Ch. 341..350

Chapter 341 Thank You

Everyone was excited, and the comments flooded the screen.

The comments:

[How could Catherine be so arrogant?]

[Even Peerless Grayson is so humble. How dare she be so smug! Who does she think she is?]

[Her singing is fine, but she is too insensible!]

[Peerless Grayson isn’t angry about it. He is so well brought up. I’m sure he is sad deep down.]

The comments mainly were nasty comments about Catherine’s behavior. They were condemning her and, at the same time, paying attention to Grayson’s reactions.

Since Catherine spoke, Grayson’s gaze had never left her. He had been paying attention to Catherine’s expressions and movements. He held the microphone and smiled gently as he stared at Catherine affectionately.

“Really? Do you think I can do anything to improve it?”

The smile on his face was sincere. So, many of his fans were mesmerized by it. That smile of his was pleasant to watch.

Catherine looked at Grayson, smiling, and nodded silently. It might just be a simple nod, but it strongly encouraged Grayson.

He was like a student, holding the microphone as he stared at Catherine sincerely, speaking out what was on his mind.

“I have always been worried because I want more. I have seen holding concerts and attending various activities, greatly affecting my initial dream. I have let down everyone, afraid those who support me might be disappointed.

“Your encouragement has helped me move on, holding onto my dream!

“Catherine, thank you!”

Grayson smiled sincerely again after finishing his speech. Those fans of Grayson who had been scolding Catherine for being smug and arrogant without having any ability showed a different attitude toward Grayson when they commented about him.

The comments about him appeared one after another.

[Peerless Grayson, you will always be my idol! What a positive speech!]

[You are good enough!]

[Peerless Grayson wants to show the best of himself before us! Go for it, Peerless Grayson!]

[Maybe Peerless Grayson only wants encouragement, no matter how much he has achieved. It would help him strive higher. I think that’s why Peerless Grayson is so happy when Catherine encourages him. Way to go, Peerless Grayson. Catherine, thank you! ]

[Wow! Your comment is the length of an essay!]

[It’s heart-warming!]

[Way to go, Peerless Grayson! Thank you, Catherine!]

Comments of gratitude and encouragement filled the screen. It was different from just now. They had changed their attitude from reprimanding Catherine to thanking her for encouraging Grayson.

To prevent affecting the rest of the filming, the host could not keep the eight teams on stage for too long. So, the host had to ask Catherine’s team to leave the stage and invite the next team.

Catherine had been standing too long. So, she did not dawdle and quickly walked down the stage for the next group to perform.

Looking at group number eight, which had performed well, those participants in the waiting zone were envious.

Getting such high attention like group number eight was something the other groups would never dare to imagine. Emma sat in the waiting zone, observing Catherine’s every move.

When she heard Grayson’s words, she knew she had underestimated Catherine. Grayson’s relationship with Catherine seemed much better than she had thought. At least it was not Catherine pestering Grayson, and they did know each other in person.

However, she did not care, even if they did know each other. She would never let anyone take away the man she wanted.

She would make sure Catherine lost in this competition. Only then would Grayson notice how much better she was than Catherine.

Unlike other groups, she stayed back and observed other group’s performances even though her turn was over. Catherine’s group packed their things and left after they got off the stage.

They did not look like they were there for the competition and more like they came as special guests. It looked like they were only there to perform that song.

The group walked out of the filming set. Everyone was excited because they had just finished their performance. Ronin suggested going for a barbecue to celebrate.

Before Bryan could agree to that suggestion, they heard the sound of someone’s phone ringing. Each used the same phone brand and set the same ringtone.

They subconsciously looked for their phone, yet they noticed Catherine calmly taking out her phone from her pocket and answering it. Branden’s soothing voice came from the other end of the call. “Have you done filming? I am at the door.”

That man had chosen the right time to call her. Once she had done filming, he was already at the door waiting for her.

Catherine answered with a hum and waved her hand to her friends as she strode toward the door. Ronin had no idea what was going on. He wanted to chase after her, yet Bryan dragged him back by pulling his collar.

Displeased, Ronin glared at Bryan disdainfully. “Why are you pulling me back? I have to stop Catherine from leaving so that she can have a barbecue with us tonight.”

Bryan was too lazy to explain to this idiot who was never observant. It was so obvious Catherine’s boyfriend called, yet Ronin had not noticed it. What else could Bryan say?

“Catherine has no time to have a barbecue with us. Don’t you see why?”

“Why?” Ronin was in a puzzle.

Byran rolled his eyes. “Catherine is going on a date!”

Ronin was startled, and his eyebrows furrowed. He was starting to dislike the Duncans!

Catherine walked toward the door and saw the Maybach. As she was approaching the car, Paxton walked down the car and opened the door for her. Triston popped his head out of the front seat’s window and grinned as he greeted her.

“Kathy, congratulations!”

Catherine quickened her steps and got into the back seat. Just as she entered the car, the man beside her took her bag naturally and placed it beside him. He did it casually, as if he had done it countless times.

Triston glanced at Catherine in the back seat as he smiled and said, ” Catherine, congratulations on getting into the semi-finals. Why don’t we have dinner outside tonight to celebrate this?”

Although they had not announced the result, everyone knew Catherine would get to the finals because her total marks were high, and her ranking was among the best.

Catherine did not answer Triston immediately. She looked at Branden and asked casually, “Let’s go and have a barbecue?”

“Okay!” Branden agreed without hesitation. They had been having meals at home and had not had a barbecue for days. His little girlfriend liked barbecue. So, she would naturally crave it.

Triston was excited, “Catherine, what a great suggestion! Barbecue is perfect. Why don’t we go to the barbecue restaurant I own? We just received a batch of fresh ingredients yesterday. I am sure you would like them!”

Although he was excited, Branden and Catherine did not seem to want to answer him. Triston did not mind and took it as they had agreed. He excitedly ordered Paxton to drive to his shop.

Paxton glanced at him. He had no idea why Branden agreed to bring Triston along. Triston was energetic and active, which might be a little noisy sometimes.

Chapter 342 Afraid Catherine Might Dump You

“Brat, don’t push it!” Sean raised his leg and kicked the chair Erick sat on. Erick turned around and glared at Sean with his cold and sharp gaze as if he would skin Sean alive if he could.

Even someone ruthless like Sean was taken aback by that look. Erick might look weak and thin, but he was like a wolf pup. He could be fierce and ruthless if he were provoked.

Sean would never risk his safety to deal with someone like Erick unless necessary. Since he could not deal with Eric the hard way, he could only negotiate with him.

“Hey, although Catherine did sing well, aren’t you bored listening to the cuts of her singing hundreds of times? Can you please play something else?”

Erick had gotten the information from somewhere that Catherine was joining the competition on a live broadcast show.

So, he woke up early and sat before the television, waiting for Catherine’s turn to perform. After Catherine performed, he closed the live broadcast and cropped the part where Cathrine sang, playing it countless times in a loop.

Most importantly, he watched the video countless times. Others might even think he was trying to look for something through the video.

Erick glanced at Sean coldly upon hearing his question. Ignoring Sean, he continued to watch the performance seriously.

Sean did not know what to say. He had no idea why Catherine left this boy at his place. His place was turning into a shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

Sean understood that if he continued pestering Erick, Erick might fight with him. So, Sean decided to seek another approach and called Catherine to ask her to deal with this matter. Meanwhile, Korbin was in his villa. His assistant was reporting the latest information he got to him.

“Mr. Swann, Erick is now in the black market. He is being held captive by the boss of the black market.”

