A Billionaire In Disguise novel Chapter 16

The smile on Catherine's face kept widening as she and Mr. Ford engaged in further discussions while Rome stood by, maintaining his silence.

“What is going on here?” Mr. Barlow calmly asked with a hint of anger in his tone when he met up with Catherine and Rome.

The instant her gaze met with her grandfather's angry eyes, Catherine's self-confidence dropped back to zero and panic was the only thing she felt.

Inside, Rome was enrage, seeing traces of fear in his wife's expression, yet he kept a calm face.

The rest of the Barlow family met up with Mr. Barlow, and when Chloe's and Catherine's eyes met, she threw her cousin a hard look then slyly smiled.

None of them said a word as they waited eagerly for Madam Rosey and Mr. Barlow to lash out and humiliate the couple.

But as Mr. Barlow moved his lips to utter a word, his eyes rested on Mr. Ford cold stare, and his entire expression softened. Then he focused his attention on him and said, “Mr. Ford, a pleasant greeting to you.”

“Ahh, Greeting me like a friend, but you have been deceiving me this entire time.” Mr. Ford said with a frown.

Fear crossed Madam Rosey and her husband's faces as they gazed at each other, then back at Mr. Ford with a pleading look on their faces.

“I didn't know my good-for-nothing son-in-law was indebted to you until he married my granddaughter. He and his scheming father tricked us!” Mr. Barlow said, scowling when his gaze fell upon Rome.

“Yes. He's just a nobody who took advantage of our family name and lied to us. He's nothing but a liability to us. If you don't want him here we can send him home.” Madam Rosey said, throwing Rome a hard look.

A frown flickered across Mr. Ford's face, hearing them speak of his only heir in such a manner. But he stared at his son's calmed expression, sighed, and said, “I'm talking about the hidden gem you have among your grandkids.”

It grew silent between all of them. Then a faint smile surfaced on Charles, Chloe, Jeff, Richard, and their parents’ lips as they all wallowed in self-proud.

But Catherine hung her head low to avoid the dirty look they were giving her and her parents.

“You have good eyes, Mr. Ford. But which one of our grandchildren are you referring to? Chloe, Charles, Jeff, Richard…” Madam Rosey said, smiling brightly.

“No, Catherine.” Mr. Ford said with a straight face.

Shock took over the expressions of the Barlow family, including Catherine as they stared wide-eyed at him.

For a moment, he glanced at his son, then he smirked and said, “She's a diamond in the rust. Why have you been hiding such great talent all this time?”

No one from the Barlow family spoke for a while as they all eyed each other with a look of disbelief on their faces.

“Well, I'm honored that my granddaughter caught your attention. To be honest, I haven't been hiding her, she just hasn't been doing much around the company.” Mr. Barlow said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Nonsense, I have heard how successful Mr. Jeffrey's project turned out, how can she not be doing much with such great skills. Is it that you are not giving her the chance to prove herself?” Mr. Ford said, frowning at him.

“How can that be? Catherine is our precious granddaughter.” Madam Rosey said, grabbing onto Catherine's hand as she smiled brightly at her.

Feeling lost for words, Elijah gazed at his wife and she whispered to him, “What's going on.”

With a frown, he lifted his shoulder in a half shrug and gazed away from her. Then his eyes rested on Andrew and William and they and their wives seemed just as shocked as him.

Hate, anger, and jealousy were the only emotions the four cousins felt, and as Mr. Ford continued praising Catherine, their rage only seemed to intensify, yet they kept their silence.

The frown on Chloe's face softened when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Then she turned, gazing at the man standing behind her, and her lips curved into a smile.

“Grandmother, grandfather, please meet, Kremlin. He's my date.” Chloe said, taking his hand in hers.

A smile surfaced on Madam Rosey and her husband's faces, staring at their granddaughter and her date with pride in their expressions.

A frown flickered across Charles's forehead as he stared at his cousin and thought, ‘The mayor's son. So this was your plan, you sly fox! Having a man from a powerful background as your backing for tonight.’

Staring away from Catherine and focusing his eyes on Chloe, Mr. Ford scowled and said, “How rude! Is she your granddaughter, Mr. Barlow?”

The smile on Mr. Barlow's face quickly faded as he eyed Chloe and said, “Yes, she is.”

“Did you raise her to interrupt her elders when they are having a discussion?”

“Not at all. Chloe, apologize to Mr. Ford right now!”