Chapter 155

Catherine's POV

Finally done! I collapsed into my chair, lowering the backrest, and let out a deep sigh. This critical project had consumed our team for a full three weeks,with overtime becoming our daily routine. But now, everything was settled, and I couldn't wait to properly unwind.

I took out my phone and began scrolling through the trending topics.Wow! Annie Baker's comic sales had skyrocketed? And her former mother-in-law Betty Baker was trending? My eyes widened instantly. The trending topicshowed that Betty Baker had publicly posted, questioning whether her former daughter-in-law "met their family standards," even mentioning that "if she couldn't give the Baker family an intelligent heir, it would be better to end the marriage early." How horrifying!

I quickly scanned through the comments section, finding most people rallying behind Annie and condemning Betty's behavior. Someone even revealed that Betty had deliberately arranged incorrect cutlery to humiliate Annie and seated her in corner positions at important social events. God,this was like a real-life "Evil Mother-in-Law Chronicles"!

What surprised me even more was that Annie's comic sales had surged nearly 300% because of this! I couldn't help feeling happy for her-what a satisfying reversal! It seemed Annie had seized the opportunity of Betty's public relations disaster to successfully market herself. I absolutely had to meet her for coffee to hear how all this happened firsthand. They say Howard personally confronted Philip? There must be so much more gossip behind this!

Speaking of which, Annie must be quite well-off now, right? We could go shopping together on Fifth Avenue; I haven't properly browsed stores in ages. After all. Howard Technologies truly lives up to its reputation as a major company-the bonuses from this project would be enough for me to buy that limited-edition handbag I've been eyeing for months...

"Catherine Morgan!"

I nearly jumped out of my chair. Damn, it was Mr. Richardson's voice! I immediately sat up straight, hurriedly turning off my phone screen. My direct supervisor. Mr. Richardson, was a notorious workaholic who always maintained a stern expression and imposed extremely strict requirements on his subordinates. Though I hadI to admit, he did look somewhat handsome in his suit.

"I'm here!" I quickly responded, nervously arranging the files on my desk.

Mr. Richardson strode over, his sharp eyes seemingly capable of detecting that I'd just been checking gossip news. So nerve-wracking! Thankfully,today's project was already completed; otherwise,he would certainly have given me that disappointed look, which felt worse than direct criticism.

"Someone's looking for you downstairs," he said flatly, his expression unusually less severe than usual.

I looked up in surprise: "Do you know who it is?”

"Someone's looking for you downstairs," he repeated, handing me the

phone.

I took the phone, confused: "Do you know who it is?"

"Don't recognize them," he answered briefly, "looks like a business person."

I hesitated: "So I need to go down?" He simply nodded: "Yes." Then he turned to leave but paused. "By the way,Morgan. good work on the project report." That was probably the highest praise he could offer.

I stood up, wondering who it could be. I hoped it wasn't someone selling insurance.Walking toward the elevator. I caught Molly mouthing "Who is it?" I made an exaggerated "No idea" expression, then secretly gestured "Richardson praised me," causing Molly to look shocked. We silently laughed together, like two children stealing candy.

As the elevator doors opened, my mood was still relatively light. But when I walked into the lobby and saw Bill White standing not far away,my face instantly turned pale. How could this utterly ordinary-looking man be here?

I suddenly remembered Molly's warning during lunch-"I heard Bill's been asking about you; he might come looking for you." My God,I'd completely forgotten abouat this! I silently cursed myself for being so careless.

Without any hesitatíon, I turned around, preparing to return to the elevator. I absolutely couldn't let him get his hooks into me.

"Catherine!" his voice echoed through the hall.

I quickened my pace, wishing I could sprout wings and fly away. I should,never have spoken with him for so long out of politeness when we met at that social event. This man was the epitome of an overconfident guy who always thought himself irresistible.

"I know I made a mistake, but could you give me another chance?" he called out behind me. I continued walking pretending not to hear.

"Catherine! Catherine!" he kept calling my name.

