Chapter 802 How About You Skip Class?
Branden dropped everyone off at Connie’s house. After changing clothes, Zobber and Withal obediently sat in the living room, awaiting Catherine’s punishment.
They had violated Catherine’s orders by going out without permission, so punishment was inevitable.
Zobber took the chance to signal Branden, hoping he’d speak up on her behalf.
Branden pretended not to notice. He was surprised by Zobber’s decent disguising skills. Without Catherine, he might not have recognized her at all.
Facing Branden’s indifference, Zobber felt utterly hopeless. She decided to take the initiative and admit her mistake. “Catherine, I know I was wrong. You can punish me, but can you spare Withal? I forced him to come, and I did his makeup. He had nothing to do with it.”
Withal looked at Zobber in astonishment, never expecting her to take the blame for him. Well, he had to admit, it softened him a bit.
Catherine coldly observed Zobber’s performance. “Really admitting your mistake? Ready to face the consequences?”
Zobber raised her hand, looking solemn. “Catherine, I sincerely admit my mistake. You can punish me however you see fit.”
“Alright.” Catherine nodded in agreement. “Since you’ve disobeyed orders and gone out on your own, let’s go with chopping off your legs as punishment.”
“What?” Zobber couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Catherine. “Was she joking?” she thought.
Catherine stared at Zobber without a hint of humor.
Panicking, Zobber asked, “Catherine, you’re not serious, right?”
Catherine remained silent.
Zobber pouted, unsure of what to do. She had always listened to Catherine. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Standing up decisively, she prepared to leave.
Catherine pulled her back, seated her, and placed a pack of snacks in front of her. “Alright, I was just joking. Sit down and enjoy.”
Zobber instantly cheered up, hugging Catherine’s arm with joy. “Catherine, I know you are the best.”
Witnessing this, Branden pulled Catherine over and casually pushed Zobber away.
His actions annoyed Zobber, who was about to explode. However, when she met Branden’s eyes, she lost her momentum. Well, she couldn’t provoke him, so she had better lay low.
After the playful moment, Withal brought up a serious matter. ” Catherine, Ronin has been missing for days. Aren’t you worried at all?”
These days, besides instructing Branden’s subordinates to gather information constantly, Catherine remained inactive.
They were injured, and allowing them time to recover was the right decision.
However, Catherine appeared nonchalant, going about her daily routine of attending classes and conducting experiments as if nothing had changed, showing no signs of her former self.
In the past, if any of them were in trouble, Catherine would have immediately devoted all her efforts to bringing them back safely.
Ronin, who had been by her side for so long, was like a younger brother to her. Withal could not believe that she did not care about Ronin’s well-being.
Catherine casually glanced at Withal and said with a relaxed smile, “Why the rush? Maybe he wasn’t ready to come back yet.”
This remark left Withal somewhat puzzled. He carefully observed Catherine, trying to discern any hidden meanings.
In contrast to Withal’s persistent probing, Zobber was much more carefree.
Seeing Withal still looking perplexed, she reached out and patted Withal’s shoulder, reassuring him, “Why worry? With Catherine in charge, I believe Ronin will be fine, Let’s just follow Catherine’s orders and do as we’re told.
Zobber’s words woke Withal up, and he silently closed his mouth, refraining from further questioning.
“Both of you, come with me. Since you’re idle, let’s get to work.”
Zobber’s eyes lit up when she heard that Catherine had tasks for them.
The reason she disobeyed Catherine’s orders and sneaked out was that staying at home all day was just too dull. Now that there was work to be done, she wouldn’t be bored anymore. She could finally get herself busy.
After assigning tasks to Zobber and Withal, Catherine decided to leave. Branden followed her as she descended the stairs.
Once in the car, Catherine asked Branden to take her to the school. The experiments at the laboratory were not finished, and she needed to go there.
She knew that Branden must have a lot of things to take care of upon returning to Loxton. Having rested from yesterday until today was enough for him to recover. If she didn’t go to the laboratory, Branden would linger by her side and refuse to go to work.
Branden stopped the car at the school’s entrance but hesitated to open the door. Reluctantly looking at Catherine, he suggested with a serious expression, “How about I skip work, and you skip class?” After being apart for nearly half a month, he still wanted to spend some more time together.
Catherine chuckled, pinching his arm. ” I’ve never seen someone like you. How can you tempt someone to skip class? And if you sneak away from work, how can you set an example for your employees and make them follow the company’s rules?”
“They get their salaries from me, so they are bound by work rules. But I’m different. I pay myself my salary. So, if I want to set some rules, they’re my own. In my opinion, spending time with my girlfriend is more important than going to work,” Branden said with a serious face, showing no embarrassment.
“He’s getting more and more shameless,” said Catherine inwardly.
After chatting in the car for a few minutes, Catherine, fearing the conversation would continue and he might drive away with her, took the initiative to push open the car door and left.
Seeing Branden’s pitiful expression, she knew he was pretending. However, she still felt a bit touched and added, ” I’ll try to finish work early.”
Branden’s expression immediately changed from gloomy to bright. He earnestly reminded her, “Contact me when you finish your work. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Okay.” After Catherine agreed, she turned and walked toward the campus.
Watching her enter the campus, Branden drove away.
Just as Catherine reached the bottom of the laboratory building, she saw Rylan standing there like a statue. This time, Catherine didn’t avoid him and walked straight toward him.
Rylan quickly noticed Catherine’s presence, and a slight smile appeared on his calm face. “Catherine, you’re here!”
“Let’s talk over there,” Catherine proposed, and Rylan naturally agreed.
The two of them walked to a nearby bench on the pedestrian path. Under the shade of the trees, with a gentle breeze, it was quite pleasant.
Once seated, Catherine went straight to the point without any padding. ” Weren’t you supposed to open a branch in Loxton? Why are you so free, coming here every day?”
Rylan paused momentarily, then realized that this was just Catherine’s straightforward nature. He smiled faintly, looking at Catherine with deep affection. “Compared to some people, work is simply not worth mentioning.”
On the same day, two different men said similar things to her, but Catherine’s feelings toward them were completely different. Rylan’s confession made her feel repulsed.
