Ch. 81..90
Chapter 81 Who Knows
Audrey did not go far. She just sat by the fountain outside the shopping mall, so it did not take long for Catherine to catch up with her.
Catherine approached Audrey, and that was it. She had never dealt with such things and had no idea how to comfort Audrey.
If it were someone else, Catherine would not bother caring. She turned to look at Branden, wondering if he could come up with an idea.
Branden could help her with many things, but his hands were tied too in this aspect.
However, Branden could not bear to look at Catherine’s frowning face. He had no such experiences, but someone else had.
Therefore, the three who were supposed to go to the barbecue restaurant ended up in a newly opened bar in Casier.
They went there because of Triston.
Triston hit it off right away with Audrey. He held Audrey’s hand and had a great talk with her.
Catherine crossed her arms before her chest and stared at Branden near her doubtfully. She muttered, “Will it work?”
Branden mulled it over and raised his brows at Catherine, muttering to answer her. “Who knows if we don’t give it a try?”
Catherine thought his words had a point. She thought of what she would do if it were her. She would get Erik tied up and throw him under Audrey’s feet. She would avoid the vital parts of Erik’s body, stabbing him a hundred times to vent her anger without getting Erik killed.
Anyway, she could make up the forensic analysis to show those were flesh wounds. At most, she would pay for Erik’s medical fee.
Catherine got bored and took an interest in a glass of whisky aside. She took it and was about to drink.
Suddenly, an arm stretched out to stop her.
Unlike the last time when Branden took the glass away from her hand, he now leaned toward her hand and drank the whisky while she was holding it.
After gulping the whisky, he looked at Catherine with fun and said in a deep but rather hoarse voice. “Little girls are not allowed to drink alcohol.”
Catherine did not respond but fixed her beautiful eyes on him with bafflement.
Branden got closer to her, his warm breath spraying on her face, tangling with a light
fragrance of whisky. He squinted his eyes, and in them was relaxation mixed with enchantment. His voice became even lower and more magnetic, tugging Catherine’s heartstrings.
“Do not stare at me like that, or I cannot promise not to do anything to you.”
Catherine suddenly had a heart for playing. She had not prepared for it the last time and let
him influence her.
Now, she would not allow him to influence her again.
Branden knew how to be seductive, and so did she.
Since Branden was so close to her, she pressed her lips against his ears and blew softly. There seemed to be endless tenderness in her husky voice.
“Yeah? I can give it a try about the thing you mentioned.”
She sounded like a siren, and her face was too delicate. She was so alluring, and Branden could
not resist.
Branden had always been proud of his self-control. But now, he was beaten. He felt a flame burning inside him.
Branden laughed at himself secretly. It was the first time he had that feeling in all his life.
To avoid humiliating himself, he stood up and left the booth.
He needed to go to the washroom to deal with the problem happening to his body.
Catherine watched as Branden skedaddled, and there was a touch of a faint smile playing on her sexy red lips.
She whupped Branden in this round.
While Branden was away, Audrey drank a lot under the persuasion of Triston.
Since Branden had not returned, Audrey dashed to Catherine.
She pounced at Catherine and was ready to give Catherine a bear hug. But she froze instantly due to Catherine’s chilly gaze.
“Burp.”
Audrey gave an enormous hiccup out of fright.
Seeing Audrey’s silly look, Catherine wanted to laugh and was less likely to push Audrey away.
Folding her arms, Catherine squinted at Audrey and asked, “Go ahead. What do you want to ask?”
Audrey was confused at first. Soon, she collected herself and gaped at Catherine.
“Kathy, how do you know I have a question to ask you?”
Catherine rolled her eyes at her without replying to her question.
However, Audrey felt awkward under Catherine’s rolling, eyes, as if a basin of cold water was pouring down from her head.
Catherine’s look was too sarcastic. Audrey felt like she was an idiot in front of Catherine.
That was very frustrating.
Audrey was ready to leave in sadness.
But a voice rang out behind her, “Don’t you want to ask me the question?”
Only then did Audrey recall she was here to ask Catherine a question.
She had not asked yet. How could she leave just like that?
She turned around and stared at Catherine earnestly. “Kathy, when did you find out the jerk cheated on me?”
Audrey thought of how Catherine suddenly pulled her away at the mall. It must be that Catherine had seen Erik already and did not want her to be heartbroken.
Catherine probably had known about it long ago, and Audrey was trying to figure out when it
Was.
Catherine had thought that Audrey would have forgotten the scumbag under Triston’s persuasion. It seemed she overestimated Audrey’s ability.
“One day earlier than you. I met them by accident.”
Audrey nodded. Catherine made the story brief, but Audrey understood everything.
Thinking that Catherine knew it only one day earlier and did not hide it from her on purpose, Audrey unloosened the knot that held her.
But the idea that Erik had been cheating on her still broke her heart.
Audrey pouted as she looked at Catherine, seeming that she was about to cry at any moment. She complained, “Kathy, I loved him so much. After everything I’ve done for him, how could he do that to me?”
Catherine’s brows drew together tight. Her eyes became sharper, and then she cast them down.
Audrey was still babbling when Catherine strode away from her.
Seeing her leave, Audrey blurted out. “Kathy, where are you going?”
Catherine answered her without looking back, “Tie Erik up and get him here so that you can stab him a hundred times.”
Audrey stared at Catherine, gobsmacked. Her mouth opened wide, but she could not utter a
sound.
Triston, who was going to come to persuade Audrey to get drunk, heard Catherine’s plan and experienced a thrill of fear. He thought Catherine was indeed a badass.
Audrey knew Catherine would walk the talk, so she trotted forward to hold Catherine’s hand.
“Kathy, you can’t do this. Murdering him is a crime.”
With an evil smile, Catherine turned around and said, “Don’t worry. I will teach you how to avoid vital parts and make them minor wounds.”
Audrey was shocked by Catherine’s explanation.
How crafty Catherine was!
Catherine was getting going when Audrey reached out again to stop her. “Forget it, Catherine. I’m not mad anymore. Don’t go.”
Stabbing Erik would be too gory and was not what Audrey wanted to see.
Catherine’s brows were still knotted, and she asked with a hint of doubt, “Do you want to spare him?”
Audrey did not dare to show any hesitation. She said, “Yes, I do. It’s my luck to find out he cheated on me.”
She added excitedly, “I decided to focus on my career. I’ve lost my love and can’t lose my career either.”
Since Audrey was all right, Catherine gave up the thought of kidnapping Erik. It did not matter to her whether to stab Erik or not. All she wished was for Audrey to be happy..
Chapter 82 The Birthday Party
Audrey had changed since that day, saying that she wanted to concentrate on her career and had not bothered Catherine ever after.
Catherine felt relieved at first. After all, Audrey was a clingy sister. But as days passed, Catherine started to feel her life dull.
Bryan was surprised that Catherine did not sleep on the desk today.
After what had happened last time, their teachers would not prohibit Catherine from sleeping.
Even though she slept every day, Catherine still got the highest scores in their grade. She was way more intelligent than those teachers, and they had nothing to teach her anymore, so they
let her be.
Bryan thought it unusual that Catherine did not doze. He observed Catherine and saw the eyebrows on her beautiful face slightly furrowed. Something must have happened.
Catherine was not in the mood!
After thinking it through, Bryan made a decision.
“Boss, my birthday is on this weekend. I’ll hold a birthday party at home. Do I have the honor to have you at my party?”
Bryan looked at Catherine expectantly, looking forward to her response.
Catherine did not want to refuse him under his expectant eyes.
Catherine thought about her schedule and realized she had no plans for this weekend, so she nodded in agreement.
Bryan just wanted to give it a shot. He did not think Catherine would It was such an ecstasy for Bryan.
agree,
but Catherine did!
“Thank you, Boss! I promise you will have fun at my birthday party!”
Bryan stood up and trotted out of the classroom.
Catherine stared at Bryan running away and frowned in confusion.
She thought, “It’s his birthday. Why should I have fun?”
Meanwhile, at the Duncans’.
