Chapter 9 The Storm is Coming!

When Michael dropped Charlotte off at the company, it was already close to the end of the workday.

"Wait for me here, I'll go with you to pick up Emily, and then we'll go grocery shopping. Let's cook a big meal at home tonight," Charlotte instructed before getting out of the car.

"Okay," Michael happily agreed.

To commute with his wife, buy groceries, and cook together, he felt that this was the beginning of a beautiful life with Charlotte.

As they returned, Joshua, his parents, and his younger uncle and aunt were worried upon Charlotte's arrival.

"Joshua, what's going on? Didn't you say Charlotte would face imprisonment? How did she come back fine?" his aunt asked.

"How would I know?" Joshua was feeling frustrated and took out his phone. "I'll call Daniel first and ask about the situation."

After saying that, he dialed Daniel's number.

"Did they catch Charlotte?" Daniel asked as soon as he answered the call.

"They caught nothing," Joshua sighed, "That woman came back just fine. Daniel, could you have made a wrong judgment?"

"How is that possible? I guarantee that the gold card she used is definitely fake."

"Then why wasn't Charlotte caught?" Joshua was puzzled.

Daniel paused for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Hughes wasn't at the bank. Charlotte only used the gold card to complete the loan process at the counter. When the documents are sent to Mr. Hughes for review, he will be able to recognize that the gold card is fake."

"Because when you use a gold card to apply for a loan, they have to make copies of both sides of the card. The bank tellers can't tell if it's genuine or not, but Mr. Hughes can easily spot the fake. He will then report it to the police and Charlotte will be arrested."

"Is that true?" Joshua asked.

"Would I fucking lie to you?"

"No, no, Daniel would never lie to me."

"That's about right," Daniel said, "You can go and tell your grandfather. Make a big fuss out of this, so Charlotte will come begging for my help tonight. Then I'll take advantage of the situation and teach that worthless person a lesson."

"Daniel, this plan is brilliant," Joshua praised, "Not only will you get Charlotte, but I'll also become the CEO. I'll go see my grandfather right away."

After finishing the call, Joshua hung up and burst out laughing, tears almost coming out. He said,

"Charlotte is such a brainless fool. She believed that worthless person and used the gold card to apply for the loan while Mr. Hughes was not at the bank. Now it's too late for her to withdraw. Once Mr. Hughes sees the loan documents and discovers the gold card is fake, she can prepare to be arrested by the police and sued by Mr. Hughes."

"What should we do now? Should we wait for Charlotte to be taken away by the police?" Richard asked.

"Daniel said I should go to my grandfather and make a big deal out of this so that I can become the CEO and give that worthless person a taste of betrayal," Joshua said.

Everyone agreed and they left the company together.

...

Michael and Charlotte returned home, carrying a lot of groceries. Sophia saw them and curiously asked, "What's the special occasion today? Why did you buy so many groceries? Are you hosting a feast?"

"Mom, my brother-in-law borrowed a gold card from his classmate and helped Charlotte get a loan of 100 million. It will be in the company account tomorrow, and Charlotte wanted to treat our family to a meal," Emily quickly explained, censoring her words as she spoke.

Charlotte asked Michael to stop using derogatory terms for him, which he used on the road earlier. Even she felt uncomfortable hearing the constant insults towards Michael.

"Is this for real?" Sophia almost started questioning life itself. How could this waste of a person suddenly be helpful in a crucial moment?

"Mom, do I seem like someone who would joke about such a big matter?" Charlotte smiled and asked.

"No, you don't," Sophia shook her head. She knew her daughter best and she never lied. So, she looked at Michael, changed her expression from before, and said, "I'll cook dinner tonight. You can take a break from cooking."

"It's better if I do it. You just rest," Michael laughed and ran into the Kitchen. He felt it was an opportunity to improve his relationship with his mother-in-law, so he had to be diligent and not act like a spoiled brat.

"Just look at him, behaving so timidly. I told him to rest but he won't," Sophia despised.

"Mom, Michael respects you. Why does it sound different coming from you?" Charlotte rolled her eyes, feeling helpless.

"Alright, alright. He's honest, hardworking, and capable. Fine," Sophia's words contradicted her true feelings, and she even glared at Charlotte.

