Unedited
It took hours for the Monroe Group CEO and the Callahans to come out of the room. Charlie really didn't know what could have taken them so long. Maybe they hit it off and decided to do business together. Wouldn't that have been just her luck? She stared at the three, they looked happy. Well, her father did anyone. The other were too hard to read. Tiffany could pretend to feel anything convincingly and the Monroe CEO was a block off thousand year glacier.
"Darling," Tiffany addressed her in a nauseatingly sweet voice, "We spoke with Mr. Monroe. Is it true that you ran away?"
Charlie froze, this was not what she was expecting. Was there a trap somewhere? Tiffany wouldn't harm her in front of outsiders, she was sure. Well, almost sure. Was someone like Mr. Silva an outsider? Maybe this Mr. Monroe was also a sicko. She didn't know what to say so she simply said nothing and lowered her head. Let Tiffany read it how she wanted.
"Charlotte, darling, you should have said something if you were unhappy here."
[It's official.] Charlie thought, [I have gone crazy.] She must have imagined Tiffany saying that. In fact she must be dreaming at this very moment. If it were real Tiffany would have said something about how much time and effort they put into her despite the fact she was nothing but a bastard. Tiffany would have gone on about how ungrateful Charlotte is and how much it hurt that she didn't see Tiffany as a mother. But then Tiffany continued.
"Mr. Monroe brought to our attention that, even if we see you are our own daughter, you might feel differently. He suggested a change of scene might make you feel less pressure. After all, the Callahan name can be difficult to live up to."
At this point Charlotte couldn't help herself. She stared wide-eyed at her stereotypically evil stepmother and couldn't help but wonder what the Hell was going on.
"Mr. Monroe has offered to sponsor you. He has some connections on the old continent and, considering your exemplary academic records, has offered to have you transfered to a very prestigious boarding school." Tiffany paused briefly to dab at a teary eye. "It would mean… well… in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly, it would be best if we transfered guardianship to one of Mr. Monroe's men. Just so that they could respond quickly in case of an emergency, of course. Oh my dear Charlotte!"
She should have expected Tiffany's move to embrace her like a loving mother. But she was just too… nonplussed.
"If you do anything to mess up this deal, I swear I will find the most unscrupulous trafficker on the planet and sell you to a third-world country. You will agree to this arrangement and be damned grateful for it." Tiffany murmured the vicious words softly and sweetly. People could detect the tone of voice even when they couldn't hear the actual words so when in public, Tiffany always threatened her in a voice that sounded loving and comforting. Strangely, this familiar action actually did comfort Charlotte for once. She wasn't hallucinating. Tiffany had sold her for a business deal. Just it seems like the buyer had switched. Charlotte didn't know if it would prove to be good or bad.
The Callahans wasted little time getting her out of the house. A lawyer and notary arrived shortly, along with a strange man who after a surprisingly small amount of paperwork became her legal guardian. Her parents terminated all custodial rights, they had someone throw some of her things in a bag and Charlotte was back in Mr. Monroe's car.
Charlie still couldn't quite figure out what the heck was going on. Her babysitters were gone, so she was no longer sandwiched in place. Charlie, her new legal guardian, and Mr. Monroe were sharing the back of a very comfortable limousine. She watched as the cage-like gates to the Callahan Villa opened. She hadn't been sure they would ever let her leave again, let alone on the same day.
"What just happened?" she finally asked.
"I made a business deal with CalCorps." Mr. Monroe replied in a rather infuriating manner. Charlie restrained the impulse to kick him.
"Hi, I'm Jon Seward. I am from the F-country branch of the Monroe group and your new guardian." The other man said while stretching out his hand. "Don't worry about Mr. Monroe here. He rations words like water in the Sahara."
Charlotte cautiously shook hands with the smiling man. She had just been sold. Sold by her father and stepmother. She swallowed hard waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"We will be leaving for the old country in two days. Before that I will need to get copies of all your relevant information. Official transcripts and such. The school you will be attending is in F-country, which is why I was tapped as guardian of course. You will like it I'm sure. It's very progressive and has great matriculation rates to top universities around the world." The man, Mr. Seward, kept going on about school, country F, dormitories, and other long term plans while Charlotte felt herself becoming increasingly angry. Finally she couldn't keep it in.
"What. Is. Going. On." She demanded with clenched teeth. She didn't look at Mr. Seward. She stared straight at Mr. Monroe demanding answers.
He looked back calmly. Reached over to a mini-fridge, pulled out a bottle of absurdly priced water, and calmly handed it to her.
"I don't want a damn bottle of water! I want to know what the hell is going on!" She didn't throw the bottle at him, but she wanted to so badly. Instead she gripped the thing like she was strangling her stepmother. It may have gotten a bit wet if Mr. Seward hadn't quickly rescued the thing.
"I needed an 'in' with CalCorps." Mr. Monroe finally said. "I have been looking for an opportunity to collaborate with them for years. I needed a way to collaborate with them without them getting suspicious of my motives. I used you to get them to propose a partnership. I figure it's win-win, I get closer to them, you get out of their hands. Unless you would rather be sitting in a car with Mr. Silva right now?"
For a long moment, Charlie's mind stayed blank. She had to process what was just said.
"You mean to say," She spoke in a sharp manner with perfect diction, "that you used me to secure your business deal? That you never actually intended to leave me with them?"
"Of course. Why else would I have two of my men keep an eye on you the whole time?"
"So, you brought me to the people who intended to drug me and have me raped, without telling me that you had no intention of leaving me with them?" Charlotte bit her cheeks to keep herself from grinding her teeth. She felt like one of those little wined up toys becoming tighter and tighter.
Mr. Monroe gave her an irritated look. "If you had known the plan, you would have given the game away. Tiffany is too experienced to fall for your novice acting." He shrugged, "This was the choice that had the highest probability of success.
Again, it took a moment for Charlie to process what he just said. Then she exploded.