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When life robs you, sometimes you have to rob it back. And rob it back she will. Life hasn't been the fairest thing. Life has been such a tease, truly, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been one as well. She considers herself dethroned before she could ever ascend her throne. Well then, why not start the revolution? Why not take back what is rightfully hers? After all, they were the sinners, and sometimes, you have to make sacrifices to reach the Promised Land.

Charismatic || Charlotte has a knack for reading others, even if they attempt to stay quite closed. She knows just what they want to hear and how to please them. In fact, she aims to please. Despite being able to easily be an "average" girl, she does have a magnetic appeal when given the proper spotlight... and she loves to steal such a spotlight. Maybe it's her cheerful demeanor (or the fact that she uses one, for such a demeanor cannot be genuine any longer) and permanent smile. Maybe it's the way she could be very loyal to the causes she believes in or her enthusiasm for life. Either way, she isn't too shy about interacting with people, and through this interaction, she has gained a sense of knowing what people really do want or what their intentions really are. She has become rather good at developing relationships and building trust, and she relies on those things, bounds that tie her to this Earth. She can win your heart with a conversation... if you give her the chance, of course. Despite her charisma, she isn't "the popular girl", even if she could very well be if that was what she intended. She sees no reason to be that, and besides, she doesn't stand out despite the magnetism. But that's how she'd like it to stay. It would be bad to stand out too much, if you know what I mean.

Cultured || She has such picky tastes, truly. Her tastes can be very particular, very... refined, by the standards of society, really. A girl has to have her preferences. At a young age, she was able to tell proper vintage from supermarket brands. She believes in the finer cosmetics in life, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. She's a great appreciator of arts, music, theater, wine.. It may make her seem like a bit of a snob, but she doesn't mind sharing. It's very unintentional for her to seem like she is showing all of this off. She isn't the kind of person to rub her preferences in other people's faces.

Ambitious || Life is filled with different paths, and you really have to go exploring more of them. Frankly, Miss Charlotte Marie Van de Velde has many goals in life. Even if some of those goals require a bit of thievery. There are just so many things to do, so many skills to acquire, so many people to meet... well of course, she gets ahead of herself. Because of her ambition, she will do anything in her power to get what she wants... at any price. Her desire to accomplish something is strong. Her pride gets in the way of noting that failure is sometimes necessary or unavoidable, and she simply does not accept failure. She will meddle with things until she gets her way. She often does put her goals above all things. Anything short of success can be taken as a failure for her at times, and in short, she has almost become a perfectionist because of her desire for things to go right. Another problem with being ambitious is that she loses sight of limits and when she's been going long enough, she'll go farther than she probably should have.

Passionate || Besides her goals, she is just very passionate in whatever she does and she truly enjoys what she does. She puts her whole heart into everything and if she is to love anyone, she is certain that she would love that person with all her heart as well. She is very genuine with her feelings and the way that she loves and bonds with people. She pours her 100% into everything that she does. Her emotions are strong to the point that she could seem almost over-dramatic, but fear not, for she is an open book and she shows how she truly feels (even with her desire to conceal it— she shows her true colors eventually). Her feelings are like a flame, and the world is a stage and we are merely the players. It is easy to get lost in the moment, isn't it?

Diplomatic || She admits that she is not a fighter. She has learned to use her charisma and somewhat innocent disposition to sway people in a diplomatic manner. She believes in fairness and equality, and will fight in her own small way to solve conflicts. She appears to have unbiased judgement and neutrality when dealing with things, and despite her passionate way of life, she will refuse to let anyone sway her in one direction. She is the only one who may sway herself, she believes. She is quite intelligent, even past the theatrics. She does struggle with removing herself emotionally from a situation when deciding things, but eventually she will come up with some sort of insight. She has to fight with her passion but her ambitious mind will most certainly help overrule that in the process of finding a viable solution.

Independent || She could definitely stand up for herself and rely on herself, though she does need the occasional conversation. She doesn't necessarily need people to aid her, but she does need to feel like she isn't alone. She isn't the kind of person to easily back down and sometimes this can be taken as her being stubborn. When she attempts to solve something, she usually believes that only she is needed and will try to solve something alone and head-on. She's comfortable with taking action herself and taking matters in her own hands.

