Chapter 3

Author's Note: Hey guys! This was the first story I had the courage to post on here so I really appreciate the reviews. Thank you so much! As always, enjoy and please continue to R&R!

The pair of blonds could only stare at Charlotte for a good five minutes, disbelieving. She was the good one, the pure one, the one Emily looked at with pride, keeping her grounded through her destructive path of vengeance. She felt Nolan's warm breath in her ear.

"Guess she's a true Clarke after all." She didn't respond, motioning her sister to explain, which she did with a furor.

"My mother has lied to me for 17 years. The man I thought was my father is a domestic terrorist and my real father was framed. That family is toxic, Emily! Everybody only cares about themselves and now Daniel…he's turning into…into Conrad." Again the name was hard to say. The entire day had been hard to swallow for the innocent girl. Nolan's eyes lit up with surprise and relief that they weren't about to be exposed by Ems' long-lost half sister. But he knew she'd never allow it. Never let Charlotte risk her life the way the two of them did on a daily basis.

"Charlotte, the best thing you can do to help me is stay quiet. Say nothing. Don't tell anyone."

"But I want to help. Think about it: I live in the house. Nobody knows. They all think I'm just their ignorant daughter. They've all been lying to me, and they think I'm too stupid to realize it. I could help you." Nolan saw himself in the girl, her eagerness and immediate loyalty to a man she'd never met, and never would. Emily did, too. She saw the anger and the thirst for thoughtless lashing out, as she'd wanted 8 years ago. It had taken a lot to bring her to the place she was at, and Charlotte wasn't there. She wasn't ready.

"You're right. You're right. But this is dangerous. And it's not just your family. I know they would never hurt you, but the man who killed our father wouldn't hesitate." She proceeded to tell Charlotte about the white-haired man, everything she'd learned, which to be honest, wasn't much. But the girl listened intently, her amber eyes bright and focused; her mind alert. She understood the danger, the pain that could come out of this.

"Emily. I know how important this is to you. And now…it's important to me too. But...if you succeed, if we succeed, what's going to happen to me? If my parents are gone, where will I go?" Emily could feel strong emotions inside of her that she'd spent 8 years learning how to suppress, all rising up because of the high pitch and innocence of her sister's voice. A long sigh escaped her.

"Charlotte, look at me. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. If this all ends the way I want it to, and now you want it to…" she paused to look at her sister, who gave a loyal nod. "…then you'll be staying with me. I won't abandon you, I promise."

Charlotte beamed.

"You know my parents never said that to me. My mom and I used to be close, but…" the girl shook her head. "I've always wanted a sister, Emily. I'm on your side. I promise." Emily and Nolan sighed with relief.

"Thank you. But wait, before you leave. There's something else I need from you." Charlotte raised her eyebrows, and Emily's gaze drifted to the bag slung over her shoulder. "I need you to stop taking those pills." The girl stiffened, and then glanced at Nolan as if to say, thanks for exposing me, sis. "I'm serious, Charlotte. If you want to be a part of this, if you want me to trust you, then you have to stop trusting those pills. They won't help anybody." The girl reached into her bag and pulled out the bottle she kept with her at all times. Emily opened her palm, replacing the clear, orange-tinted bottle with two diamonds. Charlotte's amber eyes took them in.

"My mother's earrings." Emily nodded.

"I want you to have them. In case you ever need reminding that Dad was a good man." The girl nodded, wrapping her sister in a tight hug before leaving, exhausted.

…

All the tension and fear in the air seemed to slip out the door with Charlotte, as Emily slipped the infinity box back into its place. Nolan stood, hands in his pockets, his eyes still glistening, and said softly,

"Wow, Ems. Didn't think you would do that." Emily glanced up, a wicked gleam in her eye. But Nolan could see that she too, was still recovering from it all.

"You should know by now I'm a constant surprise. But she's too easily manipulated." Nolan's eyes narrowed into slits, his tone changed to its usual purr.

"Tell me about it." He stepped closer until he was inches from her face. "You think I didn't notice the little trick you pulled when she brought up Daniel? You know she's going to find out. I don't think she's so sweet on her brother anymore either. Why not just tell her how you really feel about your betrothed?" Emily's dark eyes glared up at him.

"You should be more worried about Victoria manipulating her than me. I just hope Charlotte can keep it all inside. It's not easy." Both their minds went to the same place: Emily's frantic phone call to Nolan the night she found Roger Halstead dead in the bathtub; her anger and pain, her struggle to internalize any of those feelings. "If she cracks, we're going to have a serious problem."

...

