Branden escorted Catherine to the laboratory door. On their way, Marshall messaged Catherine. He was relieved when he was sure Catherine had set off and was almost at the lab. As the car eased in, Catherine caught sight of Marshall standing by the stairs and smiled. "Professor Hartley's got an interesting character." Branden was always attentive to Catherine. He glanced out the window after hearing her words. "Some people are just born for research!" Branden said. Only ones like Marshall, who could endure, weren't bothered by fame, and devoted themselves entirely to their experiments, could scale the heights of science. Catherine raised an eyebrow in agreement. "That's right." Branden gently ruffled her hair, and his voice softened as he replied, "My girl is too." Catherine's dedicated nature and genius mind destined her for an extraordinary life. As the car halted, Catherine lightly pushed away Branden's hand and was ready to exit. She knew if she dawdled any longe
Things at the lab wrapped up quicker than expected. Remembering Branden's instructions before they parted ways, Catherine messaged him for him to pick her up. It took about half an hour to get here from the apartment. Shortly after sending the message, Catherine got a reply from Branden, which read, [I'm waiting at the door.] Putting aside what she was working on, Catherine grabbed her coat and headed out. Just as she stepped out, she spotted a man standing in the chilly wind. She thought she might have to wait a while, but she didn't expect that he had never left. Catherine walked right up to him. Seeing that, Branden began to take off his coat. "No!" Catherine refused him outright. Seeing Branden frown, she explained, "I'm not cold. We can get in the car right away." Seeing her insist, Branden didn't push further. He opened the car door for Catherine and guided her carefully. He was afraid that she might bump into something. Once inside the car, Catherine felt bor
At quarter past three, the plane landed on time at Oceanvile Airport. Catherine finally woke up. She barely lifted the brim of her hat off her face when a cup of hot coffee appeared in front of her. Branden's gentle voice sounded above her. He said, "Have a sip." Catherine drank half of the cup from his hand. Warmth spread through her entire stomach. Ever since she'd been with Branden, her stomach troubles vanished. Just as she finished the coffee and got ready to rise, Branden had their luggage and was holding her hand to lead her off the plane. They took the VIP lane to the parking lot, where the car Branden arranged awaited them. Once inside the car, Branden turned to Catherine and asked, "Rushing to the lab? Do you want to rest or grab a bite?" The Duncans owned many properties in Oceanvile. Branden knew Catherine didn't like staying in hotels. Before their arrival, he had arranged for a property closest to the lab and had it cleaned. After glancing at her phone
The Arbotte Laboratory was researching the most cutting-edge chip globally, and if this chip hit the market, it could change the entire era. Not only the Arbotte Laboratory, but all top labs worldwide were in on this. Everyone was racing to develop this chip and aimed for the quickest production to maximize development and profits. Once this chip hit the market, it would bring numerous profits. Money was not the main thing here. It was the possibility of monopolizing the technology of this chip that drove innovation across the board, which would push forward the whole tech scene. According to the information they held, so far, among all these labs worldwide, the Arbotte Laboratory made the fastest progress. Rodge led Catherine to the core of the lab and saw the latest results of his research. It was the lab's most secretive place that only Rodge and Catherine could access. "Chief, take a look!" Rodge said. Catherine sat at the console, opened the mathematical model,
Catherine immediately got in touch with Branden after leaving the lab. Branden drove to pick up Catherine and took her to Oceanvile's most famous restaurant. It was a rare outing for them. Catherine was tied up with work, so he decided to help her unwind a bit during her free time. Catherine didn't mind. She knew everything would be taken care of with Branden around. However, Branden didn't know that the restaurant he carefully picked out would lead Catherine to run into an acquaintance. Erick was stunned when he saw Catherine, but he quickly realized the situation. "Catherine, you're in Oceanvile!" he greeted in delight. After looking up, Catherine caught sight of Erick. Her expression softened as she replied, "Just came over for something urgent." "Great! I didn't expect to bump into you here. What a coincidence! Let's have dinner together, Catherine," Erick said with excitement. The restaurant owner, who was standing next to Erick, was astonished at Erick's behavior
The food in the restaurant was pretty good. Catherine had quite a meal that night. Erick saw Catherine setting down her fork to take a drink, and he seized the chance to strike up a conversation. "Catherine, what brings you to Oceanvile?" he asked. Catherine didn't hold back. She told him Rodge needed help, hence her rush to Oceanvile. After Erick heard that, he said with disappointment, "Catherine, I thought I might have a chance to show you around Oceanvile for a couple of days, but it looks like you don't have the time." Catherine nodded in agreement and replied calmly, "Indeed. There's hardly any time. I need to get back to Loxton soon." Erick then brought up some internal company matters to Catherine. "Catherine, I stumbled upon something. Some old factions within the company have been in contact with the Breens. They seem to have intentions to support the old associates of the Winfreds, but their exact motives are still unclear," he said. During Xavier's tenure,
Catherine noticed that her recent sleep quality had indeed improved. Since she returned yesterday, she has been in a deep sleep state. It wasn't until this morning that she slowly woke up. Perhaps due to having enough sleep, Catherine felt exceptionally energetic, and her mood was quite pleasant. Just as she was about to get up to find Branden, her phone, placed nearby, rang. Catherine glanced at it and saw it was Ronin calling. She swiped the button and answered the phone. Ronin's voice sounded urgent. "Catherine, we're in trouble!" Catherine calmly walked to the side, poured herself a glass of water to drink, and only then asked unhurriedly, "What's the situation?" "Catherine, I just received a message. Edson is going after Branden, and it's the kind of situation where he's willing to do anything." Ronin detailed the information he had gathered to Catherine. When he received the message, he was also shocked. The way the Breens were striking this time didn't seem like
Branden heard Catherine suddenly change her mind, and his bright eyes lifted, staring straight at her. "Because of me?" he asked. Catherine didn't deny it. It was a fact that she returned to Loxton early because of Branden, and there was no need to deny it. Branden received the news in the morning that Edson had launched an attack on the Duncan Corporation. On Paxton's side, everything was proceeding smoothly according to the previous deployment, and he had nothing to worry about. But he was pleased knowing that Catherine was worried for him and had even changed her plans. It indicated a steady rise in his position in Catherine's heart. Branden looked at Catherine in a good mood. "If it's for me, there's really no need. You focus on your matters and don't need to worry on my end." Although the Breens were powerful, Branden didn't regard them highly. If they really moved against the Duncans, even if the Breens put their best foot forward, they might be unable to bring down