Lina, despite her stylish attire, exuded the maturity of someone in their mid-30s. Her refined taste and preferences set her apart from her younger colleagues.This was Kathryn's wedding dress fitting day, and she wasn't about to let them ruin her good mood.The assistants were all scared of her, so they didn't dare look at Chris again."Do you want to try a different one?" Chris asked.Kathryn nodded. When Chris said she looked good, she felt a happiness she'd never felt before.There were 20 gowns and wedding dresses each. Chris picked out some modest gowns for her. And he chose wedding dresses that fitted her upbeat personality.When Kathryn saw all the knee-length dresses, she frowned. "Aren't wedding dresses supposed to cover your whole body?""That's so old-fashioned! You like those?" Chris looked sideways at her.Kathryn sniffled. "It's so cold nowadays. I can wear pants beneath a floor-length dress, but how can I do that with this kind of dress?"Chris didn't say a wor
When Kathryn looked down on instinct, she noticed her belly sticking out a bit. She trembled in fear. "Um, maybe I ate a lot recently? I have a good appetite nowadays," she explained as calmly as possible.But immediately, Chris exposed her lies and said, "You haven't been eating a lot at all!" Not only that, her appetite had been particularly poor lately.Kathryn almost couldn't breathe when she heard that. Her entire body had gone stiff.Chris sounded casual, but everything he said was the cold, hard truth. Kathryn didn't know how to handle it.Chris' phone rang as she racked her brain to think of an explanation. When he picked it up, she could see "Mia" on the screen.At that moment, she felt the grip on her waist tighten. But the next thing she knew, Chris let go of her and gently placed her on the couch before heading for the balcony.She couldn't hear what Mia said, but Chris was frowning. After that, he said, "Alright, I'm coming."Then, he hung up and walked toward Kat
That sentence struck Kathryn like a bolt of lightning. She paled, then asked, "You didn't erase it all? I thought you've always been …""Now's not the time to talk about that. There really was a part I didn't delete!" Tally said in despair.Kathryn's face also turned ashen. It seemed as though fate was determined to bring them down. Right now, she wasn't just confused. She felt like she was losing her sanity. "What do we do? What do we do?" Tally asked."I …" Kathryn didn't know either. She was already scared to death seeing Tally this scared.After some thought, Kathryn asked, "Should I go to Albert Group?""What are you coming here for?" Tally didn't know what to say. With both Brian and Black Dickens here to restore the footage, they'd be dead as soon as it got restored.Everything they did was connected, meaning it would reveal everything else if one thing were exposed. "What if you tell them you were getting something for me if they ask? Because I was so anxious?" Kathry
When Chris recalled how terrified she was of Lewis, he began to understand why Kathryn acted like a coward. Some people could have compromised anything to survive, and Kathryn was especially willing to do that. After her grandmother passed away, her mother refused to take care of her, so Mr. Huber took her in. But she was always worried about risking her next meal, so she was very careful.That risk seemed even bigger once she got involved with him, as her mortgage was likely substantial. Kathryn looked at Chris pitifully. "Um, can you spare Tally?"When she met Chris' serious gaze, she knew Marcus and the others had probably restored the footage and reported their findings to him.Kathryn closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "It was that time of the month, so I asked Tally—"Clang! Chris slammed down his fork before Kathryn could finish and pinched her chin. "No, it wasn't," he said.Kathryn's mind went blank when she heard that. She was about to ask how he knew, but t
Chris tilted Kathryn's chin up forcefully, forcing her to look into his cold eyes.Kathryn closed her eyes on instinct, but Chris ordered with a dangerous tone, "Open your eyes!"Kathryn didn't dare do that at all. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel how murderous Chris was. She didn't dare look at Chris at all."Open them!" Chris said with even more weight in his tone. This time, Kathryn didn't dare protest. She opened her eyes to meet Chris' cold gaze. She was so scared. She was about to close them again when Chris warned, "You dare close them?"She didn't dare. Chris was satisfied with that, but his gaze was still icy when he asked, "What did you lie to me about? Talk."What did she lie about? Kathryn's heart pounded. She wondered if she should just come clean. What would happen if she did? Would she still get to keep her house? Would she get to keep all the money she worked so hard to earn?After much thought, Kathryn gritted her teeth and said, "I'm ill! I'm seriou
Even if Kathryn confessed now, she'd probably lose her house and savings. She couldn't have that!But Tally's next words shocked her. "Even if you plan to lie, you can't just say you're sick. Mr. Albert would get you the best doctors! How are you supposed to hide your pregnancy like this?"Kathryn's mind was blown. She hadn't thought of that. If Chris got her a doctor, wouldn't she be immediately exposed?Kathryn's breathing got heavier. "I mean, I don't think I could have found a better reason than that, could I?"She had been scared witless. It was a miracle she found a reason in the first place."Seriously?" Tally said. Now, she had no idea what to say."What do we do now?" Kathryn asked."Just confess what you did!" Tally had given up. She'd lost sleep and appetite trying to cover things up all the time. She was always scared. More importantly, Chris still hadn't let go of what happened at Northvale. They hadn't found out the truth yet, but the investigation would still le
After ending the call, Kathryn's heart pounded so intensely that it felt unbearable. She was truly desperate at that moment.Now she had to keep up a lie that could be easily uncovered. If what Tally had mockingly said was true, she probably wouldn't be able to hold on until she sold the house. Kathryn only came out of her room after two whole hours. When she opened the door, she saw that Chris finished the video call. He was making a phone call right now.When he noticed her, Chris said to the listener, "Mm-hmm, come here at once." Then, he hung up and waved Kathryn over, even though she was only halfway out the door. "Come here."Kathryn's chest tightened when she saw him calling her like he was calling a pet.She wanted to retreat into her room but didn't dare to once she met Chris' sharp gaze. So, she shakily got out and walked toward Chris.She stopped and wrung her hands together when she was about three feet away. "M-Mr. Albert?"Before she could react, Chris pulled he
Tally's demeanor had become more arrogant than usual due to her dilemma. As she left Albert Group and saw Markus, she instinctively straightened her back.She would usually hide when she saw Markus or Chris because of all the secrets that had been weighing on her. But now she didn't want to hide anymore.As she passed Markus, she walked with her head held high, as if she hadn't done that in a long time. She was about to walk past him when Markus stopped her. "Tally, come to my office."Tally stopped in her tracks. She could sense how sharp and dangerous his tone was, and all her pride disappeared right there.Tally couldn't help but curse inwardly. Guilt was guilt, and she knew she couldn't escape its grip so easily. Did she truly believe that giving up would set her free? She realized that lies were like an oppressive chain that wouldn't let go of her conscience. By opting for lies, Tally had essentially forfeited any opportunity for freedom. Tally turned around and forced a