.
Releasing years of pent-up anguish.
Meanwhile.
Caleb Vance was setting his trap.
He surveyed their surroundings with narrowed eyes.
"Surveillance is disabled."
"Make it quick."
Emerging from the security office.
He'd initially worried Charlotte might report them.
But seeing her red-eyed and subdued.
Returning quietly to her workstation in the lab corner.
As if nothing had happened.
His fears eased.
"She wouldn't dare speak up."
Caleb smirked.
"No evidence means no case."
Hannah Vance nodded in agreement.
"Miss Sullivan can't interfere in personal matters."
They exchanged knowing glances.
Full of contempt for Sophia.
Their plan was foolproof in their minds.