As the Barlow family had breakfast the atmosphere around the table was calm until Catherine and Rome walked into the dining room.
The sense of hostility was all the couple felt from some of the relatives.
But Catherine took her seat, pretending like she didn't see her cousins’ hateful stares, her uncles’ angry eyes, and their wives' cold expressions.
“Good morning,” Catherine mumbled, staring at her plate.
An echo of half-hearted responses from her uncles and aunts circled the table. Then she got a heartedly greeting from her parents, and a normal reply from both of her grandparents.
However, Chloe and the rest of the cousins maintained their silence and continued to stare hatefully at Catherine.
“A pleasant morning to all,” Rome said, smiling at the family.
All he got as a response was total silence and icy stares.
“It would be a pleasant morning without you here. You are ruining others appetites.” Elijah mumbled, but
All four cousins gazed at each other, not wanting to be the first to speak. But that only left the board members mumbling angrily to themselves.Finally, when another few minutes had gone by in silence, one of the board members stood up and said in annoyance, “You four are not serious! I have more important things to do than this!”“Like what? Visit a brothel. You know a man who has been married for thirty years should be careful of the places he goes.” Chloe mumbled, casually inspecting her nails.“Wh-at! What nonsense are you talking about!”“All I'm saying is that people may assume that you are unfaithful to the minister of justice only daughter if you continue going to these places.”“Stop talking nonsense!”“Leave if it's truly a lie and bear the consequences later. Or sit down and listen
The moment the elevator hit the top floor and its door opened, Rome walked into the corridor along with Mr. Orlando and K. Then he faced his father and said, “You know what to do, right?” “Yeah. But can you handle this end?” Mr. Ford asked with worry in his expression. “Father, I…” “Rome, inside that conference hall, are the top beasts in the business industry, and if you can't tame them, you wouldn't earn their submission.” “Have a little faith in me. I'm your son after all.” As his expression relaxed, Mr. Ford rested his palm on Rome’s cheek, patted it, and said, “You have my full trust, son. I'm proud of you.” Afterward, he drew his hand to his side and the bodyguard pressed button one. Then the elevator door closed. “Let's go,” Rome mumbled, glancing at Mr. Orlando. The conference room was quiet as everyone anxiously waited, expecting Mr. Ford to walk into the room at any minute. But when
“Ding” The elevator door opened on the eighth floor, and Mr. Ford stepped into the corridor with his bodyguards. ‘Is it the eighth or the ninth floor that Rome said Jeff works at?’ Mr. Ford thought as he walked down the hallway, feeling a bit confused. After walking a bit further, he spotted a lady seated at the end of the hall, and he marched straight to the desk, stopped, and gave her a half-smile. “Mr. Ford,” She mumbled, hastily standing to her feet. “No need for formality.” Mr. Ford said, gently tapping his fingers on the desk. Giving a nervous smile, she sat back down and asked, “How can I help you?” “Is your boss here?” Mr. Ford asked with a relaxed expression. “No, sir Jeff is in a board meeting. But I can give him a call to inform him of your presence.” A feeling of ease took over Mr. Ford as he thought, ‘I got the number right.’ Then he focused his gaze on her name tag and said, “Th
When Catherine got home by seven o'clock, she walked into the living room and froze as she stared at the faces of everyone in the room. Then her gaze rested on Rome, sitting alone on one of the couches, and when their eyes met, he faintly smiled at her. Without any hesitation, she walked politely to the chair and sat down beside him. “What is this about? Did you do something wrong?” Catherine whispered with worry in her eyes. “This is not about me. I have been at the construction site all day and when I got home, everyone was seated here, so I did the same.” Rome mumbled, resting his palm over the back of her hand. “Oh. Then why are we having a meeting?” “I'm afraid that if I asked, I might get you and me in trouble. So I have kept my silence since I arrived.” “Smart.” Both of them shared a brief smile before focusing on the others. Finally, after waiting for a while, Chloe, Charles, Jeff, and Richard entered th
The first golden light of dawn sneaked into the room, beaming on Rome's face. Refusing to open his eyes, he gently rubbed his eyelid and laid still for a while before slowly raising them, and for about five minutes, he didn't blink as he stared at the ceiling. Then he swayed his focus on Catherine's face and softly smiled. After a few minutes had gone by, he threw the blanket off him, got out of bed, and headed for the shower. The morning felt peaceful when Rome stepped out of the room minutes later. Then he strolled down the hallway, heading for the living room. However, the moment he entered the living room and his gaze rested on Chloe, she rolled her eyes, and he knew his morning was about to get ruined. “Good morning, sister-in-law,” Rome mumbled, forcing a smile on his lips. “Don't talk to me!” Chloe rudely said with a frown. Without uttering another word, Rome turned around to leave, but
It suddenly became quiet in the car as Rome glanced at Catherine, then at his phone. For a moment, she waited patiently on him before asking, “Did you hear me?” “Umm, hold that thought for a second. I got to reply to this text quickly. It's from my dad.” Rome mumbled, gazing at the browser on his phone. Then he hastily typed in the search box, “The nearest construction site,” and clicked the search icon. After gazing at the screen for a while, he stared back at Catherine and asked, “What were you saying?” “I was asking about the location of your job site,” Catherine mumbled, keeping her eyes fixed on the road. “It's on the Bell Route.” “Oh, okay.” When a few minutes had gone by, Catherine sighed heavily and said, “I'm such a terrible wife.” “Why would you say that?” Rome gently asked, fixing his eyes on her. “Well, what kind of wife doesn't know her husband's workplace?” “Well, I didn't tel
When his office door opened, Hanson took his gaze off the paper before him and placed it on Mr. Orlando as he walked into the room.Then he stared at the wall clock, frowning as he focused on the shorthand pointed at eleven and the longhand resting on twelve.For a moment, he didn't react, but the moment Rome stepped inside the room and took off his cap along with his shade, Hanson hastily stood to his feet.“Why do I keep meeting you people?” Rome mumbled, feeling a bit annoyed.“Good morning, young Ford. Please! Please, have a seat.” Hanson said, walking from behind his desk.As he watched Rome sit down on the couch, he grinned at him and said, “I was shocked to get a call from Mr. Orlando.”When he got only silence from Rome, he widened his smile and stated, “At first, I thought he was calling to give details about the next meeting, but when I heard that you wanted to see me, I was more shocked.&r
The daylight faded naturally, and after having a ten-course meal made by the famous chef, ‘Ramsey’ from a prestigious five-star restaurant, Rome got on a bus and stopped at the bus stop in front of DreamTeam company by six o'clock.When he got to Catherine’s office, she took one look at him, smiled, and said, “You are here.”Then she grabbed her bag, walked over to Rome, and held onto his arm.“Shall we?” Catherine mumbled, lifting her head to meet his gaze.“We shall,” Rome replied with his eyes focused on hers.Then they shared a brief laugh before heading out of her office.A moment later, they were seated in Catherine's vehicle, and after putting the car in gear, she gazed at Rome and asked, “Should we stop at a restaurant and grab a bite?”“But then you would be full when you get home, and Madam Rosey will scold you if you refuse dinner with the family.&rdquo