Chapter 3: The first step was successful

The recruitment round of Flying Star Company ended. Katherine was sitting on the bus still waiting for the acceptance email. However, 3 days had passed, the result was still nothing.

 

That day - seeing Louis for the first time after 7 years, he was still the same. His handsome appearance and every gesture exuded a special elegance that made people attracted. However, there was only one difference. His attitude towards her was no longer the same and his cold gaze whenever he turned to her.

 

Thinking of Louis, Katherine couldn't help but feel heartache. But she knew, she had no right to grieve because this path was her choice.

 

She decided to leave. She left the beautiful youth and the boy she loved to pursue a bigger goal.

 

And she had been fighting over this goal for 7 years.

 

The bus passed the towering building of the Hologram company. The TV screen on the bus showed the latest news from this morning: “Last week, according to statistics, Hologram company increased by 6.5 million dollars for blockchain-based avatars that you can use in video calls…”

 

The Hologram company changed its business path in 7 years so far. However, perhaps the company had not kept up with the constantly changing market and updated technology trends, the products offered didn’t have too many breakthroughs. The recent achievement was considered an important step forward, making up for the regret in the hearts of customers towards the image of the old company.

 

Katherine stared at the screen, then turned to look at the majestic skyscraper. Her hands on her thighs suddenly tightened. The expression on her face turned cold.

 

With a company as powerful as Hologram, the only thing that could confront and destroy it was the Flying Star.

 

It was getting dark. Katherine got off the bus and entered the back door of a luxurious restaurant. The surroundings were quiet. There were no people because she was the first employee to arrive.

 

When she returned to S city, she was still working as a freelancer. During the day, she accepted to run projects suitable to her expertise, and in the evening she would go to a restaurant to work part-time. Because this was a 3-star Michelin restaurant, it required so many criteria from waiters. Moreover, the salary was also quite high. Just 1 month working here was enough for her to pay the rent and simple living.

 

At the moment, she had to hide as much as possible because she had returned to S city, which was her hometown and also her battlefield. She passed up many recruitment opportunities to wait for the chance to apply for the position of secretary of Flying Star Corporation.

 

After changing the waitress's clothes, she just went out, the manager stood there to tell her:

 

“Katherine, a VIP guest booked a room on the second floor. They’ve come, you go to serve."

 

Katherine nodded, carrying a menu and tablet upstairs. Standing in front of the room door, she knocked twice until a voice inside agreed to let her in, she gently pushed the door open, smiling warmly:

 

“Hello. Here’s a menu. Would you like to order now?"

 

"Yes, please. Let me see."

 

A gorgeously dressed beautiful woman received the menu from Katherine. Her whole body exuded a seductive fragrance, and her voice was also extremely sweet.

 

As soon as this woman finished ordering, the door was opened, and a tall man entered.

 

This woman saw him, happily stood up, and called, "Louis!"

 

The two met, tenderly hugged, and then placed a soft kiss on each other's cheeks. He helped her sit down and then sat in his place, saying:

 

“Catherine, the tour went well, right? I see the media constantly reporting about you.”

 

Katherine was startled for a moment, rolling her eyes slightly at Louis, but he wasn’t referring to her. Since he entered this room, she became invisible.

 

That's right, how could Katherine not realize that this beautiful woman was recently the popular pop singer - Catherine Watson?

 

Coincidentally, her name and this female singer only differed by the first letter.

 

Catherine Watson smiled and replied, “Of course, it went well. I didn't think my fans would come so many, I'm really happy."

 

“Ah yes, here is the menu. Would you like to order something else?”

 

Louis pushed the menu to the edge of the table, and said, "It’s alright."

 

Seeing that these two distinguished guests finished ordering, she went from the corner of the room to the side of the table to check the dishes with Catherine again.

 

At this point, Louis William saw her dumbfounded. The gentleness on his face disappeared, and he frowned slightly, looking at her in her waitress uniform.

 

Seeing that his hand was still on the menu, she had to gently remind him, "Sir, let me get the menu back."

 

“Louis, you know that girl?” Catherine looked at the back of the waitress until she left the room, puzzling.

 

Louis William looked at Catherine, and shook his head, "No."

 

While eating, Louis had a phone call to go out. He walked to the end of the hallway on the second floor, choosing a quiet place by the window. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass from the nearest room caught his attention.

 

The door of the room was ajar, and the pale yellow light inside shone outside.

 

After that, a loud laugh resounded.

 

"Lady, let’s have a drink with us, I'll give you a lot of tips."

 

“You sir, the dishes are all served. I'll call someone to clean up the broken glass for you."

 

This man didn’t seem satisfied, growled, and said, "I said you stay here to drink. You don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."

 

"Leave me out." The scream was full of struggle as if the waitress was being controlled.

