Chapter 250
When Khloe returned from the meeting, the first thing she noticed was the silence.
Charlotte’s workstation was empty.
At first, she thought she had simply stepped out.
But then she asked the rest of the team.
Four confused faces turned toward her.
“She was here this morning,” one of them said quickly. “She even brought breakfast for everyone—milk tea too. After the meeting, she said she was going to the restroom… and she never came back.”
Another added hesitantly, “When we returned, her desk was already cleared. It looked like… she resigned.”
Khloe’s expression changed instantly.
She turned and walked back to her office.
Her phone vibrated before she even reached the door.
A resignation request.
From Charlotte.
Khloe stared at the screen for several seconds, as if waiting for it to make sense.
It didn’t.
She immediately tried calling her—but the line was already unreachable.
A tight, unfamiliar weight settled in her chest.
Inside her office, she found it.
A neatly placed envelope on her desk.
Charlotte’s resignation letter.
Khloe opened it.
The words inside were careful, polite, even warm—gratitude for the opportunity, appreciation for her colleagues, regret for leaving so abruptly. Charlotte wrote that she had personal reasons and couldn’t face saying goodbye in person, so she hoped this letter would be enough.
Khloe read it once.
Then again.
But the feeling in her chest didn’t ease.
Charlotte wasn’t someone who disappeared like this. Not without explanation. Not without looking her in the eye.
A memory surfaced—Charlotte’s behavior at the Keller family dinner. That slight hesitation, the way she had looked at her like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Khloe exhaled slowly.
She had missed it.
Or worse—she had ignored it.
Without approving the resignation, Khloe immediately sent a message.
Come see me. Whatever happened, we’ll talk face-to-face.
At the Fox family residence, the atmosphere was heavy.
Trey sat on the sofa, face still pale from last night’s injuries. He had been discharged only after IV treatment, and even now, every movement pulled at his bruises.
Angela sat beside him, tense and quiet.
Stella paced in front of them.
Lauren stood near the window, silent, thinking.
Then Trey finally spoke.
“Khloe already knows.”
The room froze.
Angela turned sharply toward him. “Knows what?”
Trey’s jaw tightened.
“About us.”
The word landed like a stone.
Angela’s face went white.
Stella was the first to react.
“What did you just say?” she snapped. “She knows about you and that woman? How is that possible?”
Trey’s expression darkened further.
“She confronted me,” he said hoarsely. “And she gave us three days.”
Silence.
Then he continued, each word heavier than the last.
“Give her half of the Fox Group’s shares… or she exposes everything. About me. About Angela.”
The living room erupted.
“She’s insane!” Stella’s voice sharpened. “Does she really think she can threaten us like this? A nobody like her?”
Her gaze flicked sharply to Angela.
Angela stiffened, lips trembling—but she said nothing.
Lauren finally spoke, quieter than the rest.
“…So she knew all along.”
Her tone was complicated—part disbelief, part unease.
“If she knew, then she’s been watching us this whole time.”
That realization made the air feel colder.
Stella’s eyes narrowed.
“So what if she knows?” she said coldly. “Do you really think we’re going to let her dictate terms?”
Trey shot up from his seat.
“Mom—this is blackmail. It’s illegal.”
“Of course we won’t touch anything illegal,” Stella replied smoothly.
A pause.
Then her voice dropped.
“But accidents… happen all the time.”