Ch. 31..40

Chapter 31

Chapter 31 No Longer Her Favorite

At Duncan Corporation. In the office on the top floor, Paxton gave Branden the information he had just gotten..

Branden knew it was Paxton without looking up. He could even guess what Paxton was here for. Branden’s expression didn’t change at all. He didn’t even move his eyes.

Branden parted his lips, looking emotionless and cold as he said lightly, “News from Hacker Alliance?”

Paxton was caught off guard. He didn’t expect his boss to have known by guessing so accurately. After all, Paxton had only gotten the information a few minutes ago.

“Yes, Mr. Duncan.” “Hacker Alliance has agreed to meet with us. The meeting is set for eight o’clock tonight.”

The news left Branden frowning lightly. Despite having guessed that Hacker Alliance would agree to meet, Branden didn’t expect them to set the time so close. Did Hacker Alliance mean to leave the Duncans no time to prepare?

Seeing Branden’s face had darkened, Paxton’s brows furrowed too.

In his eyes, this matter could not be handled easily. Hacker Alliance was too mysterious. Paxton heard that in addition to IT talents with top-notch computer skills, there were also great fighters in the organization. It could be said that Hacker Alliance was full of experts.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have almost taken over the chip industry after being established for merely a few years.

“Mr. Duncan, why don’t I pretend to be you and attend the meeting tonight?”

It shouldn’t be a problem as long as Paxton wore a mask.

Branden was the sole heir of Duncan Corporation. He couldn’t afford to be endangered.

Branden sneered lightly, looking mocking and cold.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Paxton. “What is it? Are you afraid that something will happen to me?”

Paxton didn’t miss the coldness in his boss’s eyes. He was so scared that he knelt immediately

and nodded as he admitted to his mistake.

“Mr. Duncan, I did wrong. Please punish me. I’m just worried that Hacker Alliance is too cunning and that we cannot defend ourselves.”

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Tapping his slender fingers rhythmically on the black marble table, Branden showed a faint smile after hearing about Paxton’s worry.

“If we can’t defend ourselves, then let’s not. I’d like to see how capable Hacker Alliance is.”

Meanwhile, at the Swanns.

Catherine also got news from Ronin.

[Boss, we’ve arranged to meet with the Duncans at eight o’clock tonight in Room 888 of Charm Bar. I heard that the young head of the Duncans will be the one to meet us then. Should I hurry over so that I can go with you?]

Catherine took a look at the text, deleted it, and then sent Ronin a reply.

[No. Joseph will come with me.]

On the other end of the line, Ronin stared nervously at his phone after receiving the text. Why did he suddenly feel like he was no longer his boss’s favorite?

How could the traitor, Joseph, be even closer to the his boss than he was? Ronin was reluctant and wanted to go to Catherine first.

However, without his boss’s order, Ronin didn’t dare to. One had to know that it was horrible. when Catherine got mad. At eight o’clock, Charm Bar opened officially.

Even though it had just opened, there were many people in there. It was vibrantly busy. In Room 888, the men from Duncan Corporation were already there..

Wearing a black shirt, Branden sat slowly in the corner of the sofa. He stared carelessly at the fun on the dancefloor downstairs. His eyes remained indifferent as he was unmoved at the scene.

A few minutes later, Paxton pushed the door open with the latest news.

“Mr. Duncan, the man from Hacker Alliance is here. Should I let him in?”

Branden nodded lightly. Paxton left and returned a moment later with a man in a mask.

Even though the man wore a mask, Branden recognized him immediately. It was Joseph, the man Catherine was following here at the bar last time.

He was indeed from Hacker Alliance. It seemed that Catherine was probably related to Hacker Alliance somehow.

Chapter 32

Chapter 32 Battle of the Peak

After entering the room, Joseph put the safe he had been carrying on the table. Joseph looked coldly ahead and made such a strong presence that intimidated others when he entered the room

“Mr. Duncan, this is the chip Hacker Alliance has just developed. We can sell it to you at the original price and give your company exclusive use for a year. But you must promise to give us 30 percent of the development project shares.”

Apart from looking at Joseph once when he came into the room, Branden did not look at him again. After hearing Joseph’s condition, Branden turned to look at him slowly.

On his handsome face, his deep eyes looked cold and bottomless. Just a look from him was enough to make Joseph’s heart skip a beat, even though he was usually bold

Branden was too horrible. He was even scarier than Joseph’s Boss. Branden’s fingers moved slightly on his knee, and Paxton knew what he meant immediately.

Paxton looked up at joseph with the same cold and expressionless face. “My boss said that you can have 40 percent!

Seeing that Branden had his mind set and that there seemed to be no room for negotiation, Joseph was at a loss. He raised a hand and remained silent.

Branden could tell from a glance that Joseph was only a representative of whoever it was that could make the decision. A faint smile appeared on Branden’s charming face.

He reached for and picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table. He flipped the cover open with a hand and took one cigarette out of the pack with his lips.

His actions were smooth and sexy. Sitting opposite Branden and silently sizing him up, Joseph couldn’t help but scream in his mind that he couldn’t take it anymore.

Paxton bent forward, flicked the lighter on, and respectfully put it next to Branden.

The blazing red flame looked particularly eye-catching in the dim room.

After lighting the cigarette, Branden stood up and walked towards the door.

Joseph heard a bone-chilling voice from behind his back before he could turn to see what was going on.

“I want an answer in three minutes!”

After leaving the room, Branden leaned casually on the wall while Paxton reported the information he had just gotten to him in a small voice.

“Mr. Duncan, the signal was sent from within the room. From our latest surveillance, the source of the signal is on the roof. We need at least five minutes to travel from here to the roof without taking the elevator.”

Nobody knew that Duncan Corporation owned Charm Bar, the money-squandering establishment that everyone wanted to get into at Casier.

When Joseph came to Charm Bar last time, the surveillance here had been hacked into once.

Even though the hacker left no trace behind, the men of the Duncans still found out about it.

This time, it was hard to say if the other party would hack into the system again. In order to catch them once and for all, they had to take the stairs. Only then could they avoid the

surveillance in the elevator so that they wouldn’t alarm their target.

Five minutes?

Branden shook his head lightly. He took the cigarette from between his lips, put it out in the ashtray nearby, and turned to leave.

Paxton wanted to follow Branden but remained rooted as he thought of Joseph, who was still

in the room.

He signaled to the men in the dark for them to follow and protect Branden.

Meanwhile, Catherine was sitting on the roof in a black trench coat. There was a laptop in

front of her.

Her slender fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard of the laptop.

She had received the information Joseph had sent her and was analyzing the profit they could gain by raising the project’s price to five times the current price.

Ronin’s voice rang in her ear. “Boss, the guy from the Duncans has disappeared. I’m afraid he might have tracked the location on the roof and is on his way upstairs. He would need at least. five minutes to arrive at the roof from downstairs. Our profit calculations also need five. minutes. Boss, would we make it?”

The pair of beautiful and round eyes shone with confidence on the exquisite face of Catherine. Her bold temperament was enough to leave one amazed and convinced.

“Yes!” Even for someone well-trained, running up from the private room to the roof at full speed would take at least five minutes.