Mature/Nurturing || She may seem easily taken by emotions, but it seems that she is selective about which emotions may take her. She isn't taken by the emotions that are present in a room, but the emotions present in herself, which she augments to her liking. She can be the most level-headed person in a time of crisis. She is very motherly towards the people she cares about. She wants to take care of everyone and make certain that they get what they need. She doesn't mess around and panic with everyone else. She will think of solutions and make certain not to lose her own head. She will use all of her wisdom in times of crisis, all in an effort to care for the rest. She never really has had time to truly be "childish" during her childhood. She isn't one to yell or fight, and because of this, she has been pushed around a bit, but she knows when it's okay to bide her time and when she has to fight back.

Manipulative/Interfering || She could be very manipulative and meddlesome. This stems from her desire for things to go her way. There are often selfish motives behind her reasoning, but she finds herself mentally justifying herself for such manipulation, such as believing that they are at fault, that they deserved it. This sort of manipulation had extended to making certain people believe that she is actually in love with them... and using that to her advantage in gaining access to exclusive events where it would be easy to snatch a necklace or two. When you have the power to get into their heads and get them to do as you please, you are of course a bit curious and would like to see what would happen. She concerns herself with matters that are not her own, and that, of course, would get her into quite a bit of trouble.

Assertive || She can be in charge when she wants to. She has the need to be in control. It is self-righteousness and it is something that could come off as bossy. She is very comfortable leading, not following. She is very bold and outspoken about what needs to be done and what she wants. She makes certain that her opinions are heard. She is quite polite about how she asserts herself, but it can definitely come off a bit harshly when she is distressed.

Persistent || She can be very stubborn and hard-headed, being ambitious and strong-willed. She is never distracted from her purpose. She would persevere against odds and it is terribly difficult to break her spirits. She becomes consumed by desires and can become one-track minded if she is truly that desperate.

Hopeless Romantic || She is very naive in that she really believes in true love (even if she knows just how bad love can be). She has always been a sucker for a "happily ever after". She lives for love, the love of her siblings (though not necessarily her family at this point), the love of her friends, the love of those she cares for, and the love of the one. She dreams to meet that one person sweep her off her feet and for a happily ever after. If she were to find that one person, she could die happy, she swears. She doesn't envy others with true love, rather she would support them... though that doesn't say much regarding jealousy if she desires someone. She loves encouraging people into love and loves to meddle with things when it comes to relationships, such as trying to get two people alone together. For now, though, she is a sucker for romantic comedies and even romantic tragedies, and she will keep an eye out for the one. It's perhaps the part of her that remained innocent. Love blinds her from knowing just how manipulative people can be, and she will devote herself to that one person and will ignore all else until she knows that she can make them hers and hers alone.

Hot-Tempered || ...She has a nasty, nasty temper. Under the guise of a cheerful young woman is a tigress whose anger could cloud her good wills and turn her into the opposite of what she makes herself out to be. She would say all the things she normally conceals, let everything out, become snide and aggressive with her words. She becomes very passive-aggressive, but luckily, she usually can hold her temper because of her desire not to fight, and bouts of anger are rare. It's difficult to make her angry, but her anger is wrath that consumes her judgement and foils her normally composed, classy attitude. It blinds her and you could then see just how prideful and envious she really is.

Perfectionist || She strives to do her best in everything, and if there is something that she could change or improve, she will take measures to make certain she could make perfect results. Nothing less than the best... Anything less isn't good enough. One less zero in the figures? It'll cost you.

Enterprising || She is a natural business woman. Quite the negotiator, she has a great sense for these sort of things. It is no wonder that she was able to pick up the pieces of her father's broken company, though only after she had come of age. She takes advantage of every situation and loves the feeling of making money. Any cent she could make, she'll make certain it ends up in her deep pockets. Even if it lands her in the wrong direction.