Karl saw the butler come to him with a grin and was curious.
“Why are you smiling? Something good happened?”
The butler answered with his back bent, “Mr. Bryan called just now and said he would hold a birthday party this weekend. He asked us to prepare in advance.”
Karl mumbled disgruntledly with a slight frown. “I asked if he wanted a party last week, and he said no. Why did he call to ask for a party today? That’s odd.
“Alright. If he wants it, he can have it. Just do as he said.”
Bryan was in bliss because Catherine had accepted his invitation. David and other classmates knew about it and asked to attend the party too. At last, the entire Class 8 was invited to the
Duncans’ on the weekend.
It was immaterial to Catherine since the birthday boy was Bryan, and she only attended the party as a formality.
The phone in her pocket vibrated. Catherine did not pick it up until she left the classroom.
A plaintive came from the other end of the phone, “Boss, I’m bored to death at the base alone.
”
Catherine had assumed that Ronin had news to inform her, but it turned out that he was complaining about the boredom. She said sternly, “Ronin, are you looking for a beating?”
The harsh voice sent a chill down Ronin’s spine through the receiver. He shuddered and broke into a sweat. He believed Catherine was about to lose her temper, which would be a disaster.
But he would die of boredom if he stayed at the base longer.
Therefore, Ronin had to risk his life and put forward his request.
“Boss, I want to go to the school.”
Catherine hated trouble. She could barely tolerate Bryan, but if Ronin went to the same school
with her…
“No. You stay at the base.”
Ronin, who always listened to Catherine, was determined this time. “No, Boss. I want to go.”
Catherine rolled her eyes and said with resignation, “Fine. Whatever you like.”
“Thank you so much, Boss!”
After expressing gratitude, Ronin immediately ended the call. He was afraid that Catherine would really be mad at him if he were on the phone one more second.
The days flew by. It was soon weekend and came Bryan’s birthday.
The birthday parties were usually held in the afternoon, so Catherine did not get up until noon.
When she left her room, she saw Liana, dressed decently, walking downstairs. Liana wore a formal dress of a posh brand and delicate makeup, which must have cost her several hours to get ready.
As Liana stepped down, she saw Catherine coming upstairs from the basement.
Unlike her, Catherine was dressed casually in a T-shirt and a pair of black trousers, and Liana smirked inwardly at Catherine’s casualness.
They had to wear school uniforms on weekdays, and Liana did not have a chance to show her beauty.
Now that she could go to Bryan’s birthday party, she must seize the chance to tell the world. that she was the real lady of the Swanns. She got up early and asked her mother to arrange for the best stylists to do styling for her.
The stylists she hired were those who served the A-list celebrities. Liana needed to take people’s breath away today.
Her mother knew Liana was going to the Duncans’ and bought her a set of pricey diamond necklaces.
Liana had been fretting that Catherine would spend time dolling up for Bryan’s party. Now she could finally heave a sigh of relief.
Catherine leaned back on a sofa lazily, eyelids drooped, looking sleepy.
When Liana walked past Catherine, she paused for a while and said in a low voice on purpose, Catherine, it’s time for me to meet my friends. It seems you’re not ready yet. I should go now. You can take a taxi yourself later.”
Liana wanted to go to the party in her family’s best car.
“1
The imaginary scene of her sitting in a luxury car while Catherine took a taxi delighted Liana.
The maids looked at Liana’s triumph and then at Catherine’s drowsiness. They shook their heads secretly.
The two sisters had huge differences.
Liana thought she had dealt Catherine a blow, and Catherine was too down to speak, so she left in grace.
But Liana did not know that Catherine had turned a deaf ear to her words.
Although Catherine had gotten up, her mind was not awake but stupefying.
So she leaned against the sofa and freed her mind.
Thirty minutes later, Catherine was ultimately wide awake.
It was about time. Catherine decided to get dressed and set off to meet Bryan.
At the Duncans’.
The house Bryan lived in was located in an area full of wealthy people in Casier.
It was in the best spot in the district, which showed the high status of the Duncans.
Bryan rarely demanded a birthday party, let alone he asked to get it done well.
The Duncans did an excellent job on it to satisfy Bryan.
They followed Bryan’s will and did not invite any business partners but only Bryan’s classmates and friends of the family.
It was Bryan’s birthday. Of course, he had his
say.
Sincere High School was a school for children from affluent families, and everyone attended the party dressed formally.
They needed to show respect to Bryan as well as the Duncans.
Bryan was wearing a black tuxedo suit today, handsome and dazzling. He stood at the door, staring straight ahead, and was impatient to meet Catherine. He murmured, “Why hasn’t Boss arrived yet?”
Accompanying him was David, who was also dressed in a suit and good-looking. Hearing Bryan’s murmur, David comforted him, “Relax. The best is for the last.”
Bryan thought David’s words made sense.
The next second, David yelled, “There she is! That’s the Swanns’ car. I know that license plate.
Chapter 83 Opening Gifts in Public
The Swanns had a special license plate that was easily remembered.
When the car stopped, Bryan hurried forward to it.
The other guests were envious of the Swanns since Bryan welcomed them in person.
Bryan pulled the door open, and Liana put on her best smile to make an entrance.
Bryan’s face darkened immediately. His brows were furrowed, and his tone sounded distressed.
“Why are you here?”
Liana went out of the car slowly under the envious gazes of the other guests. She looked at Bryan arrogantly and said, “Why couldn’t it be me? Thank you for welcoming me personally. I’m honored to be at your birthday party.”
Bryan glared at her and snapped, “You wish! I’m not here for you.”
After hearing Bryan’s harsh words, the guests around looked at Liana differently.
The crowd began to whisper.
“I thought the person Bryan wanted to welcome was Liana, and I was jealous just now.”
“That’s an egg on Liana’s face. Queen Liana got her just deserts.”
“Queen Liana? Does anyone still call her that on our campus BBS after Catherine came to our school?”
Liana heard the gossip about her, and she trembled with rage. She gripped the hem of her dress and almost tore it with her bare hands. She was about to step forward to scold the gossipers when she heard other comments about her.
“That’s right, but Liana’s dress looked premium! Her family must be loaded.”
“Agreed. That set of jewelry on her must cost tens of millions. Her family is so affluent.”
“Did you see her dress? It’s one of the Haute Couture designs of Monored this year. Only the client who spent the most at their shop has the right to buy it.”
The comments on her dressing improved Liana’s mood. Her efforts to dress up today paid off. She thought the initial gossipers were just a bunch of dumbasses who were jealous of her beauty,
As the person he held the car door for was not Catherine, Bryan sulked and gave the crowd the cold shoulder.
His face seemed to have a warning label that said, “Do not talk to me!”
No one dared to approach him.
Even David stood afar from Bryan and did not try to talk to him.
Bryan was depressed and having uneasy thoughts that perhaps Catherine had stood him up. He did not liven up until he heard the rumbling sound of a motorcycle engine. He looked back, and a drop-dead gorgeous figure was in sight.
Riding on the road in a silver-black motorcycle was a rider dressed in a black outfit that fit her fantastic body shape.
Bryan was not the only one who was attracted to the figure. All people present locked their eyes on the rider as well.
The motorcycle fishtailed, skidding steadily to a stop in front of the crowd. The rider turned the motorcycle engine off before taking off her helmet.
Everyone gasped when the rider revealed her face. Their breath was taken away.
She was drop-dead gorgeous and cool!
David subconsciously wiped the drool on the corner of his mouth. He mumbled, “Oh, man. Catherine is just incredible.”
Catherine wore a tight black leather jacket that fully showed her perfect figure.
There was vitality in her beauty. When her long leg swept over the motorcycle as she stood up, many people could not help but scream in excitement.
Thrilled. Bryan dashed to her before stopping in front of Catherine, grinning like a child.
“Boss, you’re finally here! I thought you would not come.”
Catherine smiled faintly and replied, “I’d promised I would be here.”
“Of course, you will!” Bryan nodded vigorously. “I knew you would not break your promise. Boss, I hired a chef to cook spicy food for you today. You can try it later!”