However, Branden only used no more than three minutes to come upstairs. He used almost half the time needed for one that had received professional training. His speed was genuinely horrifying.

After coming to the roof, Branden noticed a slim figure in black sitting in the corner with their back to him immediately.

He strolled towards the figure, and a rare and faint smile appeared on his handsome face. He thought to himself, “Boss of Hacker Alliance, I will get you today.”

Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Mr. Duncan, He’s Gone

Two minutes later, the rest of Branden’s men arrived in a rush. They saw Branden holding a black trench coat in his hands, standing rooted on the spot looking gloomy. One of them plucked up his courage, went up to Branden, and asked, “Mr. Duncan, is he gone?”

Branden didn’t need to answer, as one could see how things were at a glance. Branden glanced at the mannequin on the floor, an arrogant ridicule at him.

It was the first time for him to have a taste of defeat. A creepy smile appeared on his gloomy face. Branden’s men, who had been with him for so many years, couldn’t help but shiver in fear after seeing his smile.

They rarely saw Branden get mad at anything. However, the angrier Branden was, the calmer. he would appear. From the smile on Branden’s face, they could tell that he was really furious.

They all knew that someone was in big trouble. However, they did not know who that person was yet.

Branden ordered coldly, “Secure the bar immediately. I don’t want to see even a fly getting out. of here.”

“Yes, sir!” Branden’s men responded in unison and moved immediately to secure Charm Bar. The dancefloor of Charm Bar was still as bustling as ever, while Branden’s men were already on the move in the dark.

A large group of men in black checked every room in Charm Bar. It was as if they were looking. for someone.

Catherine kicked the ventilation vent in the bathroom open hard and slid down from it. Then, she put the lid back where it was, leaving no trace behind.

She had already changed into the clothes she had prepared earlier quickly. She stood before. the mirror to check on her appearance and returned to her best state in a breeze.

Then, Catherine took the micro-earbud off her ear and threw it into the toilet behind her. She opened the door of the bathroom and walked out briskly.

Catherine walked towards the door through the crowded dancefloor with ground-shaking music and was ready to leave. However, she was stopped at the door. The security guard explained to her politely.

“Miss, I’m sorry. Nobody can leave for now. Something happened in the bar, and we are looking into it right now. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.”

Catherine glanced coldly at the guard. Her cold gaze was utterly terrifying.

The guard was so scared that he was stunned for a moment and forgot to stop Catherine as she made to leave.

“Stand where you are!”

A sharp call came from behind her, followed by urgent footsteps.

The atmosphere tensed immediately. It was as if something big was going to happen.

Catherine stopped and turned around naturally.

She saw Paxton running towards her with a few men behind him.

Paxton was slightly stunned when he saw Catherine, then greeted her politely, “Miss Swann!”

A minute later, Branden showed up. He was wearing a black shirt with the top two buttons left unbuttoned. With his tanned skin slightly exposed, he looked extremely charming.

Paxton and his men parted and bowed politely at Branden.

Branden walked up to Catherine slowly. He lowered his eyes and sized her up, looking cold but curious. With his brows slightly furrowed, he asked, “What are you doing here?”

Catherine looked indifferent and emotionless as she answered him coldly.

“Since Mr. Duncan can be here, why can’t I?”

Branden lowered his eyes and raised a brow. His brown eyes shone with bone-chilling. coldness. “Miss Swann, don’t forget you are still my fiancée now!”

The word “fiancée” left Catherine looking displeased.

Seeing Catherine in silence, Branden didn’t press the matter further despite looking cold.

“It’s getting late. I’ll give you a ride home.”

“No!” Catherine refused coldly without showing respect to Branden at all.

Branden’s men couldn’t help but break out in cold sweats at Catherine’s answer. She was so bold. It was the first time they saw Branden being rejected, not to mention that Catherine had rejected him publicly.

Paxton’s expression was hideous. In his eyes, Catherine was conceited to refuse Branden’s well.

-intentioned offer.

Paxton thought that Branden would be angry about it. However, he didn’t expect Branden to reach a hand towards him.

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Was Branden asking for a weapon?

Even though Catherine had made a mistake, attacking her with a weapon would be way overboard. Paxton was a little hesitant.

Seeing Paxton didn’t move, Branden’s face darkened. “What are you thinking about? Give me my car keys!”

“Oh!” Paxton collected himself from his daze, hastily took out the car keys, and offered them to Branden respectfully.

He thought that Branden was going to teach Catherine a lesson. To his astonishment, was going to drive her home himself instead.

Paxton was struggling to make sense of what was happening.

After getting the car keys, Branden returned to Catherine’s side.

“Let’s go. I’ll drive you home.”

Branden

Catherine looked at Branden with a frown. Didn’t she refuse him just now? Could Branden not understand her words?

Before Catherine could speak, Branden’s following words made her choke back the words on the tip of her tongue.

He said lightly, “Get in the car. We’ll talk about what you wanted to discuss with me last time.”

Catherine wanted to go home herself at first. However, at Branden’s words, she changed her

mind.

Since he was being so generous to offer her a ride, she would accept it. They could even take the chance to talk things out.

“Can we go now?” Branden shook the keys in his hand at her carelessly and spoke in a deep

voice.

Catherine liked people with nice voices. She had to admit that listening to Branden’s voice was a pleasure.

Seeing Catherine nod faintly, Branden strode out the door first, with Catherine behind him..

It took a while for Branden’s men, who were left rooted on the spot, to recover from their shock. They never expected to see Branden being with a woman and talking so much at once. It

was such a rare scene.

Catherine got into Branden’s car. She thought that he would be driving the latest and coolest supercar. She didn’t expect him to drive a black Maybach.

The car was low-key and luxurious. It didn’t match his age at all, but she kind of liked it.

She didn’t like supercars. In terms of speed, she preferred motorbikes.

She enjoyed riding freely against the wind.

As the car drove on, Catherine sat in the car with her eyes squinted. There was no expression on her face.

Branden took a glance at her from the rear-view mirror.

He even knew that even though Catherine had her eyes shut, she was studying him too.

Suddenly, Catherine opened her eyes. Her brown eyes shone with a sharp light like that of an eagle. However, her tone was somewhat lazy. “What about your conditions? Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“Yes!” Branden nodded rarely. There was a light but willful smile on his face.

Catherine sat calmly in the backseat, waiting for Branden to speak. She was ready to hear what his conditions were.

Chapter 34

Chapter 34 Condition

Branden rolled down the window, took out a pack of cigarettes from the side, and was about to flip it open.

However, seeing Catherine’s brows slightly furrowed, Branden put the pack of cigarettes back and rolled the window back up.

Everything happened in silence. It was as though nothing had happened.

Branden stared at the cold expression on Catherine’s face. A trace of a smile glistened in hist cold eyes as he told her his condition.

“I don’t want the Swanns’ shares. I only want one thing. If you can get it, I’ll sign your contract.”

“What is it?” Catherine asked immediately.

Looking tense, Catherine couldn’t help but frown. She knew what Branden wanted must be hard to get.

Branden asked casually, “Have you heard of Hacker Alliance?”

