Catherine's POV "What's with your expression?" Benny asked when we met. I looked at him for a moment before averting my gaze again. "Ah, I had a chance encounter with that annoying person earlier." "Hm.... I see." He muttered under his breath. "You don't need to think about that annoying person. Let it go, someone like that is not important to think about for too long." I nodded. "Yes, you're right. I really don't want to keep thinking about him." That man did have beautiful eyes and quite an interesting mindset, but thinking about the attitude of the man whose name I didn't know to me still felt annoying. I was silent for a few moments, still unable to get the man out of my mind before looking at Benny. "Ben, I have something to ask you." I finally spoke again. He gave me a curious look. "About what? You can ask it directly." "If I'm not mistaken, a few days ago you talked to a guy, right? Do you know anything about that guy? Like his name or major maybe." The man who had bee
Catherine's POV I didn't expect that man to be from the Duncan Family. Some time ago, my father had talked about that man's family. This large and reclusive family had its own education system. They favoured the private education concept and never took formal lessons for the public like most other families did. That was because the Duncan Family had its own human resources, educators, and experts who could teach their successors, every member within the Duncan Family, and their fellow family staff. However, recently, the special family made a different choice. Their successor decided to pursue formal public education, and I had the opportunity to meet him. ".... would be useful if you knew the successor well, Catherine." My father said at that moment. I didn't expect what my father said to actually happen, even though I didn't realize it for the first time. Sarah sounded a gasp that brought me back to reality, her eyes looking wide at me. "Wow, you keep watching her...." She smil
Catherine's POV I finally arrived in front of Nicholas Harvey and got his autograph on the book I had bought just moments ago. My hand then reached out, shaking the hand of my favourite author with a flowery heart. "Thank you, sir," I said with a smile that expressed my current feelings. He returned my smile in kind. "You're welcome. It's nice to meet a loyal fan like you, Miss Kate. I remember that you've been present at each of my past book releases." "Really?" I felt my eyes light up as I listened to her words. "I really do love your books, sir. Wherever or whenever your books are released, and there's an event like today, I'll definitely come to you no matter what." The man laughed. I could see his slow shake of his head and then his eyes that slightly shifted in another direction for a few moments before returning to me. "It looks like your girlfriend is angry that we chatted for too long. Come back soon and comfort him, Miss Kate." I wondered a little at the meaning of Nic
Catherine's POVI'm a designer, so there was nothing wrong with the red dress that looked glamorous and glittered under the light. Over the years, I've gotten used to making all sorts of clothes, including something similar to this sexy dress seen in front of me.The problem was that I had never worn a dress that was cut low in the front and too revealing in the back. All the models I've hired have used dresses made by me, but this time, I'm like a model who can't help but wear clothes that don't match the clothes I usually wear.I don't know what mom, or maybe my dad, was planning to do with this dress. I was never given the chance to complain, so all I could do was accept their orders as usual.I knew that, in the end, my purpose for being in this family was to be courted by a big family that could be useful to the Varma Family in the future. Perhaps there was already a man who had personally asked me to wear a dress like this, or they just wanted to change things up since they hadn
Catherine's POVI was falling. I was sure I felt pain where my arm had been hit and heard a ripping sound that I knew was coming from my dress, but there was something strange. My body doesn't feel pain at all, but rather, there's something quite soft holding me back from falling.I looked down and realized that someone had caught me in our stacked position. I turned my head to look at the person's face. It was Edwin.I could only stay transfixed by his calm face. His hazel eyes captivated me again, and I couldn't move from my position for a few moments. But then I remembered the tearing sound coming from my dress and finally saw the existence of the tear with widened eyes.The man's voice was also heard. "Are you going to continue being on top of me?""Sorry," I said and immediately stepped away from him.The two cats I had managed to grab had already jumped down from my hands, made loud noises as if in protest, exhausted themselves, and chose to stay a few steps away from us. The ma
Catherine's POVI was already in the car with my family.My father seemed to be in a good mood and looked at me and then spoke. "I didn't know that you could really get close to Edwin Duncan, Catherine. That's a very good thing. Why didn't you ever tell me?"I looked at the man, who looked completely different from his rigid and hard facial expression. Apparently, he could show me different things on his face and in his words, as long as I was his son, if I did what he wanted."Sorry, Father." I only said that in response.He started talking about something else regarding a man I wasn't really close to. My mother and brother were also involved in the conversation, but I wasn't listening at all.I only knew that they were still talking about the things that happened at the party, especially all the things related to that guy. I knew that my parents really wanted a son-in-law who had a strong position among conglomerate families like ours.Not only would it be useful to raise the status