Charlotte walked along the beach back to Grayson Manor, taking the long way, giving herself time to think. Her shoes felt heavy in her hands as she thought about the events of the past few hours, her anger at Victoria and Conrad unlike any she'd ever felt before. The weight of the afternoon caught up with her as she slipped through the door of the house, and she collapsed on the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey Charlie. What's the matter, sweetheart?" The voice, once comforting, now made her eyes flash with pain. She felt sick. "You ok?" Oh I'm just fine, Conrad, she thought bitterly, wishing she could call him that to his face. See his reaction. I just found out you're a domestic terrorist and that you framed my father to save yourself and mom. I'm just peachy. Sarcasm was not a familiar thing to the privileged girl, but she found it coming easily in her thoughts now. She remembered Emily, marveled at her composure and her ability to keep it together in front of Victoria. She looked up, restoring the glow to her eyes and the innocence to her face.

"I'm fine, daddy. I just…had a long day."

"Did you have a fight with Declan? I know you two went through a rough patch because of Daniel's trial." She beamed even brighter.

"No I'm just tired. I think I'll go to bed, get some rest."

"All right, sweetheart, whatever you need." He kissed her cheek as she fought tears. "Remember, you can talk to me about anything, Charlie. Anytime. I'll always be here for you." Her breath caught in her throat halfway up the stairs. She turned around to look at him, ten steps below her.

"Daddy…" and this time the innocence was real. "Daddy, would you ever lie to me?" Conrad's forehead pinched in confusion, but he paused to carefully construct his sentence. He knew Charlotte wasn't ready for the truth about David; he knew she'd turn on him the second she found out. Daniel was different; he'd grown up with loyalty to the company and to his family sewn into his skin.

"I know I haven't been completely…honest with this family and with you lately, but I love you. I want you to know that. I would not do what your mother did." That last sentence was a mistake. Charlotte fought a sarcastic laugh. Oh no, you'd do much worse. "And I'm sorry that she kept the truth about your…father from you and I'm sorry I treated you so badly when I found out. But you don't have to turn to those pills for comfort." The reminder of his rejection was enough to force the pain back into her again. She pasted on her smile.

"It's ok, dad. And I will…try. I'm going to go to therapy again, see if it helps. Thanks."

"Anytime, baby girl." She bit her lip so hard she almost cut it, fleeing up the stairs and into her room before bursting into tears again.

Two hours later, she heard a knock on her door. Stuffing the picture of David and Amanda that Emily had given her under her pillow, she wiped her face and pulled open the door.

"Hey." Her brother's smiling face greeted her, restored after his interview. He felt in control again.

"Danny!" she shrieked, and hugged him, then lowered her arms to rub his shoulders. "How are you?" Emily had been right: she didn't hate her brother, at least not as much as she did Victoria and Conrad. But the girl was still aware that he knew the truth about David, and hadn't told her. This was the main thing she held against him. She had no idea how far and how fast Daniel was sinking into the murky depths of Grayson Global.

"I'm good. Finally feeling like myself again. Real bed feels nice." He chuckled. "I just wanted to check in before I saw Emily. How are you feeling?" The concern in his eyes for his baby sister was real. He raised his eyebrows; she knew what he was suggesting.

"I'm fine, Danny. I'll get through this, I promise." He glanced toward her dresser, toward the bottle of pills. "I'm trying, Danny." Her voice became firmer. He nodded grimly.

"Well you tell me if you need anything, ok?" She beamed.

"I will. So you're…going to see Emily?" He didn't miss the hint of incredulation in her tone.

"Yeah I haven't seen her since the interview." Oh I wonder why, Charlotte thought, resisting an impulse to roll her eyes like the petulant child she'd been before the events of this summer.

"Oh well she's home, over there with Nolan right now." She made her voice teasing, biting her lips in a suggestive manner. She was trying to needle him, get under his skin. Where this cruel bone in her body had suddenly appeared from she didn't know. One too many lies, she guessed. But Daniel just laughed, his mind drifting to Tyler.

"Oh I've got nothing to worry about there, trust me." Charlotte's forehead creased in genuine curiosity, but she didn't ask.

"Hey Danny, are you ok? You seemed kinda…tense after the interview." She could see the muscles in Daniel's back pinch as he headed toward the door.

"No, no it's nothing. Dad and I were just…discussing the company before, that's all." He turned to face her; guilt blatantly obvious on his face. She nodded, then asked seriously,

"Danny…do you anything about…David Clarke? Did mom tell you anything?" She was playing with fire, she knew. She didn't know if Emily would be proud or try to strangle her. Reaching under her covers, she pulled out Mason Treadwell's book, seeing it in a new light after the truth had been revealed. Its thick pages suddenly felt too heavy in her hands. "All I have is this. But it doesn't tell me what he was really like you know, just what he did, which is horrible."

"Yeah, horrible…" Daniel muttered. He was keeping the secret to protect his family, as Conrad had done. But he was well aware that he was hurting and lying to his baby sister in the process, a fact that was hard to swallow. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, I don't know anything else. Mom will tell you when she's ready." He couldn't wait to escape. She feigned an exasperated sigh.

"I guess you're right. Well, later. You should go see Emily." Daniel missed the harsh tone of her voice, the fight inside his sister to keep her anger down. He nodded and left.