Chapter 10

Catherine forced out a self-deprecating smile.

Ever since joining the company, not once had she pulled rank. She always worked with much caution and conscientiousness.

She would be the last one to leave the office every day, working overtime and treating everyone else with respect at all times. It was unexpected that things would end up like this.

After leaving the company, she walked around the area alone without a specific destination in mind.

During that time, Ethan called her a few times but she refused to answer his calls.

She headed back to Jadeite Bay after buying some snacks and ingredients from the supermarket.

As soon as she stepped foot into the house, Fudge came forward to greet her while wagging its tail in the air.

She patted the cat on its head and murmured, “Fudge, you’re the only one left that likes me now.”

“Meow,” the cat replied. It closed its eyes in satisfaction, giving the woman full permission to stroke it.

The corners of her lips twitched into a smile. “I bet you want some dried fish snacks, don’t you? I’ll get you some.”

Shaun was not home even in the afternoon. Both the woman and the cat enjoyed a simple lunch. Then, she threw herself onto the couch and began searching for work on her laptop.

10 p.m. at night, Shaun returned to a brightly-lit living room.

Over on the couch, Catherine was in the middle of feeding Fudge a small piece of chip.

“Is this the kind of trash you feed my cat when I’m not home?”

His handsome features coldly scanned the table full of snacks. There were bags of chips, spicy fries, cheese, chocolate biscuits…

A tiny smear of chocolate was even found on Fudge’s whiskers.

“I just fed Fudge a tiny bit. A real tiny bit.” She gestured with her thumb and index finger, showing just how little it was. “Fudge keeps pestering me to give her some, so I had no choice but—”

“What does a cat know? Shouldn’t an adult human like you know better?” Annoyed, he swept everything on the table into the trash can. “Don’t eat trash like these in the house anymore. I don’t like the smell.”

Catherine looked at the snacks inside the trash can with a grimace. Oh God, she could not fathom how a person could actually be disgusted by the smell of snacks.

What a weirdo!

Nonetheless, reality forced her to twitch her lips into a flattering smile. “You’re right, Shaunny. These are trash. I’ll listen to you and stop eating them.”

“Take a look at yourself in the mirror and see how pretentious you are.”

The man could not be bothered. He picked the cat up and retreated to his bedroom.

“Shaunny, you had a long day. Are you hungry? Should I cook something for you? I make really delicious pasta.”

She shamelessly followed after him in tiny steps.

He paused in his tracks. The food served in the restaurant he went to earlier for the business meeting was so spicy that he barely ate any. His stomach grumbled a little upon hearing her suggestion.

She seized the man’s brief hesitation and offered right away, saying, “I’ll make some pasta right now. Go on and have your shower.”

He looked over his shoulder to throw her a quick glance. The soft orange light shining on her from the top made her appear lovelier and warmer than usual.

15 minutes later, Catherine showed up by the door of the master bedroom holding a bowl of pasta.

She knocked on the door, but there was no reply.

Left with no better choice, she opened the door slightly. “Shaunny, the food’s ready.”

There was no one in the room. A faint outline of the man’s silhouette could be seen on the frosted glass of the shower.

Dazed by the sight, she could not help imagining how the man would look without clothes on.

Both her cheeks reddened at the creation of her imagination.

Ah, hold on, she should not be thinking about this.

Just when she was about to turn around and leave, the frosted glass door was pushed open.

Shaun stepped out of it, undressed. However, there was a towel that was casually tied around his waist. His hair, still damp from the shower, sent droplets of water trickling down his chiseled jaw, all the way down to his chest.

Her gaze slowly moved downward, following the motion of the water droplets. She gasped.

It was anticipated that he had a nice build, but she did not expect his body to be this good.

He had the perfect wheatish skin tone, not to mention the toned muscles that made up his body. The man was not exaggeratedly muscular like a bodybuilder, but every part of his body was defined.

The fit body exuded a manly charm that only a matured man possessed. She lowered her gaze further and noticed his perfectly toned waist.

“Have you seen enough?”

The man’s husky voice suddenly rang in her ears.

Catherine gathered herself instantly. She could feel the heat burning in her cheeks.

She pretty much grew up seeing Ethan’s impeccable handsome face. How could she let herself be carried away after just looking at another man?

Useless.

“I… I’m here to deliver your food. Hurry up and eat it or the pasta is going to clump together soon.”

She put the bowl away immediately. Just when she was leaving the room, she walked on the edge of the mat and tripped. She lost her balance and fell forward.

In the span of that few seconds, she thought she had grabbed hold of something but still fell face down to the ground nonetheless.

Fortunately, she landed on the mat, so it did not hurt too much.

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing that entered her sight was the man’s long legs and...