Catherine was confused. She gave Branden a searching look.Branden's handsome face revealed a hint of a smile. His lips could not help but lift a bit."I heard you are participating in the celebration gala selection.""Yes," Catherine answered briefly."Can I watch it?" Branden looked earnestly at Catherine.It was one of the few times Branden used an interrogative sentence. He was used to ordering people. His interrogative sentences were only for Catherine.Catherine was okay with it. All teams would perform in public. Anyone could be in the audience, and so could Branden."It's the early stage now. I'll let you know when I make it to the final."The teams would audition during the qualifying match, and there might not be many qualified performances. Catherine thought it unnecessary for Branden to watch her show at this stage, so she wanted him to be there after she was in the final.Branden gazed at her with a mischievous smile in his bright eyes.Catherine caught it and wa
The auditions for the celebration gala started in the afternoon. Other teams were all out to hog a suitable practice room.Many teams signed up for the audition, but there were not enough practice rooms to go around. They needed to hurry up to occupy a space.George noticed that Catherine and her teammates did not move and felt puzzled.He had no guts to talk to Catherine, so he turned to Bryan, who was relatively friendly and on Catherine's team."Bryan, why don't you go to the practice room to rehearse? The practice rooms are almost jammed. You will probably not get a space if you don't move now."Bryan looked up at George with a frown as if he had heard something ridiculous."Boss said we don't need to rehearse."George admired Bryan's attitude.Bryan had always been so confident.George understood what Bryan meant, but he was still somewhat uneasy.Catherine's team had never rehearsed since the announcement of the celebration gala, while others all rehearsed their perform
At noon, the final bell rang. It was like Catherine's alarm clock. When the bell stopped ringing, Catherine awoke.When Ronin saw her wake up, he reacted immediately and handed her the coffee he prepared."Boss. Coffee."Catherine reached out to take it. Gulping down a big mouthful, she felt refreshed."Ronin, you're even more thoughtful now."The temperature of the coffee was neither too hot nor too cold. Catherine was satisfied.Bryan was jealous. He disdained Ronin's licking Catherine's boots. Meanwhile, he was jealous of Ronin.Ronin knew Catherine's preferences way better than Bryan did.Bryan could not accept that.He decided to pay more attention to everything about Catherine and marked down what she liked and did not.After she downed the coffee, Catherine was wide awake. She stood up.Ronin followed her and suggested, "Boss, let's grab lunch."The three did not go to the school cafeteria. Instead, they went to a restaurant near the school.Catherine loved spicy fo
Bryan had practiced a lot and showed Catherine, and he also witnessed Ronin practice occasionally.However, Catherine had never sung in front of them.Bryan was perplexed, but he had unreciprocated trust toward Catherine, so he asked Catherine nothing.They were finally about to rehearse together, and Bryan wanted to see Catherine's prowess.But Catherine let him down.After getting on the stage, Catherine only asked Bryan to rehearse with Ronin while she was busy with her laptop.Bryan wanted to ask, but he did not dare. He could only do as Catherine commanded.Several times of rehearsals later, he and Ronin lined up the rhythms.Ronin was experienced. He even drummed harder at some point to cover Bryan's weakness."Take a break."Hearing Catherine's words, Bryan and Ronin stopped."Boss, I'll get some water."Bryan saw the bottled water in the front of the truck, so he jumped down from the stage to get some.The moment he left, Ronin leaned closer to Catherine."Boss, h
Ronin did not fear Bryan. They were like implacable enemies and argued with each other all the time."What? Do you think you can stop me with your eyes?"Ronin turned to Catherine and told her what happened to Bryan."Boss, don't blame him. He's a booby that has never seen the world. He must be shocked by your incredible voice and forgot what he needed to do."Bryan was embarrassed and ashamed because what Ronin said was true. He dared not look at Catherine.He could only pounce at Ronin, trying to beat him."Brat, you don't know how to mind your words, do you? Let me give you a lesson. You'll see what I can do."Seeing them wrestle with one another, Catherine said nothing.She stood still and observed quietly. Bryan's actions were prompt, thanks to his training.Ronin's moves were tricky, which he learned from the street gangs.The two were nip and tuck. Catherine let them blow off steam and did not interfere with them.Later, their moves slowed out of tiredness. Catherine
Catherine had been waiting behind the stage with Bryan and Ronin. The last team had just got on the stage. When they were done performing, it would be Catherine and her team's turn.The backstage area was packed with people. Some of them were born with stage fright. They had looked ghastly pale before they got on the stage, praying nervously.On the contrary, Catherine's team was surprisingly calm.Wearing an earphone, Catherine was sitting aside with her eyes closed. Her palm-size face was seamlessly covered by the black cap. Evidently, her face was really tiny.As for Ronin, who was sitting next to her, he was dressed more or less like her.The two of them sat leisurely aside. Ronin was also wearing an earphone.The only difference between them was that Catherine was resting while he was playing with his phone.And he was even playing an online game with Bryan.This team didn't look like they were there for a competition. Instead, they seemed to make up the numbers here.Fin