Prideful || It is rather unfortunate, but she has a pride that drives her far. She can't help but feel cheated out, that she didn't deserve this fate. She does everything she can to not fall into the clutches of a normal life. One without wealth or history, one rebuilt. She actually could have decided to live a normal life without the world of socialites and wealth with the beaten up trust fund that her parents left her, but instead, she had decided to fight. She can't see herself in the mundane, can't see herself staying neuveau poor, oh no! She has a great sense of self-importance and hubris. It perhaps keeps her self-esteem artificially inflated, but what was she to do? Be thrown aside from the world she lived in and simply live? She wouldn't be able to live with herself. Such arrogance.

Sensitive || Despite keeping up with a million-dollar smile, she masks the many tears she has for her failures and losses. She had only been at the edge of childhood when her parents had made their grand exit from her life. Even when her parents were alive, they were never really good at being emotional support. You shouldn't cry in public, ma chère. You'll muss your face and they'll see weakness. It wasn't that her mother didn't care. Her mother simply believed that she shouldn't be too emotional, or else she would never succeed in a world where the women hid their emotions behind Lancome and Prada. Her parents' accident only made her worse with her emotions. She hides the tears, yes, but she has her trigger words. Nowadays, she's become great at hiding her sensitivity and expressing other emotions with great salience to hide such emotions (which entails some dramatics, yes), but mentions of her family and her brother will crack that mask. She misses her younger brother very much and regrets her disagreements with her older brother. She's very touchy about the topic of her family name's slandering, and she finds herself reacting adversely if anyone mentioned the loss of her mother's jewels. Her tears are something she prefers to hide. If she found herself needing to cry, she prefers her crocodile tears— they can't be worth her real tears, they just can't.

Languages || She is quite the polyglot and is able to fully express herself in French, Dutch (Flemish), German, and English. She enjoys writing and reading in the languages and she is quite open to learning other languages. She makes it a bit of a game to try to learn small phrases in other languages... and to be able to tease in other languages. With the people she deals with, knowing these languages is very important. And sometimes, things sound a bit more romantic in a foreign tongue, don't you think?

Animals (especially cats) || She loves her fluffy friends, and definitely has a soft spot for cats. She owns a white Persian cat at the moment, which she had named Pierre. She would probably have more cats if she had more time to give the cats proper attention. Pierre has his own room in the Rosenfeld Estate, if that says anything about how spoiled that cat is.

Saxophone (and Jazz) || The saxophone, invented in Belgium, is one that she herself can play, though she comments that it is a bit frustrated to hold. She may not be as musical as an Austrian, but she can brag that she can be jazzy. She loves how she could lose herself when she plays the saxophone jazz style.

Fairytales || Fairytales have a "happily ever after", and she tends to love to place herself in the spot of the princess or heroine. Fairytales make sense, unlike life. It is evil that dies and never good. Dreaming is definitely beautiful, an escape from reality. It inspires her to take her own happily ever after into her own hands as well.

Comic Books || She's a bit of a comic book nerd and loves to collect comic books. She loves having to search for some back-street old stores. It saddens her that she wasn't born at a time where comic book stores were abundant and young boys would save their nickels to buy the latest chapter of their heroes' endeavors. A guilty pleasure she rarely lets anyone see because it doesn't seem like her at all.

Beer || Belgian beer is the best, and so it wouldn't do it justice not to drink the stuff. She could definitely hold down her alcohol and outdrink most people. She challenges people to drinking with her. They tend to not be able to hold it in.

Chocolate (and Sweets) || Belgian chocolate and sweets are the best in the world, she believes. She believes in the goodness of her own country's food and seems to not be able to accept any less.

Cooking and Baking || She is quite a talent in the kitchen and she can be very finnicky about eating food that isn't delicious. She knows how to correct terrible dishes and she would love to give critiques. She is very selective about her food and if you were to ask her out to a restaurant, you always have to go with fine dining.

Conversations and Good Company || She's quite the social butterfly and would love to sit down for conversation and simple gatherings. She loves interacting with people and learning their stories. She gives good advice that she seldom follows.

Video Games (particularly horror games) || Oh she would kill for good video games. She tends to hide this interest of hers as she does try to maintain a feminine image, but damn if she were to show how well she could handle a horror game and be unfazed by it, it could definitely strike a chord. Video games are a source of entertainment for her.

Jewelry || She loves herself a good diamond, and loves to accessorize. She has an eye for these sort of things, given the nature of her family's business, and she can tell a faux diamond from a real one. Jewelry sells well in the black market, after all.