Korbin puffed the cigar and spoke in his hoarse voice. “Is this information accurate?”

The secretary handed a few blurry pictures to Korbin. Although unclear, he could still see that the young man in the photos was Erick.

“No wonder we failed to find him even after searching Casier inside out. So, he is now in the black market!” A sinister smile appeared on Korbin’s face. He seemed to be confident about getting Erick.

“Send these photos to the Winfreds. Ask Xavier to look for us if he needs us.”

The assistant was efficient and immediately sent the Winfreds the photos. When Xavier received the photos, he sent a precious gift to the Swanns to express his gratitude on the Winfreds’ behalf.

The Winfreds were not as powerful as the Swanns in Casier. Although Xavier knew Erick was in the black market, he could not get Erick out of that place. They still had to rely on the Xavier family’s help.

The assistant told Korbin the information he brought back from the Winfreds, “Mr. Swann, the Winfreds had sent over the document. The planning department had checked it, and they had discussed the details. The Winfreds intend to ask for our help to get Erick out. If we can hand Erick over to them, they would sign the contract, and the deal would be done!”

Korbin squinted his eyes as he looked at the document before him. A glimpse of malicious intent flashed across Korbin’s sharp eyes.

“Xavier is cunning. He had planned everything well and left no room for us to take advantage of him.”

“Mr. Swann, what should we do about this? Should we agree to the Winfreds’ request?” asked the assistant.

“Of course. Why can’t we agree? Arrange someone to get Erick out of the black market, no matter what,” said Korbin, giving a new order.

“Noted.” The assistant nodded and went to make the arrangements. Catherine had just arrived at the barbecue shop when she received Sean’s call, complaining to her about Erick in a long-winded manner. It made her frown. She snapped coldly. “Cut it short.”

Sean, who had wanted to tell Catherine his grief and complaints about Erick, immediately stopped complaining once he heard Catherine’s cold and impatient voice.

He went straight to the point. ” Catherine, can you please take this brat away with you? My black market is turning into a homeless shelter now.”

Before Sean could continue his request, Catherine cut off the call. She disliked it when Sean was whiny. After hanging up the call, Catherine got back into the private room.

Looking at her walking in, Branden pulled the chair for her to sit naturally. Catherine’s empty bowl was again filled with her favorite grilled food.

The meat in her bowl was still hot. It seemed that he had just grilled it for her. Catherine looked at the man beside her. His beautiful eyes were looking at her with anticipation. That melted her heart and made her less irritated. Even her puckered eyebrows loosened.

The man smiled upon seeing her, and his gaze on her eas gentle. His soothing and deep voice sounded gentle as he spoke, “Have some more barbecued meat before it gets cold.”

Triston, sitting opposite them, was stunned. He subconsciously wanted to fork the hot meat and eat it, yet the hot meat almost burned him. To prevent being embarrassed, Triston endured the pain and swallowed the meat.

He felt aggrieved that he had to see the couple acting lovey-dovey and even got burned by his favorite barbecue.

It made him realize he should not be there with them. He regretted having this meal with them. After dinner, Catherine left the barbecue shop with Branden and Triston. Just as she left the shop, her phone beeped.

It was a message.

Catherine looked at the message and let go of Branden’s hand. Branden noticed it and looked at her in a puzzle. He asked curiously, “Do you have something to deal with?”

“Yes.” Catherine nodded. She was about to leave. Then, she stopped as if she had just remembered something. She turned around and looked at Branden, promising. “I’ll tell you about this later when I get back.”

Branden’s displeased face calmed down instantly, and his gaze was softer.

“Okay. Call me when you are done. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay!”

After Catherine left, Triston quickly approached Branden, wanting to gossip. “Mr Duncan, Catherine has left just like that. Aren’t you going to ask what she is going to do or where she is going? Aren’t you afraid she might dump you and run away? After all, she is young and beautiful…”She was even cool. Many guys like girls like her.

Triston did not tell Branden everything on his mind because Branden had already glared at him when he praised Catherine for being beautiful. That gaze was so scary that Triston was alarmed.

“Please don’t misinterpret my words. I am just concerned.”

Branden snorted as he glanced at Triston coldly. He said in disdain, ” Only those useless men would be afraid of losing their girlfriends.”

Then, he got into the car without looking back. Just as he closed the door, Paxton drove off. Only Triston was left standing before his shop in a daze. After a few seconds, he realized he had been mocked.

Branden was indicating he was a useless man.

Chapter 343 Maniac

Catherine had just turned into the street before her when Joseph’s car pulled over before her. Joseph exited his car and stood before Catherine, reporting everything he had investigated to her.

“Boss, I have received information Korbin had ordered the Swanns’ secret bodyguards. His target is the black market.

Just like the other families, the Swanns had their secret bodyguards. Vicente had been holding the power to order them. Then, part of the power was passed down to Korbin, but no one knew the real boss of those bodyguards was Catherine.

Before Vicente passed away, he had handed over the power to control the secret bodyguards to Catherine. Vicente might have written her name as the heir, but it did not mean she could inherit it.

Recently, the Swanns’ market price has been rising. Moreover, the deadline for Korbin and Catherine’s bet was approaching.

Catherine was about to win the bet, so Korbin was about to make a move. He had to quickly root his powers in Oceanvile and move his powers from Casier to that place. Even if Catherine took over the Swann Corporation, it would only be an empty shell.

If Korbin wanted to stabilize his company in Oceanvile, his best temporary partner would be the Winfreds. So, he had to find Erick. The cooperation between the Swanns and the Winfreds had to go on smoothly.

Catherine sat in the car and ordered Joseph. “Take me to the black market.”

It was silent in the car. Catherine did not like noises when she was in the car. She would not even play music. So, he took the opportunity to report to Catherine about Audrey’s strange behaviors recently.

“Boss, I found something about Miss Audrey that I think I should report to you.”

Cathrine did not even look at him as she said coldly, “Speak!”

After getting Catherine’s permission, Joseph said, “Boss, I noticed Miss Audrey attended many gatherings, and they seemed to be different from before.

Joseph stopped there, not saying much. Catherine had only given Joseph one task. She wanted him to protect Audrey’s safety. Audrey’s activities and social life had nothing to do with his task. So, he had no right to ask.

Catherine knew what kind of a man her subordinate was. If it were not because Audrey’s whereabouts had been strange, Joseph would never mention this to her.

As for Audrey’s change, Catherine had noticed it, too. Audrey had no filming job on the set recently, yet she had attended many events and would be back home late. However, Catherine did not interfere much in it.

Audrey was already a grown-up, and she had her thoughts and plans. Even if they were sisters, she had no right to interfere in Audrey’s life.

Catherine lowered her head and closed her eyes as she said, “Keep an eye on her and make sure she is safe.”

“Alright,” answered Joseph immediately, hesitating not even a bit. He knew Catherine did not want him to interfere in Audrey’s life, but he had to ensure Audrey was absolutely safe.

Since he had betrayed the group, he was considered dead. But his boss had shown him mercy and spared his life, keeping him to carry out the tasks she arranged for him.

Since he had a chance to survive, he had to carry out the task his boss arranged for him. Even if it might cost him his life, he would do it. After all, it was the boss’s order, and no one could disobey it.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the black market. When Sean saw her, he rushed toward her like she was his savior. However, before he could approach Catherine, a figure dashed out and attacked him.

He said nothing and kept attacking him. Each punch was deathly. If Sean were not agile, he might have died by now. With just a few punches, Sean was so scared that he shouted for help, ” Catherine, quickly stop this maniac!

