Chapter 913 Drown Her Sorrows
“Keep it from Catherine for now. I’ll tell her once everything is settled.” With that, Branden hung up the phone, feeling exhausted from the intense work in recent days. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stood up immediately when he remembered Catherine was still outside on the couch.
As he opened the door, he saw Catherine walking towards the study, which caught him off guard. “When did you wake up?” he asked.
Catherine noticed the fleeting anxiety in Branden’s eyes, but she pretended not to have seen anything. “I thought I saw a figure in my dreams and thought it was you coming back, so I woke up,” she replied.
Branden looked at her tired eyes and the appearance of someone not fully awake, reached out, and pulled Catherine into his arms, holding her tightly. “Do you want to sleep a little longer?” he asked.
Catherine nestled against his chest and shook her head. “Have you not eaten yet? I can keep you company.”
Catherine guessed correctly. Branden had worked without eating just to come back to the apartment as soon as possible.
Styre University was located on the outskirts of the city, while the Duncan Corporation’s office building was in the downtown financial district. Despite the nearly one-hour drive from the office to the apartment, Branden had chosen to stay here so that Catherine could be closer to her school.
Although Catherine offered to accompany Branden for a meal, he was the one who ended up cooking. It was getting late, so Branden only cooked some pasta and two side dishes. He was becoming more adept in the kitchen and quickly prepared the food, setting it on the table. When Catherine reached out to help, he bypassed her. “It’s hot. I’ve got this,” he said.”
Looking at the exquisite dishes, Catherine chuckled. “Don’t think of me as so fragile. I’ve done something much more difficult than this.’
There was a moment of silence. Catherine sensed something was wrong and looked up at Branden, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”
Branden put the plate on the table, reached out, and embraced Catherine. He rested his head on her shoulder and said in a very low voice. “I won’t let you do that again.”
When they were young, they had never met. Despite his helplessness, there was nothing he could do. But in the future, he would always be by Catherine’s side. He wouldn’t let his woman suffer again.
Catherine was surprised by how much the man cared about her past. She smiled lightly and hugged his waist. ” Okay, from now on, I’ll leave the hardships to you.”
After finishing the meal, Branden took care of the cleanup, while Catherine relaxed leisurely. When Branden wasn’t paying attention, she called Rodge. ” Find out what experiments Branden’s lab has been working on recently.”
“Okay, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible,” Rodge replied, not asking further, knowing that Catherine wouldn’t call without reason.
Then, Catherine hung up the phone. She wasn’t sure what Branden was hiding from her, and although she believed he wouldn’t hurt her, the current situation was different. For complete safety, she needed to be in control of all the circumstances.
On the other side, after falling out with Catherine, Zobber went to the bar alone to drown her sorrows. She felt that Catherine’s actions were extremely unreasonable. She wasn’t angry at Catherine for being mad at her but was frustrated that Catherine was blinded by emotions and couldn’t judge right from wrong. In her view, Ronin was definitely a traitor. The fact that Catherine still trusted him left her very puzzled.
The bartender was taken aback when the beautiful woman asked for another round of strong liquor, knowing that it was 95% alcohol. Typically, even men who can handle their drink would feel the effects after two shots, but this woman had already downed a whole round and wanted more.
The bartender, being kind-hearted, advised Zobber, “You’ve had quite a bit to drink. How about I make you a glass of juice instead?” But Zobber cut him off and slammed money on the table, insisting on more alcohol.
Reluctantly, the bartender served her another round of strong liquor. Zobber continued to drink, showing no signs of stopping, with her elegant face, great figure, and confident drinking manner catching the attention of onlookers.
It was clear to regulars at the bar that something was troubling this lady, as she seemed to be drinking to drown her sorrows. Some were beginning to consider approaching her.
Finally, someone approached her. However, before he could even touch her shoulder, she forcefully threw him away, causing him to crash to the floor and scream in pain.
Zobber turned to look at the man writhing in agony and mocked, “Stay far away from me, you loser!”
The man, trembling in fear, hadn’t even seen how Zobber had managed to attack him. It was no wonder that this woman had been so brazen in drinking at the bar. It turned out she had impressive combat skills.
Realizing he had picked on the wrong person, the man fled in fear. The other men who had been eyeing Zobber also abandoned their plans. Zobber finished her last drink, left a hundred-dollar bill on the counter, and gave the bartender a sly smile. “Thanks, your drinks are good!” she said before leaving without a second glance at the mesmerized bartender.
As soon as Zobber stepped out of the bar, a group of people blocked her path. Despite having had quite a few drinks, she had always been good with alcohol and wasn’t anywhere close to being drunk. She quickly assessed that the people in front of her were not ordinary people, and if they attacked her together, her chances of getting away weren’t high.
Intentionally acting drunk, she squinted at them. “What’s the deal? Are you guys in cahoots with that loser?”
Finn shook his head, denying Zobber’s assumption. “Miss Zobber, our boss would like a word with you.”
“So, I should go with you just because your boss wants to talk? Who does your boss think he is?”
Despite Zobber’s arrogant attitude, Finn remained calm. He had already known about Zobber’s background before coming. “Miss Zobber, you’re smart. You should know that we came prepared today. Trust me. We don’t mean to harm you. Our boss just wants to have a conversation with you.”
“Humph.” Zobber sneered, appearing relaxed. “Alright, let’s go. I’d love to meet this boss of yours and see how impressive he really is!”