As he spoke, Branden looked remarkably calm. It was as if he was talking about something irrelevant and unimportant.

However, Catherine knew immediately that Branden suspected her.

Her identity might be a huge secret for others. However, she thought lightly of it.

After all, she had never tried to hide herself deliberately. Whether one could learn about her identity depended solely on oneself.

“Yes, I’ve heard about it,” Catherine responded lightly.

Branden didn’t expect her to admit it so readily.

It was better this way, so he didn’t have to beat around the bush.

“Hacker Alliance will launch a game next month. If you can get Duncan Corporation dealership of the game in Eskana, the contract will become valid.”

Hacker Alliance did not only produce chips. It was also the top game company in the world.

In recent years, no business could be more profitable than games.

Hacker Alliance launched a game three years ago, which became a hit worldwide.

In Eskana alone, the game broke the record by gaining 100 million dollars from top-ups in a day. The superb profitability left everyone in awe.

The game remained the most popular mobile game in the world for three years.

Now, every gamer knew that a game from Hacker Alliance must be good.

If Hacker Alliance launched another game, it would cause a phenomenal furor attracting numerous interested investors.

If Duncan Corporation could get the game’s dealership from Hacker Alliance, it would be equivalent to winning a bill printer that could make millions of dollars without breaking a

sweat.

It was indeed more attractive than 20 percent shares of the Swann Corporation. There was a chance that the Swann Corporation might not profit as much, but the game was a sure win.

Branden was indeed an excellent businessman. He had just bought a chip from her and was already trying to buy the game from her.

No wonder the Duncans could become the wealthiest family in Eskana. They were really good.

Catherine thought that Branden might be going for something more than the game.

He might have wanted to learn her identity and role in Hacker Alliance. However, since he wanted to know that so desperately, Catherine was willing to give him a chance to see what he could learn.

“Sure!” Catherine answered briskly. Catherine’s squinted eyes shone with a sharp gaze as she looked at Branden.

Branden smiled lightly and playfully.

It seemed that the girl was indeed ruthless!

The following day, Catherine got up early and sat in the living room of the Swanns.

It was Monday today. It was also the first time for Catherine to go to school.

Liana and Johnathan were up too. Catherine had to go to school, and so did the two of them.

Korbin finished his breakfast and left for the company in a hurry. Since Catherine hadn’t taken over the projects of the Swann Corporation yet, Korbin was still in charge of the Swann Corporation.

After he left, Liana also put down her cutleries, stood up, and left with Johnathan as though they had already agreed upon it.

Before Liana left, she turned to shoot Catherine a look and smiled meaningfully.

“Catherine, it is your first day at school today. Don’t be late. It’s not a big deal for you to be punished, but it is big if you embarrass the Swanns.”

With that, Liana left arrogantly without waiting for Catherine’s response.

Catherine didn’t answer Liana. She didn’t even give Liana a look. She continued to eat her breakfast slowly and gracefully at her own tempo.

As it was not long after Vicente had passed away, Audrey was still staying at the Swanns.

As she saw that Catherine had finally put down her cutleries, Audrey said carefully, “Kathy, you really shouldn’t be late on your first day of school. Why don’t we leave now?”

For no reason at all, Audrey couldn’t help but be intimidated by her younger sister, that had come home after so many years.

At that, Catherine raised her head slowly. Her cold gaze fell upon Audrey.

“We?” She spat the word out lightly, then paused.

Audrey understood immediately and nodded with a light smile. “Yes, ‘we.’ I’m taking you to school today. After all, it is your first day of school. Someone has to go with you, right?”

“There’s no need for that!”

Catherine rejected Audrey directly without thinking.

However, in Audrey’s eyes, Catherine was only shy and didn’t want to bother her.

For Catherine to feel the love of her older sister, Audrey persuaded Catherine with all she got.

To everyone’s surprise, Audrey succeeded. It was not that Catherine’s heart softened toward Audrey but that Audrey was too loquacious.

Catherine couldn’t bear her nagging anymore and compromised eventually.

As the two of them were ready to leave, they found that the family’s cars were all gone.

Audrey called the butler over to ask about it immediately. The butler looked at them somewhat helplessly.

Even though the Swanns did not favor the two girls, they were still daughters of the Swanns. He couldn’t afford to offend them too much.

“I’m sorry, Miss Audrey. There are five cars in the family. Apart from the one that is out grocery shopping, the other cars were all taken. Miss Liana and Mr. Johnathan left separately today, taking one car each. Therefore, there are no more cars available.”

Hearing the butler’s explanation, Audrey understood immediately.

It seemed that Liana did this deliberately for Catherine to come to school late and be punished.

Audrey was afraid that Catherine would worry and comforted her quickly, “Don’t worry. I’ll call a cab immediately. We’ll be at the school soon.”

1/4

The Swanns lived in a remote neighborhood of affluent families. Few cabs would come in here. Even if Audrey really managed to call a cab, it would take a long time for one to get here. Audrey knew clearly but continued to comfort Catherine, as she didn’t want Catherine to panic.

Catherine looked up at Audrey. She did not look worrisome at all as she said lightly, “There’s no need!”

With that, Catherine picked up her school bag and walked towards the door.

Seeing that she was leaving, Audrey hurried after her.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Catherine wanted to walk to school. If she really planned to walk all the way to school, she might not get there even in the afternoon when school ended.

Despite being furious at what Liana did, Audrey could do nothing but call a cab at the same time when running after Catherine.

Suddenly, Audrey realized that Catherine was going in the opposite direction of the school. She shouted in a hurry.

“Catherine, you’re going the wrong way. The school is this way!”

However, she saw that Catherine suddenly stopped in front of a luxurious mansion.

Audrey didn’t know what Catherine was thinking about. All she knew was that Catherine would really be late if they didn’t get on their way soon.

Chapter 35

Chapter 35 Two Troublemakers

Audrey saw Catherine stopping in front of an empty mansion. She couldn’t help but find it weird and walked up to Catherine to ask her what it was about.

The mansion was even larger than that of the Swanns’. It was the most luxurious mansion in the neighborhood. However, after it had been built, it had been empty for all three years.

Audrey went up to Catherine and was about to pat her on the shoulder when Catherine opened the door of the mansion.

Audrey was in shock. Why did Catherine have a key to this mansion?

Before she could figure it out, Catherine had already slipped into the house and returned on a heavy motorcycle.

With a beautiful drift, Catherine parked steadily next to Audrey.

Audrey couldn’t help but exclaim as if her chest was bursting, “Kathy, you’re so cool!”

Catherine had just parked and almost toppled over at her words.

She raised her head and looked at Audrey, who was still looking surprised, with a frown.

Was she really her birth sister?

Catherine took a black helmet and handed it to Audrey, then nodded towards the backseat.

Audrey only understood a moment later after being in a daze. “Kathy, are we riding to school?”

Catherine looked at her coldly and said in a slightly low voice.

“Do you want to be late?”

Audrey shook her head without thinking. It was Catherine’s first day at school. She couldn’t

afford to be late.

With a brow raised, Catherine’s eyes glistened with a trace of playfulness. “Get on then!”

After hesitating for a while, Audrey got on the motorcycle.

