Chapter 174

Catherine's POV

Quitting time finally arrived! I practically sprinted to tidy up my desk.shutting down my computer at lightning speed. The moment my marketing proposal report finished saving and the screen went black. I wanted to cheer out loud. Since joining into this new division last month.this was my first chance to leave right at five o'clock.

Just as I was stealthily slinging my Chanel bag over my shoulder.Susan Moore appeared in my office doorway, motioning to me. I immediately raised a finger to my lips in a "shush" gesture, then tiptoed over to her side.

"Run!" I whispered, grabbing Susan's wrist and pulling her toward the elevators. "Mr. Richardson is looking for me! I just saw him scanning the hallway like a wolf hunting for prey."

Susan allowed herself to be dragged along, asking curiously, "What does he want with you?"

"What else?" I rolled my eyes, quickening my pace. "Our department just wrapped up the quarterly project, and I can finally catch my breath. He definitely wants to assign me something new. I bet that folder he's carrying has at least a week's worth of work in it!"

We rounded a corner inthe hallway, and I abruptly stopped, peeking back.Mr. Richardson was indeed carrying a thick stack of files, heading straight toward my office.

"Oh my God, look at that pile!" I shook my head dramatically. "If he finds me, my weekend is completely ruined. I'll have to cancel the Broadway show Molly invited me to."

Susan couldn't help but laugh. "You know you'll have to deal with that work eventually,right?"

"But not today!" I said with exaggerated seriousness,then lowered my voice to mimic Richardson's all-business tone: "Miss Morgan, working weekends is essential for career advancement. You should feel honored."

Susan laughed even harder as we hid around the corner like a pair of high school students skipping class.

"Let's go!" I pulled Susan into the elevator as the doors opened. "Perfect timing! Our salvation arrives!"

As the elevator doors closed, I dramatically wiped non-existent sweat from my forehead and took a deep breath.

"Safe at last!"

Susan looked at me, amused. "Are you sure this is a good idea? He'll definitely catch you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's problems are for tomorrow's Catherine," I winked. "The word 'overtime' doesn't exist in Catherine Morgan's dictionary."

The elevator reached the ground floor, and we exited the building. I glanced around, then pointed to the coffee shop inside the corporate building. "Let's go there. I have gossip to share, and I need some sugar to celebrate my narrow escape."

"Good idea," Susan nodded in agreement. "But I'm ordering coffee.I need the caffeine." "Workaholic." I teased. "Still thinking about staying energized after hours."

At the cafe, we found a quiet corner. Susan ordered regular coffee,while I chose strawberry juice. When the server brought Susan's coffee,the bitter aroma wafted over, making me wrinkle my nose. Even just smelling it.f could imagine the bitterness spreading across my tongue. I quickly took two large gulps of my juice to wash away the imagined taste.

"God. I don't understand you coffee enthusiasts," I said. "How can you drink something so bitter?"

Susan just smiled and sipped her coffee with obvious enjoyment. "It's a sign of adulthood,dear."

I made a face, then looked around to ensure no one was within earshot.Only after confirming we were safe did I lean forward and lower my voice.

Susan's expression immediately turned serious. "A mole? Why do you say that?"

"You know I've never publicly disclosed which project team I'm on,right?I've always kept a low profile."

Susan nodded in agreement.

"But somehow," I frowned, "Bill White knows I've been making good money lately. He's been sticking to me like glue every single day."

I sighed and continued, "I've been trying to avoid him, but he always manages to find me precisely, then performs his pitiful one-man show right in front of me."

"What did he say?" Susan asked. curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "He claimed he was starving and asked me for money to buy food."1rolled my eyes. "And being the kind-hearted person I am. I couldn't just watch a living, breathing human being starve in front of me,right?"

"Of course not." Susan nodded earnestly.

"So I took ten dollars from my wallet and,gave it to him, telling him to buy something to eat." I spread my hands. "Guess what he said? He actually complained it wasn't enough for a meal!"

"Really?"

"I asked how much he needed, and he said-twenty thousand dollars!"My eyes widened as I emphasized the number with an exaggerated tone."My God! His father kicked him out, he's basically homeless, yet he still maintains these princely spending expectations!"

