Catherine insisted on walking back to Wesley’s villa to supervise the renovation progress.She stayed on-site the entire day. Wesley dropped by in the afternoon to hand out gifts as a token of appreciation for the staff’s effort.She was overwhelmed by the thick envelope placed in her hands. “President Lyons, this gift is probably more than I deserve.”“It’s simply a small token of appreciation.” He studied her face briefly. “You look unwell. Are you ill?”“Probably just a common cold.”“Take the day off and get some rest. I believe the renovation will progress on schedule. I’m not a mean boss.” His voice was soft and gentle. She nodded. An outsider was more thoughtful than Shaun who lived together with her.Shaun had not enquired how she was feeling at all.He probably hated her to the core now, so why would he be bothered?A woman could not possibly live happily with an inconsiderate man, right?“Thanks, President Lyons.”She nodded again and began to take her leave.She
It had been one hour since Shaun returned home from work yet there were still no signs of Catherine. She did not even care about Fudge anymore. It appeared she was really pushing the limit.“Come on, Fudge. Come shopping for fruits with me.”He carried the cat into his arms.Fudge meowed a couple of times to object. The pregnant cat refused to go out, but he brought her along anyway.There were several stores located by the main entrance of the neighborhood. Shaun walked into a fruit store absent-mindedly. He looked and inspected the fruits for some time but was unsure of what to buy.Why was Catherine not home yet?The lady boss of the fruit store standing by the door was secretly admiring the exceptionally handsome young man.What was going on here? He had been circling the store more times than she could count but had not bought anything. She also noticed he kept throwing glances toward the door. Could it be possible that he was interested in her but was shy to ask her out?
“I know that I’m your wife by law, but have you ever treated me like one?” Catherine scoffed. “In your opinion, I’m nothing more than a shameless woman, more inferior to anyone you know.”Including Ethan and Rebecca.If that was the case, why did she have to compromise?Shaun was infuriated by her overbearing behavior. “It’s good that you know that…”“That’s right. I didn’t know this before and kept thinking I might stand a chance. Just leave me alone from now on! We’re only in a contract marriage anyway. We wouldn’t even have crossed paths if I hadn’t forced myself into living here.”“At least you remember that you forced your way into this.” His tone was harsh. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you either. I just don’t want to be contaminated by the dirty disease you bring home after contracting it from elsewhere.”Ha… Dirty.She felt the blood rushing to the top of her head. Her body was visibly shaking by now.She had planned to stay until Fudge gave birth to the ki
Catherine was finally free.40 minutes later, she appeared at Freya’s place.The latter’s hair was disheveled. She yawned sleepily at the unexpected guest. “Got into an argument again? How many days do you plan on staying here this time?”“It’s serious this time. I’m not going back there again.” Catherine changed into home slippers before entering.“You’re kidding. You sacrificed your marriage and now you’ve changed your mind?”She pursed her pale lips before forcing a bitter smile. “Not every deal guarantees profits. I’ll think of it as a failed investment.”Freya’s jaw dropped to the ground. “Are you serious?”“Yup.” Catherine plopped herself on the couch. She still looked unwell and exhausted. “I’m tired. Really, really tired.”Freya frowned. “Have you caught a cold?”“Yup.” Catherine fought back the tears that were forming in her eyes. “Everyone noticed it apart from him. I also wish to be cared for and looked after. Even if he’s Ethan’s uncle, I can’t possibly earn Rebecc
Golf course.Boom! Shaun swung the golf club and the ball instantly vanished into the distance.Chase, who was standing by the side, felt the passing breeze and shivered uncontrollably.Since Catherine left his side, Shaun had been acting sullenly like this every day. Chase was going mad over this.“Catherine hasn’t returned yet?”“It’s none of my business if she’s dead or alive.” Shaun gave a snort of contempt before walking to the front. His stomach began to grumble all of a sudden.Chase scratched the tip of his nose. “I know you’re used to her food, but you can’t starve yourself now that she has left…”“I’m not,” Shaun replied, sounding evidently annoyed. “I can finally keep fit now that she has left.”“...”Chase was shocked. He had not discovered this side of his friend before.He suddenly admired Catherine for being able to live with that man for so long. He would have gone mad after a few days.“The day after tomorrow is Rebecca and Ethan’s engagement party. Catherin
“Hey, that’s not nice. You’re so different from First Young Lady Jones although both of you are from the same family.”“Exactly! First Young Lady Jones even brought us coffee and tea earlier. You’ve been brought up by the Jones couple since birth yet your manners pale in comparison.”Catherine narrowed her eyes.A handsome young man dressed in a gray suit came to her rescue. The intimidation was evident in his voice.“Today’s an important day for the Jones and Lowe families. Many honorable guests will show up to this event, including Cindy Turner. Yet the group of you have ambushed a weak girl to embarrass her. Is she an artist or an online influencer? Since you like to interview her so much, why don’t you all work together to make her the next online sensation?”The tall man’s outfit naturally exuded an imposing manner. The reporters dispersed gradually, and a bubble of laughter escaped Catherine’s lips.“Not bad, President Jackson. You’ve become different after taking over th
“Officer Chandler, this is my other darling daughter, Catherine. She’s not only courageous but also kind and upright. Not long ago, she even cooperated with the police and went undercover to take down a group that makes illegal videos. Sigh, my eldest is getting married soon but my youngest is still single. I hope she gets married soon as well. Don’t you have a younger son available too…”A flurry of emotions chased across Officer Chandler’s face in quick succession. Everyone in Melbourne knew Catherine had almost gotten raped on the live stream. No family would dare to take her in anymore. “Oh, right, she sounds like a nice girl. It’s a shame my younger son is already in a relationship. Hey, isn’t that Chairman Wright? It’s been a long time.”Officer Chandler made an excuse and walked away quickly.Jeffery said in disappointment, “Don’t worry, Cathy. I’ll find you a good husband today.”Nonchalance was written all over Catherine’s face. She had already given up hope on this coup
Catherine turned to look at Rebecca before chuckling again.“You’re secretly jealous that I’m prettier than you, right? Say it outright instead of trying to throw subtle hints left and right all the time. After all, you only have to say it and someone else will do the dirty work for you, isn’t it? Then you can go off pretending to be weak and innocent again.”“Catherine, that’s not what I mean. I’m genuinely complimenting you.” Tears of grievance were slowly welling up in Rebecca’s eyes.Ethan could not watch this any longer. “Catherine, haven’t you had enough? You’re the only one being harsh to Rebecca since the beginning.”“There, someone is stepping up to protect you now.” The corners of Catherine’s lips twitched into a meaningful smile.Ethan widened his eyes in rage. Jeffery finally spoke up, “Alright, we still have guests around. Catherine, go to the private room to keep your Grandma company. Come out again when the ceremony starts.”“I’ll leave after seeing Grandma…”“You