Just as Audrey had just settled and put her hands on the bars behind her, Catherine had already started the engine.

The motorcycle, with excellent performance, accelerated and sped forward immediately.

Audrey only had time to scream before the motorcycle disappeared from the neighborhood.

Over ten minutes later, the motorcycle parked steadily near the school gate.

Just as the motorcycle stopped, Audrey crept down from it quickly and was a little wobbly, with her knees still weak.

She

put a hand on the wall and threw up in a corner.

Catherine watched her coldly and only frowned slightly when she saw Audrey throwing up.

It was a while after when Audrey finally recovered slightly.

Then, she forced herself to come back to Catherine’s side weakly.

“Come on. Let’s go. You can’t be late.”

Catherine looked at her with a frown. A rare trace of confusion flashed across her big eyes.

How could Audrey still worry about Catherine being late in such a state?

Catherine looked at her watch and said softly, “You still have five minutes to catch your breath.

Only then did Audrey take out her phone to check the time. There was indeed quite some time left.

Even if they got on a car as planned at the Swanns, they would take at least half an hour to get to school. Catherine only used more than ten minutes to ride here on the motorcycle, half the time the car needed.

Audrey’s big eyes, somewhat similar to Catherine’s, were filled with surprise. She looked up at Catherine excitedly.

“Kathy, you’re amazing.”

Catherine remained indifferent toward Audrey’s praise.

She had received too many praises like this that she had grown numb to it.

Audrey didn’t know what Catherine was thinking and was excited on her own. She only remembered what she was confused about earlier after a while and asked Catherine in a hurry.

“Kathy, when did you learn to ride a motorcycle? Also, why do you have a key to that house? What is this about? Weren’t you living in the countryside all the time before?”

Catherine fixed her with a meaningful look with a brow raised. “What is the most common way of transportation for people in the countryside?”

Audrey replied in a shout, almost in reflex. “Motorcycles!”

She understood then. Catherine often rode a motorcycle in the countryside. That was why she was so good at it.

Having sorted that out, Audrey was just about to ask about the mansion when she saw that Catherine had already walked off. She hurried after Catherine.

A few minutes later, in the Principal’s Office.

The principal was holding Catherine’s file in his hands with his brows knitted.

Catherine’s file was a complete blank. She had no record of being in school before. After being arranged to enroll at the school, she asked to be registered as a senior student. Was this a joke?

Moreover, Catherine was already well past the age to be in school.

The principal did promise Korbin that his daughter could come to school here. However, he didn’t expect Catherine to have never been to school before and was even older than Liana..

Catherine found out that Audrey was much cooler towards outsiders.

Audrey kept a cold face after entering the Principal’s Office and even spoke to the principal coldly.

“Sir, I’m here with my sister for registration. Which class will she be attending?”

At Audrey’s words, the principal looked up slowly and remained polite.

Even though the Swanns did not favor Audrey, she was still the daughter of the Swanns. He couldn’t afford to offend her.

“Miss Swann, I’ve checked your sister’s file. I recommend her to start as a junior student.”

Audrey acted as if she hadn’t heard a word the principal had said. She flipped through the materials on the table herself and pointed at one of the classes.

“I think Class 8 looks good. Put my sister in this class, then.”

Class 8 was the elite class for senior students. The students there were not only bright but also came from influential families.

Audrey had investigated beforehand. She wanted Catherine to be in the best class.

Catherine watched Audrey without speaking. She couldn’t help but find it interesting as Audrey finally acted like a member of the Swanns in front of others.

Catherine noticed that the principal’s face flushed at Audrey’s words.

“Miss Swann, I don’t think this class is right for her.”

Audrey slammed the documents in her hands onto the desk with a bang.

“Sir, why is it not right for her? Is the teaching building not right, or is the library not right?”

Coincidentally, the teaching building and the library were both donated by the Swann Corporation.

At Audrey’s words, the principal’s face turned ashen. He explained to Audrey in a hurry, “No.

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That’s not what I meant. If you believe Miss Catherine belongs to Class 8, that would, of course, be the best. I’m just worried that Miss Catherine wouldn’t like it.”

His words reminded Audrey that she had thought that since Catherine was older than Liana by a year, with Liana in senior year, she shouldn’t be in a year lower than Liana

That was why Audrey insisted that Catherine be enrolled as a senior student However, she had forgotten to ask Catherine about what she wanted

After hearing the principal’s words, Audrey’s eyes fell upon Catherine.

Audrey, who looked proud and cold just now, turned to look gently at Catherine The change of emotions in her eyes left one in awe.

“Kathy, what do you think?”

With her arms crossed, Catherine was looking at Audrey coldly. She only shrugged casually at Audrey’s question.

Even though Audrey had only spent little time with Catherine, she knew that Catherine wanted her to make a decision.

After thinking for a while, Audrey decided to go with Class 8.

“Sir, we’re joining Class 8.

What could the principal say to that?

He could only submit and send the two troublemakers on their way politely with a bow.

Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Fighting Among Sisters

After leaving the Principal’s Office, Audrey still had her brows furrowed. She was starting to regret what she had decided upon careful consideration.

She muttered to Catherine, “No, I have to see the principal again. You can’t go to Class 8. Liana is in Class 8. You can’t be in the same class with her. With her character, she would surely cause trouble for you.”

With that, Audrey turned to head back to the Principal’s Office, but Catherine grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

Audrey looked up at Catherine in confusion.

Catherine said lightly, “There’s no need!”

“No need? Are you okay with being in Class 8? But what if Liana bullies you?” Audrey looked at her somewhat worriedly.

Bully her?

Catherine was confident that no one on earth could bully her. She smiled lightly, looking somewhat scary but casual as she said jokingly, “I’ll bully her back then.”

For some reason, Audrey felt that Catherine was not joking.

After all, she had seen Liana fighting with Catherine. Despite being arrogant and fierce, Liana didn’t gain the upper hand.

Seeing how determined Catherine was, Audrey didn’t say anything more about this but changed the topic. “Okay, I’ll walk you to your class.”

“I’ll go by myself!”

With that, Catherine walked away by herself. Audrey watched her leave.

Audrey could only sigh silently on the spot. Her younger sister was peculiar.

In Class 8, the famous elite class of Loyalty Academy.

Every student with excellent academic performance and from an influential family was in this

class.

The children of two of the three prominent families in Eskana were in Class 8.

One of them was Liana from the Swanns. The other was Bryan Duncan, who was said to be the younger son of the Duncans.

However, in Eskana, the Duncans had always been mysterious. Most people knew little about

the Duncans.

“Bryan, have you heard that a new student will come to Class 8? I heard that she will be here today.”

With that, Bryan took the book on his face down, revealing his handsome and arrogant face. He looked at the man that had spoken to him with an eyebrow raised.

He licked the inner of his mouth and looked sloppy as he spoke casually.

“Oh, David. Who is it that actually manages to join Class 8?”

The man was David Bower. He knew everything about what was going on at Loyalty Academy. Besides, he was Bryan’s most loyal sidekick.

Seeing how interested Bryan was, David approached him with a smile immediately. “Bryan, it’s true. Someone is joining us.”