“We are acquaintances. Why are you beating me up?

“Boss! Catherine!”

Five minutes passed…

Catherine looked at the time and shouted, “Joseph!”

Joseph stopped and stood behind Catherine again. His handsome face was expressionless as he watched Sean’s movements. Sean gritted his teeth and shook his head. He had been blocking Joseph’s attacks, and his arms were in pain.

After snapping out of shock, he cursed Joseph, “Hey, brat! Are you out of your mind? We know each other. Why are you trying to kill me?”

Joseph stared at Sean coldly and said nothing. He was still expressionless and did not intend to apologize. He would never let anyone who dared to disrespect his boss off easily.

Sean was too lazy to argue with Joseph, who seemed unyielding and simple-minded. Although he did not intend to argue with Joseph, he still could not help himself from complaining. He stretched out his hand, wanting to point at Catherine. But he pointed at Joseph instead after pondering.

“Brat, think about it with your blockhead! Catherine is so good at fighting. Why would I attack her? Do I look like I want to die so soon? I am not that foolish and want to end my life so easily. I want to welcome her arrival warmly.”

Joseph said coldly, “No!”

Sean was so pissed off, yet could do nothing about it. He felt Catherine was insane. Each man she kept around her was difficult to deal with.

Ronin had always had a sharp tongue. He would never stop ridiculing others. Because of some misunderstanding, Ronin hacked his computer and gave his money to charity.

Joseph was like a bear, protecting Catherine from anyone who tried to approach her. He would never let that person off until Catherine ordered him to do so.

Erick, the new person Catherine kept, was also a maniac. Thinking about Erick reminded Sean why he had rushed toward Catherine.

“Catherine, you came at the right time. Go and look at Erick. He seemed to be mesmerized by your performance and had been watching it since this afternoon. He had never stopped watching until now.”

Sean walked into the house after saying that, leading Catherine to Erick. Just as he opened the door, they heard a familiar song. Erick was still playing Catherine’s performance video.

Erick was nowhere to be seen. He had been sitting on the sofa all day before Catherine came. Sean felt strange. “Where is this brat?”

He smiled and looked at Catherine as he said, “Is he embarrassed to see you and hide himself?”

Catherine’s expression turned cold, and she glared at him.

That shot of glace made Sean feel like an idiot. He realized something was off and asked in a trembling voice, “Could something bad have happened?”

Chapter 344 Erick Is Missing

Catherine glanced at Joseph. Immediately, Joseph got Catherine’s order without her needing to speak.

“Boss, I’ll look for him!”

“Wait!” Sean quickly stopped Joseph. Then, he stopped fooling around and looked at Catherine seriously. “What is going on?”

Catherine glanced at him coldly. She did not even need to say anything. Her cold gaze was enough to run a chill down Sean’s spine.

Standing behind Catherine, Joseph said, “The Swanns’ secret bodyguards had been sent out to take Erick out of the black market. Erick must be with them now.”

Sean finally understood why Catherine would visit the black market suddenly, bringing Joseph with her. So, she had received the news and was there to protect Erick. Sean was displeased, and his temperament changed. His gaze turned cold.

“That bunch of bastards! I am still here, yet they came and took away Erick just like that? Looks like I have not been active lately, making them forget how ruthless I have been!”

After scolding those people, he looked at Catherine seriously.

“Catherine, I lost Erick. You don’t have to go through the trouble of finding him. I will look for him. If I can’t bring him back, I will punish myself by not appearing before you anymore.”

Then, Sean pulled the drawer nearby, took a P18C gun, and headed out of the room. Joseph looked at Catherine, waiting for her next order. Catherine looked around and said calmly, “Let him do it.”

Joseph nodded and retreated to the side. After Sean left, Catherine did not leave immediately. She walked around the place and observed everything in the room. A smirk appeared on her face, mysterious and confident.

She did not ask Joseph to interfere because Sean could deal with it, and she had to let him do it. Moreover, Erick’s missing case was not as simple as it seemed.

She had seen Erick fighting. Although he was not a top fighter, he was ruthless, and his attacks were deadly. Sean was outside. He felt silently taking Erick away while they were only a wall apart from him was impossible.

The room was still untouched. Not even a trace of a fight was seen. So, Sean came up with a conclusion. Erick might have left with them willingly. As for why, they had to ask Erick to know.

“Investigate Erick’s past before he came to the black market. I want to know every detail.”

Catherine suddenly ordered, and Joseph was taken aback. Then, he snapped out of his shock before nodding. “Yes, Boss. I’ll get it done right away.”

Sean could find Erick while she was only concerned about why Erick left. After all, she was not that foolish to be used by others.

After ordering Joseph, Catherine left the place without hesitating. Joseph followed behind her, protecting her safety. Half an hour later, Catherine was back at her apartment. When the elevator door was about to open, she felt someone was standing outside.

Subconsciously, she lifted her head and saw a handsome man standing before her when the elevator door opened.

The man was half a head taller than her, meaning he was at least eight inches taller. His height was considered tall for a man.

With a height like this, he would be easily seen no matter where he stood. Moreover, he was the only person standing outside. Branden’s eyes glowed with joy as soon as he saw Catherine. His voice was soothing and gentle only when he spoke to Catherine.

“You are back. Why didn’t you call me to pick you up? It’s already so dark outside.”

It had only been two hours since Catherine left, and it was only eight in the evening now. That was not considered late. Catherine did not retort. She squinted her eyes and said calmly, “I have forgotten.”

The man stopped nagging and held Catherine’s hand like usual. He said gently, “Remember to call me the next time.”

Catherine did not answer. So, Banden kept staring at her, waiting for an answer. At last, Catherine nodded. The man smiled, and his mood brightened.

“Good! Come on. I bought some fruits for you.”

Catherine walked into the apartment with Branden and did not intend to break free from his grip. She had never rejected any of Branden’s requests.

If those men in her base saw this, their jaws would drop. She had never doted on anyone like this before. Actually, Branden knew once Catherine returned.

Since living in this community, he had changed each surveillance camera to the Duncan Corporation’s network. He knew Joseph had driven her back.

However, he had never mentioned a word about it. The apartment was the place Branden lived in now, and everything in it was Catherine’s.

On the coffee table were Catherine’s favorite snacks and her textbooks. Even half of the closet was filled with Cathrine’s clothes.

Branden had arranged everything she needed for her. Catherine’s apartment was opposite his, yet his apartment was more like her house than hers.

After entering the unit, Catherine lay there in the lazy chair. Those who did not know her well would think she had a busy day at work because she always looked sluggish and tired. Branden poured her a glass of milk and placed it somewhere she could reach.

“Have some milk!”

Catherine did not like milk, yet this man would always pour her a glass of milk and coax her to drink it. He would be happy if she could even take a sip. He told her it was because he wanted her to grow up healthy.

Catherine took the glass of milk, took a mouthful, and placed it aside. Branden did not force her as she had drunk one-third of the milk. He took the glass and drank the rest of the milk.

Catherine’s head was in a drooped state as she leaned in a comfortable position. The man pressed her shoulder and massaged it. He was good at it, and it relaxed Catherine’s tensed muscles. She squinted her eyes and enjoyed the man’s service like a tamed wild kitten.

“Why do you always look so tired?”

Although Catherine had joined a competition, she had been sleeping until it was her turn to perform. Only then did she wake up and go to the stage to perform.