Rather than making an instant decision, Ronin settled his gaze on Catherine, waiting for her to decide.Catherine knew what Ronin meant. She turned on the clip mic and said coldly, "No need. Let's get started!"Everyone was shocked.Previously, the audio equipment was broken, and they had no other choice but to use the clip mics. However, it had been repaired. Why did Catherine still insist on using the clip mics?How could she win then?Not only the audience but also the judges looked at Catherine in astonishment.Faced with others' confusion, Nash picked up the microphone and said to Catherine, "The equipment has been fixed. If you insist on using the self-prepared audio equipment, we'll still judge you with the fairest standard. Are you sure you still wanna continue?"It was quite savvy of him to say so. Clearly, what he meant was that even if Catherine and her team used the clip mic, their performance would be judged with the standard of professional audio equipment.While
Elena looked at everyone with a serious expression and then shifted her gaze to Catherine sinisterly. She said coldly, "You did sing well, but I think you're too bad-mannered. You show no respect for the judges or audience. So, personally, I don't suggest you advance to the next round."As soon as she finished speaking, someone immediately chimed in with her.People were all selfish. Catherine's team was so competent. If they advanced to the next round of the contest, they would be a tough opponent. The skeptical voice was getting more intense. The complacent smile on Elena's face also became bigger.Just now, she received Liana's hint. Liana suggested that she and Nash would cast an opposing vote for them. Coupled with the audience's objections, she didn't believe that Catherine's team could qualify for the next round.Hearing Elena's sarcastic words, Bryan and Ronin both looked enraged.The two of them looked at Catherine simultaneously, waiting for her response. Catherine l
In the end, Branden couldn't stand it anymore. He took the initiative to snatch Catherine back, only then did the scene come under control.Now, no one dared to continue touching Catherine's belly.Once he snatched Catherine back, he held her tightly in his arms and prevented anyone from touching her. He thought in his mind, "Since these people like this brat so much, I'll just give the brat to them when Catherine gives birth. Saves one more person from sharing my wife with me."Triston smiled and watched the crowd as the birthday party began exactly as it should.The big screen began to show all the images of Audrey from her debut until now that were outstanding or worthy of recording. Some of the images weren't even in Audrey's possession, but Triston had found them and made a video of them.As the images flashed by, Audrey's tears couldn't help but fall from her face. She cried not only because she remembered the hardships she had endured in showbiz for many years, but also bec
Since Triston brought Audrey to meet his family, he had worked non-stop to put their marriage on the agenda.Audrey was a popular actress, and to not affect her career, Triston chose to propose in a low-key manner.Triston arranged a party on Audrey's birthday and invited many of Audrey's friends.Audrey originally thought Triston was too high-profile, but Triston insisted. "I didn't participate in so many of your past birthdays. I finally have a chance to participate this time."He persuaded Audrey repeatedly. Audrey couldn't resist him and could only agree to let him arrange the party.Luckily, he only invited Audrey's close friends and did not send out invitations widely, so she could take this opportunity to have a gathering of friends.Audrey was surprised to see Catherine when she arrived.Catherine was now eight months pregnant. Normally, she would be rejected by Branden if she wanted to visit Catherine.Branden was now very careful with Catherine every day, and Audrey w
Sure enough, only after Audrey said those words, Willa's face completely darkened.Seeing that Willa was about to explode, suddenly...Triston applauded happily, which instantly attracted the crowd's attention.Triston calmly met everyone's gaze and looked at Audrey gently. "Good. You're worthy of being the woman I love. I'm most annoyed with those women who stay at home day in and day out and like to gossip when they have nothing else to do. You have your own career and I'm very supportive of that."Triston said this with a proud look on his face and raised his eyebrows at Audrey, full of smugness.Willa's face instantly turned gloomy.Her son had demeaned her by calling her a gossipy woman just to please another woman, and it made her furious.Egbert kind of realized that his son was totally in love with Audrey. He thought it was good because Triston used to be a playboy and was always surrounded by messy women. At that time, he was really worried that Triston would marry an u