Catherine's POVI was walking with Benny when I saw a man walking past with one of the lecturers. They seemed to be chatting, and I was sure that the younger man was someone I knew.My steps stopped abruptly. "He's...."Benny followed the direction of my gaze, finding the man who had almost disappeared from our sight. "Oh, Edwin? What's wrong, Kate?" he asked, looking back at me."Wait here, Ben." I didn't reply to his words and quickly walked away.The man was already almost out of sight after rounding the corner, so I quickly caught up with him even though Benny called out to me several times behind me. I wanted to say something to him after we had to part ways at the party without saying anything to each other.My father was engaging the man in conversation, and I could only stand and watch the two, my brother, who was trying to blend in, and my mother, who was just standing by my father's side as usual without saying anything.I managed to catch up with Edwin, but the man still se
Benny's POVSince my first meeting with Catherine, I've been attracted to her. She was an angel who made my heart flutter, even when we were too young to understand the meaning of love between a man and a woman.I liked her smile, pure white teeth, and the dimples I used to see when she smiled.She was a good woman, too. Since childhood, she has been very friendly with everyone. Although at first she was shy, after getting used to meeting many people, she was able to mingle with anyone. There wasn't anyone who wasn't friends with her or at least exchanged greetings when they passed each other.After being friends for quite a while, I finally learned about the various things this woman had to go through in her family. She was the first child, but because she was a woman, Catherine had no meaning in her family other than being a tool for her family's benefit.She was constantly pressured by her family. She did things she didn't want to do and only followed orders if she wanted to surviv
Catherine's POVEdwin was still next to me. He exhaled while his face looked unfriendly and cold as usual. Still, even with all that, the man did not immediately deny my words aloud or dismiss them with ridicule.He didn't look at me but clearly spoke to me when he finally opened his mouth and spoke with his friend. "So you consider me an ally."I nodded.All this time, I had only thought of him as an annoying guy. He knows his position well and sometimes puts obvious boundaries on others. I didn't think he could make himself any friendlier than the people at the party or the students on campus, but he wasn't as cold as I thought.He had done me a favour, and I also felt quite comfortable when talking to the man who was always straightforward. Nothing felt fake in our friendship, which he had yet to fully acknowledge, so I felt he could be my ally."I feel that we are getting closer. So, Duncan, if there's anything I need, you should do me a favour." I smiled. "Whatever it is."The ma
Catherine's POVI was at the party. This party was tedious, like the official high society events I'd been attending. I felt uncomfortable among many people I didn't know well. Still, everyone who greeted me acted as if we had known each other for a long time.I knew they were just acting politely, following every action everyone in high society should follow. Still, I also felt that their actions were fake. I never knew what they talked about other than greeting me because I belonged to something other than the inner circle of the supposed upper class.My father might know, but I also had no interest and chose to remain in the outer circle that could only see whatever could be seen.I held my wrist as I exhaled. No one else had any intention of greeting me again, and neither did I. I already felt bloated from drinking wine in between events, so I didn't know what else to do while waiting for the event to end.My gaze shifted, spotting one of the empty verandas and finally heading the
Benny's POVI was looking for Catherine around campus.She was usually in a project room doing her own work, but she was nowhere to be seen. I checked the room she usually used and then a few other rooms, to the surprise of a few people.I apologized and continued to search around there for a while.My search turned to the classrooms used by her department, but she still needed to be seen. She was supposed to let me know if there was a schedule change or if she was leaving early, but I still need to get that from her."Could she be in the library?" I asked myself.I was busy, but I had seen her enter or leave the library several times in the past few days. I always went up to her at those times if I could, but sometimes I just said hello to her before walking away to finish my business.I never found out why or asked her directly. Still, perhaps she was looking for a new atmosphere after only doing her assignments alone for some time, other than the group assignments, which were both