At this point. I paused, my thoughts drifting to the past. I had to admit.before I started working, my spending habits weren't much better. With my father's support, I could splurge on shopping and entertainment without ever considering the value of money. Dad never scolded me, just kept fulfilling my requests. Honestly, I had no idea then how hard it was to earn money.

Now working at Howard Technologies, despite the decent salary, I was beginning to realize that my entire month's paycheck might not cover what I used to spend in a single shopping trip. Only now did I truly understand how difficult it was to earn money, which had made me much more economical.

"He's really shameless," Susan commented, pulling me back to reality.

"Exactly!" I responded enthusiastically.′′told him directly that he wasasking for a month's salary in one go, which was ridiculous, and I couldn't possibly give him that."

I truly couldn't understand how Bill could be so thick-skinned. I gave him ten dollars out of the kindness of my heart because I was afraid he might starve, but I didn't love him or want to support him. Why couldn't he understand this simple fact?

"Then what? What did he say?" Susan pressed.

My expression grew more cautious. "He said I was earning much more from my work than I was admitting."

"I couldn't acknowledge that, of course,so I told him that salaries at Howard Technologies weren't as high as he imagined," I recalled the conversation. "And guess what he said next?"

Susan's eyes lit up. "What?"

"He said," I deliberately slowed my pace to ensure Susan heard clearly,"that my current project is extremely successful and profitable."

Susan's expression also turned serious. "Your project's sales have indeed been exceptional these past few days, breaking company records."

"Yes,now everyone knows this project is making money," she thoughtfully added. "And Mr. Howard is generous-he'll definiely give your team a good share. If Bill has been following this project, he could certainly guess you've earned quite a bit."

I didn't deny this point, but what I really cared about was: "But how did he know I was responsible for this project? That's the key question."

Susan frowned, seeming to search her memnory. "Come to think of it,I think I saw him a few days ago when I was returning from an external meeting."

"Really?" I immediately leaned forward, almost in Susan's face."Where?"

"I remember he was chatting with Caroline Gluck," Susan said after a moment's hesitation. "Though I was too fat away to hear what they were saying."

"Caroline?" I considered this possibility. "Could she have told him?"

Susan shrugged. "I can't be certain, but since you saw them together, it's certainly possible."

"Well, I'll ask her tomorrow," I decided.

"Good idea," Susan encouraged.

"You really are the company's biggest gossip queen!" I sincerely admired."

You always manage to capture all the key information. You should be a detective instead of a secretary."

Susan's face showed a hint of shyness. "It's nothing special, just paying attention."

"Too modest," I said with a smile, then took a sip of juice as my thoughts returned to Bill, my eyes inadvertently revealing contempt.

"What are you thinking about?" Susan keenly noticed my change in expression.

"I just think Bill is so shameless!" I said without hesitation. "There's absolutely nothing between us, yet he has the audacity to ask me for money, and when I gave him some, he complained it wasn't enough and demanded more."

I grew increasingly angry as I spoke. "Even if I really did earn a lot of money,so what? Does that mean I should give it to him?I don't owe him anything!"

"Absolutely right," Susan also expressed indignation. "His own father stopped supporting him, yet he comes to you saying he's learned his lesson and expects you to support him..."

"As if life could be that easy!" She shook her head. "Don't you find it ridiculous?"

"Extremely ridiculous!" I confirmed emphatically.

"Besides," Susan continued, "I believe men shouldn't take money from women."

I had some reservations about this point. "I can buy meals for my friends,and they can buy meals for me. That's normal. But Bill isn't my friend-he's someone I absolutely can't stand. Yet he expects me to finance his luxurious lifestyle? He's dreaming!"

Just as our conversation was heating up, my phone vibrated. Glancing at the screen, I was horrified to see a message from Mr. Richardson.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed softly. "It's Mr. Richardson. He says the first thing tomorrow morning, he wants to meet with me to discuss the new project!"

"See? There's no escape," Susan said with a smile.

I sighed but quickly recovered. "Well, at least I'm free tonight. Come on,let'

s get some dessert to celebrate my 'temporary freedom!"