Bryan was like a child asking for candy, looking forward to Catherine’s response.
His birthday party was held for Catherine in particular, and it would be regarded as a successful party only if the party could perk Catherine up.
Catherine
gave a little nod and said, “Okay. I’ll try later.” She did not refuse and even promised to try. That was the biggest reward for Bryan.
Bryan was overjoyed and led Catherine into the house.
Catherine seemed more like the protagonist of the party than Bryan was.
Everyone watched as Bryan and his group of followers surrounded Catherine and led her
inside the house, their faces full of envy.
“Bryan is too nice to Catherine. I wish I could be her!”
“I envy her. Her clothing today matches her perfectly.”
All Liana could hear were endless voices praising Catherine, which exasperated her. She was well-dressed and wore jewelry worth tens of millions of dollars, but people still valued Catherine and that motorcycle more than her, Liana could not put up with that.
Liana stomped her feet fiercely. She felt that Catherine must have seen her dress up and wanted to win against her by dressing like that. She thought Catherine was conniving and had deceived her.
The party officially started. Accompanied by Bryan, Catherine walked around the area to eat various items and was ultimately a little stuffed.
“The food is quite tasty,” Catherine made a casual remark.
Bryan was so proud of himself and nearly jumped for joy when he heard Catherine’s praise.
“Thank you, Boss.”
Halfway through the birthday party, the guests got bored. Therefore, they asked Bryan to open the birthday gifts and show them what they were.
Bryan was too happy at the moment to refuse any request.
Then, the gift-opening segment that everyone was looking forward to, began.
The rule was that the guests could voluntarily hand their gifts to Bryan to open them.
Bryan was a Duncan and had a high social status in Casier. Many people longed desperately to curry favor with him.
In the past, gifts would be set aside in a pile and probably never be opened. It was a rare opportunity to show their sincerity, and they hoped Bryan would remember them if he was impressed by their gifts.
One by one, the guests handed their gifts to Bryan. There was a wide range from high-end accessories to the most popular action figures.
Someone even prepared a sports car as a gift for Bryan. However, all of these were nothing to Bryan. He just thanked the man and put the car key down.
When it was Liana’s turn, she smiled triumphantly. It was her idea to have the gift-opening segment. She had already found out what Bryan liked, and winning Bryan over would help her become one of the Duncans in the future. She had to succeed.
“Bryan, this is my gift for you. See if you like it.”
Liana opened her gift in public and handed it to Bryan.
Someone recognized the gift and exclaimed aloud.
“Oh, my goodness. Is this the latest game Storm being developed? I’ve watched the trailer. But it isn’t released yet. Why does Liana have it?”
The exclamation also drew Bryan’s attention.
Bryan loved playing video games. Storm was the largest and most acclaimed game developer in the world. Even Bryan was one of its loyal fans.
A look of satisfaction flashed across Liana’s face as she enjoyed the crowd’s gasps. Her painstaking efforts to get this thing was not in vain.
Catherine stared crossly at the game card in Liana’s hand. It seemed that the right time had come for her to do a cleanup.
Chapter 84 Why the Fuss?
Bryan had no particular feelings for Liana at the beginning. Or, to put it more accurately, he had the same indifferent attitude toward all the girls in Class 8.
The reason why he hated Liana eventually was because Liana did not show respect to Catherine.
Catherine was Bryan’s idol. Naturally, he disliked everyone who disrespected Catherine.
But Bryan had to admit that Liana’s gift got inside his head. He loved it.
Any game developed by Storm was popular globally.
Before this new game officially went online, its trailer had already attracted a lot of eager players raring to try it out.
Storm had just begun to recruit trial players. The candidates they were looking for must be capable instead of those who spent only a lot on the in-game accessories.
The candidates must rank top three in their country to get the chance to try the demo.
Liana got her hands on the game card even before the top players tried it, which showed how precious it was.
Bryan took it and thanked Liana sincerely, “Thank you!”
Liana smiled lightly and acted elegantly. “I hope you liked my gift for you.”
The others envied Bryan for receiving such a gift and Liana for being able to prepare such a gift.
One of their classmates could not help but ask Liana, “Liana, this is an amazing gift. How did you get this game card? The game hasn’t launched the demo domestically, right? I’m so jealous!”
“So am I! I wish I could have it too! You’re amazing, Liana!”
Liana was comforted and satisfied by people’s jealousness. She knew she would be the one who slayed it at Bryan’s birthday party.
She pretended to be nonchalant and said with a calm expression on her face, “It’s nothing. My family’s company happened to have a project with Storm. Their product manager thought I liked playing video games and gave it to me as a gift. But you know, my favorites are ballet and piano. I don’t know anything about video games so it’ll show its true value in Bryan’s hands
instead.”
The more casually Liana talked about it, the more envious the people around her became.
Liana could get the thing people craved without effort and give it away as a gift. Of course,
1/4
people begrudged her.
Liana wore a faint smile while her heart raced with joy. Her eyes fell on Catherine, who was eating quietly at the side.
Liana secretly rolled her eyes at Catherine, thinking that Catherine was indeed a bumpkin from the countryside. No one would keep eating non-stop at a party. She was hoping to have a chance to crush Catherine, and now she got it.
She looked at Catherine jubilantly. She feigned curiosity and asked, “Catherine, everyone here has given Bryan their gifts. You have such a good relationship with Bryan. I assume your gift for him must be awesome.”
Her words drew people’s attention to Catherine, including Bryan. He had his expectations and wondered if Catherine had prepared anything for his birthday.
Catherine was enjoying the beef enchiladas, taking one bite after another, when Liana asked her the question.
The enchiladas were covered in a spicy sauce with beef, vegetables, and cheese stuffed inside them, which were quite tasty.
Catherine was still holding on to her fork when everyone fixed their eyes on her.
The inquisitive gazes ruined Catherine’s good mood. She lost her appetite and put the fork down.
Bryan noticed Catherine’s sulky look. He thought she was embarrassed for not preparing a gift, so he quickly opened his mouth to smooth things over.
“Guys, aren’t you hungry? Does the food today suit your taste? Tell me if you want anything else.”
It killed Liana to see Bryan defending Catherine. She did not understand what was wrong with those boys. Why do they always stand up for Catherine?
She knew Catherine must not have prepared a gift and wanted to put Catherine down.
“Catherine, why don’t you take it out? Have you forgotten to bring it here?”
Catherine raised her eyebrows and stared at Liana with confusion. “What should I take it out?”
“She’s playing dumb,” Liana thought. She decided not to drop this topic. She wanted to put Catherine to shame tonight. She felt that even if Catherine had prepared a gift for Bryan, it would not be as precious as her game card, so Catherine would still be humiliated.
“Catherine, don’t joke with us. I’m talking about your gift for Bryan. You brought it with have you?”
you,
“Oh, that,” Catherine responded drily without expression on her face. She reached into her jacket pocket, whipped out a small envelope, and threw it to Bryan.
“Here. Happy birthday!”
Bryan grabbed it. He did not expect Catherine to prepare a birthday gift for him and even wished him a happy birthday. He beamed radiantly and thanked Catherine gleefully like a child. “Boss, thank you for the gift. It’s the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
Everyone saw Bryan holding an envelope in his hand. They had no idea what was inside the crude envelope and were staring at it with interest.
Even David and Bryan’s other friends were curious, let alone Liana.
“Bryan, open it! Let us see what’s inside.”
Bryan also could not wait to know what Catherine gave him, but he did not dare to make his own decision. So, he raised his head to ask Catherine for her permission.
“Boss, may I open it now?”
“Whatever,” Catherine replied, not caring much about this matter.
Since Catherine did not reject, and the rest were urging him on, Bryan opened the envelope.
It turned out that there was only a disk in it. More precisely, it was a flash drive.
The moment Liana saw it, she laughed out loud. “Catherine, you gave Bryan a flash drive as his gift. You didn’t record a Happy Birthday song or something and save it in, did you?”
