After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 167

Once the wedding was official, Nestor would start treating Lawrence like a true heir, giving him every opportunity to prove himself.

Under the table, Shirley squeezed her hands into tight fists. She’d only wanted to break up Catherine and Lawrence, but somehow things had spun way out of her control. Not only had Nestor cut the trial period short, but he’d also promised Catherine a lavish wedding when it was all over.

This was the last thing she wanted.

Alice sat nearby, her face stiff with annoyance. She already couldn’t stand Catherine, and now that Catherine was moving back in, her mood was even worse.

“Lawrence, come with me to the study. We need to discuss some work,” Nestor said as he stood up and made his way upstairs.

Lawrence let go of Catherine’s hand under the table and gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll go talk to Dad for a bit.”

“Go ahead,” Catherine replied, nodding happily.

She watched him leave, then got up and flopped onto the couch, ready to scroll through her phone for a while.

Just then, a sharp, mocking voice cut through the air. “You really know how to plan for yourself, don’t you? The moment you realized Lawrence isn’t loaded, you ran straight to Dad to pay for your wedding. What, is Lawrence that desperate to get his hands on our family’s money?”

Before Catherine could reply, Shirley crossed her legs and kept going. “Honestly, with his background, landing someone from our family is the best thing that’ll ever happen to him. Of course he’d want to show off while he can.”

Alice joined in, her tone icy. “Catherine, you know a wedding should match your situation. We all know Lawrence’s finances aren’t great. If you make your dad throw a huge event, people will just say he’s after our family’s money. Who wants that kind of reputation?”

“I’ll say it as much as I want. And for the record, Waldo and I dated like normal people. I was never his mistress.”

Shirley’s eyes narrowed with jealousy as she spat, “Back when you were with Waldo, he paid for everything. Your food, your clothes, all those fancy parties. You lived like a pampered canary. If that’s not being kept, what is? Too bad he was only playing with you in the end.”

Catherine looked up from her phone, arms crossed, a smirk on her lips like she’d heard the world’s worst joke. “I was the one who dumped Waldo, and you know it. And everything he gave me, I can get for myself now. I don’t need anyone’s charity.”

“Oh, just because you landed Project Apex Initiative, you think you’re invincible now?” Shirley scoffed. “I’ve thought about it, and I bet Project Apex Initiative was just some backroom deal between Nexus Dynamics and the Academy. It’s not like your proposal was actually the best.”

Catherine arched a brow, her confidence shining through. “Shirley, your ability to make excuses is only matched by how good you are at lying to yourself. You lost the competition and now you’re inventing reasons for it. What, putting me down makes you feel better about yourself?” She leaned forward, her tone daring. “Why don’t you say that in front of the Nexus Dynamics execs and the Academy’s review board?”