Catherine did not even open her eyes and said, “It’s different. My mind works faster than others, and it’s tiring.

No matter why she was tired, she had to rest more. Catherine’s mind was like a computer, predicting and calculating many things each day. She would be thinking even when she was taking a nap.

She was not physically tired but mentally occupied. So, she would take a nap when she could.

Chapter 345 Attitude

The next day, Ronin brought Sean to Catherine. Catherine was leaning on the chair with her legs on the coffee table. She looked like a boss instead of a lady, casual and carefree.

Sean stood before Catherine. The handsome young man looked pale and looked haggard. He looked like a prince in distress.

His dark circles were noticeable for a fair-skinned man when he stayed late. He looked like a panda. Sean looked at Catherine, who seemed lazy and carefree. He felt his heart hammering. He was in trouble this time and had dug a grave for himself.

After hesitating momentarily, Sean still did not know how to tell Catherine about that. He had never been so embarrassed before.

After waiting for some time and getting no answer, Catherine lifted her head expressionlessly and looked at Sean. Only a glance from her, the rumored ruthless and heartless black market boss knelt before her.

He finally understood why those men in the base were so afraid of an underage girl. She was the boss, after all, and her gaze was enough to scare him. He had to face it no matter what. So, Sean decided to say it and get punished.

“Miss Catherine, please feel free to punish me. I have promised you I’ll get Erick back from you and will not return without him.”

Sean thought Catherine was mad, so he had even prepared himself to face the pain of his limbs breaking. Unexpectedly, Catherine’s voice came from not far away, and it sounded calm.

“Erick refused to leave with you?”

Sean was startled and asked, “How did you know?” It made him wonder if Catherine had any superpowers or mind -reading abilities.

He had taken his men from the black market to look for the Swanns’ secret bodyguards’ whereabouts and gotten Erick’s location. With that, he immediately headed to the location to get Erick out and wanted to teach Korbin a lesson.

He wanted Korbin to know he should not have kidnapped Erick in his place. After all, this place was Casier. It was the Swanns’ territory, and their secret bodyguards were challenging to deal with.

The men Sean brought were more or less injured, but they found the place where Erick was held captive. Just as they were about to take him away, Erick changed his mind.

That was frustrating!

In the end, his men were injured, and he did not manage to bring Erick back. It was inexplicable to face a little loss. Sean did not mind that.

What annoyed him most was he did not manage to bring Erick back because Erick refused to leave. No matter what, it would be humiliating if others knew this.

Sean felt embarrassed to face Catherine. If it were not because Ronin came looking for him, he had planned to hide from Catherine. Catherine was not surprised to know SEan failed to bring Erick back.

Erick seemed better than what she had seen before. Catherine scoffed and said to Sean, ” You don’t have to look for Erick anymore. Let’s take this as a tie.”

Erick was kept in the black market, and Sean was responsible. However, the problem was with Erick. So, she decided to forgive Sean. Sean did not understand what Catherine meant and asked, ” Catherine, are you not going to save Erick anymore?”

Catherine answered lazily, “Since he refused to leave, why should I save him?

Sean was in a puzzle and could not understand what Catherine meant. He wanted to ask further, but Catherine had closed her eyes. So, he did not dare to ask. All he could do was wink at Ronin, hoping he could explain.

Ronin did not care much about Erick. He was happy that Erick was gone. With that, one less person would be around Catherine.

“Catherine, what about the Winfreds? Hacker Alliance and the Winfreds’ business corporation isn’t over yet, and the Winfreds have not given us the developing rights.”

Catherine ordered with her eyes closed.

“Ask Withal to deal with it.”

The lazy tone, which seemed less intimidating, still ran chills down Sean and Ronin’s spine. Although the Hacker Alliance was a hacker organization, they had various job scopes.

They were involved in many fields. In simple, they could do anything as long as they got paid. There was nothing the Hacker Alliance could not do. Hacker Alliance was divided into the Grentelist, Withalist, Zobers, and Wantells, a total of four divisions.

So, everyone guessed the Hacker Alliance’s boss was from Zerwick. Otherwise, they would not divide the Alliance into such special four divisions.

The leader of the Withalist was called Withal. His job scope was to punish and warn those who betrayed the alliance. They were the police in the alliance.

As rumors said, Withal was an assassin on the top three of the world ranking list of assassins. Moreover, he had always been in the top three for seven years. The ranking of the ten assassins had changed throughout the years, yet the top three’s positions remained.

Catherine asked Ronin to get Withal, meaning the Winfreds were in great trouble. They should not have dug their own grave by provoking Catherine.

Feeling the slight buzz from her phone, Catherine, who had been keeping her eyes closed, opened her eyes suddenly.

Her eyes were always cold, and looking into them was scary. Just glancing at it was enough to scare Sean. He wondered who had disturbed Catherine’s nap. Unexpectedly, Catherine did not fly into a rage. She stood up, took her bag, and walked out.

Ronin looked at Catherine’s reaction and quickly asked, “Catherine, where are you going?”

Catherine did not turn around and said, “Class!”

Sean almost fell off his chair when he heard that answer. He had heard of Catherine attending a high school for no reason.

It made him wonder if Catherine was serious. Sean tried to ask Ronin, “It’s just a school. Your boss is qualified even to be the headmaster. Why is she so hardworking, attending classes on time?”

Ronin glanced at Sean in disdain as he said, “Catherine said she has to be serious once she decides to do something. It’s the attitude that matters.”

Then, Ronin followed Catherine.

“Where are you going? Let’s have a cup of coffee together,” Sean shouted as he chased Ronin.

Ronin did the same as Catherine. ” Class!”

Sean froze. He did not expect Ronin was going to go to class with Catherine. It made him wonder if they were trying to recall their childhood.

As he knew, Catherine had graduated from university when she was seven, and Ronin graduated one year older than her.

It made him ponder if he should return to high school, too.

Maybe he should try out Catherine’s hobby.

Chapter 346 Listening to Catherine

The National Literary and Art League qualifier held the day before was over. Half of the teams were eliminated, while the other half made it into the semi-finals. Two of the three teams from Loyalty Academy had entered the semi-finals, and they were all students of Class 8.

The homeroom teacher of Class 8, Myra Joyce, received many compliments from her colleagues when she entered the office.

“Miss Joyce, you have amazing students. They always perform well in their studies and are good at arts and sports. It seems you will get a promotion soon.”

Myra smiled humbly. As the homeroom teacher of Class 8, she did feel proud of her students. However, Myra did not show her joy in front of other people.

“I’m proud of them too. They do well in every aspect.”

Speaking of that, the Theisian teacher aside could not help but sigh. “The sisters of the Swanns are so different. I heard they are biological sisters. Liana is perfect in everything, but you know what? Miss Joyce, Catherine got a zero this time.”

Myra was somewhat awkward, but she still liked Catherine a lot. She replied, ” Maybe Catherine doesn’t want to take the SAT and focuses on the arts. Her test results last time proved that she was quite good at studying, right?”

The Theisian teacher had mixed feelings.

If Catherine had not had the best grades last time, she would still think that the Swanns had sent an idiot to their school. What would one be if not an idiot when they had zero in every subject?

The Theisian teacher sighed again and said indignantly, “It just comes easy for Catherine. Perhaps God loves her. She sleeps during class but could be the year’s top student easily. Liana is always well-behaved and hardworking. Yet, she is still no match for Catherine. It seems like Liana’s failure is predestined.”

It was improper to talk about the students behind their backs. Myra persuaded the Theisian teacher, and they both stopped talking.

