Chapter Seventy-Three


    The sound of the rm clock forced Catherine to squeeze her eyelids before slowly raising hershes.


    For a moment, she silently watched Rome fix his tie with a gentle smile on her lips.


    After he got done, he turned around to grab his coat off the couch, and then Rome stopped, gazing at


    Catherine for a couple of seconds before smiling as he mumbled, "You are awake."


    "Yeah," Catherine whispered, drawing the nket off her.


    Then she walked toward Rome, grabbed his coat off the couch, and assisted him in wearing it.


    Once Catherine got done, she stroked her palms against his chest, and as she was about to draw her


    hands back, Rome gently grabbed her waist, looking deep into her eyes.


    "How about after Amara, and I get done with this Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, I pick you up from work,


    and we go on a date to any ce of your choice?"


    A board grin crept on Catherine''s lip as her eyes lit up. Then she nodded and heartily said, "Yes!"


    A sudden intrusive thought crossed her mind causing her expression to harden a bit, and when Rome


    noticed, he met her eyes and asked, "What is it?"


    "Nothing. It''s just that I can''t believe it''s been two months already." Catherine subconsciously mumbled.


    "A very silent eight weeks."


    A frown crossed Rome''s face when he thought about it and then said, "Me either. And it''s like since we


    moved here, the puppets'' master has made no move, and even Charles is acting ordingly at the


    With a look of sadness clouding her eyes, Catherine hesitated for a moment and then whispered, "I


    want to feel d that we have a break from all the mess. But the silence is so loud that I can''t help


    feeling that a storm is building up beneath all the quietness."


    Although Rome felt the same way, he didn''t want to add to the fear she already had, so he softly smiled


    and said, "Everything is going to turn out fine, okay?"


    "Hmm, I know it will," Catherine said as her eyes glowed with happiness.


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    The sound of a knock drew both of their attention toward the door, and then Maria''s voice echoed in the


    room, "Sir, your father wants you to know that he''s seated at the table awaiting you and ma''am."


    Watching Mr. Miller set a bowl on the table, Mr. Ford frowned and shook his head in disbelief.


    "What?" Mr. Miller asked as he fixed his gaze on him.


    "You have all my chefs worry that I''m going to fire them because you have taken their job." Mr. Ford


    casually uttered.


    "I can''t help it. Every time Catherine or Romepliment my food, all I want to do is cook more and


    feed them. And even though you keep telling me that it''s not my job to cook, I see the way you clear


    your te every day, so..."


    "Well, you are good at what you do."


    Smiling, Catherine stared at both of her fathers-inw as she walked into the dining room and then


    said, "I agreed to that. Your food special, father."


    Augh escaped Mr. Miller''s lips as he stared at Catherine with a look of pride in his eyes. Then he


    gazed at Mr. Ford and teasingly said, "You still want me to stop cooking?"


    "Well," Mr. Ford mumbled, clearing his throat. "No. Our daughter-inw''s words are urate.


    Everything you prepare is unique. They taste almost like..."


    "Home," Rome mumbled, smiling at his fathers as he stopped beside Catherine.


    "Well, that''s because the secret ingredient is love." Mr. Miller said, looking at his son with adoration in


    his eyes.


    Without uttering a word, Mr. Ford lowered his gaze and thought, ''If I knew I was going to have so much


    more to lose in the future after the death of my wife, I would have taken another path. If only the past


    can get altered.''


    At nine o''clock, Catherine was seated behind her desk. Then a couple of secondster, her office door


    suddenly opened, and Charles stormed into the room with a folder in his hand.


    Raising her head, Catherine sighed as she red at her cousin while he approached her.


    When Charles got closer, he dropped a file on the desk and smirked at Catherine as she stared down


    at the folder before focusing on him.


    "What does this mean?" Catherine asked, scowling at him.


    Over the past month, as she and her attorney worked together to build a good case again Charles for


    entering thepany without her consent, she felt d that he was not all up in her face or causing


    problems at that time.


    But now that he was in front of her, she felt annoyed and frustrated because she knew it might mean


    that he was up to no good again.


    "Take a look, dear cousin," Charles said as he sat down.


    Then he crossed his leg over the other, gave Catherine a half-smile, and casually uttered, "I''m going to


    warn you though, you are not going to like what is in there. But for me, I love every single detail on


    those papers."


    Although Catherine kept a straight face, she felt hesitant to open the folder since she knew that if


    Charles loved what was in it, it meant trouble which she honestly didn''t want.


    "Charles, take your folder and get out of my office. I have too much to do to entertain such a useless


    conversation." Catherine said, frowning as she slightly pushed the folder towards him.


