Chapter 111
Chapter 111
She turned back to Yosef, her smile completely gone.
"Remember your place. Anything related to Summit Group takes priority over my personal matters. As for Richard... I'll deal with him myself."
"Yeah, I overstepped," Yosef said quickly, lowering his head as cold sweat formed on his forehead. He knew he'd crossed a line with Catherine. Despite her delicate appearance, she had a grip stronger than anyone could imagine.
"Keep a close eye on the Vesperia project. I don't want any mistakes," Catherine said, her voice calm again. "You can go now."
Yosef bowed and left in a hurry, as if an invisible force was pushing him out.
The room fell silent, with only the lingering scent of incense in the air. Catherine stood by the window, unmoving for a long time. Yosef's words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, stirring up indescribable ripples in her heart.
Did she care? Maybe. But that care was mixed with too much probing, manipulation, wariness, and... a subtle emotion she didn't want to explore.
A helper? She scoffed. A man like Richard? No way.
Meanwhile, in the CEO's office of TY Group...
The city lights sparkled outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, but inside, only a few dim wall lamps were lit, casting shadows that outlined Richard's tall, silent figure as he sat in his office chair.
On the ultra-thin screen in front of him, the scene from the teahouse's private room was clearly displayed, showing Catherine's meeting with Yosef. This was the real-time surveillance feed from "Oscar."
When Yosef suggested the "helper," Richard's eyes darkened, like a bottomless cold pool. He watched Catherine's icy response on the screen, a barely perceptible sneer curling his lips.
His woman was certainly not one to be manipulated. But "wolf"? That metaphor was interesting.
Suddenly, the screen switched to another surveillance angle, capturing a suspicious figure at the street corner outside the restaurant. The person wore a baseball cap and looked somewhat familiar.
"Zoom in," Richard ordered quietly.
The image zoomed in, revealing the side profile under the cap.
Gavin.
Richard's gaze turned icy. This Gavin never ceased to "surprise" him.
Following Catherine? What was he up to? Probing into Catherine's background, or planning something harmful?
Either way, it crossed Richard's line.
He picked up the internal communicator, his voice cold: "Oscar."
"Mr. Smith," came Oscar's emotionless reply.
"Keep a close watch on Gavin. Find out why he's approaching Catherine. Also, increase security around her without her noticing."
"Yes, Mr. Smith."
The communication ended, and the office fell silent again. Richard leaned back in his chair, his long fingers rhythmically tapping the desk. Gavin's actions had undoubtedly made an already complex situation even more unpredictable. Some people just couldn't wait any longer.
Just then, his computer emitted a soft notification sound, and an encrypted email popped up. The sender was unknown.
Richard's eyes narrowed as he opened the email.
There was no message, only a few photo attachments.
He opened them one by one.
The first photo showed a dense tropical jungle, with a spirited woman instructing a girl of about five or six. The woman's eyes were sharp, her demeanor extraordinary. And the girl... though young, her features faintly resembled Catherine's.
Was this... Aurora? The one rumored to have caused Catherine's feigned madness?
The second photo seemed to have been taken in a chaotic border town. A tricky angle captured a blurry sign in the corner, written in several languages, one of which pointed to the notorious "Valeria" region.
The third photo was of the entrance to a luxurious casino, resplendent with gold and jade and bearing a distinctive family crest. Richard vaguely remembered this crest, possibly linked to a powerful underground family in Valeria.
The fourth photo was a close-up of a casino chip, with the same crest as the casino entrance and a series of hard-to-decipher special codes around the edge.
These seemingly unrelated photos hinted at a shocking connection. Aurora, Valeria, underground casinos—the implications went far beyond a simple disappearance.
Richard held his breath slightly, examining the photos repeatedly, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, trying to extract more information.
Who sent the email? What was their purpose? A warning? A reminder? Or... bait?
Regardless, these photos tore open a new, potentially more dangerous lead in both of his and Catherine's secret investigations.
He saved the photos, encrypting them. Then he stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling, secret-filled city below.
'Catherine, how many secrets are you hiding? Aurora's disappearance and my parents' car accident. Is there an unknown connection between them?'
The night deepened, and the undercurrents surged. Richard knew that beneath the calm surface, a storm was brewing. He and Catherine, this seemingly estranged couple, were being pushed by an invisible hand toward the center of a deep, unfathomable vortex.
"Interesting! Things are getting more interesting." He murmured to himself, a hint of cold excitement in his eyes. He never feared challenges; the more complex the situation, the more it stirred his fighting spirit.
He was determined to uncover the earth-shattering secrets hidden behind all this.