No one had noticed that a pink figure had suddenly disappeared from the office door.

Standing on the rooftop of the teaching building, Liana stared at the blue sky and white clouds, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes.

Everything had been going right in her life before Catherine showed up. After that, Liana’s life had changed thoroughly.

The fortune-teller was right. Catherine was a jinx. She brought bad luck to the Swanns and would ruin their lives one after another.

“Liana is always well-behaved and hardworking. Yet, she is still no match for Catherine. It seems like Liana’s failure is predestined.”

What the Theisian teacher had said was like a curse constantly replaying in Liana’s mind. Liana was so tortured that she punched the wall beside her in fury.

The rough wall caused her tender hand to be bloody and bruised, but she could not feel the pain. It was the hand that she used to play the piano. It was her pride.

At that moment, there was only resentment in Liana’s eyes. No matter what price she had to pay, she would make Catherine disappear.

She wanted the world to see she would tread Catherine underfoot and that Catherine would never be as good as her. She said to herself, “Catherine, you jinx. We will see.”

Ronin handed the phone to Catherine after receiving the latest news.

“Catherine, the organizing committee just sent an email saying that the rules have changed again, and we will have on-the-spot performances this time. The themes will be announced when the semi-finals begin, and the judges will give marks based on our instant reactions.”

Ronin had learned his lesson since he was set up the last time, so he informed Catherine as soon as he received the email.

Catherine did not react after hearing what Ronin said. But Bryan’s face was full of anxiety. What if the performance theme we get is to dance? What should we do?”

Ronin was also worried about the same thing. The two fixed their eyes on Catherine. Catherine had no intention of replying to them at first.

Seeing how much they cared about it, she said lazily, “I won’t think too much about it. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.”

It was still a week before the semi- finals. Since Catherine said so, Ronin’s worries disappeared in no time.

“You are right! Why should we worry about it so much now? We can do anything under your leadership. We should not waste our time worrying. How about we think of what to eat for dinner?”

Bryan’s teammates were not anxious, so he set aside his anxiety, too. They had participated in the competition as a makeweight. It did not matter to them whether they were the champions or not.

They would be happy with whatever they did as long as they did it together with Catherine. Another thing suddenly occurred to Ronin, and he reported to Catherine hurriedly.

“Catherine, there’s something else. The competition next week will be held in Oceanvile instead of Casier.’

It was a national league, and many other schools participated in it in Oceanvile. The qualifier was held in Casier, and Oceanvile won the bid to host the semi- finals.

Catherine had no objection to it. She had planned to go to Oceanvile next month. She would finish what she needed to do in Oceanvile when she had the semi- finals there. At the Swann Corporation, Korbin’s assistant went to Korbin’s office with the newest contract.

“Mr. Swann, the Winfred Group has signed it.”

There was a faint smile and rare complacency on Korbin’s face.

“Did you send Erick there?”

His assistant nodded. “We sent him to the Winfreds’ house this morning, and Xavier has signed the contract and given it to us.”

“Did you find out why the Winfreds wanted the illegitimate son?” asked Korbin.

Korbin did not believe in family ties. Erick was Xavier’s illegitimate son, and the Winfreds would not waste so much of their time and energy on him. There must be some secrets.

Korbin’s assistant admired Korbin’s wisdom. He could not understand why Vicente would hand a big corporation like the Swann Corporation to a girl rather than a great businessman like Korbin.

“Mr. Swann, what you guessed was correct. The reason the Winfreds wanted Erick was not that they wanted Erick to return to the family. It turns out that Xavier was sick and needed Erick’s kidney. That’s all I have found out. The details are not clear yet.”

It was not easy to dig that out. It was a secret for the Winfreds. If it were not for the fact that it had gotten big, the Winfreds would never let any other soul know about it.

Korbin had a shrewd and calculating look. He needed the news to know his partner better. Now that they were partners, the Winfreds’ influence in Oceanvile was something the Swanns needed to enter Oceanvile.

Korbin would not turn against Xavier so soon. Everything was negotiable as long as Xavier could provide what the Swanns needed.

Korbin already got the information he wanted about the Winfreds. Now, what he needed to deal with was Catherine.

“I heard Leonel and Linda take action recently. Tell me what they have done.”

Since he had taught Leonel a lesson last time, Leonel did nothing for quite a while. Lately, Leonel began to make his moves again. It seemed he did not learn much in the last lesson.

Chapter 347 You Wanna Die?

The assistant was about to report to Korbin when Korbin asked about it.

“Mr. Swann, the government has acquired the chips we developed together with Mr. David. The stock prices of the Swann Corporation are climbing fast. They are probably waiting for a good opportunity to pump up the stock prices.”

“Pump up the stock prices?” Korbin smirked. There was keen shrewdness in his old eyes. Catherine was clever and had the Duncan Corporation behind her, but so what? She was still the young girl under his thumb.

Korbin had succeeded in cooperating with the Winfreds. After he had transferred the assets of the Swann Corporation to Oceanvile, he would see what Catherine would do with the empty shell of the company.

It was all Vicente’s fault to leave the Swann Corporation to that jinx, Catherine. Vicente must have been out of his mind. How was Catherine qualified to have the Swann Corporation?

Instead of letting others talk behind his back that he was fighting for the family property with his daughter, Korbin might as well build his business empire based on the Swanns’ huge assets. He wanted the world to know what he was capable of.

“Tell the others to sell all the stocks when the price rises by two more percent.”

The assistant understood what Korbin meant and promised, “As you say, Mr. Swann. I’m on it.”

Half an hour later.

Catherine was still sleeping during class when she got a mysterious call.

“Boss, the Swanns plan to sell the stocks.”

“Great.” Catherine sneered. The matter was more interesting than she had thought. “Buy the stocks. No matter how many.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Catherine ended the call and continued sleeping. The Swanns in Casier would never change. She had promised Vicente that she would not let the Swanns suffer any loss at her hands and would keep her word.

At the Winfreds’ place.

The Swanns visited in the morning and sent the Winfreds a big surprise. Jeremy was lashing Erick hard with a whip in the basement of the Winfreds’ house.

Erick was tied to a pillar. Iron chains cuffed his hands and legs tight, and he could not move. Jeremy waved the whip in his hand like crazy and hit Erick repeatedly.

Every lash caused a deep purple, bloody mark on Erick’s body. Erick did not even knit his brows slightly. He just let Jeremy vent his rage. It was only when Jeremy was tired that he slammed the whip to the ground.

He squinted at Erick, who was tied to the pillar and was in an awful state, and said sarcastically, “What a mean bastard. You are not afraid of being hit, huh? You are just a lowlife.”

Erick raised his eyes coldly. On his gloomy face, his eyes that were locked on Jeremy’s face looked like he wanted to eat Jeremy alive. The lashes were nothing to Erick. After all, he had suffered so much beating in the black market.

He got beaten after losing a match. He got beaten if he was disobedient. He also got beaten when his boss was in a bad mood. He grew up under fists, whips, and bats. In his eyes, what Jeremy did to him was nothing.

Jeremy instantly flared up under Erick’s gaze. He raised his leg and kicked Erick. Meanwhile, he said nastily, “What? Still defiant? Well, aren’t you capable and great at escaping? Come on. Hit me!

Erick did not feel much pain from Jeremy’s attack. He undertook Jeremy’s beating up with a cold smile and talked back.

“Jeremy, who do you think you are without Xavier?”

Everyone knew that the eldest son of the Winfreds was a loser, and Xavier was the one supporting the family.

