After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 269

When Shirley’s mom slid back into her seat, Shirley glanced over, eyebrows raised. Alice just gave her a look that clearly meant, “I’ll explain later.”

Patrick put the lid back on the box and said, “The kids are pretty busy. How about we set the wedding for three months from now? That gives them time to wrap things up and actually plan.”

Nestor thought about how Lawrence was still deep in company reforms, and there was more on the horizon. Catherine had only just started at Nexus Dynamics, barely getting her feet under her.

“Let’s decide in three months, then. The main thing is, both our families are happy with this match.”

“Alright, it’s settled,” Patrick agreed.

“Dad, I want to invite you to the summit this Wednesday,” Lawrence said.

Nestor nodded. “Yeah, I should check out the latest industry trends. I’ll go.”

“Dad, I’ll be there too,” Shirley chimed in with a smile, then shot Lawrence a look that said she had something more to say.

Lawrence met her gaze for a moment, but then his attention shifted softly to Catherine. “Catherine and I will both be there,” he said.

After lunch, the families lingered outside the restaurant, chatting a bit longer before saying their goodbyes. As they were leaving, a car pulled up next to Lawrence’s parents. A sharply dressed, tough-looking man hopped out of the passenger seat and rushed to open the back door for them.

Lawrence’s parents slid into the car like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Nestor noticed, and Alice was stunned. What was with the Gates family? Even hiring a bodyguard? How much did it cost to put on a show like this? First fake jewelry, now a bodyguard. They were really selling this act.

Shirley smirked. Lawrence seemed so stable and grounded, but his parents were something else.

“Dad, Catherine and I should head back to Nexus Dynamics,” Lawrence said.

“Go ahead,” Nestor replied, waving them off.

Once they were out of sight, Alice tugged on Nestor’s sleeve. “Nestor, Adelina is nice to Catherine and all, but was all that really necessary?”

Nestor looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“That necklace Adelina gave Catherine at the table… It didn’t look real to me. Honestly, it seemed fake. Of course, I couldn’t call it out right there, not now that Catherine’s part of the Gates family.”

“Mom, are you serious? Fake? How would you know?” Shirley asked, eyes wide.

Nestor frowned. He’d been surprised too. It just didn’t seem possible for a family like the Gates to casually give away a million-dollar piece of jewelry.

Just then, Lawrence showed up at her study door, hair damp from a shower. “You’re not planning to sleep yet?”

“Babe, can I ask you something?” Catherine said.

“Sure, go ahead,” Lawrence said, giving her his full attention.

“Do you know about the Zero System at Nexus Dynamics? Their defense system?”

Lawrence’s eyes sparkled and he smiled. “I know about it.”

“Do you know who developed it? I’ve hit a snag and I’d love to get their advice.”

Lawrence’s smile grew. He walked over to her desk, bracing his hands on the tabletop as he leaned over her shoulder to check out her screen. “For this kind of problem, it helps to start with the validation mechanism.” He pointed out a key parameter. “Your fault tolerance threshold is set a bit high. Try lowering it.”

Catherine’s whole face lit up. She scooted closer to the screen, studying the spot he’d pointed out. “You’re right, why didn’t I think of that? But if I lower it, will that slow down the response time?”

“It won’t,” Lawrence said quietly. He pulled up a chair, took the keyboard and mouse from her, and opened a simulation to show her how it worked.