Ch. 161..170

Chapter 161 Threats

In Korbin’s eyes, the most hateful trait of Catherine was her arrogance, coldness, and haughtiness. He hated her for that. As the legitimate son of the Swanns, he spent the first half of his life working tirelessly for the Swanns.

He was forever subordinate to Vicente, whose word was law at the Swann Corporation. However, he was not angry or worried.

In his understanding, he perceived himself as the future heir of the Swanns and firmly believed that the Swanns would ultimately be his possession. Finally, he witnessed the passing of Vicente.

The passing of his biological father at his age brought about sadness, but there was not as much deep attachment. Furthermore, he contemplated the future.

With a blueprint for the future of the Swann Corporation entirely under his control, he would undoubtedly lead the Swann Corporation toward a better future.

Korbin had planned it all out but didn’t expect Vicente to play tricks on him before passing away. It was like Vicente invited the devil to him.

Korbin resented the cruelty of his father toward him. At the same time, he ridiculed his father’s foolishness in having introduced such a country girl to disgust him.

“Does father really think that by arranging for a lawyer, Leonel Bolton, to be by this girl’s side, he can help her turn everything around? “She will never escape me.

“How can a little naive girl like her compete with me?” said Korbin inwardly. Not considering Catherine as a threat did not imply that he did not hate her.

Over the past few days, Catherine’s actions had left him quite dissatisfied. Korbin raised his head with a stern expression and cold gaze, roaring angrily, “How dare you come back? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused?”

Facing Korbin’s rage, Catherine calmly walked forward and pulled out a chair for herself to sit in front of Korbin casually.

She let out a soft chuckle, her eyes slightly raised, and her gaze fell straight on Korbin. “Father, if I understand your words correctly, it means you did not call me back, did you?”

Korbin immediately got angry. He had been on the verge of losing control but then thought of the stubborn nature of the girl, as well as the conditions set by the Wales. He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

“I won’t bother you with this, but I asked you to come back because you still have blood ties to the Swanns. Do you know Nash Wale, the only son of the Wales? By offending him, you’re essentially offending the entire Wales. Do you understand?”

“Oh, is that so?” Catherine tilted her head with a strange smirk on the corner of her mouth as she looked at Korbin. “Father, so you intend to fight against the Wales for my sake, right?”

The mockery in her tone was not masked in the slightest. If Korbin couldn’t detect it, he would have wasted his years of experience.

He held a deep hatred for Catherine in his heart. Giving her a hateful look, he said, “Don’t think that you can deal with the Wales just because you know Bryan. Nash is the legitimate son of the Wales, while Bryan is only from a branch of the Duncans. You need to be mindful of the difference.”

Catherine wanted to laugh. She wanted to ask Korbin what would happen if not only Bryan but also Branden were with her. “After all, he can be considered my fiancé,” thought Catherine.

She had heard that Korbin’s heart was not in great condition. Catherine decided to swallow her words to prevent him from having a heart attack. It went against her nature to commit patricide.

“So, what do you think I should do, father?” Catherine asked Korbin in return. Such were the words that Korbin was waiting for. Because Catherine proactively suggested it, his tone calmed down slightly without the previous irritability.

“You must go to the school tomorrow and retract those submitted documents. Inform the school authorities that they were all fabricated by you and are not genuine evidence!” said he.

“To falsify actual evidence and publicly admit to doing so in front of the school authorities. Father, you intend to make me an outcast in this school. Slandering a classmate is not a trivial matter. Even if I bear the sole responsibility, the lightest punishment I can expect is expulsion, isn’t it?” asked Catherine.

Catherine calmly stated all the possible events that could occur. She was aware of Korbin’s ulterior motives.

“It is likely that someone from the Wales has made a deal with the Swanns. In order to get some benefits, Korbin has agreed to the request of the Wales.

“At the same time, it is well-known that Bryan is involved in this matter. To avoid offending the Duncans, he wants to sacrifice me to satisfy his own need,” thought Catherine.

Korbin’s thoughts were exposed, but he showed no hint of embarrassment on his face. He solemnly followed Catherine’s words. “What’s the matter of being expelled? I can always find another school for you. Casier is so big. Do you think there won’t be a place for you to study? Don’t worry. As long as you do as I say, I will take care of the arrangements for you, and the impact will be minimal!”

This statement sounded even more effortless than simply dismissing a beggar. Catherine let out a soft laugh with a chilly tone in her voice, making Korbin feel a bit uneasy. He couldn’t figure out how this girl could laugh so creepily.

“What are you laughing at, you silly girl? There’s nothing to ponder about. Just do as I said tomorrow!”

Korbin didn’t know why he couldn’t bring himself to meet Catherine’s gaze directly. He always felt a sense of guilt whenever he caught sight of this girl.

Faced with the dominance of Korbin, Catherine remained remarkably composed from beginning to end, not even showing the slightest hint of emotion on her face.

She spoke gently, not sounding like someone involved but rather an onlooker. “Father, since you think it’s so easy, claiming it has no impact, why don’t you advise the Wales to change a school?”

With just a sentence, it immediately stirred up the anger in Korbin’s heart. His face instantly darkened, and he glared at Catherine with an ashen complexion, struggling to control his raging temper as he slammed the table and shouted angrily. “You ungrateful child, are you ignoring me when I speak to you?

“I spoke to you nicely, but you didn’t listen. You’re forcing me to get angry. Let me tell you, if you don’t go to school tomorrow and handle the matter, I’ll…”

Before he could finish, Catherine cut him off coldly, saying, “You’ll what?” Korbin was infuriated by her and was about to speak up, but he found nothing that could threaten Catherine.

In his silence, Catherine spoke on his behalf. “All you can do is drive me out of the Swanns, but don’t forget who the real owner of the Swanns is now.”

With just a simple sentence, Korbin almost passed out from infuriation. As she watched Korbin exaggeratedly gasp for air, Catherine didn’t feel any sympathy for him. She initially didn’t want to make Korbin angry like this. But it served him right for pushing his luck too far.

“Then don’t blame me for being ruthless with my words,” said Catherine inwardly. “I will withdraw my accusations against Nash Wale if two conditions are met!” she added.

Korbin gradually calmed down and took deep breaths to adjust his pace before eventually speaking up.” Alright, tell me the conditions!!”

Chapter 162 Conditions

Catherine’s conditions were not challenging. She sat with her hands folded on the table, emanating a cold aura. Her cold and distant gaze lingered on Korbin casually, but it brought Korbin an inexhaustible sense of oppression, making him instinctively feel a kind of fear toward Catherine.

“First of all, someone needs to be held accountable for this. But it’s definitely not me who should take responsibility. It should be those guys from the Student Union. I can just let go of it. The rest is left to them.”

Korbin hesitated momentarily, fully aware that this might be the Wales’ bottom line. The bottom line for the Wales was to protect Nash and ensure that he was not heavily influenced. As for how to operate and at what cost, it was something only the Wales themselves could determine.

After careful consideration, Korbin nodded in agreement and said, “Okay, I agree to this condition. So, what is the second condition?”

Korbin agreed readily. Catherine also did not beat around the bush and directly stated the second condition. “Give Audrey the treatment she deserves!”

The children of the Swanns were entitled to a share of dividends from the Swann Corporation as established at the time of their birth.

This amount of money was insignificant compared to the vast wealth of the Swanns. However, it would be enough to cover the monthly income if they were in an ordinary family.

There were only two who didn’t enjoy this treatment in the Swanns. One was Catherine, who was abandoned in the countryside since childhood, and the other was Audrey. Audrey initially enjoyed all of this, but from the moment she was kicked out of the Swanns’, Korbin took it all back.

Upon hearing this condition, Korbin was a bit surprised. He originally thought that Catherine would fight for her own benefit, but he didn’t expect her to be sticking up for Audrey instead.

Thinking about having to spend more money, and on top of that, on a useless and disobedient daughter, Korbin felt a little distressed. However, the benefits from the Wales were more cost-effective.

“Okay, I agree!”

Seeing how readily Korbin agreed, Catherine guessed that the Wales must have spent a fortune this time. After examining the information found by Ronin, Catherine concluded that there was no stain on Nash.