Catherine cast her a stern look.
As Catherine’s sarcastic eyes swept over her, Liana felt as if someone had poured a bucket of
cold water over her head.
Bryan did not mind. He would be pleased no matter what Catherine gave him.
Under the curious looks of David and the others, Bryan got his servant to send in a laptop and inserted the flash drive into it.
When the files in the flash drive were made public, the few onlookers erupted in astonished
cries.
“Damn it!”
“Oh, gosh!”
“I can’t believe it!”
A burst of screams grabbed the full attention of others further away.
Holding the laptop in his arms, Bryan went to Catherine with a shocked face. “Boss, is this really for me? How did you collect so many Storm games? Many of them are not available for sale anymore. Some games have only been released for trial servers. This is a precious gift!”
Everyone now looked at Bryan with jealousy and at Catherine with admiration.
Liana’s gift was only a demo game card of Storm, and people were envious of that. Catherine’s gift was the complete collection of Storm games! That was incredible!
Catherine did not understand why the others were so excited. She thought with a frown, “Why the fuss? That’s weird.”
Those were just some games she wrote to kill time. Why were these people so thrilled?
While the guests were still recovering from their astonishment, Bryan gave another startling cry. “My gosh! This…
Chapter 85 Sugar Reappeared
With the USB drive in hand, Bryan danced with excitement.
This shocked all the students in Class 8. After all, Bryan had always been known for his aloofness, but now he looked like a complete idiot.
David couldn’t help but ask, “Bryan, why are you so slow to react? We’ve already expressed how excited we were.”
Bryan reached out and knocked David hard on the head, saying, “You’re the slow one, you idiot!”
Bryan didn’t want to bother with David. He had something very important to confirm with
Catherine.
Bryan approached Catherine with excitement, his heart pounding nervously as if it was jumping out of his chest.
“Boss, is this autograph genuine?” he asked, pointing to the USB drive.
Catherine raised her head slowly, glanced at the indicated signature, and nodded.
“Oh my god, Boss, I admire you so much! How did you manage to get this person to sign the drive? You have no idea, but this person is my idol. They are like a god to me. No one can ever compare.”
Seeing Bryan like this, David also approached and almost had his eyeballs pop out when he saw the signature. He complained without suppressing his surprise at all, “Damn, that is Sugar’s signature! Catherine, how did you manage to get Sugar’s signature? This person is the founder of ‘Storm,’ the best hacker and most skilled computer expert in the world.”
David finally understood why Bryan was so excited. If it were him, David might have passed
out from excitement.
Looking at her excited classmates, Catherine was not at all bothered by their emotions. She sat back lazily in her chair, her expression calm and even a bit bored.
If Catherine had known that Bryan would be so excited over a signature, she wouldn’t have bothered with preparing a gift for him. She would have just asked Bryan to bring a piece of
and written a hundred Sugar autographs herself for Bryan as a birthday gift.
paper
Anyway, she was Sugar. It would only take a moment to sign the word, which was no big deal to her at all. Since Bryan had been paying his respects and calling her Boss for such a long time, she would do this for him.
Bryan asked excitedly, “Boss, do you know Sugar personally? How did you get their autograph? This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever received. I love it so much.”
Catherine was thinking about whether she should tell Bryan the truth or not when David suddenly chimed in, “Bryan, you’re so slow today. Did you forget what Liana said earlier? The Swann Corporation has a partnership with Storm. They’ve already sent Liana an unreleased. game card. Catherine is the company president. It’s no surprise that she can make Sugar her acquaintance and get them to sign the USB drive.”
Bryan thought about it and realized David had a point. Therefore, Bryan couldn’t help but shower Catherine with more praise again.
“Boss, you’re so amazing.”
Liana, who was standing nearby, was exploding with anger. Once again, Catherine had stolen. her limelight, and this time, Catherine had completely overshadowed her.
It didn’t even matter that people knew her as the young miss of the Swann family.
Catherine had climbed to the position of chairperson of the board. Her position was even higher than Liana’s father’s. There’s no way Liana could ever compete with her.
“This is so frustrating,” Liana thought.
But the thing was, Liana couldn’t do anything about this at all. She felt that Catherine, like at harbinger of disasters, was such a problem and was always in her way.
After finishing their meal, Bryan suggested they play the game together, and everyone agreed.
Who wouldn’t want to try the beta version?
Bryan looked at Catherine with a somewhat elusive expression.
Seeing him like this, Catherine knew that Bryan had something to say but was hesitant to spit it out, so she took the initiative.
“Just speak your mind.”
Bryan was almost in tears. “Boss is really kind to me,” he thought.
“Boss, can I make a birthday wish? Will you play this game with me?” he asked.
Believe it or not, Catherine actually agreed.
The game Bryan mentioned was the one she had created. How could she refuse?
Considering it was Bryan’s birthday, Catherine nodded in agreement.
At the Duncan Corporation.
The top floor, the president’s office.
Paxton had just received a message from the intelligence team. He had rushed to the
Branden’s office to update him.
“Sir, we have news about Sugar. One of the aliases they used in the past has appeared again,” Paxton said.
Upon hearing Paxton’s report, Branden put down his pen and looked up slowly, his voice cold, “Have you got the IP address?”
Paxton had rushed over as soon as he received the information. He hadn’t opened the message containing the IP address sent by the intelligence team.
Paxton lowered his head, opened the message, and instantly froze. He muttered, “How is this. possible?”
Seeing that something was off, Branden asked again patiently, “What’s the matter?” Branden was rarely patient like this.
Paxton quickly regained his composure, looked up at Branden, and respectfully replied, “Sir, we have got Sugar’s IP address.”
“But we traced it back to the Duncan family house.”
An intrigued look flashed in Branden’s eyes. Since he had not given any instructions yet, Paxton continued his report.
“Sir, I’ve contacted the family house. The Young Master is hosting his birthday banquet there. The party has been approved by Mr. Vicente Swann. There are quite a few people invited, which means it’s difficult to know who the real Sugar is!”
Upon hearing this, Branden suddenly stood up.
Paxton immediately stepped forward, respectfully helping Branden put on his coat. “Sir, are you going back to the family house?”
“Yes!” Branden responded without much emotion.
“Challenge accepted. I’ll figure out how this hacker, Sugar, got into my family house,” Branden thought.
Like all century-old prestigious families, the Duncans were deeply rooted in the local community and had many family inembers.
Bryan’s father, Brady Duncan, was the cousin of Branden and the son of Karl’s elder brother. Brady was a simple and honest person.
He didn’t have much ambition for power. Therefore, Karl kept him by his side since Brady was
a child.
Karl was already getting old when Branden was born, so naturally, Brady was considerably
older than Branden.
3/4
His father’s status allowed Bryan to grow up in the family house and was greatly favored by Karl. He was treated by everyone as Karl’s own grandson.
Meanwhile, the birthday party at the family house continued, and the cheers grew louder and louder.
The entire banquet presented a stark contrast. Almost all the boys gathered in one group. The girls chatted boringly on the side. Feeling completely ignored, some people even started to complain.
“What’s so charming about Catherine Swann? Why do all these guys treat her like a goddess?”
“Who knows? Look at those guys. They’re all so excited as if someone has cast a spell on them. I really don’t understand what’s so interesting about those games. Catherine is so good at this. She can capture everyone’s attention just like that.”
Liana heard all these comments. She wholeheartedly agreed that Catherine was simply putting on an act. With just a USB drive, Catherine managed to charm everyone away. “She truly had her ways,” Liana thought.
At first, Liana had thought Catherine wouldn’t pose any threat at all, as she wouldn’t know
how to fit into Liana’s social circles. Liana didn’t expect Catherine to be this skilled with men.
Before Liana came up with a retort, she heard another round of cheers.
“Wow, Catherine, you’re amazing!”
Chapter 86 The Champion Gamer
They were playing one of Storm’s classic survival games where a hundred people form teams and fight to be the last surviving squad.