I felt my cheeks burning. This was the lobby of Howard Technologies.filled with my colleagues and professionals from other companies.I absolutely couldn't become the center of office gossip.

After taking a deep breath. I turned around and walked quickly toward Bill.

"Could you please stop making a scene?" I lowered my voice, trying to control my anger.

Bill's eyes immediately brightened: "If I stop making a scene, will you give me a chance to get back together?"

"Get back together?" I couldn't help but scoff, "Were we ever together before?"

Bill looked as if my question had choked him, pausing for a long time before awkwardly admitting: "No."

"Then," I made a dismissive gesture, "how can we get back together if we were never together in the first place?"

"I know I made mistakes before," he said quietly, "I shouldn't have.pursued Grace Brown at the same time..."

"T've been thinking," he continued, "if I hadn't been so impulsive back then,if I had pursued you properly, would things have been completely different?"

"Stop thinking about it," I responded coldly. At this m oment, I finally understood the kind of annoyance Annie must have felt when Philip kept bothering her. "There's no possibility of anything between us."

"Bill..." I said his name with contempt. "Have you run out of money? Are you looking at me as someone with a job who could support you?"

Bill looked extremely shocked, as if I had exposed his secret.

"First of all, my money is earned through my own efforts," I said mercilessly, "I would never spend it on a stranger who has nothing to do with me. You should give up that idea."

"It's not like that!" Bill hastily protested.

"But your father has disowned you, and you have no source of income,"I pointed out sharply, "So, how do you plan to support yourself?"

Bill was speechless, clearly without an answer.

"Are you planning to starve on the street?" I continued questioning.

"Bill, when you had money. I never took advantage of that," I stated firmly,"Now that you're poor, I shouldn't have to pay for you either,right?"

"I hope you understand this and never appear in front of me again. I don't owe you anything."

With that, I turned and left, feeling his gaze still clinging to my back. Once upon a time, Bill had been the darling of our social circle, flaunting his family's wealth everywhere. Now, he had fallen to the point of seeking financial help from others. Life truly was unpredictable.

Back in the office, I collapsed into my chair, taking a deep breath, trying to calm my emotions.Molly immediately slid her chair over, having waited at her workstation for my return: "Who was looking for you? You don't look very happy."

"Bill White." I answered irritably. "Can you believe it? Even after falling so low, instead of looking for a job, he still has time to bother me..."

"And he's not poor enough to go hungry yet," Molly added, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly!" I nodded in agreement. "If he really had no money for food, a few missed meals would solve that problem, maybe even force him to find a job."

Molly laughed, then lowered her voice: "After work, I'll check out the situation first. If he's waiting at the entrance, you can leave through the underground parking garage."

"And if he's not waiting at the entrance, we'll leave together through the main door."

"Thank you," I said gratefully, blowing her a kiss, "You're so good to me.I love you!"

"You're welcome." Molly smiled in response, "That's what friends are for."

We continued chatting until we suddenly saw Mr. Richardson walking toward us. I quickly pretended to be discussing work, while Molly slid back to her own workstation.

Before she left, I leaned in to whisper: "Let's continue this after work.I want to know more details about Annie and her former mother-in-law.Did you hear? They say Howard personally went to confront Philip! And someone saw them facing off in front of the building!" Molly's eyes sparkled: "Really? I heard Howard even grabbed Philip by the wrist! My God. I need to hear the detailed version! Richardson should change positions and become a security guard-he walks without making any sound!" She glanced at the approaching Richardson and dramatically made a zipping motion across her lips.

Watching Molly hurry back to her position, I couldn't help but laugh inwardly. During my time at Howard

Technologies. I had begun to understand what was truly important-not family background or social status, but genuine friendship and personal independence.

Mr. Richardson approached my desk, his brow slightly furrowed: "Morgan,the project report is complete, but the marketing department says they need some detailed adjustments."

"Of course, Mr. Richardson, I'll handle it right away," I immediately sat up straight, adopting the appearance of someone seriously focused on work.