Catherine's POVA week had passed. After that incident, the things Edwin talked about made me feel that the guy wasn't so bad after my first bad impression of him.He was still cold and annoying, but we had met several times, either by accident or because our classes were near each other on several occasions. Although our class schedules are different, the end times are pretty close.This time, I accidentally saw that guy who was in the library and quite close to the transparent window. I tried to attract his attention from the outside, but he didn't look at me and was still focused on the book he was reading.With a smile, I finally walked in and sat down in front of him, putting down the lecture book that was previously in my arms and looking at him. At that moment, he seemed to notice my presence and looked at me."Why are you sitting here?" he asked in a low voice and frowned.I was still smiling, following his way of speaking while flipping through my book. "You're not waiting fo
Catherine's POVThe things Edwin said surprised me. I was thinking of freedom when I said the previous thing, but I didn't say it directly until I felt like he could read my mind.He smiled faintly, but I could see in his gaze that it wasn't a smile at all but something more akin to sadness that I had only seen once before. The man chuckled, shifting his gaze to another direction."Whether you're a man or a woman, freedom is a difficult thing to obtain."I was silent but intrigued by his words. All this time, I only knew that my family life on the female side had always been stuck with the male side, so I didn't really care about the things that men had to face.Men always got the upper hand and the favor of everyone more easily than women unless the woman followed the Varma family rules to the letter.Sarah never told me about her family, while Benny only listened to my stories so far, so I didn't know it too well.Maybe things weren't that different in other families, so he could sa
Catherine's POVI don't know how I ended up in this situation, where I just followed my father's words to attend a high society meeting and then met Edwin by chance.That man had the same expression as me. He looked bored, listening to the words of the people around him who were actually of a similar age to us. Their words were mostly unconvincing and more like lies.I drank the tea in my cup, took a sip and bumped into the man unintentionally. I ignored him, pretending that I didn't recognise him or realise that we had locked eyes. I could still feel his directed gaze on me.I should have been able to mingle more if I really wanted to follow my father's words so that our family could expand our connections and look for other potential husbands, but I couldn't do that at all. I could only join the gathering and listen to every word of the people who took turns talking.I came out of the restroom after finishing my business, staring at the meeting room that seemed crowded with the peop
Edwin's POVThe thing that always made me remember Catherine was her innocence, like a child or an adult who still acted naively among many people who had other traits that were unpleasant to look at.In a way, I felt that she was annoying. She was too meddlesome and found it difficult to follow the words of others, and her daily life didn't seem to be far from her own carelessness.I knew that she was quite active in class and had taken on the role of class president several times in some courses, but she also didn't always show the role of a class president who should be able to manage herself well and without any mistakes.Is it normal for there to be students like her? She wasn't acting like she should. I wondered and wondered to myself about the existence of that woman who had caught my attention.She was bothering me in that way.I always did everything perfectly. There was nothing I wanted to miss, no mistakes or details. I always made sure my work had no flaws, and I had to be
Edwin's POVI was already in the car, looking at the suit that Catherine had given me a moment ago.I noticed that the appearance of the suit was not at all similar to the suit I lent her, but it was good enough to wear. In between my daydreams, my attention was slightly distracted by the memory of that woman's face when I found out she was eavesdropping and hurriedly handed me this new suit.She was so stubborn.I knew that she followed me after I deliberately ignored her voice calling my name, but I didn't know that she could eavesdrop on conversations that had nothing to do with her. I exhaled, already putting the suit back into its box and stuffing it into the paper bag. "She's a pretty annoying woman."I started the car, exiting the campus grounds to head home.There was no denying that the annoying woman was also quite interesting and easy to remember. As many said, she was a beautiful woman who provided a boundary for the people around her, but not all.There are other rumors
Catherine's POVEdwin was receiving a declaration of love.I realized that when I heard the words of the woman who was looking at him expectantly. She seemed to be waiting for his answer, but he was silent. I moved my body slightly, looking at the woman who had not completely given up.I couldn't help but listen to the woman who again said something else to declare her love for the man."I'm not doing this suddenly. We've been together many times, and I'm always comfortable when I'm with you," she explained.Her gaze seemed to be trying to captivate the man in front of her, who seemed to flinch. "I remember that you also helped me with my assignments recently. That was very helpful. I want us to get to know each other better after we start this relationship, Edwin."I listened to everything and watched silently. After a while, I was finally able to recognize the woman who turned out to be from the White Family. Many men liked her and even received proposals for marriage, but she had d