Her younger sister, on the other hand, was quite greedy. With the thought of Liana’s reaction in the afternoon, Catherine had a clear understanding in her heart.

“The Wales boy seemed quite sentimental,” said she inwardly. Korbin found it irritating to see Catherine now that all the tasks had already been completed.

He didn’t want to see Catherine’s loathsome face for even a moment longer, so he waved his hand at her directly, trying to drive her away.

“Okay, you can leave now!”

He was unwilling to see Catherine. Catherine was also reluctant to stay. Before he could even finish his sentence, Catherine stood up and left without saying a word, displaying an arrogant expression on her face.

Korbin was so angry that he forcefully slammed the coffee cup on the ground, making a loud noise. The security guard outside the door entered immediately to check the situation.

With a stern expression, Korbin glared angrily at the bodyguard and commanded, “Call my assistant Rusty Hunt and instruct him to keep a close eye on Catherine. We can’t afford any mistakes!”

Although he knew there was not the slightest possibility, Korbin still felt uneasy in his heart. With just over half a month left, he did not want to stir up trouble. When the half month was over, he would let everyone know who was the ruler of the Swanns.

Catherine got out of the study. As she turned the corner of the hallway, she caught sight of Audrey, whose back was turned to her.

From Audrey’s back, it could be observed that she seemed to be quite nervous. Catherine stepped forward, intending to call out to Audrey, but to her surprise, Audrey turned around.

It seemed that Audrey was caught off guard when Catherine appeared suddenly, which caused her to startle and freeze for a moment. A few seconds later, Audrey came to her senses.

She rushed forward directly, anxiously reaching out to grab Catherine’s arm. She checked Catherine up and down repeatedly, saying, “Kathy, are you okay? Did your father lay a hand on you?

Catherine’s mind went blank momentarily as she stared into Audrey’s eyes, lost in thought. Seeing her blank eyes and unfocused gaze, Audrey was really startled. She exclaimed anxiously, “Oh dear, why aren’t you speaking? You’re making me extremely worried. Do you know?”

Catherine snapped out of it and regained her focus. She was staring at Audrey with a heated gaze and with some intriguing thoughts in mind. “I’m fine. Let’s go. We’ll talk more at your place!”

“Are you really okay? Why did I hear the sound of things being smashed inside?” Audrey still felt uneasy and looked at Catherine with an anxious expression.

Catherine looked at her with a serious expression and emphasized. “I’m sure I’m fine. My father didn’t hit me. He just smashed things in his study.” After confirming several times, Audrey finally let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s fortunate that he didn’t hit you. Let him smash things if he loves to do so. After all, the Swanns have plenty of money. It’s not a big deal for them.

“Since you’re okay, let’s go. Lest some people go crazy and target you again!” said she. After Catherine was taken away, Audrey specifically got the details from Liana.

According to Liana, Catherine pissed off the Wales. So, Korbin wanted to give her a lesson and give an explanation to the Wales. How could Audrey not know Catherine?

“Catherine had always maintained a composed demeanor and avoided causing trouble. It must be that boy from the Wales who provoked her first. How dare he play the victim before the wronged party?” said Audrey inwardly.

Although she knew it had nothing to do with Catherine, Audrey also understood her father’s personality. “Even if it were Liana, he wouldn’t care, let alone Catherine, who had never been favored since childhood.

“Since the Wales had come knocking on our door, it was certain that it pertained to the interests of both families. At such times, Korbin would not hesitate to sacrifice Catherine,” said Audrey inwardly.

Therefore, she was so worried about Catherine. Now, Catherine had finally come out unharmed. Audrey’s anxious heart could finally rest easy.

Watching Audrey rushing around and even reminding her to fasten her seat belt before they got in the car, Catherine couldn’t help but laugh helplessly. “Wow, Audrey, you’re really like a babysitter!”

Upon hearing this, Audrey instantly cast a seemingly angry gaze at Catherine, assuming a commanding boss demeanor.

“Miss, how dare you make fun of your sister? Do you believe I will teach you a lesson later and make you cry?”

With a nod of her head, Catherine surrendered by raising her hands, indicating her fear. Audrey happily withdrew her hand, and the two siblings joyfully left the Swanns.

As they disappeared into the distance, Liana, who had been observing everything from a corner, finally emerged. She gazed fixedly in the direction where Catherine and Audrey had disappeared, her cold eyes filled with deep hatred.

“Performing sisterhood in front of me? Do they think I would be envious?

“It’s really ridiculous! “Just two pitiful people comforting each other. I don’t care a bit,” said she inwardly. At Audrey’s apartment.

As soon as Catherine arrived, she walked into the room before Audrey could pull her in for a chat. Audrey anxiously chased after Kathy, yelling, “What are we eating tonight? Are we going out or ordering takeout?”

Catherine responded casually, ” Whatever, I don’t mind!”

Concluding, she added, “I’m going to do my homework inside. Call me later!” After the door was closed, Audrey finally realized.

“Why is Catherine so diligent today? “Doesn’t she even bother to bring her textbooks back with her usually?” thought she.

However, she paid no heed to these matters. She needed to focus on resolving the predicament of arranging dinner for them. Since Catherine needed to do her homework, they would not go out.

Audrey would love to cook, but she was not confident in her cooking skills, let alone serving it to Catherine. To not hurt Catherine’s stomach, she ordered food for delivery.

Chapter 163 Being Attacked

Catherine entered the room, claiming she needed to do her homework. However, this was merely an excuse to deceive Audrey.

In fact, she had to deal with the affairs of the base. Their organization, Hacker Alliance, was currently under attack from cyber assailants. Furthermore, it was not just a single elite hacker attacking them but a team of hackers.

In the afternoon, Catherine had already made arrangements, and the group of hackers would have no way out tonight. Ronin initiated a video call to have a real-time conversation with Catherine.

“Boss, here comes that gang of riffraff!

Catherine turned her gaze toward the computer screen, only to find a swarm. of red attack points relentlessly targeting the firewall set up in the base.

The first wave of attack, seemingly not so fierce, was more like a probing. Those people slowly approach Catherine’s bottom line step by step, touching and exploring it continuously.

Ronin tapped on the keyboard excitedly, engaging in a fierce confrontation with the opponent. He was just like a cat chasing a mouse relentlessly. There was a mischievous smile on the young boy’s fair and slightly tender face. His clear eyes were filled with a glamorous yet excited radiance.

“Boss, they aren’t good at all! Look, they can’t even catch me. How dare they challenge you?”

He was the vanguard. If the attacker failed to pass even this obstacle, it went without saying that they wouldn’t be able to win over Catherine.

Catherine leaned to one side, gazing at the computer screen with her stunningly beautiful face. “Ronin, you must not take this lightly!”

Catherine simply reminded him of this without saying much. Ronin grinned and shouted confidently, “Don’t worry, Boss. I know what I’m doing!”

Since he had said so, Catherine didn’t pay him further attention. Upon catching a whiff of fragrance wafting in from outside, Catherine set her computer aside and got up to walk out.

As she left, Ronin exclaimed hastily, Boss, why are you leaving? Do you not need me anymore?” Watching the drama of crying and wailing about to unfold, Catherine left a word without turning around.

“Eating!”

“Oh…” Ronin sounded sad, but he didn’t dare to stop Catherine. He just obediently reminded her, “Boss, go ahead. I’ll guard here!”

Before he could finish, the figure of Catherine had vanished without a trace. Initially, Catherine thought that Audrey would order mild dishes, but to her surprise, all she saw were red chili sauce.

“Buffalo wings?”

Catherine asked casually.

Audrey looked at Catherine with delight and said, “Kathy, your nose is really impressive. How can you tell just by smelling it? You are truly an amazing little baby!”

Faced with Audrey’s fierce praise, Catherine was left dumbfounded by her accolades. She frowned as she looked at the dishes on the table. “Is something that can be seen through with just one glance worth boasting about?” said she inwardly.

Audrey was glanced at by Catherine and belatedly realized that she might have been a bit too much exaggerated.

Her gaze was somewhat elusive. She smiled awkwardly, not daring to meet Catherine’s eyes directly. Because Catherine’s gaze always made her feel like she was a fool.

“Alright, let’s eat while it’s still hot. I stumbled upon this restaurant by chance before, and the taste is absolutely amazing. I’ve been expecting to bring you there to try it but never got the chance, so today is the perfect timing!”