With that, David glanced at Liana sitting in the front row, and winked at Bryan. “I heard that she is related to Liana. She seems to be her older sister.”

Bryan rolled the book in his hands up in annoyance and hit David on the head with it. “Don’t you know everything that is going on here? How can you be not sure about this? Can I trust you or not?”

David looked wronged after being hit. “I wanted to collect information about it. But there is little information about the new student. It wasn’t easy for me to learn what I know already.”

“Is she that mysterious?” Bryan’s dark eyes flashed with a hint of playfulness as he was immediately interested in the matter.

Since the new student was Liana’s older sister, there was no way for her to be Audrey, the oldest daughter of the Swanns that had been kicked out of the family.

She could only be the jinx that had returned. Everyone had been talking about her before. She was the second daughter of the Swanns, whom the family had left to grow up in the countryside.

Bryan didn’t expect her to be enrolled as a senior student here. Things were getting interesting.

As the bell rang, the students wandering casually in the corridors returned to their classroom slowly.

As the bell stopped ringing, the homeroom teacher of Class 8 strode into the classroom and stood behind the teacher’s desk.

The class, which was so noisy just now, quieted down immediately.

The homeroom teacher looked at her students with a loving smile. “Guys, I have special news

all today.”

for

you

To build the atmosphere, the teacher stopped deliberately to make the news seem more mysterious.

“We have a new student joining us today. Please give her a warm round of applause.”

With that, the homeroom teacher waved at someone standing outside the door.

Catherine walked into the classroom and stood by the teacher’s desk with her school bag in her hand.

The class quieted down as soon as Catherine walked through the door.

After a few seconds of silence, all kinds of whispers rang again.

Nobody expected the new student to be so pretty. The prettiest girl in Loyalty Academy was Liana from Class 8. She was not only pretty but had a great temperament. Most importantly, she came from a top family.

However, the new student looked even prettier than Liana did. In particular, she had an even better temperament than Liana’s sweet looks. Catherine looked cold and stunningly beautiful. It was as if she was uninterested in anything in this world. A look at her could make anyone. fall for her.

Liana’s deskmate was utterly stunned by the new student. She gave Liana a light push.

“Liana, look! The new student looks so pretty. She actually looks somewhat like you.”

How could she not, as Catherine and Liana were sisters?

Liana looked coldly at Catherine, who was looking arrogant and other-worldly. Liana was furious. She balled her hands into fists and almost snapped the pen she had just bought into two halves.

Liana had arranged to make sure that Catherine would not be able to arrive at school in time this morning. How could she be here without being late?

Moreover, the jinx had come to Class 8. Was she trying to get Liana so mad that she would die from anger?

The more Liana thought about it, the angrier Liana got. She almost rushed forward to kill Catherine.

After thinking for a while, Liana was sure Audrey was involved.

Her older sister had always been restless. Since she was kicked out of the family, Audrey kept trying all means to return home.

Now that Catherine had all the shares, Audrey was doing her best to kiss up to her. Did Audrey think that she could return to the Swanns then?

What a joke.

Liana would do everything she could to stop the two bitches. She was the only daughter of the Swanns. Nobody could steal the spotlight away from her.

Seeing that Catherine remained rooted on the spot, the homeroom teacher reminded her deliberately.

“Catherine, you can introduce yourself. As you’ll be part of this class in the future, you have to make friends with your classmates.”

At first, Catherine couldn’t care less about this. As she was about to walk away, she remembered what Audrey had repeatedly reminded her before she left.

Audrey was so annoying. If she knew about this, she would surely nag Catherine some more. It was better for Catherine to avoid Audrey’s nagging by listening to her.

Catherine stood at the front of the classroom and glanced at the class. Her sharp eyes looked cold, and she made such a presence that amazed everyone.

“I’m Catherine Swann!”

The simple introduction ended abruptly.

Even the homeroom teacher looked somewhat embarrassed. However, she had learned about Catherine’s condition from the principal and did not intend to force her.

She took a glance at the class, found the only empty seat in the room, and pointed at it for

Catherine.

“Catherine, you will sit next to Bryan for now.”

With that, everyone couldn’t help but gasp.

Next to Bryan!

Oh, things were indeed getting interesting.

Chapter 37

Chapter 37 Breaking the Taboo

It wasn’t that nobody wanted to sit next to Bryan. It was that nobody dared to sit next to him. If Liana was the prettiest girl in Loyalty Academy, Bryan was the school bully.

Nobody dared to cross Bryan. Besides, the youngest son of the Duncans was known to have a taboo, which was that he didn’t like girls.

Therefore, Bryan’s seat was surrounded by male students. In the past, a girl that didn’t know better forced her way into sitting near Bryan.

She was kicked out of the classroom that day and was asked to quit school the next day. Since then, no girl dared to even think about sitting near Bryan.

Now, the homeroom teacher asked the new student to sit beside Bryan directly. Everyone was worried about the new student. Some students couldn’t help but wonder if the teacher hated the new student for making such an arrangement.

Since Catherine stepped into the classroom, she had attracted the eyes of many. Now, it could be said that she was the center of attention.

However, Catherine couldn’t care less about it at all. After all, she wasn’t only getting stared at today. If she cared so much about the attention of others, she would have gone mad long ago.

With her school bag in her hand, Catherine walked slowly toward the seat the homeroom teacher had pointed at, right next to Bryan.

Everyone’s eyes followed Catherine’s every step.

Seeing her stop next to Bryan, everyone gasped in horror and held their breaths. They were all eager to see what would happen next.

Apart from glancing at Catherine initially, Bryan did not pay attention to Catherine again. However, Bryan knew when Catherine was walking toward him.

He put a foot on the chair next to him. There was a mocking smile on his well-defined and handsome face.

Catherine did not care about her new deskmate at all. Her cold eyes looked emotionless. It was as if he was not even there.

Catherine reached out to pull the chair out but found that the chair didn’t move at all.

With a brow raised, Catherine saw that the boy sitting next to her had a foot on the bar at the bottom of the chair. That was why she couldn’t pull it out.

Catherine sneered silently but showed little change in emotion on her face. Without even putting her bag down, Catherine kicked the back of the chair with her knee easily.

However, Bryan jerked his leg away at her kick as though he had been electrified. Catherine pulled the chair out and sat down slowly and gracefully.

Everyone nearby was stunned. Some of the students couldn’t even believe their eyes. It was amazing Bryan would let anybody sit next to him so easily.

They looked at Catherine again. Oh god. Only one word could describe her, which was “cold”!

If one had to use two words to describe her, it would be “extremely cold”!

They had only felt this way when Bryan was mad. However, the new student had such a cold temperament herself. She was indeed a stone-cold fox.

Just as everyone was curious to know why Bryan would let the girl sit down so easily, Bryan rubbed his ankle secretly.

His foot was still trembling even until now. He had no idea what had happened just now. Before he could react, his foot had already left the bar of the chair.

One had to know that Bryan was an excellent fighter. His legs were strong and powerful. Few people could move his leg in a breeze.

Bryan turned to size Catherine up in curiosity.

However, he found she was already leaning against the table, sleeping. She even covered her face with a book. He could only see part of her stunningly beautiful face from a crack.