Art || And with art, she has an eye for style here. Her father was a great patron of art and was quite the art collector. Too bad his collection seems to have disappeared. Anyways, she takes after her father in this effect and loves to be a patron of arts. Always treat the artists nicely, dear. But I would never approve of you marrying one. She pays homage to artists and purchases art regularly. And upon occasion, finds herself stealing... though she considers it borrowing.

Melancholy || She hates the emotion of sadness and hates the thought of depression. Of course, hating something and being opposed to it could make you succumb to it, but for now, she won't think of that. She will always find time to try to cheer someone up in their time of need.

Rejection || The thought of being rejected by anybody hurts, but she would probably not be able to take it if the one she considers "the one" were to reject her. Also, she likes to believe herself as someone you simply cannot reject. That she

Failure || Her perfectionism prevents her from accepting failures, and she will always try to find a way to succeed, to get her way, even if that is the path best not taken.

Imperfection || Even if she had succeeded, if something didn't go exactly as planned, she's going to be irked by it. 

Fast Food || That is not real food. No.

Cursing || Mother dear had always told her never to curse, and in turn, she had always told her younger brother to not curse. If you want to be a lady, you better play the part, darling.

Disagreements || Things would be so much easier if people could just get along! She tries her hardest to try to mediate, even if much of the time, the problem doesn't even involve her.

Being Disliked || She can be a bit snobby in the way she carries herself, she admits to that, but to be disliked? Really? She doesn't quarrel with people enough to be disliked, at least in her opinion.

Cigarette Smoke || It's not classy to her at all, especially with the fact that she often smelled this coming from her uncle. It's the smell of bastardry, she swears.

Secrets || She hates it when things are being kept from her... and when she knows a secret is in the air, she absolutely needs to know what it is. It's an itching, irritating feeling. That doesn't mean that she doesn't keep a couple secrets of her own, though.

Mice || Eeek, these are the one animal she can't stand! The way they can eat into pantries and multiply and oh goodness... this is why she likes cats very much!

Bland Food || Needs to be corrected! She can't stomach bland food. If she is going to eat something, at least let it be good.

Bad Weather || Weather can really do much for your mood, and Charlotte isn't an exception. She feels a lot happier under the sun.

Dirtiness || If there's anything she can't stand, she can't stand people being dirty. She likes being clean and a stain on Versace isn't something you could smile upon.

Fully Restore the Glory of Rosenfeld || The Rosenfeld name has been slandered and shamed on accounts of corruption, exploitation, and attempting to influence politics. All claims are false as far as it goes for Charlotte, and even if some of them were true, she's going to use her business skills and know-how to raise the name out of the ground. Make the name worthy enough for her younger brother to take back.

Commission a Crown || Silly idea, really, but she likes the idea of having a crown. In the Middle Ages, it is said that the Rosenfelds had their own crowns to wear as nobles in the land. At least that's the thoughts that her grandmother entertained in her head. If they had any claims to nobility, those claims are long gone. She hopes to make the family business successful enough to commission a crown. She actually could at the moment, but she doesn't believe it's in her best interest just yet. Not until she regains her throne.

Have a Family || She would like to have a family, perhaps to make up for the ones she had lost. Of course, as adults, they interact, but it was quite a shame that she didn't get to see him grow up after doting on him so much. She doesn't need to start a family right now. She wouldn't be entirely opposed to the concept, but starting right at this moment is a bit inconvenient with the goals she has in mind.

Ultimate Collections || Besides just diamonds (and adding to her jewelry closet) and paintings, she would like to collect as many comic books and movies as she could. Recipes for chocolate are great too. She'd love to build up her wine cooler as well. Really, she's a bit of a hoarder.

Being Forgotten || Don't you know that all she does is supposed to contribute to her not being forgotten? She hates that the memory of her parents has been defiled, and so she would like to rewrite the story her relatives had so forcefully written in permanent ink to make certain that her parents' memory can be truthful and honored. She also hates the thought that centuries from now, her name itself would perhaps be forgotten. Or even simply decades later. She has a deep fear of this forgetting, given that she knows her personality doesn't right away stand out, and so she would wish to eradicate such a fear by making certain she's the one they all remember.