Catherine was the captain and sniper of Bryan’s team. Under her leadership, their squad was unbeatable, and notifications of them killing the enemies covered their screen.
Watching Catherine take down an enemy with a long-range sniper rifle, Bryan couldn’t help. but exclaim, “Boss, you’re a sniper god. That was absolutely amazing!”
David nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Our strategy is working incredibly well. It’s like we are just waiting for the fish to bite. These people don’t stand a chance at all. We can wipe them. out completely.”
Earlier, their team accidentally stumbled upon an airdrop. At first, they were excited and wanted to claim it, but Catherine stopped them. Instead, she had everyone surround the airdrop and hide well. The team waited for their enemies to show up and sneak upon them.
Catherine was responsible for setting up a sniping point on the highest mountain in the southwest, while Bryan and the others fired near the airdrop to use the gunshots to attract the
enemy.
Their plan worked, and they attracted many enemies-five teams in total-all of whom had been sniped by Catherine.
Her aim was perfect. Every time a gunshot sounded, someone would be killed. Not a single bullet was wasted. The opposing teams also had snipers, and this was a high-level game where everyone was skilled. However, compared to Catherine, they were nothing but trash. They couldn’t even locate Catherine’s position and were eliminated without a fight.
Bryan, known for his aggressive fighting style, experienced the feeling of being protected for the first time while following Catherine. He didn’t need to do much at all. All he did was kept cheering for Catherine, “Boss, you’re the best!”
Catherine also made these boys rethink their perception of female gamers. They used to look down on girls playing games, but Catherine completely outshone them this time. They realized that girls could also dominate a game if she’s good at it.
In the game, the last person standing was an expert.
Bryan’s team searched everywhere but couldn’t find this person. They must have hidden themselves very well and planned on sneaking up on Bryan’s team.
Catherine drove to the vantage point.
After scanning around, she spotted an area with slightly different colors beneath a grove of trees in the distance. It turned out to be a person in a ghillie suit!
Catherine had a lazy and casual expression, but her eyes were cold, revealing a hint of pride and mischief in her character.
After spotting her target, Catherine’s slightly pursed lips twisted into a wicked smile. She slowly pulled the trigger!
Bang!
The game ended while the gunshot was still echoing.
For a moment, Bryan and the others didn’t realize what had happened.
The game ended just like that?
It seemed too fast. Typically, a match should last at least thirty minutes, but Catherine had ended it in fifteen, cutting the average gameplay time in half.
When everybody woke up from the stupor, their cheers for Catherine echoed in the room like
the tide.
Boss, that was awesome!”
“From now on, you are my absolute idol!”
Branden walked into the hall and was swept away by the
uproar.
Branden furrowed his brows, hearing the cheers, and an annoyed look appeared on his
handsome face.
“It’s just a birthday party. Why the uproar?” Branden thought to himself.
A group
of bored girls first noticed Branden. They had all heard of this head of the Duncans but had never seen him in person.
Suddenly seeing such a handsome and extraordinary man, the girls at the scene instantly
became excited.
Everyone tried to put their best foot forward, waiting for the man to show some interest in
them.
The moment Branden appeared, Liana’s eyes lit up. She never expected to have such a pleasant surprise today, meeting Branden. She was glad that she had dressed up well before she came to the party. “This time, I can definitely leave a good impression on Branden,” Liana thought.
Although Branden was engaged to Catherine, Liana believed that Branden definitely deserved better. She knew he wouldn’t be attracted to such a country girl as Catherine.
“As long as I can become Mrs. Duncan, nobody at Casier can challenge me. Not Catherine, not anybody else,” Liana thought.
The commotion on the girls’ side also drew the attention of Bryan and his party.
Everyone turned their heads and saw Branden walking toward them.
Branden’s authoritative gaze made everyone instinctively stand to the sides to make way for him, and they greeted him respectfully with their eyes.
Bryan was late with a few people to notice Branden. When he looked back and saw Branden, he was absolutely astonished.
“Why is third uncle back?” Bryan wondered.
Just as Bryan was about to speak, he was silenced by a cold gaze from Branden.
The crowd quieted down, and a weird atmosphere enveloped the room.
Catherine was looking at the monitor as the room quieted down. Feeling a bit tired, she was just about to take a break.
Suddenly, a shadow cast over her, and she instinctively turned around. She didn’t expect to see a handsome face behind her at that moment, just a little bit away from their faces meeting.
All the people in the room gasped together. They all held their breath, and no one dared to speak.
Catherine reacted quickly. She tapped her foot lightly on the ground and slid back half an inch in her swivel chair, instantly creating a distance between herself and Branden. She raised an eyebrow, looked up at the man who appeared suddenly, and asked without putting much thought, “Why are you here?”
A meaningful smile hinting at something appeared on Branden’s face, his lips slightly curved.
That was a silly question. This was the Duncans’. Branden had every right to appear at his own home.
Catherine casually put away the mouse on the desk.
Then she stood up, walked to the sofa, and collapsed. She didn’t care about her posture and lay on the couch looking exhausted.
Her carefree attitude clearly meant she didn’t take anyone present seriously. She was only doing this because it pleased her.
Paxton suddenly appeared at the door, diverting Branden’s attention.
Branden glanced at Catherine, stood up, and walked toward Paxton.
Paxton whispered to Branden, “Sir, Sugar’s IP has logged out. It disappeared from the Duncans ‘half an hour ago, and now we have found multiple logins spread throughout the entire Casier. There are no patterns to be identified. We suspect that Sugar’s earlier appearance at the Duncans’ was a smoke bomb deliberately released.”
To put it simply, Sugar had been teasing them all along.
Paxton was beyond angry. “The Duncans have an impeccable intelligence network. How did this person get around it just like that? Damn this hacker,” he thought.
“Sir, what should we do next?”
Branden answered coldly, “Give it time.
At a glance, Catherine saw Paxton reporting to Branden. She could roughly guess what Paxton was reporting to Branden. When Catherine was logging into her gaming account earlier, she forgot to hide her IP address.
Shortly after, she received a text message from Ronin, so she took measures to create a smoke screen and hide herself. “It’s not that easy to catch me,” Catherine thought.
Chapter 87 Let Her Have Her Way
After telling Paxton what to do, Branden walked back to the crowd. He attracted everybody’s attention as they watched him walk straight to Catherine and sit down beside her without hesitation.
This development of the incident made everyone present uncomfortable. All the guys at the party were intimidated by Branden’s presence, and nobody dared to speak.But there certainly were brave people. For example, some of the girls were still drooling over Branden
His handsome face and elevated status were enough to drive them crazy. They would sacrifice everything, even their life, for Branden.
See, here came a woman in a sexy nightgown. She walked to Branden with her hips swaying like a world-famous model, clearly in an attempt to attract him. She raised her pitch and said. pretentiously, “Mr. Duncan, my father has always told me how much he admires you. I am honored to meet you today. May I propose a toast to you?”
Her shrill voice made everyone’s skin crawl. Even Catherine raised her glance and frowned at the woman.
That woman was making eyes at Branden the entire time when Catherine looked up. The latter spoke up in disdain, “What’s wrong with your eyes? Can’t you look at people normally?”
People in the room almost died trying to hold back their laughter.
On the other hand, Branden just sat there with an intrigued look on his face. He was looking at Catherine and observing her reactions.
Having been called out by Catherine, the woman was shaking with anger, but she managed to look at Branden with her puppy eyes and said cautiously, “Mr. Branden, I just wanted to pay
my respects to you.’
Catherine was playing a game on her phone, and the constant chattering of the woman kept distracting her. This no doubt enraged her. She turned to look at Branden gloomily, then addressed him coldly, “You, sit over there. Let her have her way with you.”
“As long as that woman is not flirting in front of me, I don’t want to get involved in this. Just leave me alone,” Catherine thought.
The woman didn’t expect Catherine to point out her intentions so bluntly. She froze at the scene, on the verge of tears.
Upon hearing Catherine’s comment, everyone in the room gasped at her boldness.
They thought, “How dare she say that?
“It’s Branden Duncan she’s talking to.