After staring for a few seconds, Bryan felt his heart beating faster. He didn’t understand what was going on himself.

David was just about to report things to Bryan. He didn’t expect to see such an astonishing scene when he turned around.

His boss was staring at the new student while she was leaning against the table, sleeping.

What was most astonishing was that David felt that Bryan seemed to be looking at her somewhat lovingly.

Could it be…

David didn’t dare to think further. He couldn’t understand what was going on anymore.

As the bell rang, indicating the end of the first lesson, Catherine remained sound asleep. Even though she was new here, her temperament and presence made it impossible for others to ignore her.

The noisy class became extremely quiet because Catherine was fast asleep.

The teacher, who did not leave immediately, was slightly stunned. Usually, the students would start talking and running around as soon as the lesson ended. Why were they so quiet today? Was the teacher imagining things?

Moreover, with Catherine’s arrival, discussions that were once about idols, fashion, and food had become all about her.

“Don’t you think that Catherine is so pretty? I feel like she can become a top idol just with her good looks!”

A girl said, echoed by another girl immediately, “I think so too!”

“Compared to Liana, who do you think is more good-looking? Liana beat the originally prettiest girl in the school in the first term she came here and remains to be the prettiest girl in Loyalty Academy until now!”

“So what? In my eyes, she has met her match now. The new student is so much prettier than Liana. Anyone could see that. Didn’t you see that even Bryan is treating her differently?”

“You’re right!”

Liana was just passing by and heard every word of this conversation.

She was once the top and prettiest girl at school, whom everyone was envious of. Now that Catherine was here, she had ruined everything.

How could it be?

How could she do that?

Liana looked in Catherine’s direction and said through gritted teeth, “Catherine, you jinx, I’ll make you pay.

There were four lessons in the morning, and Catherine slept through all of them. Most surprisingly, no teacher told Catherine off.

If it was any other student, the teachers would have scolded them and kicked the student out of the classroom.

David only got news about the reason why near the end of school and told Bryan about it in a low voice.

“Bryan, I heard that the new student was never in school before. The Swanns paid for her to be enrolled here. The principal made sure to tell the teachers that as long as she doesn’t cause trouble and remains quiet in class, they don’t have to tell her off for her special conditions.”

The truth came out. So the girl was nothing. She didn’t even go to school and was probably even illiterate.

With that, Bryan turned to glance at Catherine again, who was still fast asleep. His eyes looked disdainful.

However, as soon as the bell signaling the end of school rang, Catherine, who was just sound. asleep, woke up as though the bell was her alarm.

She woke up so suddenly!

Chapter 38

Chapter 38 A Real Boss

Catherine woke up so suddenly that Bryan didn’t have time to react. He hurriedly turned away so she wouldn’t notice anything wrong with him.

Bryan sat up straight and looked outside the window, pretending nothing had happened. A few seconds passed, and Bryan still didn’t hear any movement behind him.

This made Bryan furrow his brows slightly, feeling strange. Just as he considered whether he should turn back to look, a voice rang beside him.

“Bryan, she’s gone. Stop pretending.” Bryan turned his head back slightly and glanced, only to see that Catherine was indeed gone.

His hands clenched slightly under the desk, and a faint trace of anger was on his face. He looked somewhat fiercely at David.

“When did I care about her? Don’t talk nonsense.”

However, David didn’t say who she was. Bryan confirmed David’s guesses without being pressed. Nonetheless, Bryan’s expression already scared David out of his wits. He didn’t dare to retort at all.

His boss looked truly scary when he got mad!

Bryan stared at the empty seat next to him. His brows were slightly knitted as he remembered how Catherine looked when she walked into the classroom.

Catherine’s eyes were so bright. They made Bryan feel as if he had seen her before. They were dream-like and tempting.

Most of the time, Bryan could attract the attention of everyone, no matter where he was.

However, the new student didn’t even spare him a glance after being in the classroom for so long. In fact, Catherine had totally neglected him.

Seeing Bryan stand up, David was a little flustered. He asked hurriedly, “Bryan, where are you. going?”

Bryan answered coldly and arrogantly without even turning back to look at him, “Home, of course!”

Watching Bryan walk away briskly, David couldn’t help but feel that something was off. But he couldn’t tell what was off. Also, why was Bryan limping slightly?

Was he hurt?

Who would dare to harm Bryan?

No. Who would be so powerful to be able to harm Bryan?

As Catherine stepped outside the school, she knew someone was following her. Catherine’s bright brown eyes remained as emotionless as her cold expression.

She turned to walk into an alley next to campus. It was out of the way, and few people came here. Just as Catherine turned into the alley, she heard fast and messy footsteps coming up from behind her. There were quite a few of them.

Four of five gangster-looking young men walked out at the two ends of the alley. Catherine could tell at a glance that they were actual gangsters that had received little education.

They weren’t students at all but hooligans.

The one who looked like he was the group leader had his hair dyed blonde. He was carrying himself in a way that didn’t match his youthful and somewhat handsome face at all.

Blondie walked up to Catherine and blocked her way. After sizing Catherine up, he was utterly mesmerized by Catherine’s other-worldly beauty.

“Oh god. The girl is too beautiful!” he thought.

Blondie stared in a daze and only collected himself after being reminded by his sidekick.

Even though Catherine was really pretty, Blondie had to do what he had been paid to do.

Leaning on one leg, Blondie held his head high and looked at Catherine in a way he thought was intimidating. He even slurred a bit to sound more casual.

“Girl, I heard you were very arrogant at school!”

With her brows slightly furrowed, Catherine’s calm expression showed a slight trace of annoyance.

She checked Blondie out with a glance and said coldly, “Just go ahead. Don’t waste time. chitchatting!”

Her cold tone and clean words cut Blondie off from what he planned to say. Blondie choked on his own words. He was both annoyed and angry.

He decided to teach Catherine a small lesson first so she would learn that there were some people she couldn’t afford to offend. Then, he would talk to her.

Blondie was particularly confident in dealing with girls like Catherine. He didn’t even open his eyes fully and waved a hand lightly.

“Jacky, go on!”

The boy he called upon took a knife from his pocket and walked towards Catherine with an evil grin.

“Girl, if you beg for mercy nicely, I might be able to ask my boss to let you go.”

Annoyed, Catherine couldn’t understand why the gang talked so much. Why couldn’t they just go straight to the fight?

After spouting all kinds of threats, Jacky saw that Catherine didn’t react at all. He was so embarrassed and mad that he charged straight at her with a knife.

Then, Jacky, still looking ferocious just now, fell on the ground in a horribly twisted posture.

Nobody saw how Catherine attacked Jacky. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Jacky didn’t even have time to scream before being completely crippled.

She was so cold and ruthless…

Blondie finally opened his eyes without hearing anything from Jacky and was shocked by the scene. Jacky was lying by Catherine’s feet motionlessly.

Then, Blondie turned to look at his men. All of them looked horror-struck, as though they had seen something ghastly.

Blondie pointed at Catherine and asked his men, “Did this girl attack Jacky?”

His men didn’t know whether to nod or shake their heads. They didn’t even see Catherine move before Jacky fell. It was too scary.

