Storylines
In the beginning, Charlie owns a gallery and enjoys a luxurious lifestyle. She likes young men and has zippy attitude. For many years she is the best friend of Clarissa von Anstetten and supports her schemes, but changes her character later to the better and becomes a good soul. The friendship lasted to Clarissa's presumed death in 2001. After she decides to take a break from art and closes her gallery, she opens her own bistro - the Schneiders, which becomes a popular meeting place for the high society of Düsseldorf. Charlie thinks she only needs a man in her life to complete her happiness. But she always seems to meet the wrong guys. Most of them use Charlie because of her wealthy lifestyle and she is left heartbroken many times.
Charlie begins an affair with David McNeal and falls in love with him. They get into a relationship, but when Charlie's worst enemy, Tanja von Anstetten, who was supposed to be dead, returns, and wants to get back at Charlie. She threatens her with her life and begins an affair with David. Tanja makes sure Charlie finds out about it and Charlie catches David with Tanja in bed. Charlie breaks up with him, but Tanja isn't finished with her old "friend" - she wants to drive Charlie crazy. And her plans work, as not even her brother Lars (Herbert Ulrich) eventually believes or trusts her anymore. Charlie engages a professional murderer who should kill Tanja. But she already knows about Charlie's plan and blackmails her. Charlie has to give her all of her possessions and Charlie ends up working at the No Limits.
But Charlie wins everything back, reopens the Schneiders and is very happy when her nephew Oliver Sabel comes back to town from working as a steward on cruise ships for a few years. He finds out Charlie hasn't the best relationship with Olivia and he wants to change that. He finds out that Olivia slept with Charlie's fiancé Bernd von Beyenbach. But when Olivia tells him that she regrets that, Oliver wants to help make peace between them. But what Oliver doesn't know is that Olivia is blackmailing her aunt about a secret from her past. Then Charlie finds out that Olivia faked a pregnancy and made Andi Fritzsche and Ansgar von Lahnstein each believe they are the father of the baby. Olivia warns Charlie not to tell anyone about that. But she can't shut her mouth and gives Andi a hint. When Olivia finds out that Charlie is partially responsible for Andi leaving her, she wants to get back at her. Olivia tells everyone that Charlie paid Lars' ex-girlfriend to have an abortion years ago. Lars breaks ties with his sister and Charlie is left heartbroken. Oliver tries to help his aunt and sets up a big family reunion. Lars forgives his sister for the mistake she made years ago and Charlie is even willing to forgive Olivia. Since then, Charlie has a good relationship with Olivia and again with her brother Lars.
In fall of 2008, Charlie starts dating again. She meets the young and attractive Sascha Göbel in a gallery, which she visits with her good friend Elisabeth. Charlie tries to take things slowly and doesn't want to rush in anything because of her history with men. But Sascha really seems like a nice guy and Oliver and Olivia seem to like him too. But when Charlie sees Sascha with Olivia, old memories come back to her mind and she thinks about how her relationship with Bernd turned out. Charlie gets a little paranoid and assumes that Sascha is flirting with Olivia. He isn't and tells Charlie that he wants her and even confesses his love to her. But this is too much for Charlie and she tells him she isn't ready to say it back to him yet. Sascha is okay with it, but things get more complicated when he becomes more and more an important part in Charlie's life. Thinking that she isn't ready for a serious relationship, she ends things with Sascha.
Single again, Charlie enjoys her life and is invited to a masked ball at Castle Königsbrunn. Set up to dance with Eduard von Tepp, she soon needs to see that he is a boring character. When Eduard wants to have another dance with Charlie, Stella Mann rescues her. Charlie thanks Stella and has a nice chat with her before she decides to leave the ball. But her driver is already gone. Stella offers her to take her home. The two ladies end up in the Schneiders, have another glass of champagne and dance together. Charlie and Stella end up kissing each other and Stella develops feelings for Charlie. Stella wants to form a serious relationship and even though Charlie is attracted to Stella, she tells her that just can't have a romantic relationship with another woman.
In 2011, Charlie discovers that Clarissa is alive and spent the last ten years in prison. As Clarissa believes that Tanja died all those years ago, Charlie is determined to keep it that way. Clarissa wants to have a new start with her children in Spain. But it doesn't take long that Clarissa discovers Tanja and has to find out that she now is the head of her company Ligne Clarisse Lahnstein. Charlie tries to keep Clarissa from getting back to her old self but soon realizes that Clarissa never changed as she has been lying to her daughter Julia for months. Charlie is shocked when Clarissa returns to Germany and is causing a public scandal as she appears alive and well on the fashion show of Ligne CL's controversial line "Mother of Incest" - a line Tanja named after her old enemy. As Clarissa tries to get in good graces of the Lahnstein family, Charlie supports Elisabeth as Clarissa tries to cause trouble in Elisabeth's marriage with Ludwig von Lahnstein. In the beginning of 2012, Charlie and Frank Helmke, a police inspector, have started seeing each other.
In late 2012, Charlie tries to stop Arno, who is suffering from Alzheimer and about to die, from writing a letter to Oliver revealing that Oliver has a half-sister, born to his father on an affair. After Arno's death, Charlie goes on a trip to clear off her head, and in the meantime Oliver finds the letter and later discovers that Clarissa arranged the adoption of a baby that might be his sister. Clarissa provides him enough information to track her to the city of Tübingen. When Charlie returns, she discovers that Olli found his sister, Bella Jacob. Later, she confesses to be Bella's mother.
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