Chapter 522

“The stock market crashed in just two minutes?” Freddy could barely get the words out, his whole body shaking as he gripped his phone. “Who did it? Who froze our accounts and cut off all our funding?”
“You don’t know?” His voice broke, desperate. “Then find out. I need answers, now.”
He hung up, but the panic only grew. When he glanced up and caught Anthony’s cold, unreadable expression, a chill ran down his spine. In Cabinda, there were only a handful of people who could bring down a corporation of this size and do it so quickly. Other than Charlotte, the Carter family hadn’t made any enemies. That only left one possibility.
It had to be the Blair family.
Because of Charlotte, the Blairs weren’t just making Melissa pay. They were taking it out on the entire Carter Group. What chance did the Carters have against them?
Melissa’s parents finally realized just how much Charlotte meant to the Blair family. They never should have let Melissa mess with her. Not for anything.
“Anthony Freddy’s voice was barely a whisper as he pulled Selena along with him. They stumbled across the room and dropped to their knees in front of Anthony, faces pale and desperate. “Melissa made a huge mistake. She deserves consequences, we accept that. We just beg you, please, don’t destroy the Carter Group.”
Anthony leaned back in his chair. He reached for the bowl of longan fruit on the table, peeling one with steady, graceful hands and setting the flesh on a plate next to Charlotte. She ate each one as soon as he finished peeling it. The scene between them was strangely intimate, almost gentle, in the middle of all this chaos.
Anthony finally looked up, his dark eyes sharp. “You’re begging me?” His voice was so calm it was almost chilling.
Freddy froze for a second, then quickly turned to Charlotte, lowering his head in shame. “Charlotte, it’s our fault as parents. We let things get out of hand and caused you so much trouble.”
“And me Selena’s voice shook as she tried to speak. She remembered all the horrible things she’d just said and wished she could take every word back. didn’t mean what I said before. Please don’t hold it against us. Please, just spare the Carter Group. We really know how wrong we were.”
“It’s good you realize your mistakes,” Charlotte said, her tone flat as she popped another longan into her mouth. Her face gave nothing away. “But I wasn’t the one who went after the Carter Group. What do you want me to do about it?”
It didn’t look like Anthony was behind it either. If Selena hadn’t insulted her like that, Anthony probably wouldn’t have wanted the whole Carter Group to go down.
“You… Anthony Freddy wiped the sweat from his forehead, still struggling for words. But his phone rang again before he could finish.
He answered and his face went pale. “The Gates family? They’re the ones behind the attack?” The disbelief in his voice was obvious.
Melissa’s parents looked at each other, completely lost. The Gates family was one of the few that could even try to take on the Blairs. When did the Carters ever offend them? The way they were being targeted, it was like they’d done something unforgivable.
At the mention of the Gates family, Charlotte paused for a split second, a spark of understanding flickering in her eyes. Quick work.
“We’ve said everything that needs to be said. The Blair family’s position is clear,” Patricia spoke up, her voice cold and final. “Let everyone know. From now on, the Blair family will have nothing to do with the Carter family No one from the Carter family is welcome in our home.”
She glanced at Dorothy as she finished, her look sharp with warning.