Chapter 112
Cecil didn't answer Catherine's question. Instead, he asked, "Were you the one who made James break off the engagement?"
Catherine knew that even if she tried to hide the truth, someone with Cecil's resources would have already uncovered everything. So she opted for honesty.
"Yes, I convinced James to end the engagement. After all, your family seemed reluctant to be the ones initiating the breakup."
Cecil, appreciating her candor, flashing a satisfied smile.
"Good," he said.
"I'll share some good news with you as well. We're now allies on the same side."
Catherine's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Cecil shrugged lazily, affecting an air of nonchalance.
"Because just over an hour ago, the Wilson and West families had a complete falling out."
"In business, when you can't become family through marriage, you often become enemies instead. Especially with someone as petty as Terry—he'll certainly do everything in his power to undermine Wilson Group."
Hearing this news, Catherine felt a surge of excitement she could barely contain.
Finally, she had managed to turn the two families against each other.
But she suppressed her delight, asking calmly, "So you want to swallow up West Group before Terry makes his move against you?"
Cecil's smile broadened, his eyes revealing undisguised admiration as he looked at Catherine.
"Catherine, you're quite unlike other beautiful women. Not only are you stunningly attractive, but you're also incredibly smart."
Catherine didn't feel flattered by his words. If anything, they felt more like an insult.
"Just tell me what you want from me," she said, cutting to the chase.
Cecil's smile turned predatory as he sat up straight and got directly to the point. "I want to drive down West Group's stock price. It's time James's disgusting playboy behavior was exposed to the public."
Catherine fully understood Cecil's implication. He wanted her to provide the scandalous photos and videos of James to journalists.
James was Terry's son and the Executive Director of West Group. Once his scandals were exposed, West Group's stock would plummet.
When that happened, Cecil and his father could acquire large quantities of West Group shares at rock-bottom prices and take control of the company.
If West Group fell, Terry would lose his powerful economic backing—creating the perfect opportunity for Catherine to bring him down.
"I can give you those videos and photos," Catherine said, not wanting to miss this golden opportunity.
Cecil shook his head, his handsome face showing rare caution. "Catherine, successful partnerships require mutual benefit. Neither of us can remain uninvolved."
Catherine's elegant eyebrows knitted together as she considered his words for a moment before drawing her conclusion.
"You want me to leak this to the media personally?"
Cecil pushed a cup of hot chocolate toward Catherine. "I'm guessing you haven't had breakfast. I ordered this for you—I haven't touched it."
Catherine scoffed, recognizing that Cecil was trying to use her as his pawn.
"Cecil, if Terry discovers I'm the one who leaked this to the media, he won't let me off easily."
With Terry's ruthless nature, if he learned she had destroyed his business empire, he would likely kill her without hesitation.
Cecil's ice-blue eyes glimmered with intensity as he spoke in a cool, serious tone.
"Catherine, you returned to Brightonfield for revenge, burning your bridges behind you, didn't you?"
"If you're afraid to die and don't want to step forward, I can handle it instead. But," Cecil paused meaningfully, stating the obvious, "then it wouldn't count as you personally avenging your parents. After all, you wouldn't have done anything yourself."
Catherine looked up, meeting Cecil's meaningful gaze.
She knew Cecil wouldn't let her remain uninvolved.
"Fine. I'll do it myself."
Cecil was right—if she feared death, she wouldn't have come back at all.
Returning to Brightonfield alone to seek revenge was already a gamble, with her life and future at stake.
Cecil flashed a satisfied smile. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Catherine shook her head slightly, feeling she now saw through Cecil's true nature.
"You may be young, but you're calculating. Let's keep our relationship strictly professional. Beyond that, we should maintain our distance."
Despite Cecil's pretty words, they were merely the result of his skill at reading people.
At its core, he was simply using her. After all, leaking scandals to drive down stock prices wasn't particularly honorable—it would damage the Wilson family's reputation.
The Wilson family had an outsider do the dirty work. This allowed them to reap the benefits while keeping their hands clean and avoiding criticism.
Young as he was, every move Cecil made was carefully calculated.
Cecil sighed softly. "Catherine, you wound me when you say such things."
Catherine watched as Cecil put on his vulnerable, pitiful act again and couldn't hide her disgust.
"Stop it. You're not hurt at all—you're probably thrilled right now."
Because he was absolutely confident he could absorb West Group.
Cecil's eyes instantly flashed with confident, triumphant laughter.
He extended his hand toward Catherine. "Here's to a successful partnership."
In the CEO's office at Nova Pharmaceuticals.
"Mr. Foster, those are your work arrangements and schedule for tomorrow. Now for Ms. Levin's activities," Alex reported while scrolling through his tablet.
Philip had been distracted during the work schedule report, but at the mention of "Ms. Levin," he sat up straighter, his expression becoming noticeably more attentive.
Alex continued, "At 8:15 this morning, Ms. Levin met with Cecil, CEO of Wilson Group. They talked for approximately half an hour at a café before leaving separately."
Upon hearing "Cecil," Philip's handsome face immediately darkened.
"What did they discuss?"
Alex looked apologetic. "Sir, the security detail was concerned about being detected if they got too close to Ms. Levin, so they only observed from outside the café. They couldn't hear the conversation between Ms. Levin and Mr. Wilson."
Philip crossed his arms over his chest, clearly dissatisfied with his staff's performance. "Couldn't they have gone inside to buy coffee?"
How incompetent could his security team be?
Alex made notes on his tablet. "You're absolutely right, sir. I'll remind the security team that next time Ms. Levin and Mr. Wilson have coffee together—"
"Why would Catherine be meeting with Cecil again?" Philip interrupted irritably before Alex could finish.
It wasn't enough that Catherine had abandoned him this morning for Cecil—now they needed to meet frequently?
On what grounds?
Why?
Alex could sense the thick jealousy permeating the office atmosphere.
He cleared his throat and lowered his voice uncertainly, "Whether Ms. Levin meets with Mr. Wilson again might depend on you, sir."
Philip frowned deeply, clearly not grasping Alex's subtle implication. "What do you mean?"
Alex was in an awkward position but decided to be both diplomatic and direct. "Perhaps if you were... nicer to Ms. Levin, she might not feel the need to meet with Mr. Wilson."
When a woman with a boyfriend still met privately with other men, the reason was often simple—she might be looking for a backup option to replace her current partner.
Philip raised an eyebrow, nearly at his breaking point. "I'm not nice enough to her?"
Alex wouldn't dare offend Philip and continued diplomatically, "Perhaps Ms. Levin hasn't fully recognized your kindness toward her?"
Philip clenched his jaw, his expression cold and angry.
He didn't want to continue discussing whether he was nice enough to Catherine with Alex.
Changing the subject abruptly, he asked, "What else did she do today?"