 

Louis was not a person who liked to meddle in other people's affairs, but this voice… Even if he died, he couldn’t forget it.

 

Thinking of Katherine who had just appeared in front of him in a waitress suit, Louis didn’t hesitate any longer, hang up the phone, and opened the door to go inside.

 

The scene inside was extremely chaotic. Broken glass scattered on the ground. Katherine was hugged by a strange man. She seemed to have tried so many times but not succeeded. Two other men were happily drinking and watching this scene as a hilarious play.

 

Seeing someone rushing in, a man rudely said, “F*ck! Who's the goddamn b**ch in here? Get out of my room.”

 

"Let me free, or I'll call the police!" Katherine grasped the opportunity to call for help.

 

Louis frowned, why would such a luxurious restaurant accommodate such people?

 

He coldly said, "Let go of that girl."

 

The two people who were drinking could no longer enjoy themselves, put down their glasses, and stood up with an aggressive look, "I advise you best not to meddle in other people's business. There's no point in calling the police."

 

Louis Williams laughed. His face was scary like a devil's. He put his hands in his pants pockets. His voice was very gentle but threatening:

 

“You’re Christian, the accounting manager at Hologram company, right? If you aren’t afraid of the police, what will happen if I report today's incident to the press?"

 

The man holding Katherine tightly was Christian. When Louis said that, his face suddenly turned pale, and he pushed her away.

 

The ground was full of broken glass. Katherine lost momentum and fell forward. Louis stood there but couldn’t help her in time. By the time he helped her up, pieces of glass were embedded in her arms, red blood slowly seeping out.

 

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Louis shouted angrily, clutching Katherine in his lap.

 

Christian, looking at this tragic scene, was also frightened, stammering:

 

"She accidentally falls on the glass, not because of me."

 

With that, he signaled to his two friends to escape from the room together.

 

However, Louis was completely angry. He slammed the door shut, pulled out his cell phone, and called the police. These three men paled as soon as they heard his name.

 

Louis William.

 

The name sounded familiar… Wasn’t it the name of the Flying Star company’s CEO that they would be signing the contract with tomorrow morning?

 

Appearing in a luxurious restaurant, from appearance to demeanor… But how could a CEO like him know this waitress and protect her?

 

Christian gradually regained his composure, trying to reconcile:

 

“It’s all just a misunderstanding. We can slowly negotiate with each other. After all, this girl hasn't said anything yet, right?"

 

"Negotiate? Will negotiation help her hand not get hurt? You wait here for the police to come. Tomorrow, the Hologram company does not need to send people to sign contracts for the upcoming project.”

 

When Christian heard that, he was afraid to lose his limbs and turned to look at his friend for help. All is in vain because Louis just took Katherine out of the room.

 

Katherine was put in the car by Louis, she wanted to push him and said:

 

“No, it's working hours right now. I can't go out."

 

However, Louis didn’t listen. He fastened her seat belt and closed the door, himself in the driver's seat, driving straight to the hospital.

 

He turned to look at her in pain with the wound, his tone was a bit reproachful but still very gentle:

 

“Injured like that, you still think about work? You care about those little wages more than yourself, right?”

 

“Little wages? It can keep me alive for a month.”

 

Louis observed her disapproval, a bit frustrated:

 

“In these restaurants, there are all kinds of people. Are you just gritting your teeth and enduring it? You weren't a person who was easily bullied before? And about the scar on your wrist?”

 

Katherine looked outside. She was silent for a moment before answering:

 

“I have no choice. My current job is the best for me. Besides, you don't know how I've lived these past 7 years. Seven years on, of course, I will have to change.”

 

Louis suddenly felt stiff, he didn’t know how to respond to her.

 

She was right. It was clear that he didn’t know where she had been for the past 7 years and how she lived.

 

The fact she changed her identity and returned like that was a huge question mark for him.

 

He looked at her, and gently continued, "With your CV, it's obviously not difficult to find a good company."

 

Katherine now turned to face him, suddenly showing a gentle smile, "I already submitted my CV to your company, right? You still rejected me, didn’t you?"

 

“Why must it be my company?” Louis asked back.

 

"Because then I can approach you, and become your girlfriend."

 

“Are you scared that you’ll fall in love with me again?” Katherine continued asking.

 

Suddenly, Louis pulled over to the side of the road. His whole body leaned toward her, grasping her slim chin, the two of them so close that they could hear each other's breaths.

 

“Are you sure? Why do you have such great confidence?” Louis wondered.

 

He continued, “But I’m so sorry. The only answer I can give you is that… Never.”

 

Katherine put an arm around his neck, "How will you know if you don't try?"

 

Louis burst out laughing, his face now alluring. He said, "Okay, then you can come to work tomorrow. Give you 2 months, I look forward to what you can do."

 

Katherine with a sweet voice whispered in his ear: "Okay."