“That man can destroy Casier without even lifting his little finger. Is Catherine out of her mind, challenging him in public like this?”
Perhaps Bryan was the only person who rooted for Catherine at that moment. He was smitten with how fearless Catherine was while confronting his third uncle.
Bryan even had a plan in mind. If Branden wanted to punish Catherine, Bryan would immediately go to Vicente and ask him for help.
But nobody expected this. Branden wasn’t offended by what Catherine said at all. In fact, there was even a faint smile on his face.
He gestured behind him, and Paxton immediately stepped forward as an answer.
Just as everybody thought Paxton was about to punish Catherine, the servant walked to the woman who approached Branden earlier and said coldly, “Please leave the Duncans’ right now.
The woman’s jaw dropped as she responded in shock. “I believe you are talking to the wrong person,” she said.
Paxton didn’t waste a word of his because, the next second, he was already dragging the
woman out.
Paxton was very strong. The woman didn’t even have the opportunity to put up a fight before she was kicked out of the house.
Everybody held their breath as they were stunned by this turn of events. The noisy room had gone entirely quiet.
Now, a dead silence hovered in the room.
Realizing Catherine was bored, Branden offered spontaneously, “Can I show you around the house?”
The Duncans’ enjoyed a history of over 100 years. Many of the structures were carefully designed and built by skilled artisans.
Famous directors had been coming to the Duncans, hoping to shoot some scenes at the house. But the Duncans turned them all down.
If the house had gone on television, much more people would be visiting here.
Catherine seemed uninterested in taking a house tour. She appeared exhausted after playing a video game for a while, and without much thought, she placed her phone down and glanced at
Branden.
“I’m tired,” she said. Her tone wasn’t as cold as before, and a trace of fatigue appeared on her. face.
Branden’s gaze was fixed on her. Branden appeared quite gentle when looking at the tired. Catherine resting on the couch.
“The guestroom upstairs has been cleaned. Let me walk you there. You can have a rest.”
Catherine nodded. She had done this many times before.
And each time, she had been happy with Branden’s arrangements. He had made the room as comfortable as possible for her according to her liking, so she could accept resting there.
Catherine wiggled her body lazily. She didn’t want to move.
Just as she was to stand up, Branden reached out and held her hand. When their hands. touched, Catherine paused momentarily and shifted her gaze to her hand. However, Branden. didn’t give her any time to think about this. Holding hands, he dragged her upstairs directly.
When the two disappeared at the stairs, everyone finally figured out what had happened.
One couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my. What did I just see? Am I hallucinating?”
“No, you are not. We saw that, too.”
“We just saw Branden lead Catherine upstairs to her room,” everybody thought.
This was quite the big news. Some people, unable to hold back their curiosity, went to ask Liana about it.
“Liana, Catherine is your sister. You must know something. Is she dating Mr. Duncan? Why are they so intimate?”
Despite Liana’s growing anger, those around her continued to ask insensitive questions. She couldn’t help but imagine slapping some sense into them to end their thoughtless gossip.
“God knows what kind of spells Catherine cast on Branden. How did she manage to make Branden even pay attention to her?” Liana wondered.
How Catherine managed to enchant Branden was so unbelievable to Liana. Surrounded by all the people in the room looking at her curiously, Liana said with an attitude, “Dating? I don’t think so. Catherine must have been forcing herself on Mr. Duncan. My sister has been bringing bad luck to people around her ever since she was a child. That’s why she was sent to the countryside, so she wouldn’t bother any of us. Now that she’s standing here in one piece, she must have learned some tricks to charm people and help her survive.”
The person who asked the question earlier bellowed out again in surprise. “Does Catherine really know some kind of supernatural abilities? Could this be why she managed to become top of the class without being properly educated?”
Once people started guessing, they came up with all kinds of explanations.
After all, what Catherine had achieved was nearly impossible for a normal human being. Nobody knew how she did it, and everybody was surprised.
Bryan slowly walked towards Liana while staring at her coldly the entire time. “You two are biological sisters, right?”
“What?” Liana asked in confusion. She didn’t know why Bryan would ask such a question.
Bryan simply ignored her question and retorted, “Slandering your sister like this in public, is that all you are capable of, Liana Swann?”
This comment was like a slap in the face to Liana. The humiliation was unbearable. Bryan looked at Liana in disdain as if looking at a garbage pile. This made Liana almost choke. with anger.
But that wasn’t the end of it for Bryan. He scanned the room with a serious face and said, “Do you all think it is that easy to trick the head of the Duncans? Supernatural abilities? If you all are so imaginative, go take on exorcism as an occupation.”
The gossipers were so embarrassed they couldn’t even look Bryan in the eye. After all, Bryan was right. If Branden could be deceived just like that, he wouldn’t be chosen as the family head at all.
Chapter 88 I Never Lose
Catherine woke up starving. When she opened her eyes, it was already dark outside. The room was quiet. But Catherine sensed another person’s presence. She had acute senses, and they had never been wrong. In the darkness, a deep magnetic voice spoke up.
“You’re awake?” Catherine answered with an unusually good temper. “Mmhm.”
“Flick.” The lights in the room were turned on. Perhaps it was because Catherine had just woken up. The man didn’t turn the lights up too bright. There was a strange comfort in the dim lighting. Catherine’s bad temper after waking up was somehow alleviated by it.
“Do you want to eat first or talk?” The man gave her two choices. Catherine didn’t want to guess what the man wanted to talk about. She didn’t like thinking about things when she didn’t have to. This allowed her mind to rest properly and focus on more important things when needed.
“Say your piece,” Catherine said indifferently. She had made her choice. With his gaze fixed on her, the man chuckled. “Let’s talk about what’s happening at the Swann Corporation. It’s been almost two weeks. Apart from firing a financial manager, you haven’t made a move at all. Now you only have two and a half months left. Is that enough time for you?
Catherine rose from the bed slowly. As she stood upright, her elongated legs accentuated her graceful presence.
She turned her head towards Branden and flashed a mischievous smile. Her infectious grin had the power to captivate anyone in the world.
“You investigated me?”
“Well,” Branden said with a faint smile, his expression calm. “The person I chose never loses.”
The person he chose?
Catherine raised an eyebrow and looked at Branden. She looked proud and untamed with that grin on her face.
Although Catherine was often seen as arrogant, many people felt she had earned the right to be confident, as if her success was expected.
“Relax, I never lose.”
Before Branden could respond, Catherine interrupted unapologetically, “I’m hungry.” She said the three words in such a cold way, but they made the man’s heart warm up. But this man had been known to be cold and ruthless.
“Your body is still growing. Of course, you’ll feel hungry easily. I have told the kitchen to prepare dinner. Let’s go eat.”
Without giving Catherine a chance to respond, the man took her hand and led her toward the kitchen.
Catherine furrowed her brows. Her calm expression was now tainted with a hint of displeasure.
“What is he doing?
“Is he getting into the habit of holding my hand?” Catherine thought.
Catherine didn’t like how the man took her hand without her consent.
But being dragged around by someone like an invertebrate without worrying about anything felt really good.
Catherine had always been the person who would be lazy wherever and whenever she could. If she could lie down, she would never sit. And she wouldn’t stand up at all if she could sit down. She would do anything to make herself comfortable.
Now that being dragged around made her comfortable, she was more than happy to roll with it.
When Catherine was taken to the living room, she noticed someone who seemed to have gone through a lot during her absence-Bryan.
The birthday banquet had long been over. Bryan waited over two hours for his Boss to be led down from upstairs by Branden.
A lot of things could happen in two hours.
“Boss was here to celebrate Bryan’s birthday. How come Branden took her away?” Bryan
thought angrily.
But it was Branden who took her away. Bryan could never stand a chance against him, so he couldn’t do anything about it at all.
Now that Catherine had returned, Bryan could no longer hold back his grievance. He exclaimed, “Boss…”
How much emotion was in that sentence and how Bryan called Catherine “Boss” almost
stunned Paxton.