"That's more like it. I'll go help Michael," Charlotte smiled and went into the Kitchen.

...

"Why are all of you coming to see me with such serious faces? Did something major happen at the company?"

Grandpa Harris was reading in his study when the eldest couple, the third couple, and Joshua all walked in with serious expressions. His heartbeat couldn't help but quicken as an ominous feeling rushed over him.

"Grandpa, it's like this," Joshua said, "That waste of a person Michael is up to no good. After three years of hiding it, he finally wants to have a relationship with Charlotte. He deliberately forged a Citibank gold card and made Charlotte apply for a loan. Now Charlotte has submitted the loan documents with the gold card. Once Mr. Hughes reviews it and realizes the gold card is fake, Charlotte will be in deep trouble."

"She is still immersed in joy at the moment. You need to quickly stop her from developing any further with that waste. If she has a relationship with him tonight, Daniel won't want her anymore, and there will be no one to help our Wright Group resolve the crisis."

"Foolish! Charlotte is being foolish!"

Grandpa Harris pounded his chest in anger and slammed the table, "She's the CEO of a conglomerate. How can she believe that the waste can get his hands on a prestigious client's gold card, something even I couldn't obtain?"

"And she blindly took it to apply for a loan. Not only will she face a lawsuit, but the company could also be permanently blacklisted in the banking system!"

"Who says otherwise, Grandpa."

Joshua immediately heightened the tensions, "With such a foolish woman as the CEO, it's no wonder the Wright Group is on the brink of bankruptcy."

"I think, before she gets caught, we should quickly remove her from her position as CEO and cut ties with her family and the Carter family."

"In order to clear our relationship, we will go to the newspaper tomorrow and publicly announce it to the society, so as not to tarnish the reputation of our Wright Group and Carter family."

The old man remained silent.

Though he was angry, he still felt reluctant to go to such extremes.

Upon seeing this, Joshua's mother, Penelope, hurriedly said, "Old man, at a time like this, you cannot be merciful. Otherwise, you will regret it when things get out of hand!"

"Yes, father, for the sake of the Wright Group and the Carter family, you must sever ties with the second son's family this time. Otherwise, it will be too late to salvage the situation."

"If you hesitate and let chaos reign, father, when the media reports that Wright Group's president, Charlotte, has been caught in a loan fraud, the reputation of the Wright Group will be ruined, and all your hard work will be in vain!"

The eldest and third sons also chimed in, persuading the old man.

The old man's face darkened. He knew that both of his other sons had long held grudges against the second son's family, and he had wanted to exclude them for a while. But as a father, he couldn't bear to drive his second son out of the house without absolute necessity.

Moreover, his second son had become a vegetable, making such a move seem rather cruel.

"Can we be sure that the credit card given to Charlotte by that useless son-in-law was forged?" the old man asked, "This is a matter of great importance and cannot be taken lightly."

"Absolutely sure!" Joshua confidently declared, "I have seen that credit card myself and specifically asked Daniel about its authenticity. Daniel said that the back of the credit cards for major clients always have the cardholder's signature, but the back of the credit card given to Charlotte by that useless son-in-law had a group of dragons instead. Although the front is genuine, the back couldn't be more fake. Grandfather, you may not believe me, but you can't even doubt Daniel, can you?"

Once again, the old man fell into silence.

They had never seen a credit card for real major clients, but Daniel had, as his family had one. So, if he said it was fake, it must be fake.

"That useless son-in-law deserves to be torn apart for this. He has caused such misery for Charlotte! If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have forced Charlotte to divorce him the day before yesterday!"

"It's my fault. It's my fault!"

The old man's heart was aching. In the end, he still cared deeply for Charlotte, his granddaughter, after all, she was the most educated and strongest member of the younger generation in the Carter family.

"Grandfather, it is too late to dwell on what could have been. Please decide quickly," Joshua urged impatiently.

"I am so angry!"

The old man slammed the table a few times in frustration and exclaimed, "Come with me to the second son's house. I want to ask that useless son-in-law if he has no conscience!"

"Yes, grandfather!"

Soon, two cars left the villa, heading towards the second son's house.