Chapter 183

Catherine's POV

I deliberately arrived at the office a full houir early,positioning myself strategically outside Caroline Gluck's office door. When I spotted her leisurely strolling down the hallway, a wave of anger surged through me.I maintained my composure, arms crossed, as I watched her approach.

Caroline slowed her pace when she noticed me, her brow furrowing slightly. "Can I help you with something?" she asked, her voice carrying unmistakable confusion as she reached for her office door.

"Absolutely," I replied, making no effort to mask my irritation. "Was it you who told Bill White which project team I'm on?"

Caroline's expression shifted from confusion to indifference as she pushed open her door. She shrugged, gesturing for me to enter before following me inside. "Yes. it was me. So what?" Her casual admission only fueled my anger.

I stepped into her office but remained standing while she settled behind her desk. "Who do you think you are?" I demanded, my voice rising despite my attempt to maintain control. "Did you get my permission?What gives you the right to share information about me? What makes you think you have that privilege?"

"Whether I have the right or not is irrelevant." Caroline responded coldly.arranging some papers on her desk without bothering to look up at me."What matters is that I knew the information,he asked me about it, and of course I told him." She finally glanced up. her eyes devoid of any remorse. "You're Annie's friend, and I don't like Annie, which means I don't like you either. He's obviously going to hound you constantly now that he knows you have money." A smug smile played at the corners of her mouth. "I'd be delighted to see you miserable. Even if he hadn't asked, I would have told him anyway."

I let out a cold laugh, studying her face. "So that's how it is?"

Initially. I'd thought this was a simple misunderstanding that could be resolved with a straightforward conversation. But the situation had revealed itself to be something else entirely. She had deliberately sabotaged me. and worse, she was targeting me because of my connection to Annie.If that was the game she wanted to play, I wouldn't hesitate to respond in kind.

"Then don't blame me for what happens next," I said through gritted teeth before turning toward the door.

"What are you planning to do?" Caroline called after me, her voice betraying a hint of unease beneath her confident facade.

I paused at the doorway, turning just enough to look her in the eye. "Do I need to tell you? Just know that after you've messed with me, I won't let you have an easy time either. That should be enough information."

In that moment. I could almost taste the satisfaction as I watched her smug expression falter. A rush of adrenaline surged through me-the kind you get when you finally decide to strike back after being pushed too far.My mother always said I had the patience of a saint until crossed,and then the tenacity of a bull. Caroline hadI just unleashed the bull, and she had no idea what was coming. I walked out without waiting for her response, heading directly to the elevator. As the doors opened. I nearly collided with Susan Moore,who was about to step out. Our eyes met, and she gave me a subtle nod of acknowledgment. Some unspoken uniderstanding passed between us as I entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

Standing on the rooftop terrace of Howard Technologies. I took a deep breath of the crisp Manhattan air. The project had just concluded successfully, and the company had awarded generous bonuses to our team.I should have been in high spirits. My colleagues, seeing our success,had eagerly signed up for new projects, leaving no immediate work for me even if I wanted it.

Perhaps this timing was fortuitous, giving me the space to deal with the Caroline situation properly.

"So what happened with Caroline? How did it go?" Susan's voice interrupted my thoughts as she quietly approached, her eyes darting cautiously toward the roof access door to ensure no one was eavesdropping.

"I was fine until you brought it up. Now I'm furious all over again,"I replied irritably.

"What happened?" Susan pressed,moving closer.

"She's completely shameless!" I exclaimed, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "First of all, I've never done anything to wrong her. Second,she went behind my back to Bill, deliberately causing problems for me! And she's not even slightly remorseful-she openly admitted it was her and seemed proud of it! It's infuriating!"

Susan studied my face. "So what are you going to do? Let it go and swallow your pride.or...?"

"Do I seem like the type of person who just lets things slide?" I raised my chin defiantly. "Obviously not. Don't worry. I already have a plan."

Susan's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What kind of plan? Tell me!"

I shook my head. "Let me ask you something first. If you knew what I was planning, and Caroline questioned you about it, would you tell her or not? If you told her, you'd be betraying me. If you didn't. Caroline would probably accuse you of workplace bullying!"

Susan looked surprised. "You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"Of course." I patted her shoulder reassuringly. "So not telling you is the best option for both of us."

Susan seemed disappointed but nodded in understanding. "Fair enough."She checked her watch, mentioning she had work to get back to, and headed back toward the door.

The March wind in New York still carried a biting chill. After a few more minutes of contemplation, I felt the cold seeping through my blazer and decided to move to the stairwell. I pulled out my phone and called Bill.

"Aren't you the one who's been so eager to talk to me?" I said when he answered.

"You're willing to meet with me?" Bill's voice couldn't hide his surprise.

"Absolutely. Let's meet at the coffee shop downstairs today at noon."I replied decisively.

Bill immediately became cautious. "I don't have any money." Since his father had cut him off, he'd been surviving on handouts from friends.

"Don't worry. T'll treat you," I assured him. My salary wasn't particularly high, but spending a little money to make Caroline pay seemed worth the investment.

"I can order whatever I want?" Bill's voice instantly took on a greedy tone.

I quickly established boundaries: "Everything combined can't exceed a hundred dollars. Order whatever you want within that limit. Anything over that. you'll have to cover yourself." Setting clear parameters seemed prudent to prevent him from taking advantage.

"You have a job and just got a bonus. Why are you being so stingy?" Bill complained.

"My salary isn't that high, and the fact that I'm willing to treat you at all is generous enough. If you think I'mn being cheap... we can just forget about it." A hundred dolars was my absolute limit-living in New York was expensive enough without funding Bill's extravagance.

"No, no, it's fine. See you at noon," Bill quickly relented. After all, he was currently scrounging for meals wherever he could,so any free lunch was better than nothing.

"Good." I ended the call and turned my gaze toward Caroline's office.

"Just you wait, Caroline," I muttered under my breath. "You'll get what's coming to you!"