Chapter 180

Chapter 180

"Mom!"

"Mrs. Russell!"

The lobby instantly burst into chaos, and everyone was startled.

In the private room of the café, Nora put down her binoculars and slammed the table so hard. "Holy shit! Alexander was so cool today!"

"Tough fists? That's what makes a real man." Liam crossed his legs, a smirk of amusement playing at his lips.

"What do you know!"

Nora rolled her eyes at him. "This is love! The kind of love where you're willing to take on the whole world to protect your woman!"

After saying this, feeling the anger in her chest still hadn't been released, she grabbed the coffee pot from the table, poured herself a full cup, and gulped it down.

"Let's go. Phaedra fainted from anger; the show's over. Time to celebrate!" Nora pulled Liam up to leave.

"Celebrate what?"

"Celebrate that bitch getting what she deserved, celebrate Phaedra's comeuppance! Let's drink!"

That night, Nora successfully drank herself under the table—clearly having a great time.

Liam looked at the completely wasted woman and rubbed his temples in frustration.

He resigned himself to paying the bill and tried to help her up. But as soon as Nora stood up steadily, she stepped on a bottle cap she'd thrown on the floor, and her foot slipped.

"Ah!"

Liam quickly caught her, twisting his ankle in the process.

Nora gasped in pain as tears instantly streamed down her face.

"Can you walk?" Liam asked.

Nora tried to move and grimaced in pain, but stubbornly insisted, "Yes!"

She'd barely taken one step before her leg gave out and she fell straight down.

Liam sighed and crouched down in front of her. "Get on."

"What for?"

"To carry you to the hospital. Unless you want to limp home?"

Nora lay on Liam's back, breathing in his faint woody scent mixed with the smell of alcohol, which made her head spin even more. At the hospital, when the doctor treated her ankle, she whimpered in pain but bit her lip hard.

Liam looked at her small face, something stirring inexplicably in his heart.

He bought her an ice pack and took a cotton swab to wipe the tears from her face, his movements clumsy.

Nora watched him fumbling around and suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Liam felt a bit embarrassed and angry, too shy to look at her.

"At you," Nora said, tears still at the corners of her eyes. "You usually seem so smooth, but when it comes to taking care of people, you're like an idiot."

Liam's face rarely turned red.. He looked away, uncomfortable, not daring to meet her eyes.

Alexander handed company matters over to Zack while he stayed with Catherine and Ethan.

That afternoon, Catherine was playing with blocks with Ethan in the garden when the butler brought over an invitation.

It was from Phaedra, inviting her to one of the Russell family's cafés the next day.

"Here we go again." Catherine looked at the invitation, her expression calm.

"She can't pull any more tricks." Alexander took the invitation from behind her and casually tossed it into the fireplace.

"I'll go," Catherine said. She couldn't keep living like this forever.

Alexander frowned, his expression grim.

"Some things need to be dealt with once and for all." Catherine looked up at him. "Don't worry, I won't be alone."

At the café, besides Phaedra, several elegant and wealthy ladies were seated.

"Catherine's here, please sit."

Phaedra's attitude today was completely different from usual. "Let me introduce you - this is Avery, a famous mysticism master in Emerald City."

Catherine sat down calmly and nodded at Avery.

After sipping coffee for a while, Phaedra spoke up. "Avery, what do you see in our Catherine's fate?"

Avery stroked his beard, studied Catherine for a long time, then slowly spoke with a grave expression. "Ms. Spencer is blessed with good fortune, but unfortunately..."

He changed his tone and sighed. "Unfortunately, she's destined for loneliness. If she insists on marrying, she'll bring bad luck to her husband."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ladies exchanged glances, not daring to say much.

Phaedra immediately chimed in, looking pained. "How can this be? Why does Alexander insist on being with you?"

From beginning to end, Catherine just quietly drank her coffee, her face showing no emotion.

She set down her coffee cup with a soft clink, pulled a small voice recorder from her bag, and pressed play.

"After it's done, the fifty thousand dollar deposit will be transferred to your account. You just need to say she's not suitable for marriage and will bring bad luck to her husband."

Avery's face instantly drained of color, and Phaedra's smile froze on her face.

Catherine didn't stop. She opened her phone and placed a screenshot of bank transfer records in front of them.

Catherine stood up, looked at him, her voice cold. "I don't believe in this nonsense."

She turned to Phaedra, a slight curve forming at the corner of her mouth, her voice icy.

"Grandma, this trick of yours is even more pathetic than your last attempt."

Just then, the café door was pushed open, and Alexander walked in, followed by the Russell family's legal team.

He walked to Catherine's side, took her hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally resting on Phaedra.

His voice wasn't loud, but carried authority. "The Russell family - I'm in charge. Grandma, stop making trouble."

Every time it was because of her that things turned out this way. Their life had been fine, and now this.

"If this happens again, no matter who it is, they'll leave with nothing."

"Her life is under my protection. I'd like to see who dares to stop me from marrying her."

Avery was sent away that very day. The next day, those ladies received notices that the Russell Group was terminating all cooperation.

As for Wendy, Alexander didn't even let her return to the Russell Mansion - he had the driver take her and her luggage straight back to her parents' home.

Overnight, no one in Emerald City's high society circles dared mention this matter again.

At the Harrison Group's R&D center, Catherine had just finished a four-hour technical meeting and returned to her office, rubbing her temples.

"Ms. Spencer, your juice and snacks." The assistant came in carrying a tray, smiling.

The glass held orange juice, with a few handmade cookies and a plate of cut fruit on the side.

Catherine looked at the fruit, identical to what she'd received before, and smiled helplessly. "He came again?"

"Mr. Russell just left."

The assistant suppressed a smile. "He said you've been overworking your brain lately and need to replenish yourself. He also said that when meetings go over three hours, you definitely forget to drink water."

Catherine picked up the orange juice, a warm feeling she couldn't quite describe spreading through her heart.

Alexander personally picked up Catherine every day. No matter how busy he was, the afternoon snack at 3:30 would always be delivered.

He never entered the office to disturb her, just handed things to the assistant before leaving.

As the assistant cleared the tray, she couldn't help but tease, "Ms. Spencer, Mr. Russell treats you so well. We're all envious - no one treats us that well."