Blondie then turned around to size Catherine up again and said coldly, “I didn’t imagine you could fight!

“Boys, let’s go together!”

The group of men charged at Catherine, who didn’t even blink.

A minute later, Blondie and his gang, who were so arrogant just now, were all sprawled on the floor in extremely twisted and disgusting postures.

There was no blood, but anyone could see that a fierce fight had just happened here.

In fact, it was a single-sided torture as Blondie and his men were no match to Catherine at all!

After dealing with the gang, Catherine walked off.

She dealt with the dozen men single-handedly, still holding her school bag in the other hand.

Blondie looked up at her before collapsing fully. His eyes were filled with admiration as he

watched Catherine leave.

What a boss!

She was a real boss!

Blondie and his gang didn’t notice a third group of people standing by the window of the building opposite the alley, and they had witnessed the whole incident.

David only collected himself after Catherine had left.

He snapped his jaw, which had gone numb, shut with a hand, as his jaw had dropped when he saw Catherine in action.

David was fortunate to see his boss, Bryan, fight once and was already amazed by and totally admired Bryan for his fighting skills.

He didn’t expect to encounter a woman who could fight so well one day. It was truly amazing!

“Bryan, did you see clearly? I didn’t even see how the new student attacked them. Say, if you fight with her, who would win?”

David’s words made Bryan frown.

What nonsense was he spouting?

They weren’t even on the same level of skills. If Bryan were to fight with Catherine, he probably wouldn’t even last a minute.

Bryan was downright stunned. Catherine was so strong. No wonder his leg was still shaking. If anyone could fight Catherine, it could only be that guy Bryan had in mind!

Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Who is He Interested In?

Catherine left the alley and was about to pick up her motorcycle.

Suddenly, a red BMW Z4 sped toward her and parked next to her.

Catherine knew the car was here for her, so she turned to glance at it.

Then, the car parked steadily next to her, revealing Audrey’s smiley face.

“Kathy, are you very surprised to see me?”

Surprised?

That was impossible. However, instead of being surprised, Catherine was shocked!

Catherine lowered her eyes and looked calmly at Audrey. Her cold face was emotionless.

Despite how cold Catherine was all the time, Audrey didn’t seem to mind at all and was as enthusiastic as she could be.

She beckoned at Catherine excitedly. “Kathy, since it’s your first day here, I guessed you probably have no one to have lunch with. I also studied here, and I know a great restaurant with super delicious food nearby. I came specially to take you there. Come on.”

Catherine was planning to skip lessons in the afternoon, as school was somewhat boring.

However, by showing up, Audrey had shattered her plan into pieces.

Without waiting for Catherine to reply, Audrey had already left the car and opened the door for her, pushing Catherine into the vehicle.

“Kathy, you don’t have to be shy. It’s my treat. I’ll make sure you can eat all you can!

“Come on. Let’s go!”

Audrey’s sweet and bright smile looked so dazzling under the sun.

Catherine couldn’t help but take a few glances at her. She couldn’t understand her.

Audrey was clearly treated the worst in the Swanns. However, she wasn’t gloomy at all. She even made one feel warm and couldn’t help but approach her subconsciously, making others unwilling to turn her down.

The restaurant was indeed near the school, as Audrey said it was.

After leading Catherine inside, Audrey started introducing to her earnestly, “The food here is not only delicious but also exquisitely made and well-presented…”

Catherine didn’t pay much attention to Audrey’s chattering, as she noticed two men sitting in the corner as soon as she stepped foot into the restaurant.

Triston was talking about the latest financial news with Branden when Branden stared in a specific direction strangely.

Triston noticed this immediately and looked in the direction Branden was staring at. He didn’t expect to see Catherine there.

“Isn’t that the jinx…”

Before Triston could finish, his face twisted, and he groaned through gritted teeth, looking like he was in great pain.

Catherine took a light glance at them and then looked away.

She didn’t know them well and decided they weren’t worth her attention!

Finally, Triston recovered from the pain and wracked his brain for Catherine’s name. Seeing that Catherine was about to walk into a private room, Triston shouted in a hurry, “Catherine…” His shout caught the attention of not only Catherine and Audrey but everyone in the restaurant as well.

Audrey turned and saw Triston.

She had met Triston before and smiled immediately. “Triston, hey!”

Then, she walked over warmly.

In addition, she even pulled Catherine with her.

Seeing Catherine looking almost as cold as Branden was, Triston decided to focus on Audrey instead.

“Audrey, what a coincidence. Are you here for lunch too?”

Audrey was two years younger than Triston was. Even though Casier was a large city, there were only a few top families.

It made sense for Audrey to know Triston. “It is indeed such a coincidence. My sister attends Loyalty Academy. I’m taking her out for lunch.”

“Join us!” Triston invited earnestly, which made Branden and Catherine frown simultaneously.

Audrey was probably the only one happy about Triston’s invitation. She nodded with a smile. Sure. The table is big enough. There’s only the two of us. It’s just about right!”

Audrey sat down, and naturally, Catherine had to too.

Catherine saw that Branden, sitting next to her motionlessly, had his chin in one hand and was wearing a black patterned shirt. The top two buttons of his shirt were left unbuttoned, revealing his tanned skin underneath. He looked sexy and tempting.

The man was so good at showing himself off. What a tease!

“Kathy!” Audrey said somewhat louder than usual, and Catherine turned to glance at her slowly.

Maybe she was just used to Catherine being so cold all the time, Audrey didn’t seem to notice. anything off about her and asked as enthusiastically as she was all the time. “Kathy, is there anything you’d like? Here’s the menu. Take a look at it.”

Catherine took a glance at the electronic menu and flipped through it casually before putting it down.

“Whatever!”

Thinking that Catherine had just come back from the countryside, Audrey thought that Catherine might not be particularly familiar with the dishes and thus decided to order for her.

“Okay. I’ll order for you then.”

Audrey had just ordered two or three dishes when a man suddenly interrupted her sharply.

“A chicken tikka masala!”

The other three turned their eyes on Branden almost immediately.

Triston didn’t expect Branden to order anything without being pressed. He was used to ordering everything, and according to Branden’s preferences, every time they ate out. When did Branden start ordering for himself?

Besides, didn’t Branden hate strong flavors? Why did he order something as heavy as chicken tikka masala?

Audrey was also stunned. She knew Branden but had never talked with him before.

Branden naturally let off a terrifying aura, so Audrey avoided speaking to him almost subconsciously after sitting down.

She heard that Branden didn’t like to socialize with others. For all these years, Audrey never

heard that he was friends with anybody except Triston.

Hearing Branden order now, Audrey nodded in a hurry and told the server, “And a chicken

tikka masala!”

Catherine turned to glance lightly at Branden. He was very observant.

She knew that he had ordered this for her.

Catherine enjoyed strong flavors. All the dishes Audrey had just ordered were light ones.

However, since Catherine had said “whatever”, she would leave everything for Audrey to

decide and wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Catherine didn’t know how Branden knew and ordered a chicken tikka masala for her

proactively.

Catherine was particularly quiet when she ate. No. She wouldn’t speak even if she wasn’t eating.