“What’s happening to all of them?” Paxton thought. “Why is Bryan acting so differently? He’s
been so spoilt by Vicente that he wouldn’t take orders from anyone else. He’s also going through puberty, which is a rebellious stage.
“Nobody, except for the head of the Duncans, could discipline him. But now he’s behaving so well in front of Catherine Swann. Is Catherine the person who will have the entire Duncans at her command? Why would they both follow her every command without question?”
Catherine heard Bryan and turned around to look at him, her brows slightly furrowed.
“What’s the matter?”
Bryan was on the verge of confronting Catherine about her decision to leave, but as he glanced behind her, he noticed Branden watching. In that moment, Bryan chose to keep his grievances to himself.
Branden looked like he could kill with his eyes. Better not challenge him now.
Bryan could only shake his head in silence and asked, “Nothing, I just wanted to know if you slept well.”
“It’s alright,” Catherine answered dismissively. She wouldn’t have even paid attention to Bryan’s question if she hadn’t sensed he had some grievances.
“Let’s go eat.”
Catherine took the initiative to invite Bryan. This dispelled his bad mood in no time.
“Boss treats me so well. She’s even buying me dinner tonight and talking much more to me,” Bryan thought.
Bryan had completely ignored that he was a member of the Duncan family and the host at the
party.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they discovered it only offered spicy dishes.
Bryan was fine with it because he could handle the spiciness, and his boss loved spicy dishes.
Then Bryan looked up and saw Branden sit down with a straight face.
Bryan felt he started to respect Branden more. “He really goes out of his way to impress Catherine. He’ll be torturing himself,” Bryan thought.
Branden couldn’t eat spicy food at all. Everyone in the Duncan family knew this.
They said it was because Branden accidentally hurt his stomach when he was young. After that, he started to adopt a non-spicy diet.
When Bryan saw Branden order everything spicy for Catherine, he only felt more admiration for his boss. He didn’t realize doing everything as it pleased Catherine could potentially harm the Duncans’ image at all.
In other words, Bryan had completely forgotten he was also a part of the family.
After dinner, Catherine was quite full. She rested against the table for a while, then stood up, planning to leave.
Bryan saw her stand up and immediately followed suit. He asked reluctantly, “Boss, are you leaving now?”
Catherine turned back to look at him, nodded, then shifted her gaze to Branden.
“I rode my bike here.”
The implication was that she refused to let Branden drive her home.
Branden didn’t push her. He simply answered, “Be careful then.”
Catherine turned around and left. She walked as if she didn’t care about anything in this world.
Her slender figure seemed to win anyone over with charm, putting ideas in people’s heads.
With Catherine gone, Bryan felt like even the house had become less alive than before.
He couldn’t help himself but comment. “Wouldn’t it be nice if Boss could live here forever?”
Branden happened to pass by him when he said that. He patted his nephew on the shoulder and said definitively, “That day will come.”
Bryan froze for a second as he didn’t know what Branden was talking about. But when he realized what Branden meant by that, the man was already gone.
Bryan punched the air in annoyance and said menacingly, “Boss has so many choices, and it doesn’t have to be you.’
Even if Branden were his uncle, Bryan would still put what Catherine wanted first. He would not bend this rule even for family.
“I’ll root for Boss forever. This will never change,” Bryan thought.
Chapter 89 The Easy Target
Catherine deliberately avoided the crowd of students leaving when the school bell rang and waited for five minutes before leaving. Just as she walked out of the school gate, she sensed someone’s gaze on her.
She calmly walked along the road without addressing them, and soon that person appeared in
front of her.
The man was dressed stylishly in branded clothes. Although his appearance was ordinary, he had makeup on and wore a strong cologne, which indicated that he worked in the movie industry.
“Hello, are you Catherine Swann?” The man had a professional smile on his face as he looked at Catherine.
Catherine raised an eyebrow, squinted her eyes, and looked him up and down with a chilling gaze.
Kim felt a sudden chill run through his body as he gazed into Catherine’s cold eyes. Regret flooded him as he realized coming here was a mistake.
Catherine spoke, devoid of warmth, “What do you want with me?”
Kim swallowed nervously. He didn’t expect such a little girl would be so difficult to handle. After all, he had been in the industry for many years and dealt with many people.
“This girl is truly something,” Kim thought.
“I’m Kim Morris, your sister Audrey’s manager. I came to find you today because I want you to work with your sister and go on a reality show.”
“No deal.”
Catherine shoved the two words in Kim’s face and walked casually around him.
It took Kim a minute to realize what had happened. “My God. She really is different from her sister,” Kim thought.
“This girl is the complete opposite of Audrey. No wonder Audrey didn’t want to work with her at the beginning.”
However, Kim was a person who never gave up because of minor setbacks. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have signed Audrey in the first place. She alone was quite a problem at that time.
He said toward Catherine, who was already walking away, “Audrey is your sister. Are you going to watch her career ruined? She just started getting into it.”
Catherine didn’t look back, but she slowed down a bit.
Kim continued, “Do you know she’s been having a rough time lately? Your family has never stopped sabotaging her career. Now she’s been labeled as a cheater. Her career will be ruined if she can’t make it to this reality show.
“Audrey told me that you are not like the other Swanns. You truly treat her as your sister and will protect her. Can’t you help her for once? If this reality show is a success, Audrey can definitely turn her situation around.”
Kim let out a frustrated sigh as Catherine walked away without even glancing back. He watched as Catherine disappeared into the crowd. He was secretly glad he didn’t tell Audrey he would see Catherine today. Or Catherine’s refusal would have broken Audrey’s heart.
Even though Audrey appeared to be casual about family relationships, she cared about the bond between family members more than she appeared to.
Kim and Audrey needed to come up with an alternative plan.
After getting back to her home, Catherine returned to the basement.
These days, Korbin had been making a lot of moves and kept himself beyond busy. Rachael was taking care of Johnathan at the hospital. Even though he could have been discharged within three days, Johnathan insisted he stayed in the hospital for a week.
Liana, the only person at the house, certainly didn’t dare bother Catherine. Therefore, Catherine basically was roaming freely at the family mansion.
Catherine found herself playing a game out of boredom. However, it had become monotonous for her as she mindlessly pressed buttons. Just when she was about to take a break, Ronin called.
Catherine casually pressed the answer button, put the call on speaker, and set the phone aside.
During the call, Ronin’s voice sounded enthusiastic as he talked with Catherine, who positively impacted his mood.
“Boss, I have some information that may be helpful.”
“Mmm,” Catherine answered with her eyes closed, encouraging Ronin to go on.
“The woman you asked me to investigate, her name is Lilly Muller. Her family owns a real estate company. They have some money.”
Ronin said they had some money because the Mullers’ wealth was just a drop in the bucket compared with the amount of money his boss had.
“After Lilly was caught by you at the mall last time, she investigated you. But she couldn’t do anything to you, let alone the Duncans. So, she went to a relative of the Muller family, who was a high-ranking employee at a certain TV station, and targeted Audrey.”
24
Audrey was her doormat this time because she was considered an easy target.
For a long time, Catherine did not talk at all. Ronin O’Connor couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, should I take action and teach the Muller family a lesson? Let them know that they can’t mess with us?”
This was already the second time Boss had him investigate what happened to Audrey.
Ronin could tell that his boss liked Audrey more than the other Swanns and treated her differently.
Moreover, Audrey didn’t seem that detestable. Ronin thought, “Being bullied like this, she didn’t even think about asking Boss for help.
“Those clowns were just jumping around in front of Boss. If Boss gives me the go-ahead, those people will be completely done for.”
After contemplating, Catherine spoke again, “No need.” She only wanted to understand the situation. She never liked meddling, so naturally, she wouldn’t interfere in Audrey’s business.
In the following days, Catherine repeated her routine of going to school, taking a nap there, and returning home.
After finishing school for the day, she received a call from Audrey.
Audrey sounded a bit anxious on the phone. “Kathy, can you come and help me? Bring me something. I’m at…”
Catherine bought a random piece of clothing at the mall and hurried to the location Audrey
told her.