Only Jeremy did not realize that. He always thought that his father had done too much and gotten in his way so that people did not know what he could do.

Erick’s words were like sharp scissors that cut the fig leaf Jeremy had. How could the proud Jeremy bear that his father’s illegitimate son looked down on him?

Jeremy could no longer control his madness and roared, “Erick, you filthy lowlife. Do you wanna die?”

“Screw you.” Erick spat bitterly at Jeremy’s face. “Boy. If you have the guts, kill me, or you will die in my hands one day.”

Erick was emotionless when he spoke. His voice was extremely chill and was like a dagger that could kill one instantly.

Jeremy could stand it no more. He picked a crowbar and thrashed Erick madly. The butler at the side felt sick to watch it. He walked forward to stop Jeremy.

“Sir, let him be. Don’t kill him and ruin your father’s plan.”

Jeremy regained his composure. He panted and glared at Erick. “Brat, you are still useful, and I will spare your life for now. After you have no use for us, I will feed you to the dogs.”

The Winfreds had intended to take only one of Erick’s kidneys. If Erick refused to obey, Jeremy would take his life. The butler persuaded Jeremy to leave, leaving only Erick in the basement dungeon.

Erick said nothing. He raised his eyes at the dark ceiling, and the song Catherine sang echoed in his head repeatedly. Soft footsteps sounded in his ears. Erick lowered his head slowly and looked ahead.

Xavier walked toward Erick. His stern face was somewhat ashen because of his sickness. Only his eyes were still ruthless. Their eyes met, but neither of them spoke.

Xavier stared at his face, which bore a distinct likeness to his. He showed no emotions. Only by then did he admit that Erick’s character resembled him most among all his children.

Erick was cruel and merciless, sharp- eyed, and very clever. If Xavier’s wife had given birth to Erick, Xavier would have chosen Erick as his successor.

It was a pity that Erick had been out there all those years. Besides, Erick was as stubborn as his mother and was ungrateful.

Xavier could not take his family as a wager on such an ingrate. His eldest son was a good-for-nothing, but Xavier still had his second son. If Xavier kept a healthy body and held on for another ten years, his second son could be the successor after he grew up.

He opened his mouth and spoke slowly, his voice vicious.

“Erick, remember. You are only a tool for our family.

“Since your mother and I had a past, I will let you live if you are obedient enough.”

Afterward, Xavier disappeared from the dungeon. The basement returned to its original quietness again. Erick gazed bleakly at the front, and his mouth curved into an evil smile.

There was still a hint of childishness on his face. The former handsome look turned ferocious. The evil smile on his face gradually widened and became more terrifying.

He laughed out loud coldly.

If one listened to his laughter carefully, they would tremble and feel scared.

Chapter 348 She’s Like Their Goddess

Catherine left Branden’s apartment and returned to Audrey’s place. She opened her phone. She received a video call, and Ronin’s babyface appeared on Catherine’s phone screen.

“Catherine, Jolene sent a message that there’s something wrong with the data and wants to talk to you about it.”

Catherine nodded in agreement. “Put her through to me.”

“Of course,” Ronin replied. The next second, the image on the screen changed. Ronin’s good-looking face was gone and was replaced by a sexy, pretty girl with tanned skin who was wearing a black slip-dress.

“Hi, Catherine! It’s been a long time! I miss you so much!”

Behind Jolene Carter was a giant screen where different data was scrolling quickly.

Once Catherine got to work, she would put on a straight face and give off the aura of warning others not to disturb her. She had a powerful vibe.

“Send me the data. I will check it.”

Jolene was in ecstasy to finally get in touch with Catherine. In those computer geniuses’ hearts, they could always get the answers and solutions to the most challenging questions they could not figure out. Catherine was like their goddess. She was their faith.

“Catherine, I have sent you all the data. We have tried to deal with it many times. Each time, the program would end up in an endless loop. We failed to solve it.”

Catherine scanned the data and could not judge which part was problematic for the time. She needed to check and run the program from the beginning.

“I will reply to you tomorrow.”

Jolene was shocked. Catherine seemed omnipotent. Her whole group had studied it for a week without a result, but Catherine said she would reply to her tomorrow at a glance. How capable!

Jolene admired Catherine even more and was more eager to be around Catherine.

“Catherine, you have been away for several months. Is school so interesting?” Although Jolene had finished her university lessons at 12, she still wanted to know what it was like to be in school. She was so envious of Ronin.

Catherine only raised her brows. “Is there anything else you need to say? No? I got to go.”

“What?” Jolene screamed out loud. She had only seen Catherine for less than a minute, and Catherine cut the call just like that. That was so cruel.

The heartless Catherine pressed the button to end the call under Jolene’s whining. Catherine was the one who owned the Hacker Alliance, but only Jolene and Ronin had seen her, and only Ronin could contact Catherine.

Even when Jolene wanted to talk to Catherine, she had to get to Catherine through Ronin. It was hard for Jolene to meet with Catherine, and the meeting had ended abruptly.

Jolene whined in depression. She would be sad for quite a while. Branden had a call inside the study in his apartment. When he came out, there was no one in the living room.The person who ought to be lying on the bean bag was now gone.

The corners of Branden’s lips turned down in resignation. He was thinking if he should buy a pair of handcuffs to lock Catherine by his side. He hated the feeling that she always left without letting him know.

Just as Catherine put the phone down, her phone rang again. She frowned slightly, but a trace of a smile appeared when she saw the caller ID.

“What?” Catherine said briefly. Branden’s low and hoarse voice sounded in Catherine’s ear. “Where did you go? What are you doing?

Catherine looked at the computer by her hand and said, “In my room and doing homework.” She was calm and did not feel ashamed to say so. She was working out the formulae and running the program. How was that not regarded as homework?

Branden remembered Catherine always copied Bryan’s homework. She never wasted her time thinking about it, did she?

Yet, Branden did not call Catherine’s bluff but continued the topic with interest.

“Why are you so hardworking?”

“Tomorrow is the due date.” Catherine smiled.

She did not know when, but Branden’s weight in her heart gradually increased.

“Go on.” Branden did not force her or interfere with her. “Come here and have a glass of milk before you sleep.”

“Okay.”

Catherine did not like drinking milk but still promised, as Branden wanted.

In Oceanvile. All projects of the headquarters of the Winfred Group had come to a stop since one o’clock in the afternoon. No one knew what had happened, and they could only watch the company lose money.

The money was like water in a broken faucet that kept running out. The General Manager of the Winfred Group finally contacted Xavier, who was in Casier.

Xavier knew something must have happened when he received the General Manager’s call. The General Manager was someone Xavier had groomed and trusted and was excellent at work.

If it were not urgent, the General Manager would not call Xavier when he was about to have the operation.

Xavier almost fainted after hearing what the General Manager had said. The General Manager got to the point. ” Sir, if we keep losing money at this speed, we will have to shut down a subsidiary corporation every three days.

They would lose a subsidiary corporation every three days? Even though the Winfred Group was affluent, it could not stand such a tremendous loss.

Xavier was having the operation the following day, but he made up his mind. “Hold on to it. I will be back right now.”

Notwithstanding his family’s persuasion, he rushed back to Oceanvile to control the situation. As long as Erick was in his hand, his body could wait a few more days.

But the loss of the Winfred Group could not wait. If Xavier did not stop it, his business would be screwed in less than a month. Xavier left, but his son, Jeremy, still stayed in Casier.

Xavier left the butler behind to rein in and keep an eye on Jeremy. Jeremy planned to go out and have fun since his father had left the city and there was no one to control him.