Loss of Family || She only has her brothers left, and one had been taken away from her at an earlier age. She admits she's overly protective when it comes to them. Even if she had perhaps strained her relationship with her older brother.

Losing || She's done with losing, she claims. She would hate for someone to know her little secret on just how she's finding ways to reassert the Rosenfeld name. The thought of losing the company or letting it fail is a dishonor on the Rosenfeld name, and besides, she fears going back into what she perceived as poverty.

I hope you don't notice the blood on these pretty stones, cheri. Charlotte Anri van Rosenfeld began her life in a way that was worthy of such a name.

Her blood was not the blood of those nouveau riche that seem to be so unbearably common these days. No, instead she had reached the level of nouveau poor, but we shall get to that touchy topic in a bit, shall we? Charlotte Anri van Rosenfeld was born in an affluent household, one whose wealth was built upon generations and generations of good business. They say that a branch of the van Rosenfeld family had once been nobles in France before the toppling of the French monarchy. But of course, that is irrelevant. The van Rosenfeld family was known for their success in finances (banking in particular) and their various businesses in confections, wine, and precious stones. They lay claim to monopolies in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. But these things didn't concern the young girl. Not at all.

Instead, she was spoiled as a child in all her innocence. Being the only daughter, she was doted upon by her mother. Charlotte had a genuine million-dollar smile as her mother rained designer doll dresses and the finer cosmetics in life upon her. The bond the two shared was quite genuine, even if there was more money involved. She was a princess in this world, and she shared this world with her beloved brothers.

That was, until her parents were involved in an "accident". You couldn't believe that things were simply an accident, not with the world they resided in. It was very apparent that it wasn't an accident if you paid attention to the actions of family members right after. The money was swiftly drained away by money-starved lawyers, board members, and family members. The mines stopped mining, the chocolate stopped smelling as sweet. The Rosenfeld name was quickly slandered as "anonymous reports" framed board members of her father's company for corruption. Her younger brother was taken in by relatives and he was spared the bulk of having to deal with report after report after report. Those friends of hers? They avoided her like the plague, seeing her as "nouveau poor". All this just after she passed the doors of adulthood. At least she didn't have to worry about taking care of her brother and shielding him from such claims, but that was the weight of the world all squeezed down into one moment.

Of course, the lawyers couldn't take all the money, if that raises some optimism. With the thoroughly beaten up trust fund, she made attempts to restart the Rosenfeld companies, though she found that the trust fund was going to run dry if she wasn't wise enough. Because of her young age, banks wouldn't take her seriously and loans weren't coming in unless they wanted to join in with the scandal. She would have considered changing her name to at least try to get away from such scandal, but that, she felt, was a dishonor. She did make good time with the money, but unfortunately, she wasn't going to build up the whole Rosenfeld empire with simply the confections company (though that was a sweet thought). No, she would need more capital in order to restart the diamond mines.

Though she was able to keep the house, she found herself selling off her dear mother's jewelry to a pawn shop (she fetched better prices there, normally) to make some capital. The black markets weren't the holiest places, however, and she simply didn't belong in that world...

She made friends with the wrong people, going into the black market. She was a naive, just kicked-out-of-paradise kind of girl, and the pawn shop was something attractive to her, given the prices she could fetch. Pawning old family antiques had worked a while, though she always had the intention of buying them back. They don't let them off the hook that easily, though. Instead, the owner suggested other... alternatives, come to say. She still had a taste for luxury, and every time she had to sell a precious necklace was a time that wounded her pride. What satisfied was finding ways to regain some of it. Diamonds were the only thing that were forever, she believed. They never strayed away and they were much lovelier around her neck than around the neck of some other female. Stealing would entail no need to part with the jewels. There would be no need to give away something with sentimental value. That was how this world, this black underground, worked, after all. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, or you'll find that you won't last long. Those "wrong" people were right— she had an advantage falling from where she fell, and so she had more access to where the gold mines were. She found herself joining a world of forged IDs and shop-lifting, pick-pocketing and fake million-dollar smiles. Isn't that what the nouveau poor do? How would she be obtaining her Prada now?