Seeing the anticipation on Audrey’s face, Catherine chose not to expose her hidden agenda in changing the subject.

The flavor of New Orleans chicken wings differed from that of Buffalo wings. New Orleans chicken wings emphasized a sweet and spicy taste, while Buffalo wings emphasized a zestier flavor.

Although there were differences, for a lover of spicy food like Catherine, any spicy food was sufficient. “Kathy, come on, hurry up and eat!”

At the urging of Audrey, Catherine tasted the steak. Seeing her eating quietly without any comments, Audrey grew impatient.

“Kathy, why don’t you tell me if it tastes good?”

Catherine raised her eyebrows and glanced at Audrey, saying, “If you think it’s not delicious, do you think I will eat it?”

In Catherine’s world, there were only things she liked and disliked. There was nothing that she must like. She would not compromise easily, nor would she be forced into doing something against her will.

When she heard Catherine’s response, Audrey’s face lit up with a pleasant smile as she nodded approvingly and said thoughtfully, “You are absolutely right!”

Unlike the silent Catherine, Audrey loved to chat with familiar people. During the meal, her conversation with Catherine never ceased as she tried to find various topics to talk about.

“I also think that this restaurant is good. Although the takeout may not be as good as dining in, it saves a lot more time because I personally go there to pack it myself. There isn’t too much of a difference!”

Upon hearing this, Catherine paused momentarily and looked up with a thought flickering in her beautiful eyes.

“You said you went there to pack the food?” she asked. Without hesitation, Audrey nodded and replied, “Yes, that would be quicker and reduce the impact on the taste. “You didn’t eat much lately. I thought maybe the takeout food wasn’t tasty, so I decided to give it a try.”

Audrey spoke calmly, while Catherine appeared slightly distracted by the address on the packaging tape. The journey was nearly six miles long, and now was the time to get off work. During the peak hours, it took at least half an hour to travel to this destination.

“No wonder she had been gone for such a long time. It turned out that she personally went to pack the dishes.

“She actually noticed that I didn’t have much of an appetite lately, and she even went back and forth to make me eat a little more,” said Catherine inwardly. During this meal, Catherine ate quite a lot. Feeling happy, she naturally decided to indulge a bit more.

After finishing eating, Catherine was about to clean up the table. Seeing this, Audrey said enthusiastically, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. Aren’t you busy with your homework? Go ahead.”

Catherine initially intended to decline, but her phone, which was placed in her pocket, vibrated twice at that moment.

She abruptly stopped what she was doing and headed toward the room. Audrey couldn’t help but smile when she saw the empty food box in front of her.

“Catherine ate so much. It’s not in vain for me to come all the way to get takeout,” said she inwardly.

After spending a considerable amount of time together, she came to the understanding that Catherine’s seemingly aloof demeanor was merely a facade. Inside, Catherine concealed a kind and enthusiastic heart.

“It’s such a pity that life isn’t fair, making her face all those hardships from a young age,” said Audrey inwardly.

“She is my sister.” Thinking about these things made Audrey’s heart ache.. She decided to make amends for her parents and treat Catherine with even more kindness, letting Catherine feel the warmth of a family.

When Catherine returned to her computer, she heard Ronin’s desperate cry for help echoing. “Boss, you’re finally back. I was being bullied. Hurry up and help me!”

Seeing that Catherine was still calm and collected, Ronin emphasized once again.

“I’m really at my limit!”

Catherine gave him a disdainful look and said mockingly in a soft voice, Didn’t you say you were fine and could handle it?”

Ronin wanted to slap himself to salvage his past bragging blunders. He did not expect these hackers to be so despicable. There were so many masters behind that he ended up being defeated.

Catherine didn’t want to waste time talking nonsense to him, so she quickly joined the battle after turning on her computer.

“Mess with my people?

“Trying to provoke my network? defense “Since you’re here, don’t even think about escaping!” thought she.

Chapter 164 A Tie

In the study of the Duncans’. Paxton rushed in with his laptop and placed it in front of Branden.

“Mr. Duncan. We can no longer hold on! Upon hearing Paxton’s words, Branden was somewhat surprised. It was unexpected that his hacker team could also experience defeat.

This team was built by him personally and had been through a lot of training. It had never been defeated before. He handed over this team to Paxton, who was also a computer expert and had never made a mistake.

Despite knowing that it was difficult to breach the firewall of Hacker Alliance, he did not expect to be traced by the other party so quickly.

His pitch-dark eyes glittered as he fixed his gaze intently on the computer screen and observed every single fluctuation in the data displayed on it.

There wasn’t any expression or posture from head to toe, but he emanated a fierce aura that discouraged anyone from meeting his gaze. “What’s going on?”

A cold voice immediately snapped Paxton, who was deeply immersed in his thoughts, back to reality. He quickly reported the situation.

“Sir, it was our negligence. We didn’t expect the other party to set up anti- tracking traps right from the beginning. All of our IDs have been intercepted, and even our location has been discovered by them.”

Paxton hung his head in embarrassment, feeling that he had never been so ashamed in his entire life. He even believed he no longer had the dignity to face Branden. Upon hearing the report, Branden, with a noble and mysterious aura, didn’t criticize Paxton..

“We were originally in a winning position, but just five minutes ago, the opponent suddenly switched to another person. This person’s behavior was somewhat similar to the previous one. At first, we thought it was the same person, but we were proven completely wrong in the next second. This person was really impressive!”

Amid Paxton’s speech, Branden’s slender fingers were already tapping on the keyboard. On the spacious screen, lines of code scrolled by swiftly.

At a speed that most ordinary people couldn’t even keep up with, top hackers not only had to memorize the quickly scrolling code but also had to decipher each and every one of them.

They even had to detect and identify the hidden bugs and closely track the other party’s location to eliminate them. This was a game where every second counted.

There was a chance that being just 0.01 seconds behind the opponent could result in losing the entire battle. Ronin got replaced by Catherine and was now sitting on the side watching the action while helping her fix a few bugs.

“The other party was a team, but my boss was just on her own,” thought Ronin. He was getting ready to boast about the greatness of his boss, but the other party suddenly became very powerful. His eyes widened instantaneously, and he exclaimed in astonishment, “What the fuck!

“Boss, is that guy attacking us on drugs or what? How come he suddenly became so aggressive and intense?”

Catherine couldn’t help but roll her eyes and sarcastically comment about Ronin’s way of thinking that she reluctantly accepted. “You can’t even tell that the person has been replaced?”

“A different person?” Ronin exclaimed in shock, “There’s actually someone who’s skilled enough to rival us? His strength is simply astounding!”

The previous group of people had left a deep impression on Ronin. It was unexpected to see a supreme expert joining the battle. He had initially planned to sit back and watch comfortably, but now, he must exert extreme effort to provide logistical support for Catherine.

“Should have called that brat Joseph Green to help earlier. I thought Boss could handle everything, but it turns out the other side had their own big shot,” said Ronin inwardly.

Compared to Ronin’s startled and apprehensive reaction, Catherine remained remarkably calm and composed. On that stunning face, within a pair of beautiful large eyes, there was a rare hint of playfulness and amusement at this moment.

Ronin was right. The other party’s strength was indeed formidable. It had been a considerable amount of time since she last met such a pro.

She wouldn’t enjoy playing to her fullest if the other party were still at the same level as before. “There is now someone competent. I can also have a good time.

“It is time for me to take action finally, thought Catherine. In the final ten minutes, there would surely be a conclusive outcome. Both sides were experts among experts, and the battle was particularly intense.

Ronin’s heart was in his throat. Even his breathing became cautious. He hadn’t had this feeling for many years, and he couldn’t even guarantee now that his Boss would definitely win.

This was a feeling he had never experienced before. The other party’s power was indeed too strong, which had caused him to have such an illusion.

The countdown began.

Three…

The results were out. Ronin instinctively closed his eyes, afraid to look at it. After a long time had passed, he realized that there was no sound and opened his eyes timidly, only to find that the computer screen had turned black.

He hurriedly turned to Catherine, saying, “Boss, how did it go? What’s the result?” Catherine had seen it clearly when Ronin covered his face and dared not look at the screen earlier. She gave Ronin a disdainful look and then told him the answer. “It’s a tie!”