On that day, Audrey was filming a commercial for a waterproof cosmetics brand and had to perform an underwater scene.
Audrey suddenly got her period and didn’t have anything with her. In this crisis, she could only call Catherine for help.
Catherine got her tampons as requested.
Audrey emerged from the bathroom, greeted Catherine with a smile, and expressed her gratitude, “I’m so glad you’re here. Otherwise, I would’ve been clueless about what to do today!”
Catherine gave her a curious look and asked, “Do you happen to have an assistant?” She knew Audrey had a male agent, and asking a guy for help with this situation was awkward. But Catherine thought a female assistant should be with her sister to take care of her.
Hearing this, Audrey smiled lightly as if laughing at herself. “With my status, how could 1 have an assistant? My agent already handles seven or eight people. The reason why I can occasionally get some work is because of our friendship. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have had
14
the opportunity for today’s shoot.”
Realizing she had said too much, Audrey quickly changed the topic and asked, “Kathy, do you have any plans tonight?”
Catherine didn’t know what Audrey was up to, but she still shook her head.
Audrey felt a bit happy when she realized Catherine was free tonight.
“Great, wait for me then. After I finish the last scene, I’ll treat you to dinner!”
Before Catherine could respond to Audrey, she was called by the crew for the shoot.
Since there didn’t seem to be anything urgent, Catherine decided to wait as Audrey had suggested.
Chapter 90 Wash Your Mouth
Catherine wore a baseball cap that completely covered her small face. She was wearing a white T-shirt and black cargo pants.
People passing by couldn’t help but turn their heads to catch a glimpse of her. She had a certain allure that drew attention, even when sitting quietly and playing games.
Some people were born attractive.
Suddenly, someone spoke angrily, “Can you do it or not? If you can’t, then I’ll get someone. else to shoot the scene!”
A man’s hoarse voice caught Catherine’s attention. Her hearing had always been better than an average person’s.
Catherine frowned slightly as she was displeased by the man’s voice. She didn’t intend to pay any attention to this altercation, but then she heard Audrey’s voice.
“I’m sorry, sir. Please let me try again!”
Audrey’s answer was almost like a plea, which caught Catherine’s attention.
She put away her phone and walked toward the film crew.
She saw two middle-aged men with beards sitting behind their video cameras. Apparently, they had been shooting the commercial.
Audrey was trembling in the pool, and Catherine’s slightly furrowed brows knitted together
even more.
No wonder Audrey asked her to buy tampons suited for swimming. Even during her period, Audrey still went into the water.
Catherine heard everything the director told his assistant. Even though she was a bit far away from them, it was not a problem for her acute hearing.
The director said, “This girl has such a nice body. But her clothes can be more seethrough. Splash more water on her. I want to highlight her sexy side more.”
The assistant suggested. “Why don’t we ask her to change her clothes into something white? Once drenched, white clothes can be really seethrough, giving a seductive illusion. It’s the most provocative.”
“Hehe, you’re so good at this. Go ask her to change.”
Then Audrey was called out of the water. She thought the shooting was over, but the crew member told her they needed to start over, and she had to change into another outfit.
Audrey frowned and hesitated to cooperate.
Seeing Audrey like this, the director’s assistant berated her in front of everyone, “Be more professional, will you? And be more cooperative. If not, we’ll find someone else.”
There were a lot of people at the scene. Berated by the director, Audrey’s face turned red with the humiliation. She bit her lower lip and nodded. “Yes, sir. I will go change now. Please don’t
be mad at me.”
Standing not far away from them, Catherine witnessed the entire incident.
Audrey had already turned around and headed to the dressing room.
Seeing Audrey obey his order, the assistant rolled his eyes as if he knew she would do
whatever he said.
“As a D-list star, how dare she be so difficult, pretending to be an A-lister.”
Catherine secretly pulled a decorative button off her pants and flicked it off with her thumb and index finger.
After lecturing Audrey, the assistant was just about to return to the director’s side and brag about how he coerced the actress into submission. As he walked by the edge of the pool, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle, which threw him off balance and made him fall into the pool.
Slam!
His body hit the water, and there was a huge splash.
When the assistant fell, he knocked all the filming equipment into the pool. Everything became chaotic instantly. The filming crew hastily started running around, saving the equipment. Many of them were delicate and shouldn’t come into contact with water. This was massive trouble.
Catherine coldly observed everything, her slightly narrowed eyes revealing a chilling and fierce glimmer.
“Some people need to watch their mouth, or I will give them a good rinse,” Catherine thought.
Audrey came out of the dressing room and saw Catherine waiting for her at the door. She looked apologetically at Catherine and said, “I’m sorry, Kathy. I thought it would be quick, but I didn’t expect the director to continue shooting, making you wait for so long. Are you hungry? If you are, let’s…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Catherine had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her away without giving Audrey a chance to react.
When Audrey realized what was happening, they had already walked quite a distance. She quickly reached out to stop Catherine and said, “Kathy, I haven’t finished shooting the commercial yet. We can’t leave like this!”
Catherine stopped and turned to look at her, saying calmly, “There’s no more shoot for today!
“No more?” Audrey tilted her head and looked at Catherine curiously, her face confused.” Why? It’s my job. I need to respect that.”
“The equipment accidentally fell into the water. The director gave everyone a day off,” Catherine said unapologetically.
Audrey turned around and saw the production crew carrying water-damaged video cameras out of the pool.
How did those get into the water?
Before Audrey could figure it out, Catherine dragged her away from the pool.
Catherine was so confident in her actions that she did not allow Audrey time to process what had happened.
However, Audrey didn’t pay much attention to the incident at all. She thought the director’s team must have decided not to shoot today and informed Catherine, mistakenly thinking she was Audrey’s assistant.
“In that case, let me treat you to dinner!”
After a long day, Audrey also wanted to relax.
They went to a barbecue place again.
Audrey couldn’t understand why her sister loved barbecue so much, but she specifically asked the waiter for some non-spicy dishes this time, which really surprised Audrey when the dishes
were served.
Supporting her chin with both her hands, Audrey blinked happily and said to Catherine.
“Kathy, you’re so nice to me. You know I don’t like eating spicy food during my period, so you ordered non-spicy dishes for me.
“Thank you so much. I love you!”
Catherine furrowed her eyebrows slightly, her bright black eyes filled with doubt as she looked at Audrey.
She had simply ordered according to her sister’s personal preference. Why was Audrey saying thank you like that?
Just as Audrey was enjoying the barbecue, her phone suddenly went off. She glanced at it and answered the call. An angry voice came from the other end. It was Kim.
“Audrey, have you gone crazy? Why did you leave halfway through the shoot? Do you want to drive me mad, or do you want to give up acting and return to being a spoiled princess?”
The barrage of scolding left Audrey totally bewildered.
After a few seconds, she realized what her agent had been talking about and responded to Kim.
“Kimmy, I didn’t leave on purpose. There was an accident at today’s shoot, and all the filming equipment fell into the water. We couldn’t continue shooting, so I left.”
Kim continued his lecture. “Are you out of your mind, Audrey? When you left, did you tell the production team? Even if there was a problem with the equipment, did you inform the director you wanted to leave?”
This completely confused Audrey. She didn’t know the director didn’t give her leave, and it was Catherine’s idea to take her away when Catherine thought they couldn’t continue the shoot.
To avoid making Catherine feel bad, Audrey quickly apologized and walked aside to continue. the conversation.
Kim vented his anger and calmed down. He had investigated the situation and indeed knew that there was a problem with the equipment, making it impossible to continue shooting. But when the director got furious and wanted to vent his anger on Audrey, he found out she had already left on her own.
That was why he blamed Audrey entirely and called Kim at the company to yell at him.
After giving Audrey a lecture, Kim calmed down and asked where she was.
Audrey told him that she was having a barbecue for dinner with Catherine. Then Kim asked her without hesitation, “Have you told your sister about the reality show? Now seems a good time to bring it up. Your future career depends on it, young miss!”