Just as long as a girl kept her brains, she stayed outside the sight of the law. She was quite careful about it, really, only stealing when she was at a crowded event and the possible targets were large. but sometimes she'd keep these jewels for herself... though she is usually careful enough to get the jewels replaced and recut. It is rare, but she even would steal art if anyone offered her the right price and the means of getting there. She convinced herself that she would perhaps anonymously send jewelry to people who she stole from... after all, this was going towards the cause of rebuilding everything. But to stay outside the law... now that one would be tricky. And so what's a better way to stay outside the sight of the law than to join them?

Now it was a silly little notion, really. She had perhaps formulated the idea after years of reading those mystery comic books her father always loved. And it would get her back into the socialite world, she was certain of it.

She loved making a game out of it, this investigating. After the initial shock of corruption and slandering, people would slowly forget the people they shunned. There were ways to get past security—a little money goes a long way, doesn't it?—and she was quite nosy with sniffing out information and working to solve cases, at least cases involving the finer people in life. She's opened an office for "Private Consultations", and so if they want something solved, they can come to her. Private investigation supplemented her income because of her skills with interacting with the upper echelons and the ability to keep in the background.

The van Rosenfeld name may not be as honorable as it once was, but she's getting there. Hopefully she won't be the next one to slander it.

With the soiree in full swing and an eye on the Maximantics heir, Lukas Bondevik, there really wasn't much action needed. Just the need to be cordial and appear natural. No one knew she was from the Agency, and no one needed to know. Even Lukas didn't know she was from the Agency, he didn't know who his protectors were. So of course, she would be just like anyone else. A soiree go-er. Her alibi if anyone asked, since this room was filled with high-echelon people, was that she was a Belgian entrepreneur who happened to be part of the Maximantics trade network and happened to hit it off good with a cosmetics company in Monaco.

Time to relax, then. Enjoy that cocktail.

She decided to have a chat with several others of interest, her chat with Lukas earlier being productive enough that she was able to give out her fake business card that held a tracker as she can keep track of him. He seemed as if he were just putting on an act. He couldn't have been more stiff. After all, this was his inheritance night when it came to the Maximantics business empire. She would laugh on about trivial topics and add to the conversation remarkably well and believable enough. People would probably think she really is a high-class person if she tried.

Standing at the bar, looking into a compact mirror that doubled as part of the tracker system she had, she had carded not only Lukas, but the elusive wife of the Apfel Technik company's CEO, Elizabeta Hedevary. She had also taken into account Lukas's brother, Emil Steilsson. At least keeping track of them would make it easier for her to go with the security.

"What would you be having today, miss?" the bartender asked.

"I'll have the Brugse Straffe Hendrik, bruin variety," she said. The bartender gave her a weird look. Oh right, it might be just a tad strange for someone like her to ask for strong Belgian beer... plus they probably don't serve beer at such a high-class soiree.

"I mean, may I have the Domaine J-L Chave?" she asked. French wine was always the way to go when it came to these things. Domain J-L Chave just happened to be one of the more expensive wines, but given that this is Maximantics, they were sure to serve it without blowing a hole in their pockets. The bartender poured the bottle slowly, the red wine like a sweet waterfall.

And then, the ground started shaking, the wine glass toddling along the counter. A crash could be heard from an upper floor, as if broken glass was raining down in a crystal cascade. It was almost like something exploded.

Something did explode on the upper floor. People were panicking. These people definitely didn't know how to keep a cool head at all.

"I'm sorry, I believe we need to evacuate the building..." she muttered, running towards Lukas. He was crumpled up on the floor, clutching his chest when she realized... she had forgotten about the note stating that Lukas had a heart condition that no one knew about. And she would need to drag him out of this building immediately.

People were running aimlessly, women not even bothering to take off their heels, men being equally stupid in finding an exit. Feliciano was actually being helpful in trying to get the other Maximantics heir out of the building, but it would be her job to take Lukas out of here.

"It's going to be alright, I'm going to take you out of this building," she whispered to him before he could protest about her attempting to carry him bridal style down the stairs instead of the elevators that were being crammed into.

He was surprisingly light. And she only started to run down those stairs.