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
Ronin had a hearty meal before remembering the reason he had gone to talk to Catherine. Benefiting from Catherine and enjoying a meal prepared by Branden, Ronin felt it was worth it. "Catherine, I haven't discussed the matter with you yet." Catherine, nearly done with her meal, put down her fork, leaned back comfortably in her chair, and gazed at Ronin. "It's not too late to talk now." "Catherine, the Breens' people have contacted the head of the Skybow Group. They want the Skybow Group to invest and collaborate in dealing with the Duncan Corporation." After Ronin finished speaking, even he couldn't help but laugh. It was hard to decide whether the Breens were becoming more foolish or that they were truly powerful. The big boss behind Skybow Group was none other than Catherine herself. Letting Catherine provide funds to the Breens to deal with Branden was indeed a joke. Hearing this news, Catherine wasn't surprised. Her cooperation with Skybow Group had always been kept sec
Catherine did not embrace Amelia's good intentions. This approach was too foolish. If she could find the thought process online, so could any other student. Getting caught would be the real humiliation, and Catherine would become the laughingstock. As long as Catherine didn't want to, no one could force her to do anything. It was not that she disrespected the teacher by not coming up to solve the problem; it was just that even if she did, this teacher already held a grudge against her and would not let her go. The classmates, sensing the tense atmosphere in the classroom, couldn't help but discuss in hushed tones. "I heard that this teacher went to the principal. She strongly insisted that if Catherine doesn't attend class, even if the school doesn't expel her, she will give Catherine a failing grade for the final exams, ensuring she never graduates." "So, it's all because of the fear of expulsion. I thought Catherine was so amazing, but it seems not." "The weak cannot ov