“What?” Ronin’s eyes nearly popped out, and he looked at Catherine with a twitch in his mouth. “It’s a tie? The opponent can actually fight you to a tie. Boss, is there really such a powerful person in this world?”

In the eyes of Ronin, Catherine was already invincible. He did not believe that there was anyone more powerful than her. Catherine took a sip of water calmly, relieving the dryness in her throat.

After devouring so many salty and spicy dishes just now without even having a chance to drink coffee, she was summoned by Ronin for some intense work and was indeed quite thirsty now.

“Yeah, impressive strength!”

Hacker Alliance was on the defensive side, while the attackers were on the offensive side today. The attacker appeared out of nowhere and clearly wasn’t ready for this.

Catherine couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t be overcome if the other party launched an attack after adequate preparation. It appeared that the program she wrote three years ago was due for an upgrade.

It was more than adequate for dealing with regular hackers, but there were still loopholes when facing top players.

Ronin was unable to recover from shock for a long time. Catherine couldn’t be bothered to appreciate his foolish appearance and ended the video call directly to have a rest. She had worked hard all day and needed some rest. On the other side, in the study of the Duncans’.

Paxton was also staring at the screen with a shocked look. He never expected Branden to end up with a tie in the battle. “Mr. Duncan, is this person a god? So powerful?”

In the eyes of Paxton, Branden was akin to a divine entity. Branden’s profound gaze was fixed tightly on the computer screen while his powerful mind repeatedly deduced every step that had just been taken.

He was a person who pursued perfection and did not tolerate unnecessary failures. After several meticulous analyses, he could confirm that the opponent was indeed very strong.

Moreover, he could tell that the other person’s computer expertise might even surpass his. It must be an absolute computer genius.

“Investigate it! I want to know all the information about this person!”

Upon hearing the order from Branden, Paxton did not dare to hesitate and responded promptly, “Sure, I will do it at once.”

Chapter 165 Big News

On the following day. When Catherine appeared at school, the whole grade was shocked. “Didn’t she offend the Student Union? Why can she still study here?”

“Who knows, perhaps she has come to pack up her things!” Yesterday, Catherine confronted the Student Union with a group of people and reported the entire Student Union.

“Oh my!” All the students who were aware of this news were utterly shocked.

“This is the Student Union!” thought they. The chairs of the several departments inside not only held the title of “chair,” but each of them had considerable influence and authority. This was a prestigious school where every student admitted came from a wealthy background.

Those who could join the Student Union and become department chairs were all from powerful financial conglomerate families.

It was truly astonishing that Catherine attempted to challenge the entire Student Union dominated by a powerful financial conglomerate all on her own and still managed to show up at school safely the next day.

All eyes were on Catherine, but no one dared to stare at her openly. Although they had never witnessed Catherine losing her temper, Catherine exuded an aura that gave off an intimidating and unwelcoming presence, making others hesitant to approach.

She was like a cold light on the high mountain. One could only quietly admire her and couldn’t approach her rashly. Furthermore, Catherine had two guardians by her side.

One was Bryan, the infamous and terrifying bully within the school, and the other was the newly risen academic genius freshman, Ronin Oconnor.

Being able to keep up with Bryan and not getting taken advantage of by him, Ronin was definitely not just a simple character.

With the protection of these two individuals, Catherine was highly feared by the other students. After Catherine took her seat, Ronin proactively handed her a nutritious, high-protein breakfast.

There were quite a few things, and they filled the table. Seeing this, Bryan couldn’t help but tighten his throat and quipped, “Ronin, are you feeding pigs? So much stuff!”

Ronin rolled his eyes in disdain toward Bryan and said, “What do you know? Boss is still growing and needs more nourishment!”

“Boss fought a hard battle last night. Is it unacceptable to have a little extra high-protein replenishment today?” said he inwardly.

Last night’s epic battle was repeatedly discussed in the world hacker forum and was hailed as the most exciting showdown in nearly a decade. It was an extraordinary battle in a computer attack and defense war.

It was beyond amazing. Ronin felt a heightened sense of admiration in the way he saw Catherine today.

“As expected of Boss. She’s the best in everything, making people admire her greatly,” thought he.

“Still growing?” wondered Bryan. He gave Catherine a sidelong glance after listening to Ronin’s words. After scrutinizing Catherine from head to toe, Bryan’s gaze gradually slid down from her fair neck.

Her slender and graceful figure was tall, well-proportioned, plump yet elegant, which was truly a perfect and flawless physique.

With just a quick glance, Bryan felt his entire body tense up. Subconsciously reaching out to grab the bottle on the table, he prepared to swallow some water to relieve the heat in his body. He totally overlooked a major issue.

The water inside the bottle had only been filled when he left for school. It was hot! Hot as hell!

Bryan took a big gulp absentmindedly and almost scalded his entire mouth. He couldn’t help but blurt it out. Water splashed everywhere. Immediately, Class 8 fell into a state of silence.

It was worth noting that Bryan usually presented himself as a noble gentleman. However, today… he looked simply too awkward.

Not to mention the other classmates. Even Catherine paused her fork, looking at Bryan with confusion. The first to react was Ronin, his face contorted with rage and fury instantly.

“Damn, Bryan, you’re so disgusting!

“Seriously, you’re a grown-up and can’t figure out how to drink water?

“You sprayed water everywhere. How can Boss still eat now?”

At this moment, Ronin was even more fierce than a shrew. He cursed with precision, and his mouth was like a machine gun, firing a burst of rapid shots.

Despite the calm expression on his face, Bryan’s reddened ears betrayed his true emotions at the moment. He didn’t actually care about Ronin’s insults, but he felt embarrassed in front of Catherine.

He turned around with sincerity and bowed his head to apologize to Catherine. “Boss, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it…”

Catherine didn’t mind it. Ronin had prepared abundant food today. She had already eaten quite a lot earlier. She turned around and asked Ronin, Do you have ice cubes? Get him some!”

Oral burns could be serious. If left untreated, they might worsen and develop into painful ulcers. Ronin indeed had ice cubes. He even brought a small refrigerator to ensure that Catherine could always enjoy cold coke.

Despite his reluctance, Ronin took a glass of ice cubes and handed it to Bryan. Bryan happily accepted. “Thank you, Boss!”

“The feeling of being favored by Boss is really great, although it is indeed a bit embarrassing,” said he inwardly.

Just as the farce had finally come to an end, the class monitor, George Drax, suddenly stormed into the classroom shouting at the top of his lungs, “Big news, a shockingly huge piece of news in history!

“Goodness gracious. Catherine is truly impressive. Let me tell you…”

As George was about to make the announcement, he noticed Catherine lazily leaning on her chair and Bryan, who had something in his mouth and looked rather comical, by Catherine’s side. He was immediately taken aback.

He involuntarily blurted out. Catherine, why did you come so early today?” Subsequently, he stood there stupidly, his entire body frozen as if paralyzed.

Early in the morning, Audrey got up early. It was unknown what got into her. She insisted on taking Catherine to school.

Catherine usually arrived at the school gate at the last minute. So she indeed arrived a bit earlier than before. George acted impulsively because he believed that Catherine was absent from the class.

The other students focused on George with the utmost caution, desperately craving to uncover the big news. However, being intimidated by the authority of Catherine, they dared not ask. Catherine adjusted her posture and casually crossed her long legs over the top of the table.

Her whole body sank as she adjusted to a more comfortable position. Then she looked up at George with a calm gaze. George was a bit of a scaredy-cat. Catherine was worried she would frighten him.

“George, since this news is such a big deal, don’t waste time. Spill the beans! “said she. George had a face full of despair, as if on the verge of tears. He wondered why he could have encountered such a string of unfortunate events.

“Catherine, I…”

As he watched George’s hesitant and fidgety appearance, Ronin was growing increasingly impatient. He shook his head and shouted, “Stop wasting time. The boss asked you to speak, so speak!”

His chilling tone almost frightened George to his knees. He spoke up cautiously. “It’s… It’s those people from the Student Union…”

Catherine couldn’t help but feel impatient seeing his hesitant and uncertain appearance.

“Speak up! Don’t worry. Nobody will harm you!” added she.

