After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 26

“You didn’t see how stubborn she was today,” Nestor said, his chest rising and falling with anger as he jabbed a finger toward the door. “She’s ready to throw away her own father for that penniless kid. And she had the nerve to claim he’d come back with a hundred million in a week. Please. She has no idea what she’s talking about.”

Alice hurried to calm him down, but her shock bled through. “A hundred million? Can his family even scrape that together?”

Shirley stood nearby, equally stunned. Was Catherine’s husband secretly rich?

“Dad, please don’t get upset. It’s not worth hurting your health,” Shirley said as she handed him a glass of warm water.

Nestor took the glass, sighing deeply. As he looked at Shirley—so considerate, so reliable—he couldn’t help thinking how much simpler everything would be if Catherine were more like her.

“He’s just bluffing. The guy lives in a crumbling old house in the city’s backstreets. Bring out a hundred million? I don’t buy it,” Nestor grumbled.

Being a man himself, he knew exactly how men like Lawrence thought. Lawrence was probably just trying to get Catherine pregnant, hoping to use that as leverage down the line.

And Catherine… she was just hopeless.

When it came to looks, Waldo was in a league of his own. Wealth? Waldo could buy and sell Lawrence ten times over.

“Don’t worry, Dad. Catherine’s obsessed with Waldo. She’ll come back. You’ll see,” Shirley said, gently reassuring him.

Nestor looked at her, a hint of relief in his eyes. “You’re the one who truly understands me,” he said, then let out another sigh. “Waldo had a rough day too.”

A spark of excitement flashed in Shirley’s eyes. Just then, her mother caught her gaze and nodded knowingly.

“Mom, I think I left some files at the office. I’ll run out for a bit,” Shirley said.

“I was worried about you,” Shirley said, reaching out to gently rub his back.

“You don’t need to. Go home,” Waldo replied, his tone flat.

“You’ve had too much to drink. I can’t leave you like this,” Shirley murmured, letting out a quiet sigh. “My dad said Catherine walked away from her family for that guy.”

Waldo’s pain flickered back into his eyes. Catherine had really chosen that broke nobody over him.

Shirley edged closer, her voice low and warm. “Waldo, don’t worry. I’ll always be here for you. I know how amazing you are. I really do.”

She reached out, bold and hopeful, and tried to take his hand.