    "Your office?" Charles slyly asked, staring down at the file.


    "Yes, my office!"


    "Well, ording to the words on these papers, this office is not yours but mine. You should really take


    a look, cousin."


    The was a brief pause, and then when Catherine didn''t react, Charles slightly pushed the folder


    towards her.


    Feeling hesitant, Catherine frowned at the smirk on his face before looking down at the file. Then she


    picked it up, opened its cover, and stared intensely at the first sheet.


    Immediately, a look of raw fear crossed Catherine''s face, and she started hastily turning over the


    papers, feeling infuriated by what she was reading.


    Then she suddenly tossed the file on the desk, and with burning rage in her eyes, she mmed her


    palms on its solid wooden surface andshed out, "What have you done, Charles!"


    In front of a one hundred-meter in height green ss building, there was a crowd filled with politicians,


    top-notch business people, and other dignitaries standing beyond a red ribbon.


    “You look great,” Amara said, stopping beside Rome as she smiled at him.


    But Rome gazed at her with a straight face before focusing his attention on the media representatives.


    The shes from the cameras kept going off and on as the reporters tried to get a picture of him. Then


    after the paparazzi had snapped a few photos of them, Rome walked away, leaving her behind.


    But Amara rushed after him and soon caught up with Rome. Then she stopped in front of him and


    asked, "You look disturbed. Is three a problem, Mr. Ford?"


    “There''s thedy and gentleman of the hour!” An elderly-looking fellow happily stated as he


    approached them.


    When he stopped before Rome, he extended his hand towards him, and both men shook hands.


    “Nice to meet you, sir.” Amara hastily said when it was her turn to shake the fellow hand.


    "I must say, young woman, you are a lucky human to be working with the young Ford." The guy said,


    smiling at her.


    "Lucky, I am."


    "That''s the spirit. well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so make sure you don''t waste it."


    "Of course! I n to take full advantage of this opportunity."


    Something about the way Amara said those words rudded Rome the wrong way, and he slightly


    frowned as he thought, ''After two months, Scar hasn''t find out any worthwhile information on you yet,


    and that only make you seem too clean not to be dirty.''


    The office was silent for a while as Catherine continued ring at her cousin, striving to find the right


    words to put her thoughts into words.


    After taking his time to enjoy the look of annoyance on his cousin''s face, Charles finally said, "What do


    you mean by, ''what have I done?''... I just took back every single thing that should have rightfully been


    mine."


    "Does grandpa know that you falsify thepany and properties deeds to make yourself the family


    inheritor?!" Catherine harshly uttered, screwing her face into a frown.


    A look of anger crossed Charles''s face, and he red at Catherine as he coldly asked, "What do you


    mean by, ''falsify?!"


    Frustrated, Catherine threw her hands in the air and said, "It exactly means what it is supposed to


    mean."


    "For your information, dear cousin, those properties deeds are legal pieces of documents that transfer


    the ownership o the Barlows real estates andpany from our grandpa to me." Charles boldly uttered


    with a straight expression.


    "So what you are saying is that grandfather signed these papers willingly?!"


    "Of course. Don''t you see the signatures on them, or have you all of suddenly gone blind?"


    Without uttering another word to Charles, Catherine picked up her phone, and he frowned as he


    mumbled, "Go ahead, dear cousin. Give the old man a call."


    The cheers and the pping grew louder as Rome and Amara each received a pair of scissors, and


    Rome was about to cut the ribbon when his ringtone interrupted him.


    Looking at Amara when she hesitated to cut the ribbon, Rome reached into his pocket, drew out his


    phone, and answered the call.


    With her gaze fixed on her cousin, Catherine pressed the phone against her ear and said, “There''s a


    problem.”


    A look of worry took over Rome’s expression as he strived not to think about the worst-case scenario


    and asked, “What is it, babe?”


    "Charles showed up in my office with thepany deed, and his name is on it along with every other


    Barlows property deed.


    "I''m on my way," Rome said, striving not to lose his cool, even though he was infuriated.


    After ending the call, Rome stared at the look of confusion on Amara''s face and said, “I got to go.”


    “What?... Where are you going? The ceremony has just started.” Amara said, sounding a bit mad.


    “Start the ceremony without me.”


    “Me? But I thought we were going to be doing this together since we are partners now.”


    “Right, we are partners, and whatever right I have, you also do too, so you should do it or cancel the


    ceremony. Either way is fine.”


    Without waiting for a response from Amara, Rome walked away with K, and as she stared behind him,


    a faint smile surfaced on her lips as she thought, ''I guess phase two of the n has begun.''