Chapter 166 Scapegoat

Catherine was always a person of her word. With her assurance, George felt his confidence doubled instantly.

“It’s about the Student Union. The chairman of the Student Union, Nash Wale, voluntarily resigned from his position today, and Elena Leigh was dismissed from the Student Union.”

After speaking, George looked carefully at everyone and asked, “This is considered a big matter, isn’t it?”

The crowd nodded subconsciously. This news was indeed shocking to everyone. Many people eagerly anticipated Catherine being boycotted by the Student Union and humiliated by the capitalists.

As a result, the big shots of the Student Union ended up in trouble rather than Catherine. How could one not be shocked by this?

All eyes were fixed on Catherine, gazing at her as if she were a monster. “Who is this Catherine? How can she be so formidable?

“Nash is already considered a big shot. By comparison, Catherine must be the biggest big shot of them all,” said the students inwardly. Upon hearing this news, Ronin was also left somewhat shocked.

He looked at Catherine excitedly. ” Boss, is it really that simple? Nash even voluntarily resigned, and yet Elena Leigh was the only one punished. Isn’t the punishment too light? How about we put more pressure on those old guys and have them dispel the entire Student Union?”

“No need!” Catherine refused curtly.

“Since the Wales gave an explanation and I made a deal with Korbin, this matter should stop here,” thought she.

Sitting by the side, Bryan listened attentively and stared at Ronin intensely, wondering how confident this guy could be to brag so boldly.

“Is he out of his mind or what? “As everyone knew it, each member of the Student Union had a wealthy background. It was easy to take action against one of them, but taking all of them down at once could not be done with just words.

“Even if I requested the assistance of the Duncans, it would still be somewhat challenging. How is it that Ronin makes it sound so effortless?

“To achieve such effect, at least Uncle Branden should intervene. Does Uncle Branden know about this matter?”

Bryan wondered. He asked Catherine curiously, “Does Uncle Branden know about it?” Catherine looked at Bryan with a puzzled expression, unsure why he would ask such a question.

“Know about what?”

Upon hearing these words, Bryan immediately knew that his boss had probably not mentioned anything to his uncle.

“It’s nothing…” replied he.

“This is in line with the style of the boss. She’s so excellent that she can handle things alone without relying on anyone else,” said he inwardly.

No one noticed Liana sitting in the corner. Her face gradually turned pale. She never expected such a result. She thought Catherine was in trouble when Nash brought his father to the Swanns yesterday.

Even if she wouldn’t be punished severely or sent back to the countryside, she should at least be expelled from school and continue her studies elsewhere.

However, she never could have imagined that Nash and Elena would get into trouble in the end. The voluntary resignation of Nash at least demonstrated the involvement of the Wales. Even with the involvement of the Wales, the outcome of this situation was still like this, which confused Liana.

“Could it be that Branden helped Catherine, resulting in such an outcome?” she said inwardly. Liana fumed with frustration as she thought to herself. Even if she had racked her brain, this was the only conclusion she could reach.

Nevertheless, it was precisely this idea that made her even more angry. “Why should Catherine be able to catch the eye of Branden?

“What’s so special about her? “She’s just a disaster, a poor soul no one wants. What on earth makes her deserve such good treatment?

“I’m not going to take it lying down. I definitely won’t make it easy for her. I promise!” said Liana inwardly.

Liana left the classroom and went for Elena to find out exactly what happened. Seeing Liana appear, Elena glared furiously at her, grabbing her arm tightly and shouting angrily, “Liana Swann, how dare you come to see me?

You caused me so much suffering. How dare you come to see me?”

Liana looked at Elena with a face full of grievance. Her complexion was pale, and she looked like a frightened rabbit.

“Elena, I know you’re feeling down. It’s my fault for not being able to share the burden with you. Let’s find a quiet place and have a chat.”

Liana pretended to be pitiful while exchanging meaningful glances with Elena. Everyone around was constantly gossiping. They thought that Elena had gone crazy.

In their eyes, Liana was as fragile as a kite, as if a mere gust of wind could blow her away. However, Elena was just like a crazy woman tormenting Liana. She was so scary. Perhaps sensing the criticism from those around her, Elena decided to find a place to clear things up with Liana.

She glared at Liana with a pale face and said fiercely, “Good. Let’s go to the rooftop. You must tell me everything clearly today!”

Liana nodded her head docilely. “Elena, as long as you can calm down, I am fine with anything!” As they watched Elena drag Liana away, everyone couldn’t help but feel concerned for Liana. “Poor Liana. She’s really going through a tough time,” thought they.

Liana followed Elena onto the rooftop, but with a swift motion, Elena pushed her in and then locked the rooftop door.

Elena had her back to Liana and didn’t notice the sly smirk that crossed Liana’s face at that moment. She only felt a surge of anger with nowhere to vent and wanted to seek justice for herself.

Elena turned around, her face darkened as she looked at Liana. “Liana. There’s no one else here now, so you don’t have to pretend in front of me. It’s clearly you who did all the things, and it’s also you who squandered all the money from the Student Union. Why is it that I have to be punished in the end? Do you know that I got an academic warning?”

Nash proactively took responsibility. Under the involvement of the Wales, the school decided to give everyone a chance.

However, the main culprit must not be let off the hook. Clearly, Liana had been involved in the most corruption, but all of her accounts were under the name of Elena.

Under the protection of Nash, Liana did not receive any punishment. Instead, Elena endured all the blame.

Elena pointed at Liana with her finger, looking fiercely at Liana. “Liana, come with me to the principal’s office now and explain what happened. Otherwise, I…”

Liana looked at Elena with a condescending posture and asked coldly, “Otherwise, what will you do?”

“How dare she still act like this now?” thought Elena. She got furious and moved forward aggressively, ready to teach Liana a lesson.

But Liana was even quicker. She grabbed Elena’s wrist and slapped her across the face brutally.

“Slap!”

A fierce slap landed on Elena’s face, followed by a menacing glare.

“Elena

Leigh, I show you some respect not because I fear you. I advise you to be smart and face the reality. Do you want to snitch on me? Show me the evidence.

All that money was directly transferred into Elena’s account. Even the purchases were made using Elena’s card. Liana didn’t have any relationship with that money. It had nothing to do with her.

Finally, Elena was wise enough to understand Liana’s intention. But she refused to accept it. “If I’m in trouble, no one else should be happy. Liana can’t stay out of this,” said she inwardly.

“Liana! You despicable bitch…”

Chapter 167 Good Acting Skills

Elena didn’t expect Liana to dare to go back and hit her. “Liana, you’ve finally shown your true face. You bitch, I’m going to kill you!”

After saying that, Elena pounced on Liana and was ready to teach her a lesson. Seeing Elena pounce on her, Liana still felt that Elena overreached herself. She thought in her heart, “With such weak power, how dare you have the intention to hit me?

“Do you think I’m a weak young lady from a rich family?” The biggest concern of wealthy families was being targeted by unscrupulous individuals due to their superior wealth, leading to various tragedies.

After all, there were too many such cases in real life, so Liana’s grandfather arranged for famous teachers to come to her home for one-on-one tutoring for self-defense and fighting when she was young.

Although she wasn’t much of a fighter, she was still more than capable of dealing with a defenseless girl like Elena.

Just as Liana was about to counterattack, she suddenly saw several people rushing up the hallway through a nearby glass window.

Her fist, which was supposed to be punched out, was secretly withdrawn by her. Elena smoothly pounced on Liana and was about to slap her to make her feel the feeling of being hit. Before Elena could do so, she heard a loud bang. The balcony door, which had been locked, was violently kicked open.

Although the school’s balcony doors could be locked as a precautionary measure, the lock was not very strong.

Elena was so startled that she froze there, forgetting what she was about to do next. A group of people rushed in, led by Nash. As they rushed in, they saw Liana, who was held down by Elena, begging for help.

Nash no longer cared about his manners. He rushed forward, yanked Elena off, then flung her away. After Elena reacted, she struggled to move forward but was stopped by the people who followed Nash. Nash crouched down to check on Liana and helped her up carefully. “Liana, are you okay?”

Liana’s face was pale and bloodless, and her eyes were filled with fear, even her voice trembling as she spoke. “Nash, don’t blame Elena. She’s just too angry. I’m fine!”