The butler stopped him. “Sir, your father is not around, but many things still need to be dealt with. You should stay home and handle them for your father.”

Jeremy glared at the butler impatiently. It was a rare chance that his father was not around, but that old guy was annoying enough to ruin his mood.

“I know what you mean, but our place is secure against assault. There’s a team of mercenaries guarding down there. Nothing will happen.

“Get out of my way. I’m going out. I will come home earlier in the evening, alright?”

Jeremy pushed the butler away and left the house.

Seeing Jeremy’s retreating figure, the butler shook his head helplessly. But he thought what Jeremy said made sense. The mercenary team was guarding the dungeon and was supposed not to let even a fly in.

Little did the Winfreds know that someone was already getting into the dungeon they thought was heavily guarded and secured.

The mercenaries had not noticed anything. Catherine had managed to hide herself and sneak into the dungeon.

Catherine was not surprised to receive Erick’s news of wanting to see her. Since Erick chose to return to the Winfreds’ place, he must have prepared everything.

Catherine went to see what Erick wanted from her. “Tell me. Why do you want to see me?”

Chapter 349 Help Me Once More

A rare smile appeared on Erick’s previously stern face when he saw Catherine in front of him.

“You are finally here.”

Catherine saw that Erick was tied to a pillar and in rags. He was wearing dark clothes, but she could still see the dark brown blood on his clothes.

Catherine was indifferent to the scene she was looking at. Her cold eyes stared fixedly at Erick, and there was no trace of empathy in them. It was all Erick’s choice that led to such a situation.

He had chosen to leave with the guards of the Swanns and not to go with Sean when Sean went to rescue him. He had to bear the consequences the choices brought him, and there was no way back. Catherine just eyed him, waiting for him to speak.

Erick knew Catherine must know the truth of his leaving. He had not knitted his brows even once under Jeremy’s beating, but now, he looked at Catherine with a long, miserable face.

“Are you angry?” Erick asked gingerly, scared and nervous.He feared Catherine would say yes because he did not know how to appease her anger.

“I’m not.”

Her short and emotionless answer caused an emotional collapse in Erick. Compared to anger, what Erick feared more was that she did not care about him. Catherine did not give a damn about him, so she would not be angry with him.

Erick bore the pain in his heart and told Catherine what he wanted.

“Can you help me once more?”

“You want me to stop Xavier from getting back to Casier?” Catherine answered softly. Catherine had almost figured out Erick’s plan on the way there.

Erick was not surprised that Catherine could guess what his plan was. In his eyes, Catherine was just mighty and unfathomable.

He nodded slightly. “Yes. Three days. That’s all I need.”

He did not dare ask for too much, fearing that Catherine might see him as useless.

“Why should I help you?” Catherine’s voice was indifferent. She acted like a businessman negotiating a deal on the bargaining table.

Erick lowered his head. He knew no matter how Catherine treated him, he could not ask her for her forgiveness.

He was the one who had betrayed Catherine, even if he had his reason. Erick gritted his teeth and promised, ” As long as you help me this time, all the Winfreds have will be my honoraria to you.”

His original plan was to destroy the Winfreds. He wanted to take all members of the Winfreds down with his mother.

If Catherine were interested in the Winfreds’ property, he would give it to her readily. A meaningful smile flashed across Catherine’s delicate face. She raised one brow and rested her eyes on Erick, glancing at the chains on his hands.

Her eyes seemed to question Erick. He could not even be sure of his safety. How could he talk so big?

Erick looked seriously at Catherine and made a promise.

“Trust me. I will fulfill my words.”

The Winfreds’ property was not appealing to Catherine. If she wanted it, she could have it anytime. What was more interesting to her was that Erick was poor and powerless. What could he do to fight against the Winfreds and win?

She preferred to watch other people fight against each other rather than do it herself.

“Alright. That’s a deal.”

With that, Catherine strode out of the dungeon. The dungeon that was supposed to be secure against the assault meant nothing to Catherine.

Erick stared greedily after Catherine as she walked away. He wished he could have a chance to be by Catherine’s side like Ronin, even if only as a sidekick.

He believed he would have a chance to do it one day, regardless of whatever he needed to pay for it. It was soon time to go to the semi- finals.

They needed to set off to Oceanvile a day ahead to see the venue. Their school arranged for teachers to lead the teams to the competition and booked hotel rooms. The students did not need to worry. The day before they headed to Oceanvile, Audrey kept nagging Catherine.

“Kathy, I have prepared cold medicine and Band-Aids for you. Do you want some stomach medication?”

Catherine controlled the character in the game to lie down in the grass and looked up at Audrey. She said, “There are pharmacies and malls in Oceanvile.”

The hidden message in her words was that Audrey did not have to prepare those things.

Audrey knew what Catherine meant, but she still said earnestly to Catherine, “I know. Oceanvile is a big, well- developed city, and you can buy anything. But you need to bring these requisite things with you. What if you suddenly need them? It will be inconvenient for you to buy them by then.”

Catherine gave in to Audrey’s constant and considerate chatter. She focused on her mobile game again and let Audrey pack up for her.

While packing, Audrey chatted with her, “Kathy, I told my fan club about your semi-finals. I heard there would be online voting, and my fans all promised to vote for you.

“But don’t be stressed and enjoy the game. The results don’t matter, but the process does.”

Catherine pressed the buttons on the phone. After taking down the enemies, she put on a light smile and responded to Audrey occasionally.

No one knew if she smiled at her victory in the game or the considerate words from Audrey. The doorbell unexpectedly rang just as Audrey was about to continue talking.

Catherine was immersed in her game, so Audrey answered the door.

It was Branden standing outside. Audrey knew he must be there looking for Catherine. Audrey had no guts to be with Branden alone, so she shouted at Catherine inside the house, “Kathy, Mr. Duncan is here.”

“Ask him to wait for a while. I will go out when I finish the game.”

Audrey was almost scared out of her wits hearing Catherine’s response. She looked at Branden with a reddened face and dared not repeat Catherine’s words.

Branden did not need Audrey to repeat Catherine’s words for him. The door was open, and he had heard Catherine. Branden said to Audrey, who was awkward, “It’s fine. I will wait here.”

It was the first time Audrey saw Branden be so gentle and good- tempered. She was envious of and admired Catherine.

No one else other than her sister in Casier dared to ask Branden to wait outside the door. What was more, Branden was willing to wait. Catherine was impressive. Audrey felt the air become thin standing between Catherine and Branden.

She decided to escape from the scene for her safety.

“Kathy, I will go to the room and check for anything else you need to bring.”

She ran away from the door with no intention of delaying.After Audrey was gone, Branden walked into the living room and sat near Catherine. Catherine was halfway through the game. She knew it was Branden sitting and did not even look at him.

She moved closer to Branden and rested her head on his lap. Adjusting to a comfortable posture, she refocused on her game.

Branden did not feel annoyed at all. He gazed tenderly at Catherine and waited quietly for her to finish the game.

The scene looked warm and harmonious.

Chapter 350 Teaching You a Lesson

Oceanvile was not far from Casier, but Loyalty Academy had deep pockets and arranged a plane for the teams participating in the semi-finals.

Branden arrived at Catherine’s house early in the morning. When Audrey was in a dazed state to open the door and tried hard to open her eyes to send Catherine to the airport, she saw Branden’s tall and imposing figure.

Branden reached out his hand, and Audrey automatically handed the suitcase to him without thinking about it.

