After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 206

The manager from acquisitions knocked and stepped in. “Waldo, I wanted to double-check a few things about the Blair Group buyout.”

Waldo stood up, his expression thunderous, anger still burning in his eyes. “Spread the word. I want the Blair Group acquisition moving at full speed. Push their stock down as fast as possible. Accelerate everything.”

The manager flinched, clearly rattled by Waldo’s intensity. “Yes, Waldo. We’ll do everything we can, it’s just—”

Waldo cut him off, slamming his palm on the desk. “No excuses. I want results, and I want them now.”

“Yes, Waldo,” the manager said, backing off. “I’ll get everyone together and finalize the plan right away.”

Waldo dropped heavily into his chair, chest rising and falling. Lawrence. Just one man, and somehow he’d gotten under Waldo’s skin like no one else ever had.

He was determined to crush Lawrence, to make sure he never got back up again. And he wanted Catherine to see it all. He wanted her to see just how pathetic and powerless her choice of a man really was.

***

Meanwhile, in a different office, Shirley was ready to stir things up. She wanted to drag Catherine into this, let her see firsthand how ruthless Waldo could be, and make her hate both Waldo for his cruelty and Lawrence for his uselessness.

She grabbed her desk phone and dialed Catherine’s number.

Catherine noticed the call was from a landline and hesitated before picking up. “Hello? Who’s this?”

Shirley didn’t waste time. “Did you hear Dad’s company is about to be taken over by the James Group?”

Catherine instantly knew where this was going. Her voice was cool. “Yeah, I heard. So what?”

“So what? Catherine, Dad’s company is getting swallowed up. Aren’t you even curious about who’s to blame for this?”

“I don’t care,” Catherine replied, not missing a beat.

“If you’re so concerned, maybe you should go beg Waldo yourself,” Catherine said, voice icy.

Shirley sputtered, struggling to get the words out. “He won’t listen to me. Right now, you’re the only one who has a chance to save the company.”

Before Catherine could say anything, Shirley pressed on. “First, you need to go beg Waldo to back off. Be humble, be sincere. Second, get Lawrence to leave the Blair Group for good, and make sure he stays away from everything related to the company. If you do that, Waldo will let Dad off the hook.”

Catherine didn’t respond.

Shirley tried to push her further. “Catherine, do you really want to be the one responsible for the Blair family’s downfall?”

Catherine let out a short, cold laugh. “Who said Waldo gets to decide what happens to the Blair Group?”

Shirley was silent for a few seconds, then let out a bitter little laugh herself. “What, are you actually hoping Lawrence is going to suddenly turn things around and save Dad’s company?”