Similarly, Branden wouldn’t talk too. To lighten the atmosphere, Audrey and Triston were forced to do all the talking.

After all, it would be too awkward for all four of them to eat without speaking to one another.

As they chatted, they began talking about Branden and Catherine after a while. Triston couldn’t refrain from saying jokingly, “Audrey, even though we were nothing but friendly acquaintances in the past, we will soon become somewhat related soon, won’t we?”

Stunned, Audrey didn’t understand what he was talking about at first.

Related?

Why would they be related? Was Triston interested in someone from the Swanns? Could it be?

Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Why Wouldn’t I?

Triston also noticed that Audrey didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about. He pointed a finger at Branden, then at Catherine.

Audrey understood immediately that Triston was talking about Branden and Catherine being engaged.

In the upper-class community, Branden was the dream of marrying the Duncans as their lifelong ambition less girls. Many people took.

However, Branden was cold and didn’t like to socialize with others. He spent most of his time on his work and was rarely heard to be involved with any woman.

In fact, Branden was even once rumored to be gay, as there was only all the Fiston by his s time. Audrey studied Branden carefully with a brief glance at him.

Even though she had only taken one look at him, Audrey was almost frozen by Branden’s cold presence. She looked away hurriedly and didn’t dare to look at him again.

Even though Branden was a great man, Audrey felt he was incompatible with Catherine. Audrey didn’t know what Vicente was thinking about when he had made such an arrangement.

In Audrey’s opinion, her sister was too soft as she had just returned from the countryside. She would easily get hurt from being with a bossy man like Branden.

Audrey was said jokingly to

Tri

nowadays would

that Catherine would be looked down upon. To protect Catherine, Audrey immediately, “Vicente and the others arranged that. Young people

accept arranger with that. You’re a young man yourself, Triston. Would you really

accept arrangements like that? It’s such a joke. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask Mr. Duncan if he would agree to that?”

Before Triston could answer, Branden, who had remained silent since ordering the chicken tikka masala until now, spoke suddenly, “Why wouldn’t I?”

His words stunned everyone.

Audrey’s jaw dropped from the shock. Triston also looked at Branden with a horrified expression.

Even Catherine, who was focused on her food, looked up at Branden.

Her brows were knitted on her exquisite face.

She didn’t take Audrey and Triston’s conversation seriously and let them roam free with their chitchat. She didn’t expect Branden to speak up so suddenly.

Catherine raised her head slowly and looked in Branden’s direction. He was sitting in the far-

Chapter 40 Why Wouldn’t 1

end corner, looking lazy and casual.

As she turned her eyes on him, he happened to look at her too.

Their eyes met. The two of them, who were used to being the best in their respective fields,

seemed to have met an even match.

A moment later, Branden looked away first.

For no reason whatsoever, every time he looked into Catherine’s eyes, Branden felt as if his blood was boiling from excitement.

Catherine also looked away after Branden looked away.

Soon, the pair returned to their normal states.

When Catherine looked up at Branden again, she was emotionless and asked somewhat seriously, “Are you saying you agree to it then?”

Branden sneered and said, slightly taunting, “You haven’t fulfilled what you promised me yet, Miss Swann. How can I agree to it now?”

Catherine glanced at him and stood up slowly. “I’ll fulfill it in a week’s time!”

With that, Catherine turned to leave.

Audrey was so shocked that it was a moment later when she reacted. Catherine was already at the door when Audrey called after her hurriedly, “Kathy, where are you going?”

Without looking back, Catherine uttered a three-word answer.

“Back to school!”

Audrey caught up with Catherine quickly and didn’t even have time to bid Triston and Branden goodbye.

Triston only came out of a daze when Catherine and Audrey were gone.

He approached Branden and sized him up with squinted eyes fiercely. “Mr. Duncan, you were naughty. How can you not tell me you have been negotiating with Catherine? What a poor

friend you are.

”

Then, Triston smiled and looked at Branden curiously. “So, Mr. Duncan, what is it that you and Catherine were talking about?”

Branden turned to look at him calmly. His cold eyes swept past Triston.

Branden made Triston cower in silence and look at him in horror, even without speaking.

Branden spoke coldly in an equally cold expression, “Any other question?”

Triston shook his head hard, looking fearfully at Branden. “No… No more questions. I’m not interested in it anymore all of a sudden!”

Having gotten a satisfactory answer, Branden got up to leave with the car keys in his hand. He didn’t forget to leave two words behind before he left.

“Your treat!”

When Triston came out of his daze, Branden was already long gone.

Looking at the tableful of food, Triston was so annoyed that he threw his fork down.

Hang on. Why did he feel as though Branden and Catherine were quite alike? They looked exactly the same by walking off just like that..

Could it be that they were really a match made in heaven?

Catherine received a call from Ronin when she got back to school.

As the call was connected, she heard Ronin’s horrified voice as if the end of the world was coming.

“Boss, are you really at school?”

Catherine held the record for being the youngest student to graduate from a top school in Ocraolia. It was a joke for Catherine to return to high school after graduating so many years

ago.

Ronin considered this to be a joke when he first heard about it. He only confirmed this ridiculous news when he saw Catherine’s signature on the enrollment notice.

His Boss was really in high school again!

Catherine grunted calmly and didn’t say anything else.

It was already a blessing for Ronin to get a response from Catherine.

Now that even though he had countless questions, he didn’t dare to ask any more of them.

He reported what he had found to Catherine, “Boss, I’ve checked the Blondie you told me about. In the morning, he received a sum of money in his account, which was transferred to

him from Liana!”

Catherine squinted her eyes slightly and looked straight ahead. Ronin’s finding had confirmed. her guess. Liana was really the one behind her attack before lunch.

After learning that Liana hired a gang to attack Catherine, Ronin was so mad that he almost. came over to Casier to beat Liana up himself. He asked through gritted teeth, “Boss, should I do something to teach Liana a lesson? She is too arrogant. I think it would be a good idea to kidnap her and leave her on Mochax Island alone to cool her head.”

Hearing Ronin’s anger, Catherine only said softly with a light smile, “No. Leave Liana to me.”

Chapter 40 Why Wouldn’t I?

What Liana had done didn’t affect Catherine at all. In fact, Catherine didn’t even break a sweat.

Since she promised Vicente that she wouldn’t harm anyone from the Swanns, she would keep

her word.

She had made such a promise at Vicente’s deathbed. As long as Liana didn’t challenge her bottom line, Catherine wouldn’t harm Liana.

After all, it would only take a word from her to have Liana destroyed completely.

At first, Catherine wanted to plan about this later. Now that Ronin had called her, she decided to tell him first.

“Ronin, arrange to give the dealership of ‘The Storm’ in Eskana to Duncan Corporation.”

“Boss, I heard that someone from Duncan Corporation is investigating you. If we give the dealership to them now, wouldn’t they trace it back to you?” Ronin, who was on the other end of the line, was slightly worried after learning about Catherine’s decision. After all, only the head of Hacker Alliance could make such a decision.

“Let him investigate all he wants!”

She sounded determined, powerful, and confident.

With a light smile, Catherine thought to herself, “If Branden can find out about my identity, he is truly capable.”