Audrey was hesitant about whether to say something when Catherine stumped out of her room, looking drowsy.

Catherine was not surprised to see Branden standing outside the house. The only thing she felt weird about was Branden’s good spirits.

He had been dealing with the job last night when she was asleep. He got up earlier than she did and was vigorous and energetic. There was no hint of sleepiness on his face. Seeing Audrey yawning constantly, Catherine could not help but frown.

Audrey insisted on getting up early and demanded to drive her to the airport, leaving no chance for Catherine to refuse. Catherine looked askance at Audrey and pointed at Branden. “He will send me to the airport. Go back to sleep.”

Audrey would still insist on accompanying Catherine if it were not Branden but someone else. Since Branden was with Catherine, Audrey didn’t need to be the third wheel.

Besides, Audrey was so sleepy. Audrey squinted at Catherine and waved at her. “Kathy, be careful. I will go back to sleep now.”

Catherine raised her brow and nodded casually. After Audrey returned to her room, Catherine left with Branden.

There was some distance from Catherine’s apartment to the airport. After they got into the car, Branden thoughtfully adjusted the seat for Catherine and let her head rest on his shoulder.

“Get some sleep. I will wake you when we arrive.”

Catherine nodded in satisfaction. She was glad that Branden had arranged everything for her. Paxton was a steady driver. He knew Catherine always slept in the backseat, so he would try to slow the speed every time he drove for Catherine.

Branden never objected to what Paxton did, even when the time on the road extended to double. After a few times, Paxton knew what to do.

Catherine had a nice nap before they got to the airport. If it were not that Catherine had a flight to catch, Branden would not want to wake Catherine up.

It was not that Branden could not use his private plane, but Catherine did not want to be treated specially, so Branden let her be and adapted to her style.

The moment Branden’s palm touched Catherine lightly. Catherine opened her eyes. There was chill and wariness in her eyes on her gorgeous face.

One could see the vigilance that only top fighters had from Catherine’s eyes. Branden never brought up Catherine’s past, nor did he allow the Duncans to dig it up.

Everyone had their history. He would not check Catherine’s if she did not allow him to. When Catherine was wide awake, chill and wariness began to fade. Catherine looked sideways at Branden and asked, “Are we there yet?”

“Yeah.” Branden eyed her softly and asked, “Do you want to rest longer or go in there now?”

If she wanted to rest some more time, Branden had his ways to delay her flight. There was nothing he could not do for Catherine.

Catherine checked the time. It was the right time to go in. She was not too early and needed to wait for the others, nor was she too late and kept others waiting. Paxton was great at timing. The time they arrived was what Catherine wanted.

“Let’s go in.”

Catherine sat up straight and got out of the car. Paxton opened the car door and prepared to take the suitcase for Catherine, but Branden took it. Branden would carry the suitcase for Catherine in person.

He held Catherine’s suitcase in one hand while holding Catherine’s hand in the other. The two were a perfect match and caught many people’s eyes in the crowded airport terminal. Catherine was wearing a hat, but Branden did not. Only his face was appealing enough to the passers-by.

Some people subconsciously took out their phones and wanted to snap him, but Branden cast a cold glance at the passer-by who raised his phone the first.

That man was startled and dropped his phone to the ground, and the others shut down the idea of taking photos of Branden.

Branden was not only handsome but had a powerful vibe. He was so powerful that others would feel stressed. The passers-by did not dare to provoke him. Catherine had sharp eyes and saw her teammates and teachers, so she stopped Branden.

“They are there. I will go to them myself.”

Branden did not insist on going with her. He only asked, “What time is your flight the day after tomorrow? I will pick you up.”

The semi-finals would only last for one day. Catherine would be there today and have the competition tomorrow, and she would return to Casier on the third day. Branden wished he could fly to Oceanvile with Catherine, but he had important things to do in Casier.

Catherine did not show her emotions and said, “I won’t be back with them. I asked for several days off from the school. There’s something I need to do in Oceanvile.”

Branden’s brows drew together tightly after he heard what Catherine said. He asked reluctantly, “How many days do you need to stay there?”

It did not matter that Catherine asked for leave, and he had no intention of prying on what Catherine wanted to do. All that mattered to him was how long Catherine would be away from him. Catherine thought fast about her schedule before she gave him the answer.

“At least a week.”

“A week?” Branden’s already furrowed brows deepened. After a moment of hesitation, Branden did not stop her. He said concernedly, ” Call me anytime if you need anything.”

Catherine rarely agreed so readily. “I will.”

Then, she took her suitcase from Branden’s hand and walked toward her teammates. Branden watched her back retreating. She did not even bother to wave goodbye at him. He suddenly felt a little sad.

What should he do?

She did not go far yet, but Branden already felt unhappy to part with her. He decided to handle things in Casier quickly and fly to Oceanvile to be with Catherine. Her teammates saw Catherine heading to them and greeted her delightedly.

“Catherine is here!”

Ronin had been playing a mobile game. When he saw Catherine, he put his phone down and ran to her. He took over Catherine’s suitcase and pulled out the chair for her.

“Catherine, why didn’t you let me pick you up this morning?”

Ronin texted Catherine and offered to pick her up, but Catherine refused. Ronin obeyed whatever Catherine said, so he did not go to her place.

The others were accustomed to Ronin’s attention to Catherine. After all, Ronin had been around Catherine from the first day he came to Class 8.

At first, some students thought Ronin fancied Catherine and wanted to pursue her. Later, even a blind person could tell that Ronin merely saw and served Catherine as his superior. There was nothing romantic between them.

The two looked more like siblings, and of course, Ronin was a little younger than Catherine. Liana was wearing earphones, seemingly immersed in her music. However, she was paying more attention to Catherine than anyone else.

She snorted coldly and disdainfully at Ronin’s gallantry toward Catherine. When Catherine falls from grace, Liana wondered if those simps would still suck up to Catherine. Liana would wait and see.

Catherine arrived at the right time, and there was no time for them to chat because they were supposed to line up and board. Bryan stood up and walked to Catherine. “Catherine, my seat is near yours. Let me go with you.”

Catherine said nothing but only lowered the brim of her hat to cover her little face, preventing the others from seeing her expression.

It was weird that Ronin did not object. Usually, Ronin would be irritated when Bryan was playing up to Catherine. It was a miracle when Ronin and Bryan stopped quarreling with each other even for one day.

No one could stop their quarrels. They would only have a truce when Catherine asked them to. Ronin did not react when Bryan said his seat was next to Catherine’s. How was that not surprising?

The question was answered after they boarded the planeCatherine found her seat and sat down, and Bryan followed her. Just as Bryan was about to sit, Ronin, behind Bryan, fastened his pace and took the lead to sit next to Catherine.

Bryan held back his rage and said to Ronin, “This is my seat. Get up!”

Ronin looked up and stared at Bryan smugly. “Who told you it’s your seat? Open your eyes and check your ticket carefully. Is this your seat?”

Bryan took out his ticket and was about to show it to Ronin and slap him in the face. He did not expect that his seat was not there but three rows behind Catherine’s. Bryan was shocked. He widened his eyes and glared at Ronin, “Brat, you played me?”

They were flying to Oceanvile together. How would Ronin let go of the chance to sit near Catherine?

Ronin had already hacked the airline system and switched seats with Bryan. It was just that Bryan was foolish enough not to discover that.

Ronin raised an eyebrow and looked at Bryan gloatingly. “Kid, I’m teaching you a lesson about how dangerous the world is. Be careful next time.”