After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 132

Shirley’s words still felt like a thorn, lodged right in Catherine’s chest. Every time she thought about it, the ache made it hard to breathe.

That bracelet was her grandmother’s heirloom. If it really ended up on Alice’s wrist, it would be a complete insult—not just to the family treasure, but to her mother and grandmother’s memory. Catherine couldn’t let that happen. No matter what, she had to win it back.

She closed her eyes tight as soon as she got back to her room. What could she do? With what she had now, there was no way she could outbid Waldo at an auction. Was she seriously supposed to just watch her mother’s heirloom slip into Alice’s hands? She could already picture the way Alice would flaunt it, turning it into a trophy to mock her with for years.

She wanted so badly to talk to Lawrence about all of this. But if she did, she’d only add to his stress, and he was already stretched thin managing the company with Nestor during such a rough patch. Catherine couldn’t drag him into her problems. This was her family’s legacy to protect. It was up to her to fix it.

Right now, her only shot at turning things around was to put together the best project proposal she’d ever done—and nail the final presentation.

***

At The James Group, Waldo was back in his office, keeping a close eye on everything happening at The Blair Group. He’d already heard the news: Lawrence fired two top executives that morning, then handed Malloy over to the police later the same day.

“He’s got some guts, I’ll give him that, but that’s about it,” Waldo said, tossing the report onto his desk. He leaned back, a sly, amused glimmer in his eyes. “All this cleaning house and reorganizing… that’s just basic. Even if Lawrence swapped out everyone in the company, it wouldn’t make a difference.”

Lawrence wouldn’t even qualify to get into the auction. Entry required proof of major assets.

Waldo skimmed the appraisal report and saw the estimated starting price. A slow smirk curled on his lips, his eyes full of quiet determination. The minimum requirement for entry was already sky-high.

He wanted more than the bracelet. He wanted to see Catherine’s face when she realized it was his. That would be worth everything.

Lawrence probably didn’t even stand a chance of getting a ticket, but Waldo figured he should still let him know about the auction soon. There was no way he’d let Lawrence sit this out.