Nash looked at Liana with a heartbroken look; his eyebrows tightened, and he said angrily, “Liana, it’s all over. Don’t speak for her. She’s really incorrigible. You helped her so much, but she’s treating you like this!” Elena struggled hard on the side, looking at Liana with anger in her eyes.

At that moment, she finally reacted. She realized that she turned out to be a fool, a pawn being used by Liana.

“Liana, you’re really good at acting. You can act, so why don’t you go to be an actress? With your acting skills, you can definitely become the best actress in the entertainment industry!”

Liana leaned in Nash’s arms. Her eyes panicked as she looked at Elena with a pained expression.

“Elena, I understand that you want to vent your anger. Feel free to vent your anger on me. As long as it can make you happy, you can hit me as much as you want. Even if you almost tried to kill me just now, I won’t blame you!”

Looking at her pathetic bitch expression, Elena was furious.

“Liana, you bitch. You’re still pretending even now!” Elena wanted to pounce on Liana to teach her a lesson, but two student boys were controlling her. She had no chance to break free.

Nash was even more disgusted to the core when faced with the fierce- looking Elena. He told the two boys controlling Elena, “You guys hurry up and send her to the principal’s office and let the principal handle this. Elena may be delirious, so don’t let her hurt the other students.”

“Bullshit!” Elena cursed out. People who had never seen Elena’s vulgar side before also felt that Elena had gone crazy and looked at her with disgust and fear as if they were looking at a real madman.

Under the gaze of disgust and mockery, Elena went completely crazy. She struggled even harder. But in the end, she was taken away immediately. Nash’s men showed her no mercy.

As for Liana, she was like a scared rabbit leaning weakly in Nash’s arms. She walked safely out of everyone’s sight like a princess in distress being rescued by a prince.

Not only did Nash and his men gather with the crowd, but Catherine and almost everyone from Class 8 were there. A classmate told them that Elena had come to trouble Liana, and she had even dragged Liana onto the rooftop, threatening to kill her.

Whether they were curious or worried about Liana, everyone who had heard the news rushed there.

Catherine also heard about it. Liana was a member of the Swanns, after all. Catherine promised her grandfather that she would keep the members of the Swanns alive, so she also went there. She just didn’t expect to see a good show after she arrived.

Elena was right. With Liana’s acting skills, if she went into the entertainment industry, she would definitely surpass Audrey in the future. Liana had a gift for acting. She acted like everything was real.

Even David, on the side, couldn’t help but sigh. “Liana is so pitiful. She is such a beauty, yet she is treated like this. It’s heartbreaking.”

Standing by the side, Ronin nudged Bryan in dissatisfaction and said disgustedly, “What kind of man is David? He actually thinks Liana is pitiful!

“She’s such a bitch with poor acting skills. How dare your men feel sad for her?”

In Ronin’s opinion, Liana was ridiculous! Bryan gave Ronin a dissatisfied look and said, “What do you want? A fight?”

Ronin responded nonchalantly, You’re just a man weak in your limbs and simple in your brain. All you know is how to fight all day long!”

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Catherine scolded coldly, Enough!”

The two immediately obediently stopped arguing. They stood obediently in front of Catherine like little students who had admitted their mistakes before the teacher.

Catherine raised her eyes, and a cold light suddenly appeared in them, exuding a terrifying aura all over her body. She remained silent for two seconds. After confirming that they had stopped arguing, she left. They immediately followed.

Although the two were dissatisfied with each other, they dared not speak out due to Catherine’s authority.

This matter finally ended with Elena’s transfer to another school. Elena’s reputation was completely ruined in Casier. She initially could have been an elegant lady from a prominent family.

In the future, even if her studies and career were not satisfactory, she could still marry a man with a comparable family background.

But after this incident, Elena’s reputation was now considered ruined in Casier. The Wales, the Swanns, and several friendly families joined forces against the Leighs.

They requested Elena to transfer. Elena couldn’t stay in Casier and had to move to study abroad. Elena cried and begged her family to help her take revenge but was loudly lectured by the elders of her family.

“Don’t you feel ashamed? Look what you’ve done.”

After being reprimanded, Elena threw herself into her mother’s arms and cried loudly, “Mom, it was Liana. She framed me. She did all the bad things, but I’m the one to take the blame!”

Elena’s father stared at her coldly. “Do you think this matters now? If you don’t transfer, our family won’t be able to give everyone an explanation. Their families will join forces to go against us. Are you planning to ruin the Leighs together?”

Elena’s father revealed the seriousness of the incident in just one sentence. Although Elena wanted to cry and defend herself, she knew she was powerless.

Watching Elena cry with sadness, Elena’s mother comforted her with heartache and said, “Elena, just go abroad to enjoy the new environment and ease your mood.”

She believed what Elena said. She felt that her daughter Elena was simple and was not scheming. She thought the girl from the Swanns must have framed Elena.

“Don’t worry about the rest. When there’s a chance, we won’t let the Swanns go!”

Chapter 168 A Liar

Tomorrow would be the weekend, and Catherine had to accompany Audrey to continue filming the show. With two more episodes to go, Audrey had accumulated a lot of popularity because of the show. Her endorsements and filming had increased, and now she looked happy in front of Catherine every day.

The bell rang for the end of school, and Catherine slowly woke up on time. When she opened her eyes, still redness in her cold eyes. there was On her extremely beautiful face, two dark brows furrowed tightly together. With a gloomy aura between her brows, she looked terrifying.

During Catherine’s one or two minutes of waking up, no one dared to go forward to disturb her. Even Ronin had to wait for her mood to improve before he dared to make a sound in front of her.

“Boss, have some coffee!”

Catherine didn’t even look up habitually stretched her hand. but Ronin moved naturally and served the coffee into her hand. Looking at her brows gradually relaxing because of the hot coffee in her throat, Ronin felt a trace of satisfaction in his heart.

Only he understood Catherine’s preferences. Seeing Catherine happy and making her comfortable was the most joyful thing for him because she had given him his life. No one could replace the position of Catherine in his heart. “Boss, tomorrow is the weekend. We don’t need to rehearse. Why don’t we go for a night out?”

Although the celebration gala was just around the corner, and many teams would take advantage of the weekend to step up their practice, did they need it?

With their level, they didn’t need to know what rehearsal was at all. Hearing what Ronin said, Bryan pricked up his ears and waited. He was ready to speak at the appropriate time to express his willingness for a night out.

Unfortunately, Catherine didn’t let the two of them have their way. She propped up her chin with one hand and played with the cup in her hand in a bored manner. “I’ll be up early tomorrow to film the show with Audrey. I need to rest tonight.”

Ronin knew Catherine would accompany Audrey to film the show tomorrow. If they played too late tonight, it would affect Catherine’s state tomorrow.

Catherine had to be beautiful on the TV show tomorrow. She couldn’t be affected. They would have time to have fun in the future.

“Boss, you go to film the show at ease. I’ll be in front of the screen to cheer you on!” Without waiting for Catherine to react, Bryan on the side couldn’t wait to add, ” I will do it, too!”

“Hey, why are you like this? You’re so fond of repeating what others say!” Ronin shouted in dissatisfaction. Bryan retorted unwillingly. They were two adults, but they were more childish than two kids.

Catherine shook her head helplessly and took her book bag with one hand to go out. By the time Ronin reacted, Catherine had disappeared, but he still did not forget to glare at Bryan as hard as he did.

“Bastard, I won’t argue with you today. I’ll kill you next time. Let’s wait and see!”

After saying that, Ronin ran away with his stuff. Bryan shouted in dissatisfaction, “I’m not afraid of you!” While he shouted, he didn’t stop moving his hands. After packing up his things, he rushed out.

When Catherine exited the school, she saw the familiar car parked at the entrance. The car parked there today was a car she had seen before. She walked toward the car.

The window of the black McLaren automatically rolled down when she appeared, and the man stepped out of the car with his long, slender legs. He went straight to Catherine. Branden’s deep eyes fell on her body, and his initially cold eyes became gentle instantly.

“You knew I was here?”

The evening sunlight fell with the setting sun, and the golden sunlight enveloped Catherine’s body, gilding her with a golden halo.

