Killing her wouldn’t even be enough.

“I really won’t do anything to you.” Anthony’s lips curled into a cold smile as he reached out and ruffled Charlotte’s hair. His voice was laced with mockery. “But you might end up crippled.”

Pick a fight with Lottie? Please. Even if you combined every bodyguard in the room, they wouldn’t last five seconds against her.

“Go ahead. Try me,” Aloys snapped, pulling a gun from his pocket and aiming it straight at Anthony.

Anthony’s eyes went icy. Franco tensed up, ready to react, but before either of them could move, a sharp bang echoed through the room.

Aloys cried out as Charlotte’s foot slammed into his thigh. He staggered back, crashing into a chair and landing hard.

Everyone stared, stunned, at the girl who’d just moved faster than they could blink.

Charlotte lowered her leg, casually brushed the wrinkles from her jacket, then slid her hand back into Anthony’s. She shot Aloys a look, eyebrow raised. “Want to have another go?”

“You—” Aloys gritted his teeth, pain shooting through his leg. He clung to the chair, struggling to stand. His face was an angry, ugly shade.

Seeing this, Franco’s violent energy faded away. He patted Charlotte’s shoulder, his voice suddenly gentle. “Did you hurt your foot?”

Everyone else was too shocked to say a word.

“Bring a chair over,” Franco said, glancing at a nearby servant.

The servant froze for a second, glancing nervously from Franco to Charlotte, then hurried to fetch a chair. She set it down, her voice small. “Please, have a seat.”

Like father, like daughter. They were both absolutely wild.

“You dare to start a fight in the Hawk Estate?” Aloys was shaking with rage, one hand still pressed to his thigh. “Guards! Grab her!”

Perfect. Now he could settle every old score in one go.

Charlotte didn’t even flinch. She sank into the chair, still holding Anthony’s hand, completely ignoring Aloys’s threats.

“That’s enough.” Allanson’s voice cut through the tension. He glanced at the guards standing by the door. Instantly, no one dared to make a move.

Allanson got to his feet and walked over to Charlotte. His eyes, old and cloudy, studied her with a strange mix of curiosity and amusement. A slight smile tugged at his lips. “Why didn’t you say hello?”

Charlotte met his gaze, her eyes cool and unreadable. She didn’t say a word.

She’s got attitude. Definitely a Hawk. And the way she moved—no normal girl could do that. A genetic mutation… She probably had even more potential than he’d imagined.

Allanson wasn’t angry at her silence. If anything, his smile only grew warmer.

“And who’s this?” His eyes shifted to the man by Charlotte’s side, clearly interested.

“I’m Anthony. Lottie’s fiancé,” Anthony replied calmly.

Charlotte glanced at him but said nothing to contradict it.

Fiancé? Allanson’s eyes narrowed, a chill flickering across his face. She couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen, yet she already had a fiancé?

She probably didn’t know that the heir of the Hawk Family was supposed to marry Mr. Churchill. If she was going to marry anyone, it would have to be him.

“Sit down,” Allanson said, giving Anthony a long, searching look before heading back to his own seat at the head of the table. He lifted his chin at Franco, his tone frosty. “What are you doing back here?”

“I’m here to make a deal,” Franco answered, just as cold. “The antidote for the genetic mutation. I know you’ve got it. Name your terms.”

Aloys’s face darkened. So it really was a genetic mutation. He’d guessed right. The woman who’d made a deal with the institute was Franco’s wife—Charlotte’s mother.

If that was true, then both mother and daughter had the mutation.

Aloys’s hands clenched tighter, excitement flickering in his eyes.