Although Audrey was born into a wealthy family, Triston's mother, Willa Lambert, had always been prejudiced against showbiz and therefore did not approve of Triston's pursuit of Audrey.In Willa's opinion, female celebrities in the showbiz industry had always appeared in public, which was not like the demeanor of a lady from a wealthy family.It was only after learning that Audrey and Triston might be together that she eagerly introduced Triston to girls in the first place. She didn't realize that after all this time, her son still hadn't given up on Audrey, and this was the first time she'd seen her son so attached to a girl.If it weren't for that, she wouldn't agree to appear at today's dinner party now.Triston led Audrey into the door, and everyone from the Lamberts had already arrived.The scene of everyone sitting in the private room made Audrey feel a bit guilty. She looked guiltily at the crowd and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm late."Triston's father, Egbert Lambert, had a
Audrey never expected to be so suddenly arranged to meet Triston's family.She couldn't react when Triston talked to her about it. Looking at Triston with disbelief in her eyes, she said, "Pardon me?"Triston's handsome face carried a gentle smile. "I've inquired with Kim. You don't have any work arrangements since this afternoon, and you can also take a day off tomorrow. It's just right for us to have dinner together in the evening."Audrey frowned and asked inwardly, "Is that what I care about?"What she cared about was who Triston had just said she would have dinner with tonight. "Why are you suddenly asking your family to have dinner with me?"The Swanns and the Lamberts were both in Casier and they were also considered to be friends. For Triston's family, although Audrey was not familiar with them, she had seen them at major parties.But in the past, they used to meet as ordinary friends.Now that she and Triston were in a relationship, his sudden proposal to take her to di
Audrey hesitated for a moment but still answered the phone with a nervous heart.She believed that Catherine definitely had a way to get her to answer the phone, but things would be troublesome if she made Catherine take her actions.She put her phone to her ear and inquired in a low voice, "Morning, Kathy. What's the matter?"Catherine's voice remained as cold as ever, without any emotion. "Tell me, what is it that you haven't told me?"Audrey had already figured out a strategy to deal with it and how to excuse herself, but as soon as she answered the phone, Catherine asked her so directly, which made her suddenly unable to react.Audrey had no choice but to tell Catherine the truth.After listening to her trembling narration, Catherine only asked coldly, "Are you sure you want him to be your boyfriend?"Audrey was a bit hesitant. Everyone blessed her and Triston after they found out they were together again, but Catherine was the only one who asked her to calm down and think i
Faced with Triston's questioning, Ronin looked arrogant. "Catherine and Audrey are sisters, so Audrey is my sister. You can bully anyone, but you can't bully her. Or else, we can't even be friends."Ronin's words sounded childish, but there was seriousness inside his eyes when he said those words. He grew up with Catherine and regarded Catherine as his most important family member. To him, Catherine's sister was his sister.After listening to Ronin's words, Triston faintly laughed out. "I see."Ronin thought that Triston didn't take his words to heart, and immediately felt a burning anger. "What do you mean? You don't understand my warning, do you?""Easy!" Triston gestured for him to calm down, then said calmly, "Even death row inmates have a chance to explain, right? You should at least hear me out.""Hmph!" Ronin snorted disdainfully. He secretly thought in his heart, "If Triston says any more asshole words, I'll definitely not show him any respect."Triston put away that cyni
They had an appointment at a recreational manor, a new property Zobber had just bought. Zobber had invited them to come along for the experience.Since Catherine's pregnancy, the entire Hacker Alliance had had much leisure time. Even though there was less to do, they had earned no less money and were basically in a dominant position.Zobber enjoyed the current situation too much becasue there was still money to be made easily. They might only have one business per year, but the profit from this business was already enough for them to spend for a year.After wandering around with her friends, Zobber excitedly looked at everyone. "How about this place? It's not bad, right? I bought it at a high price!"This was Casier, and Triston was aware of any changes in the real estate industry.He had indeed received the news when Zobber auctioned off the manor, and he also knew that Zobber had given an above-market price to take the land. But he knew that Zobber had plenty of money. It was fi
Since that dinner, Audrey had been in a special kind of relationship with Triston.Although they didn't make it clear, Triston could feel that Audrey had slowly accepted him.The number of times they met increased, and most of Audrey's work this year was in Casier.Whenever Triston had free time, he would stay alongside Audrey.Whether on set or during recording sessions, one could always catch a glimpse of Triston.Everyone kind of knew deep down that Triston was the man behind Audrey.But nobody ever exposed this whole thing, mainly because of Triston's identity.Neither he nor Audrey wanted too much attention paid to their relationship right now. If he didn't spill the beans, who else would dare to report on it?Besides, the reason Audrey and Triston's dating didn't cause much jealousy was they were a good match.Among the Four Noble Families in Casier, the Lamberts and the Swanns each held a seat, and the Swanns' power was not weaker than the Lamberts.Plus, now that Cath