Lawrence lowered his head, his eyes warm and soft, almost like an endless ocean. Catherine happened to look up, and in that moment, she fell right into his gaze. She couldn't help but smile. Looking into his eyes, she felt like she could be loved by him forever.
Just then, Lawrence's phone started ringing. Catherine let go of him. “You should answer that.”
Lawrence glanced at the screen. It was Nicol calling. He smiled and shook his head. “It's nothing important.”
Right after, a text popped up. Lawrence, your Zero System just pulled off a perfect win. Completely unstoppable.
Lawrence took a quick look, then slipped his phone back into his pocket. Catherine walked with him to his car, holding onto him for a moment, not really ready to say goodbye. “You're really leaving?”
“Yeah.” Lawrence let out a soft laugh.
“Don’t go so fast. I want to...” Catherine reached for his arm, her cheeks turning pink, a playful spark in her eyes.
“What do you want?” Lawrence looked at her, waiting.
Instead of answering, Catherine just went for it. She rose onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him first.
Lawrence just smiled into the kiss, his arm sliding around her waist, his hand gently supporting the back of her head as he kissed her back, slow and tender.
The streetlight glowed softly above them, wrapping them in their own little world. For a moment, it felt like nothing else existed except the two of them.
But up on the second floor, someone was watching.
Shirley had only meant to step over to the window for some fresh air, but then she saw the two of them outside in the garden. Instantly, a heavy, bitter feeling settled in her chest, thick and suffocating. She stared at the couple, jealousy burning in her eyes, then quickly pulled out her phone and started recording them.
The video wasn’t the clearest, but with Waldo’s obsession with Catherine and Lawrence, he would definitely recognize them. That was the point. Shirley wanted to send him proof of just how shameless Catherine was, cozying up to a nobody in public, kissing and hugging like she didn’t care who was watching.
Down below, Lawrence glanced up for a split second, his eyes flickering toward the window with the light on upstairs. A sharp look flashed in his gaze, gone before anyone could notice, and he focused right back on Catherine’s flushed, happy face.

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