Her elongated figure was half-hidden in the golden light, bright and dark, making her skin look transparent.

Her beauty was dazzling and made people feel it was unreal. Catherine slung her bag in one hand and the other hand in her pocket, casually glancing at him.

“I don’t know.” She just had the feeling that he was there. She just felt that he would be there since it was a Friday. She had no expectations or hopes for him there.

She walked out of the school naturally and saw he was there as if everything had been planned. The man smiled lightly. His handsome face became even more attractive and charming due to his smile.

He lowered his eyes and pointed toward the car beside him with his chin. “Get in the car. How about we go for dinner?

“Okay!”

Catherine’s answer was sharp and straightforward. The man pulled the car door open for her. He put one of his hands against the top of the door to prevent her from accidentally bumping her head.

On the other side, Ronin and Bryan rushed and finally arrived at the school entrance. Unexpectedly, they only saw Catherine’s back getting into the car. Catherine said she had to rest tonight and wake up early tomorrow!

Liar!

She was a big liar!

Ronin vented all of his frustration on Bryan beside him, throwing all kinds of tantrums. Bryan was irritated by his tantrums. He couldn’t help but reprimand, “What’s wrong with you?

“It’s useless that you make a scene here. It’s not me who took Boss away!”

Ronin snorted in dissatisfaction and angrily pointed his hand at Bryan’s nose, saying, “You guys surnamed Duncan are all bad people!”

After saying that, he angrily walked away. Bryan, who remained silent, rubbed his face helplessly. Suddenly, he felt it wasn’t necessarily good that his surname was Duncan.

His uncle was too treacherous. Branden had planned to take Catherine somewhere for dinner, but not long after driving off, he received a call from Triston.

Triston invited Branden to a get- together and said a few friends, including Aidan, were there. Aidan felt the vastness of Casier after he arrived there, and he didn’t want to go back.

Branden didn’t say yes right away. He turned his cell phone on speakerphone and placed it in front of Catherine’s face so she could hear it.

“Are we going?” Branden turned his head and asked Catherine, his low, husky voice gentle. Catherine lethargically leaned back on the leather car seat, tiredly lifted her eyelids, and said faintly, “Yes!”

After receiving the reply, Branden put the phone back. Catherine’s voice was not loud, but the person on the other end of the line could hear her clearly.

Hearing that it was a girl’s voice and it was cold, Triston knew it was Catherine without even guessing it. He said excitedly, “Mr. Duncan, hurry up and bring Kathy here. We miss her. Hurry up. We’re waiting for you! We haven’t seen each other for a while. You must come.”

Branden thought in his heart secretly, ‘ Miss her?”

How dared Triston miss his woman? Branden hung up the phone without waiting for Triston to finish his words. Triston, who was smart, did not send the address to Branden but directly to Paxton.

He knew that it must not be Branden who was driving and that Paxton would definitely be following Branden.

After Paxton received the address, he glanced behind him. Seeing that Branden didn’t refuse, he turned the car around and drove toward the route Triston had sent him the address of. Are you busy?” Catherine suddenly asked.

Branden tilted his head toward her, his eyes mixed with confusion. Seeing that he didn’t understand what she meant, Catherine added, “You haven’t gone to meet with Triston and the others all this time?”

She remembered that he and Triston were inseparable. Although Branden disliked Triston, Triston loved to pester Branden. When Triston was free, he liked to stay by Branden’s side and could not be driven away.

Chapter 169 You Knew Nothing

Without waiting for Branden to respond to Catherine, Paxton, who was sitting in the front seat, suddenly said, “Mr. Lambert’s whereabouts have been strange lately. It seems he has lost his mind. We only heard something about him today.”

Upon hearing that, Catherine understood. Since it was Triston’s problem, she didn’t care. The place where Triston treated them for dinner was not far from Catherine and Branden. After a ten-minute drive, they had arrived.

After the car stopped, Branden intended to help Catherine open the door and help her get out of the car. Unexpectedly, Catherine got out of the car before him. Looking at his hand frozen in mid-air, Branden silently curled his lips, revealing a faint smile.

It was good that she wasn’t pretentious. He liked it. Paxton inquired about the location and guided the two forward. Triston had rushed out to meet them after receiving the message that they had arrived.

Aidan followed close behind. He was more excited than anyone to hear that Catherine was coming. Turning a corner and seeing Branden walking calmly in front, Aidan reached out to nudge Triston.

Triston saw them as soon as he looked up. He was about to say hello to them. Unexpectedly, Catherine, who had been walking forward, suddenly turned aside, which surprised them. Their eyes followed Catherine.

Branden was also surprised, but he didn’t follow immediately. He stood still and waited for Catherine. Catherine saw a familiar figure and walked straight over.

This was a very luxurious hotel in Casier. Its atrium was an open dining area, while the upstairs were private rooms. At that moment, an absurd farce was being staged in the atrium.

A few boys were dragging a girl dressed as a student who looked like she had just started high school, toying with her for fun.

The girl was being held down in the center by several boys while another boy stood on the couch holding a bottle of wine and pouring the wine into the girl’s mouth forcibly. The girl struggled, her face full of tears, but she couldn’t break free.

Catherine stepped forward and immediately kicked the boy who was holding the girl down. The sudden movement stunned everyone present.

No one expected a girl to dare to be so bold. It could be said that she didn’t hesitate when she kicked that boy. That kick was just too cool!

It was only after a moment that the crowd reacted. The troublemaker boy turned his head, ready to teach the malicious meddler a lesson. He was shocked when he saw that the malicious meddler was Catherine, saying, “Catherine, it’s you again!”

The troublemaker boy was no other than Catherine’s brother, Johnathan. Catherine had seen him from afar and noticed the lascivious and deceitful smile on his face.

When Johnathan saw Catherine, he looked at her like he had seen his enemy. Looking at her angrily, he said, “Catherine, I was worried that I wouldn’t have the time to settle the score with you. Just in time, you took the initiative to come to me. Today, I’ll let you see how powerful I am!”

Catherine stood leisurely with her hands in her pockets. Her gaze was clear and cold as she watched Johnathan shouting those stupid speeches.

The Swanns’ genes weren’t too bad, so how did her parents give birth to such a douchebag? Johnathan had not inherited any good genes of the Swanns. He was really a good-for-nothing.

If it weren’t for Catherine knowing Vicente’s nature, she would have doubted if her mother had done something to have a son to gain a foothold in the Swanns. Johnathan knew that Catherine could fight, and he would be afraid if he had to deal with her alone.

Right now, he had so many of his brothers there. He thought they could beat Catherine down with so many of them.

He raised his arms, and with a wicked grin, he shouted, “Bros, our new toy is here. If you beat her down for me, I’ll treat you guys to a night of whatever you want!”

Last time, Catherine beat him up in public, humiliating him and causing him to lie in a hospital for a few months. If he didn’t take this revenge, how would he be able to stay in this city in the future?

He was the only son of the Swanns. How could a jinx like Catherine dare to fight with him? Hearing Johnathan’s shout, the eyes of the surrounding men lit up as if they were hungry wolves seeing food.

It was not only because Johnathan promised to pay for everything tonight but also because of Catherine’s beautiful face. She was so beautiful. She had a better look than those actresses in the entertainment industry.

Her face was arousing, and her figure was perfect. Paired with the unique temperament emanating from Catherine, she was soulful and beautiful, making people incredibly aroused.

There were many beautiful women in the world, but few looked good and had such a charming temperament. If such a stunning woman could be toyed with, it would be the most wonderful experience in the world.

The boy who was kicked to the floor by Catherine just now got up and approached Catherine with a mischievous smile.

“Beauty, I don’t blame you for kicking me. As long as you please me, I’ll help you plead with Mr. Johnathan, and he will let you go!”

Catherine had previously thought that Johnathan was just childish, but she didn’t realize that he was bad to the bone.

She finally understood why Vicente would make such a decision before his death. Korbin valued male children more than Vicente. If Vicente gave the power of the Swanns to Korbin, the future successor of the Swanns was bound to be Johnathan.

With such a dandy as the successor, it wouldn’t take long for Vicente’s life’s work to be destroyed. Seeing that Catherine didn’t respond, the boy who had just spoken to her in a rascal manner stepped right forward boldly, ready to make a move on Catherine.

Aidan, who was standing not too far away, looked dumbfounded. He couldn’t help but keep glancing toward the direction where Branden was.

Seeing Branden’s calm face, Aidan panicked. He had no choice but to tilt his head toward Triston and inquire, Isn’t it said that Mr. Duncan is exceptionally fond of Catherine? Why doesn’t he make a move in such a situation? What if Catherine suffers?”

Triston gave him a disgusted look and told him with his eyes, “You know nothing!”

It was possible that Catherine would have beaten them down before Branden even made a move. Aidan had never seen Catherine fight someone and had no idea what it was like when she fought. That was not even called fighting.

That was called one-sided abuse! They were no match for Catherine, yet they dared to fight against her. They were simply seeking death.

Branden didn’t make a move because he knew he didn’t need to, and Catherine didn’t like anyone else interfering in her affairs. When the boy’s hand was still 20 inches from Catherine’s face, a choking smell of smoke hit her.

Catherine frowned in disgust. She was most disgusted by this kind of stuff. She glanced at the boy’s hand and found that there was still mud hidden inside his fingernails, which made her feel nauseous.

Catherine didn’t even bother to use her hands. She lifted her leg directly and kicked the boy. She kicked the boy away. Catherine kicked him mercilessly this time, and that boy was kicked at least 10 feet away.

Then he hit the floor heavily. With a bang, he fainted instantly.

Chapter 170 Why Should I Help You

The people present were shocked to see the scene. After giving the boy a disdainful glance, Catherine looked up and swept a cold gaze at the few boys. That gaze was cold and terrifying. Whoever she looked at with that gaze would tremble.

Those boys stepped back without hesitation. Catherine’s kick was enough to make them understand the strength gap between themselves and her.

The girl who fell to the floor finally reacted. She pounced forward and was ready to hold Catherine’s thighs but froze at the moment Catherine’s gaze fell on her. The girl tried to speak. She opened her mouth but hiccupped, looking stunned.

Catherine casually pulled over a chair. After elegantly adjusting her long clothing by giving a slight shake to the ends, she sat down composedly and coolly. Her movements were unmistakably dominant. She looked intimidating.

She raised her eyebrows at the girl and asked coldly, “Why was he bullying you?”

When she said “he,” her eyes flicked toward Johnathan. The girl immediately understood. After hesitantly looking at Johnathan, she lowered her head, seemingly afraid to speak.

Since she didn’t say anything,

Catherine didn’t want to waste time there.

“Help yourself then!”

After saying that, Catherine made a gesture to stand up. The girl was anxious. She hurriedly asked, “Can you help me after I tell you?

Catherine looked back at her. There was a hint of mockery in her cool gaze. Why should I help you?” The girl looked at Catherine with red eyes. She bit her lower lip tightly, not knowing how to answer. They were two people who had nothing to do with each other. Catherine was right. Why should she help a stranger?

Catherine was not a savior and had no obligation to help her. Watching the girl lower her head in dismay, Catherine spoke again, her attitude still cold. No one could guess what was in Catherine’s mind at that moment.

“After you tell me, I may be able to help you out if I’m in a good mood!”

Although Catherine was a girl, somehow, she could give others a sense of security that made others trust her immensely. The girl knew that maybe Catherine was her only chance.

All of these boys were inhuman. They might not be able to deal with Catherine, but it would be too easy for them to deal with her. Even though Johnathan constantly threatened the girl with his girl still decided to speak up. gaze, the She reached out and pointed at Johnathan, shouting bitterly, “It’s because I told the teacher that Johnathan didn’t do his homework. He brought his men to take me here to get back at me, forcing me to apologize and drink…”

Catherine lowered her eyes. She looked toward the girl with a cold gaze.

“Are you from Class 1 of Ascending High School?”

Ascending High School was the school Johnathan attended, and Class 1 was the notorious class for the young wealthy heirs.

Catherine looked at the girl’s dress. Her white shirt was yellowed. She did not look like a girl from a wealthy family, which puzzled Catherine.

Perhaps the girl understood the meaning of Catherine’s gaze, and a hint of embarrassment crossed her face. She lowered her head and whispered, “I’m Theresa Sherman. I’m indeed from Class 1. I was specially recruited because of my grades!”

With that, Catherine understood. The poor top students who got into this kind of wealthy heirs class were to raise the average score of the class. The only thing they could profit from was the free tuition and the exorbitant scholarships. It was a temptation that no student from a poor family could resist.

After understanding the cause and effect, Catherine tilted her head toward Johnathan, who was on the side. Johnathan’s heart palpitated at the look she gave him.

To save his reputation, he still braced himself to say, “Catherine, you jinx. You’d better get a grip on yourself. Don’t cause me trouble. If I don’t deal with you today, I’ll deal with you another day. You’d better behave yourself!”

“Huh!” Catherine sneered. “Johnathan, I didn’t realize you were a school bully!”

Watching Catherine focus all her attention on Theresa, Johnathan was furious. “What’s wrong with you? Does she have anything to do with you? Why did you intervene? Who do you think you are…”

Catherine glanced around, and her gaze rested on the potted landscape used for decoration. She stood up and reached her hand toward the potted landscape, quickly pulling out a bamboo whip from inside.

She whipped Johnathan’s thigh with the bamboo whip. The whip was thin. It would not hurt people’s bones or muscles if it were used to hit, but it could make the person who was hit by it feel pain.

After the whip fell on Johnathan, he burst into tears. “Catherine, you’re crazy. You dared to hit me!”

Catherine didn’t say anything more. She whipped him again. She whipped his left thigh just now, so she hit his right thigh.

But Catherine didn’t give Johnathan a chance to catch his breath this time. She kept whipping his left and right. thighs.

Johnathan was screaming and cursing while dodging the whip, but it didn’t help. No matter how much he dodged, he couldn’t avoid the whip.

“Ouch… Catherine, you crazy woman, stop it now.”

Catherine exerted a little more force.

“Ouch, it hurts so much. Security, come quickly!”

Paxton had already dealt with the security of the restaurant. Without Branden’s order, they wouldn’t dare to come out, even if the one who was whipped was their boss.

Seeing that asking for help was useless, Johnathan, who was in pain, could only start using threats. “Catherine, stop it. My parents won’t spare you. Do you hear me?”

But for Catherine, it didn’t work at all. She kept whipping and looked at Johnathan with an indifferent attitude. “If you have the energy to ask your parents for help, why don’t you beg yourself?”

Catherine whipped him faster and harder. Johnathan bounced back and forth like a fish thrown into a burning pot. His expression was twisted, and his movements were also hilarious.

Seeing Johnathan being whipped so badly and Catherine not even blinking an eye, Johnathan’s friends were so scared that they were swallowing nervously.

They wanted to leave but dared not. They could only silently crouch aside and watch, fearing that the next one to be whipped would be themselves. It was a big mess, but no one rushed to stop it.

They were heirs of wealthy families and knew precisely what this meant. It meant that Catherine had a more significant background, and even the restaurant owner dared not offend her.

The people behind the restaurant had some influence in Casier, and even they dared not offend her, let alone those wealthy heirs. Johnathan couldn’t take it anymore and fell to the floor, wailing in pain.

“I’m wrong. I’m wrong, okay?

Catherine, stop it!”

Hearing his plea for mercy, Catherine said coldly, “Hmph.”

She then retorted without hesitation,” You’re wrong? Is this the attitude should have for admitting you’re wrong?

“Mr. Johnathan, didn’t your parents teach you to admit your mistakes? Didn’t they teach you that you should respect your seniors?”

Johnathan gritted his teeth, not wanting to bow down. Catherine, however, refused to let him go and whipped him harder and harder.

Not only were Johnathan and his group shocked, but so were Triston and the others. Triston gave a small gulp, then said cautiously, “Mr. Duncan, if she keeps whipping him like that, will he die?”

Branden responded without even looking up, “No!”

When Triston was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, Branden’s following words almost scared him to death.

“He’ll lose one leg at most!”

If Triston remembered correctly, the boy should be Johnathan, the wealthy heir of the Swanns. He was Catherine’s brother. Catherine could be so cruel to her brother. She was indeed a cruel person! Catherine was ruthless!